Exactly who did he think he was? My chaperone or something?
The look on Atlas’s face was burned into my mind. It was heartbreaking. Mortifying, even.
Every day since the wedding I had hoped I would run into him. That he’d stop by the shop for some cupcakes, or we’d have a casual meet-cute at the grocery store.
But no such luck.
I grabbed the lattes and walked into the back of the bakery with Declan on my heels.
“Brian brought us lattes,” I said, setting Selene’s cup next to her on the counter.
“That was nice of him,” she said without looking up from the donuts she was frosting. They were her new passion project, one that made a great addition to the bakery’s offerings, so I was happy to let her experiment.
“He also asked Tegan out on a date,” Dec added.
Her head snapped up so fast. “He what? I thought he was dating Spencer.”
I shrugged. “I guess not.”
“I like Brian,” Selene said. “He’s a nice guy.”
What was this, some sort of Brian fan club?
“He’s all right.” I took a sip of my latte and let out a heavy sigh.
“How long are you going to mope?” Dec asked.
“I’m not moping. I’m just—sulking.” After the wedding, I’d filled her and Dec in with all of the juicy details: running into Atlas at the wedding, pulling him onto the dance floor, and how we’d almost kissed.
“Okay, well first, those are the same thing,” Dec corrected. “And second, the Tegan Rollins I know wouldn’t just sulk. She would do something about it.”
“He probably doesn’t want to see me again.” That whole “if he wanted to, he would” argument came to mind.
“Tegan—he almost kissed you,” Selene said. “I’m sure he wants to see you again.”
“That was before Reece showed up. Things got really awkward and he left.”
“I mean, I would feel awkward if Javi did something like that, but I wouldn’t let it ruin something for me,” Selene said before sipping her latte.
I snorted. “Javier would never do something like that, though.”
Javier was Selene’s older brother, this hotter-than-sin absolute golden retriever of a guy who worked with my brother at the Briar Glenn Parks Department. The two couldn’t have been more different, but somehow they made it work, forming a friendship as strong as the one Selene and I had.
“Regardless—it seems like you and Atlas really hit it off,” she said. “It would be a shame to miss out on something because of your idiot brother.”
She was right. I felt a real connection with Atlas and I wasn’t about to let my chance at happiness slip through my fingers.
But how—
“You know,” Dec said, a sly smile curling up the corner of his lips. “If you wanted to be low-key about it, you could always sign up for a gym membership. After the whole cake thing, you said you wanted to start working out. Sounds like kismet to me.”
I bit my lip, mulling the idea over for a moment. I definitely wanted to get stronger to avoid any future cake mishaps, and I needed a hobby outside of the bakery, but more than anything, I wanted an excuse to see Atlas again.
It didn’t take me long to make my decision. “I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna sign up for a membership.”
“That’s the spirit!” Dec said, clapping his hands together like my own personal cheerleader.
“Why don’t you run home and get your gym gear on and I’ll hold down the fort here,” Selene suggested.
