My stomach flips. The fact that he still remembers these tiny details about me after all this time settles in my chest, warm and unwanted, like that fuzzy feeling you get the first time a boy you like notices you.
Not that I like Jake. Not anymore…I think.
Lance’s gaze flicks between us, his brows lifting in a quiet, measuring assessment. “The only thing in life that’s certain is change,” he says. “And when it comes, it doesn’t just take. It brings new things, more colorful things, if you take the time to notice.” His eyes hold, unblinking. “Sometimes it even knocks at the door when you least expect it.”
Jake’s lips purse in that way they do when he’s carefully selecting his words, like he’s taste-testing them before letting them out. “Not changing everything is a good thing. There’s comfort in it. Stability.”
This is getting unbearable. Jake and Lance locked in some philosophical warfare about change versus stability, like I’m not even here—just the prize they’re circling.
“I disagree,” Lance counters, his voice firming. “Change brings growth and potential. New opportunities and new experiences.”
I can’t take this verbal tug-of-war for another second. “Excuse me,” I mutter, pushing back from the table. “Bathroom.”
Just outside the restroom’s sanctuary, I pull out my phone and text Jake to meet me. Within moments, he rounds the corner, and frustration explodes from me in a flurry of gestures.
“What is your problem?” I demand, hands cutting through the air between us.
He just shrugs, maddeningly calm. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Pacing back and forth on the worn carpet, I plant my hands firmly on my hips. “You’re sabotaging my date!”
“I’m trying to get to know the guy. He is a stranger to you, Sarah.” There is genuine concern in his voice. “I’m trying to watch out for you.”
“I don’t need you to look after me. I can take care of myself.”
“These days you can never be too sure.”
My scoff comes out bitter. “At least he didn’t break up with me and take my work as his own.”
Jake falls silent, the accusation landing exactly how I intended—fast and hard.
“Admit it. You played me.”
Resentment flashes across his features. “There’s a lot you don’t know.”
“Enlighten me, then.” I cross my arms, waiting.
Jake draws a deep breath. “Look, I was trying—“
“What’s going on?” Lance’s voice cuts through our argument. His expression has gone hard, disappointment carved into every line of his face. His eyes flick between me and Jake, then he exhales and says, “Looks like you two need a room.” The hurt in his eyes is unmistakable, and before I can form a coherent apology, he turns and storms out.
“See what you’ve done,” I say, fingers tunneling through my hair in pure frustration.
I spin to follow Lance, but Jake calls after me, his voice urgent. My shoulders stiffen as I whirl back to face him, the words leaving me in a rush of icy fury: “Stay away from me. I mean it this time.”
Chapter 11
“Lance, wait!” I race down the sidewalk, my heels clacking against the concrete as I chase him. He’s already a full block away from Brewed Awakening, his shoulders set in a rigid line that screams displeasure without him having to say a word.
But maybe, just maybe, I can still salvage this disaster of an evening.
I catch up to him. “I’m so sorry about what happened back there,” I manage, the apology scraping out rougher than I want it to.
He stops and turns to face me, and I can tell his ego is a little bruised. “Seems to me like you two have a lot to figure out,” he says flatly.
“It’s not like that at all.” The last thing I need is another man thinking I came back to Maplewood Springs to play a reunion tour with my ex. “I had no idea he was going to show up, thoughI should have predicted as much. Jake has always had a knack for the worst possible timing.”
We fall into step again, our shoes scuffing the pavement on our way home.
