“This is becoming a really irritating pattern,” I say as I stomp toward him, clumsily fixing my coffee lid as I stop in front of him.
“You’re telling me,” he says, rubbing a hand across his scruff-covered jawline.
“Why are you here?”
“Jason told me to meet him.”
“Kate told me to meet her.”
“Yeah, no kidding.”
I rear back. “What do you mean ‘no kidding?’ I could’ve walked in here on my own to shop.”
“For what? A cutting board? In what world is this place in your budget?”
It’s not, but I’ll be damned if he’s right. He doesn’t need to know my budget. Or lack thereof.
“Don’t you have a job or something you have to be at? Why are you always free on Saturdays as a chef?”
“The restaurant doesn’t open for seven more hours. Do you think I just sleep in the kitchen?”
“Kind of.”
He ignores me and glances at the leather-banded watch on his wrist. “Well where are they?”
I arch a brow at him. “Oh, you can’t stand being in my company for an hour?”
He faces me full on now, his blue eyes zeroing in on me with a fire that brightens something in me. He clenches his jaw before he grits out, “Not a single minute, Jane.”
Hearing those words from a man as handsome as Reid might hurt some women’s feelings, but I honestly feel pride in the fact that I annoy him so much that a minute is painful. So I simply scoff in response and pull my phone from my purse. Just as I lift it out, my screen lights up with that nostalgic picture of my sister.
“Aha,” I grin and show him the screen, suddenly victorious that I got in touch with the couple of honor first. “I guess my source likes me more.” I slide the button to answer the call. “Hey, where are you?”
“I’m so sorry, Jane, we aren’t going to make it.”
My stomach bottoms out like I’m on a roller coaster. And I think I might be—an emotional one at least. Irritation to victory to sadness that she’s bailing on me. Again. “We?”
“Jason and I. We got stuck in traffic.”
“We can wait for y?—”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” she interrupts. “Just go ahead and scan the things you think I’ll like. I trust you.”
“To what? Do your entire registry for you?”
“Don’t worry, Jason said Reid is there too so you don’t have to do it alone.”
I eye the man in question. “I would rather do it alone.” He rolls his eyes.
“Just play nice. You two have to travel across the world together in a few months.”
“Unfortunately.”
She’s quiet for a moment on the other end, then she finally says,“You really don’t like him, do you?”
“Not at all.”
“Well, time to start faking it.”
