Before I even had a chance to absorb the impact, the friend swallowed back a snickering laugh as the woman I’d run into stepped so close she was nearly pressed to me, muttering, “Imagine that. So, about that number exchange...”
All of it prompted an edgy, irritated smile from me that felt like it was nothing more than bared teeth.
But it triggered something with the women.
The one I’d run into softly gasped and reached for my arm like I wanted her to touch me, like my entire focus hadn’t shifted to Mallory. “Look at those dimples.”
“Adorable,” the friend said, but the first woman hummed in consideration before saying, “That’s a milder word than what I was thinking.”
“I’ll be sure to tell my mom they’re appreciated,” I murmured as I pulled my arm free and took a meaningful step toward my wife.
The women made identical sounds of affection before the friend said, “And he loves his mom,” as if they were collectively making aproslist for me in front of me.
The rapid exchange all happened within just a handful of seconds from Mallory’s devastating claim, but it felt like aneternity of seconds and minutes and hours wasted with the woman hiding behind her fortress of steel and diamonds.
“Mal—”
“Hey, you know, you look really familiar,” the woman I’d run into said over me, even going so far as to grab my arm when I reached for Mallory, forcing my stunned stare her way at the bold and unwelcome move.
Even if I had wanted to flirt with anyone other than the girl I always should’ve been chasing, this wasn’t flirting. This was desperation, and I’d never been into that.
When she continued, her tone only held a hint of that forced bashfulness from before. “But we’d know if you were from Amber. Are you from nearby maybe?”
A couple cities over. But they didn’t need to know that.
Besides, if they were from Amber and not just visiting for the festival, there was a good chance I’d run into them over the years. Or they just knew my cousins. My hair was a lighter brown to my cousins’ black hair, and their eyes were varying shades of blue to the green and hazel that ran in my family, but the resemblance was uncanny. Dimples included.
My frustration and fear exploded when Mallory left, her harsh sigh just barely audible over the surrounding noise.
I took a step after her before rocking back to look at the woman still clinging to me.
With another savage smile, I carefully but forcefully gripped her wrist to remove her hand, all while years of being reminded of my manners prompted me to offer them a slight nod as I said, “Y’all have a good day.”
“Wait,” one of them said, but I was already gone, hurrying after the girl who was trying to disappear in the crowd.
Grabbing Mallory’s hand when I reached her, I began pulling her toward the slightly less crowded sidewalk.
“Don’t stop on my account,” Mallory said dryly as she snatched her hand from mine, only to gesture in the vague direction of where we’d run into the women. “Sounded like you had some great prospects.”
A sneering huff left me, but she continued before I could speak.
“It’s a shame you only ran into the one. You could’ve gotten two numbers out of that life-threatening collision,” she said in the same dull tone from before—the one she always used when recounting any interactions I had with other women. “But how lucky that it was a mama-loving, southern boy who crashed into her. And with dimples too...wow.”
“I get it, Monroe,” I bit out, but she kept going as if I hadn’t spoken.
“Didyou look familiar to them?” She glared at me then, making it clear she thought there was a reason for it.
“I think they’re from here?—”
“Exactly,” she said with a lift of her shoulder. “And you’ve spent a lot of time here.”
“—but I don’t remember them,” I finished firmly.
From the way Mallory’s head shifted back and the first sign of emotion flitted across her face, it was the wrong thing to say. Because she didn’t look satisfied at that, she lookedwrecked.
Just as I was about to ask what was wrong with what I’d said, she choked out a saddened laugh and asked, “There’s so many you don’t even remember them all?”
Felt like I got whiplash as my terror and hurt over her sure claim that she wasn’t myanythingabruptly faded to ash. Because this...thisMallory wasn’t cold and unaffected, and I knew I might lose her, but I still had a chance.
