“There’s nothing to talk about. Forget what I said. I just came down here to tell you to stay away from me. And I’m going on a date with him.”
“The fuck you are!”
“I am.”
“You really want to go on a date with a guy namedArt?”
“Stopsaying his name like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like there’s something wrong with him.”
Again, he grabbed her arm and tugged her to a stop. It took her two entire seconds to gain the courage to look up at him, and when she did, it felt just as gut-clenching as usual.
“You loved me?” Jace asked.
“As a friend.” Big. Fat. Lie. “Let me go, Jace.”
His brows flickered. “I just want you to be happy.”
“I’m trying.” She’d been trying since the day he’d left town. Hell, since before that.
Again, he inched closer. “I’m sorry. I crossed a line today.”
Her heart sped up in her chest. When he stood this close, she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t speak. She could barely think.
She needed to go. Get away from him in case more stupid words about loving him slipped out. “I need to go.”
She didn’t wait for him to respond, just turned away again, almost running back to the café. When she realized he wasn’t following her, she felt relieved, but there was also this other part of her, a part she hated, that was disappointed.
That was stupid, though. Disappointed that he’d done exactly as she asked? Disappointed that he hadn’t chased her down for a third time?
She crossed the deck and pushed into the café, almost running straight into Molly.
The other woman gasped. “Elle! Are you okay?”
No, she wasn’t. She was a stone’s throw away from falling apart. “Do you mind if I leave early? I’m not feeling great.”
“Oh no. Are you all right?”
“Yeah, just a headache.”
Molly nodded. “Of course. Go. Rest. I’ve got the shop.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“Thank you.” She grabbed her bag and rushed out to the parking lot. The entire time, she expected to see Jace again. To see him running out after her.
She’d told him shelovedhim. Love! God, what was wrong with her?
She slid behind the wheel and for a moment, just scrunched her eyes closed. Because a part of her had wanted him to say it back. And wasn’t that the most pathetic part about all of this? That a big part of her, even after all these years, still hoped he cared about her in the same way she cared about him?
But he didn’t say it, because he didn’t love her. He never had. What he felt for her was friendship. It had always been friendship. He’d proven that time and again by dating girl after girl right in front of her. Gorgeous girls. So beautiful that she just faded into the background in comparison. And for years, she’d stood and watched, her heart breaking.
And now he was back in Misty Peak, and she was falling for him all over again.
