I stare at her. “You were dating Kyle.”
“So?”
I swallow, revealing more than I’d planned. “It was hard to watch.”
Piper draws in a quick breath. “But not long after that, you were dating Hannah Brandt.”
“I tried to distract myself, but it didn’t work, so I broke things off. I liked you, Piper.” I take a small step closer, careful not to come on too strong. “Ilikeyou.”
She stares. Her green eyes are deep pools, trying to read my thoughts. “So when something’s hard for you to face, you just don’t face it?” she asks, like she’s trying to understand.
“Maybe back then. But this has been pretty freaking hard to say to you, and I’m still doing it now.”
“Why?”
Why is it hard? Or why am I telling her this? “If I have to explain why I’m sharing my feelings, then I’m definitely doing something wrong.”
She laughs. “No, not that—I just mean, why was it hard to say now?”
“No man wants to put himself out there and be rejected.”
“People ask each other out all the time.”
“Not women they’ve had a thing for since they were eighteen. The stakes are higher here. You’re not just some hot chick in a bookstore I can avoid if you turn me down.”
“You haven’t even seen me in, like…what? Nine years?”
She’s right. I haven’t been pining that entire time, of course. I’ve thought of looking her up occasionally over the years, but never managed to take action. When I ran into Elena a few years ago and she told me all about Piper’s new bookstore endeavor, it planted a seed. I could walk into the store—pick up a book.Accidentallyrun into her.
But even that felt impossible. Convincing myself to do it was difficult. It wasn’t until the book tour that I saw a golden opportunity and locked myself in, hoping she would still be the same Piper, that she would still be single, that maybe I’d be lucky enough I hadn’t missed my chance.
Looking at her now, I realize how lucky I’ve been. “I had high hopes about seeing you again, but I didn’t really know what to expect. The moment I stepped into your store, though, it all came rushing back to me. I felt eighteen again and totally smitten.”
“I get it,” she says, sagging back against the wall. “I felt similarly.”
My pulse takes on a life of its own. “So, can I take you out this weekend? Friday?”
“Like on a date, Mr. Darcy?”
I grin. “My brother is the one with the Pemberley house, so if you’re just an arrogant gold digger, you’ve got the wrong McConkie brother.”
Piper throws her head back and laughs, and I want to inject the sound directly into my veins. “Foiled!”
I reach for her, letting myself act on the impulses I usually suppress. She takes my hand, and I brace the other against the wall just behind her head, hanging my head so I can keep her eye contact. It’s obvious the moment her breathing grows shallow.
Would I be a total Wickham if I kiss her before our first date? It’s not like I don’t know this woman. During all four years of college, it felt impossible to get away from her. We’ve spent a lot of time together over the last two weeks, too.
Her eyes drop to my lips, causing my heart rate to skyrocket. I wait for permission, giving her time to push me away, and move so slowly toward her lips that I can savor every millisecond of this moment.
“Piper, honey, are you back here?” a woman calls, most likely her mother.
We spring apart. I shove my hands into my pockets, watching Piper’s cheeks flush red.
“Yeah, Mom. Just putting chairs away.”
“Oh, good—” Mrs. Monroe stops when she rounds the corner of the shelves and sees both of us. “Well, there you are. I was just about to head out. Shauna doesn’t see well on the road after dark, you know.”
“Neither do you. Want me to drive you home?”
