The cat I just let inside presses against my legs, purring loud enough to be heard across the room.“Oh!”The woman’s eyes go wide.She looks at the cat, then her gaze catches on the snow dusting its striped sweater.“Mr.Darcy, why are you covered in snow?”Her eyes widen further.“Wait, were you outside?”
“He was scratching at your door,” I say.“I assumed he belonged inside.”
“Thank you.”Relief washes over her features.“Thank you so much.He’s an escape artist.I don’t know how he keeps getting out.”She bends down carefully, favoring her injured foot, and scoops up the cat, who immediately settles against her chest like he belongs there.
I move toward the register with the gardening book I’ve decided to buy for Carol, pulling out my wallet.The woman hobbles behind the counter, still cradling Mr.Darcy.Her fingers fly over the register keys with surprising speed despite her obvious discomfort, and she hands me the book back with the receipt tucked inside, offering me a bag.Then she freezes, her gaze snapping up to my face.
“I’ve seen you around.You’re Olivia’s new boyfriend, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
Her entire demeanor transforms.“Oh!I’m Avery.Avery Bloom.Olivia and I went to high school together.”
I file that away.Olivia hasn’t mentioned her friends.Hasn’t introduced me to anyone beyond her family.I wonder why.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say, because it seems like the thing to say.
Avery sets Mr.Darcy down.Her fingers reach across the counter to the display beside the register.A small stand featuring a book with a dark blue cover.A knife and a single red rose dominate the design.“Give this to Olivia,” she says, pressing it into my hands before I can protest.“Tell her Avery sent it.”
I look down at the title.Winter’s Promiseby A.J.Blackwood.The name’s familiar.I’ve seen it in airport bookstores, prominently displayed in mystery sections.Bestseller lists, if I remember correctly.
“I should pay?—”
“It’s a gift.”She waves off my wallet with a shy smile.“For Olivia.She and I were best friends once.”
“Alright.”I fold it into the bag with the gardening book and tuck them under my arm.“Thank you.”The bells chime as I step back into the cold.
Snow falls harder now, fat flakes melting on my coat.I’ve barely taken two steps when Chase moves directly into my path, blocking the sidewalk.
He steps closer, his chin lifted in challenge.“We should talk.”
I stop, adjusting my grip on the books under my arm.“About what?”
“About you and Olivia, of course.”He takes another step forward, close enough that I can see the vein pulsing at his temple.His voice drops, taking on what I assume he thinks is a knowing tone.“There’s no way Olivia loves you.She didn’t get over me that fast.It’s not even been a year.”His smile turns smug, satisfied, like he’s just delivered a devastating blow.“She’s using you.You’re her rebound.”
I study him for a moment, and then I smile.“You said something similar before,” I say pleasantly.“Or was it your girlfriend?”
Chase’s smugness falters.“I’ve been with Olivia for ten years.I know her better than anyone ever could.”He puffs out his chest slightly.“You’re not her type.”
The laugh that escapes me is genuine, if cold.“If you’re trying to tell me her type is you—a selfish boyfriend who can’t look past his nose and admire the achievements of the woman he claims to love, and a cheater on top of that—then I would say her type has gone through a transformation.”
His face flushes an ugly red, blotchy and spreading down his neck.
Somewhere down the street, a cheerful holiday tune starts playing from the speakers mounted to the lampposts.The melody feels absurdly out of place against the tension crackling between us.
I shift the books, settling them more comfortably.“Actually, I forgot to thank you.”
“Thank me?”His voice comes out strangled.
“I’ve been waiting for you to screw up.”The words come easy, honest.“So I could show Olivia how a real man will treat her.You provided me with the opportunity.”The color drains from his face like someone pulled a plug.White.Bloodless.
Perfect.
I lean in, close enough that my breath clouds between us.Close enough that he has to tilt his head back slightly to meet my eyes.“Olivia has upgraded in every sense,” I murmur, my voice low and lethal.“She went from a small-town vet who can’t keep it in his pants to a self-made billionaire who can’t see anybody but her.”
I straighten, putting distance between us again.Chase looks like he might be sick right here on Main Street.
“Unlike you,” I say, my tone returning to something almost conversational, “I plan to keep Olivia.”I pause, letting that sink in.“You should focus on Amber.I’m sure she must be worth it.”The last part is said scathingly, and I feel a sharp sense of satisfaction when Chase flinches.
