By the big back window, where the fading daylight cast everything in soft golden brown, a woman chuckled at something the man across from her said, her hand briefly resting on his exposed forearm.
For a second, all the air got sucked out of the room.
I didn’t know her—pretty, younger, laughing like she belonged there with him.
But what killed me was his smile. That smile. The one that could undo me without trying.
He looked easy. Relaxed. Like this wasnormal.
Which it probably was. Really. Normal. Totally.
I turned on my heel before Sebastian could notice me, forgetting all about the coffee I came for.
“Ma’am?” the barista said. My secondma’amthatday.
I spun back to the counter, mumbling, “Never mind.” My voice didn’t even sound like mine.
The door chimed cheerfully behind me as if the universe thought this was funny.
It probably was.
It was fine.
Only my stomach didn’t get the memo. It still dropped like a stone.
Of course he’d have coffee with someone.He’s allowed. We’re nothing.
Coffee. A date. Somehow, that stung worse than casual sex.
But this was exactly what I’d wanted, right?
So why did it feel like a punch straight to the gut?
Behind the wheel of my car, I was angry at my reaction. Why should I care? Wasn’t this what we were about—free to do whatever the fuck we wanted with whoever the fuck we wanted?
Wasn’t I free to do exactly the same right now—just hook up with whoever I felt like?
Only ... I was malfunctioning. I didn’t feel like hooking up with anyone. I wished I did.
By the time I pulled into the inn’s lot, my jaw hurt from how tightly I’d been clenching it.
Two guests, hand in hand and giggling, strolled past me with a beach tote. I forced a smile.
“We’re going for a dip,” the woman said, throwing an admiring glance at the man. “Amazing how mild October is in these parts.”
“Enjoy the sunset,” I called, my voice way too bright for how queasy I was feeling.
She beamed back a thanks, and I kept walking like my chest wasn’t one big knot.
Inside my cottage, I tossed my keys on the counter and stared at the to-do list on my desk. I could’ve worked. Should’ve worked. Instead, I just stood there, hands on my hips, mind buzzing and blank all at once, like I’d swallowed a storm I couldn’t name.
An hour later, the faint crunch of tires on gravel hit me like a shot of adrenaline.
Sebastian.
My pulse jumped.
God, I hated that my body reacted before my brain caught up.
