She moved toward the counter, and I reached out and squeezed her arm when she got close enough. “There will always be the occasional difficult customer. But you’re not dealing with them alone. I have your back.”
“Thank you,” she murmured with a shy smile. “I really like working here.”
“I’m glad.” I gave her arm another quick squeeze. “Will you be okay out here while I go take care of a couple of things in the kitchen?”
She looked around the empty space. “Yeah, I think I can hold down the fort while we’re so busy.”
Her ironic comment let me know her humor had returned. She was fine now.
Jace slid his hand a little more firmly against my back and nodded toward the hallway. “Can we talk for a second before you head into the kitchen?”
“Sure.” My legs felt unsteady enough that I was grateful he stayed at my side to guide me into my office.
The moment the door clicked shut behind us, Jace sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “What a fucking asshole.”
I huffed out a laugh that held no humor. “I can't really argue with that description.”
“He seriously came in here with that attitude? Talking to Jenny and you like he did?” Jace kept talking, as though he hadn’t heard me. “I should’ve hit him.”
“That wouldn’t have helped.” I hopped up onto the edge of my desk. “It might’ve felt good for a minute, but he wasn’t joking about the lawyers. You really would’ve been stuck in jail. He’d use all of his considerable influence to make sure you were charged.”
Jace leaned against the closed door, his arms crossed over his chest. “I don’t get what you ever saw in a guy like that.”
“Gage wasn’t like that when we were together.” I dropped my gaze to stare at my hands. “He could be arrogant at times, which isn’t surprising considering how he was raised. But he was never cruel.”
Jace pushed off the door and stepped closer. “Shit, I’m sorry, Tessa. I shouldn’t have thrown your relationship with him in your face like that. I’m pissed at him, not you.”
I tilted my head up again to meet his gaze. “Trust me, I understand being mad at him.”
That was a major understatement, considering how furious I’d been with Gage after he ended our relationship to marry Vanessa without even having the decency to give me a real conversation. Just that voicemail asking me not to hate him before being blocked.
A muscle in his jaw jumped. “I know.”
I hadn’t shared all the details with Jace, just enough for him to get why I didn’t want anything serious. Even after all this time, the rest still felt too raw to talk about.
“I’m sorry you had to swoop in to rescue me like that.” I gave him a half-hearted smile. “But I appreciate it.”
His gaze softened in a way that made my breath catch. He’d given me that look before, and I knew what it usually led to.
He closed the distance between us and lifted his hand to brush his fingers along the side of my jaw. His touch was familiar, safe in a way that should have comforted me. “Tessa.”
I leaned into him, and Jace pressed his lips against mine. His kiss stoked a spark of chemistry between us. We were mostly just friends, but Jace and I had blurred lines before. I knew he could make me feel good if I let him.
But something about this time didn’t feel right. The ghost of a different touch came between us, uninvited and unwelcome. A memory I didn’t want. The one I’d spent three years pretending couldn’t still bother me.
I pulled back, my hand coming up to his wrist to gently guide it away from my face.
“I’m sorry. I can’t,” I whispered, shaking my head.
Pain flickered across Jace’s expression, but he masked it quickly and took a step back to give me space. “It’s okay. You don’t owe me anything, Tessa.”
“I know.”
But that didn’t make me feel any better about pulling away from him. Jace was a good guy. He’d always been kind to me andnever pushed for more than I was willing to give. He was exactly what I needed for the past year.
What we had between us had proved I wasn’t completely broken. Gage hadn’t taken that from me.
Unfortunately, that kiss showed me something I hated to admit, even to myself. A piece of me still reacted to my ex, even after everything that happened. And until I figured out how to pry it loose, I wouldn’t be ready to fully move forward with someone else.
