My heart gives a weird lurch like I’ve missed a stair step.
It’s possible because Ames didn’t tell me. Even after our conversation about Erick last week.
If he’s been going through a breakup—hisfirstbreakup—on his own for two days, our friendship’s on shakier ground than I thought.
“Huh,” Holden says, looking through Watchfire’s bigpicture window. “Well, that’s unexpected. I hadn’t realized Carlos was into guys.”
I follow his gaze and see Ames standing beside a table, where his ex, Erick, is all curled up and cozy with Carlos Morales, one of Beckett Axford’s lumberjacks.
I suck in a breath as red hazes my vision.
What thefuck?
Are they seriously rubbing Ames’s face in their new relationship after only two days? That’s the most disrespectful thing I’ve ever seen. What kind of guy brings a new date to his ex-boyfriend’s restaurant?
“Absofuckinglutely not,” I breathe.
Ames’s feelings are my priority. Always have been, always will be.
And nobody hurts Ames Axford on my watch.
CHAPTER THREE
AMES
“You’resureit’s okay for me and Carlos to go public like this, Ames?” Erick, my now-exfake-boyfriend, barely moves his lips as he speaks. The poor guy’s sitting stiffly next to his actual boyfriend, looking nervous as a fly at a spider convention. “Every freaking eye is on us.”
He’s right. It’s early-bird-special hour on the night of a town council meeting, so Watchfire’s dining room’s packed with blue-haired gossip hounds. That’s a lot of eyes.
“Positive,” I say firmly. “You’re new to Winsome, so trust me on this. The whole reason I suggested you guys come here tonight—at five o’clock, no less—was to send a clear message: You and I broke up, you’re dating Carlos now, and I’m obviously cool with it since you’re in my restaurant and we’re all chatting. Everyone moves on. Zero drama.” I dust my hands. “Besides, you two have waited long enough to be open about your relationship, and I appreciate it.”
“True story,” Carlos says softly. He wraps one beefyarm around Erick’s shoulder and pulls the man tight against his side, not giving a single shit that at least half the stares are because this is the first time Carlos has dated a man.
Erick relaxes enough to lean toward me and tease, “Speaking of people who are moving on… My coworker Missy saw you and an adorablesomeoneat the food truck fair the other night, mere hours after our breakup.” He smiles. “Anything you’d like to share with the class?”
My cheeks heat. “Not much to share yet. His name’s Auden. He went to college with my sister. He just moved to Vermont. He teaches science over in Mabel, which is right down the road. He likes some of the same podcasts I do. And we had a good enough time that we’re going out again tonight.” I rock back on my heels, feeling my stomach quiver a little.
In a happy way. Definitely.
“He’s actually meeting me here in a little while,” I continue, “which will complete the Ames-and-Erick-Have-Moved-On show for the good people of Winsome.”
“Go, Ames,” Carlos approves.
I glance around the dining room, and several pairs of eyes quickly look away.
Perfect.
By tomorrow morning, anyone in Winsome who hasn’t heard about my breakup with Erick will know. By tomorrow afternoon, it’ll be old news.
For maybe the twentieth time today—and the five billionth this week—I think about texting Robbie before he can hear the news from someone else, but I stop myself. I said I’d set boundaries, and Iwill, damn it.
If I tell him about the breakup, he’ll want to come overand comfort me. He’ll offer sympathy and a shoulder to cry on when I’m feeling nothing but the relief of ending a charade. I don’t want to lie to him any more than I already have.
More than that, I know me. I’m in a weakened, Robbie-less state right now, like Superman when he can’t see the sun. If I spend time with him when he’s being adorable, tiny filaments of love will spread through me like fire through a wall. He’ll knit himself right back into my heart, and all that hard, painful, ripping-out business I started last week will have been for naught.
I need… twelve more hours, let’s say.
Enough time to enjoy my date with Auden. Enough time to let myself fall forhima little. Then I’ll be able to call Robbie and tell him about the breakup without feeling anything but friendship.
