“I don’t know.” I shake my head. “Life has just been weird lately, and the events of last night only made it worse.”
“Yeah.” Charleigh nods. “I love Julianna, but sometimes she doesn’t read the room. She means well but?—"
“No,” I interrupt. “I don’t blame her at all. You and London obviously weren’t an option. I’m the single one, and if it wasn’t for me being debilitatingly shy, she probably wouldn’t have had to do so much begging.”
“Have you talked to her since last night?”
I stare back at my computer screen. “Not yet.”
“I talked to her this morning. She feels terrible and thinks you’re upset with her.”
I turn back to Charleigh. “I’m not.”
“I told her that, and I told her she should just call or message you, but she’s been oddly silent.”
“That is strange. Julianna Capuleti isneversilent. I should have messaged her or called. I’ve just been distracted and in this weird space, you know? I haven’t even talked to London.”
When I’m caught up in my own head, unable to sort my thoughts, silence is normally my MO, not Julianna’s.
“I think she understands that. I think we all do.” Charleigh shrugs a shoulder. “Maybe Holt kissing you is bothering her. Remember how much she used to warn us to stay away from him?”
I tug my bottom lip under my teeth, thinking back to Julianna’s comments about Holt with women. She’s always been critical of him and the women he’s dated over the years, warning us, her best friends, to stay clear of him because he’s trouble. I never truly understood what she meant by trouble. Considering I never date, though, I never put much stock into it.
My stomach somersaults, tasting him on my mouth again. I’ve had two cups of coffee, brushed my teeth,eaten a mini spinach and feta quiche from the bakery down the street, and I canstilltaste him.
Maybe it’s all in my head.
His large hand wrapped around my waist, pulling me toward him, slamming his mouth to mine. The taste of mint and aftershave permeating my lips.
Yep, it’s definitely all in my head.
I inhale a deep breath and blink the memory of last night away. It’s no use thinking on it much longer.
My phone vibrates on the counter beside my keyboard. I pick it up and flip it over, reading the message bubble at the top of the screen.
Holt: Can we talk?
“Is that her?” Charleigh perks up, eyes dropping to my phone.
“No.” I groan. “Holt.” I place it back on the counter, face down.
She jerks her head back in surprise. “Holt? Really?”
“Yeah, he messaged me earlier, but I haven’t responded. He wants to talk. I’m assuming about last night.”
“I asked if you were upset with Jules, but I didn’t think to ask…” Her eyebrows rise, widening her gorgeous sparkling eyes. “Are you upset with Holt?” The curl to the corner of her mouth is hard to ignore.
Her question slams into me like a ton of bricks. Am I upset with Holt for kissing me? I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him or the kiss, but I’m uncertain why I haven’t stopped thinking about it.
Part of me is thankful the store hasn’t opened yet. A fury of conflicted feelings is raging inside me. I feel for my grandmother’s necklace for clarity, but my mind wanders to Holt before,like a pendulum motioning at full speed, it swings to my parents. I’ve been thinking about them more than usual lately.
Tears sting the backs of my eyes. I swallow them away and basically give my best friend an unhealthy dose of word vomit—an unusual occurrence for me. “I’m only upset he made the situation worse than it already was by kissing me. He knew the reaction he would gain from the crowd, and that only made my anxiety about being up on stage amplify. I’ve never been great at handling situations where everyone’s eyes are on me. Holt’s used to it.”
“True… but something tells me Holt is struggling with this lawsuit more than he’s letting on,” Charleigh argues. “Rome may be public enemy number one, but now I think back on the past year, it seems like Holt was at least attempting to diffuse the tension. Now, all hell has broken loose.”
A nagging little itch in the back of my mind tells me Charleigh might be right. Holt may seem like a prick on the outside, but he does have a heart. I’ve seen it in the way he hated seeing how his attempt to bring Rome into our friend circle hurt his sister. He would never admit it out loud, but anyone who was truly paying attention could see his heart isn’t entirely made of stone.
Charleigh gives me a gentle, soft smile, then reaches out to grip my bicep. “I’m here for you if you need me. If you want to take the rest of the day off, you can.”
