Her smile widens. “I’m glad. So, what did you two talk about? Other than me, of course.”
“Oh, you know,” I say with a laugh, “life, family, friends, tragic past relationships. The usual.”
She raises a brow, clearly intrigued. “Ah, so James came up in the conversation?”
I groan. “Just a little. I didn’t waste too much time on that.”
Her eyes flicker with the kind of glimmer that tells me she’s picking up on something. “Did Knox tell you much about any of his past relationships?”
“Now that I think about it, no, he didn’t,” I say thoughtfully. “But I also didn’t ask. Honestly, I’m not sure I care all that much about who or what was in his past at this point.” I shrug. “Besides, I know you would’ve warned me if he was a crappy person before I even thought about saying yes to his invite.”
It was one date. One ridiculously fun, emotionally irresponsible date. That’s it. Not exactly grounds for digging through his past as if I’ve got a right to it. We laughed, we kissed, we set my entire nervous system on fire, but that doesn’t mean itmeansanything.
Right?
Except, I keep thinking about the way his eyes lingered on me when I talked about my mom. How he didn’t fill the silence with empty words. How his fingers brushed mine like he’d done it a thousand times and would do it a thousand more.
It did mean something. I know it did.
She offers me a small smile, but there’s something off about it. Just like when we were at lunch the other day.
“Is there something I should know?”
She hesitates then shrugs. “I’m just being nosy. Knox would tell you if there was anything you needed to know. Your heart is on hiatus anyway, right?” she teases.
Her words don’t do much to ease the knot of skepticism tightening in my stomach. I catch a flicker in her eyes, a shift in her expression, subtle but telling. She’s trying to figure out exactly where my head is at. She’s not buying my half-hearted reassurance, and I’m not sure I’m buying hers, either.
After a beat, she leans forward, her gaze steady. “Knox is a good guy. I promise he’s nothing like James. I wouldn’t lie to you about that.”
I give her a wary nod, my fingers fidgeting with the hem of my shirt as I try to shake off the weight of her words. I know I’ve been a little careless, caught up in something that feels too good to question. It’s just…so nice to do something for myself with no one else’s expectations hanging over me. I got lost in the simplicity of being with someone who wasn’t looking for anything but company. And I know I’ll do it again because it’s too easy to forget all the reasons I shouldn’t when everything just…clicks.
twenty
KNOX
What a morning. Back-to-back meetings, non-stop calls. It’s like the universe decided to pile everything on at once. There’s not a moment I can just breathe. Not even a second to glance at my schedule and figure out when I can get some air.
I shot Juliette a quick text earlier, telling her I’d have to call her later.
I glance at the clock, and damn. I’ve been glued to my damn office chair for almost four hours. My eyes are burning from staring at the screen, and the chair’s got a permanent impression of my ass. My muscles are locked up and my body’s screaming for a break.
I’m pushing myself up from my desk when I catch a figure in the doorway.
“Mum, hi. I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”
“I thought maybe I’d stop by and see if you had time for lunch?”
“For you, always.” I rub my hand over my neck, trying toshake off the tension. “Is it okay if we just grab lunch here? Today’s been a total mess.”
“Sure. Is Callan around today? I haven’t seen him.”
I let out a quick breath, leaning back against the desk. “Ah, no. He’s off in Edinburgh for the next few days, handling some promo stuff. Why? Am I not enough for you?” I raise a teasing eyebrow.
Picking on Mum’s too easy. She’s a saint, plain and simple. Had to be with all the hell the three of us put her through back when we were kids running wild. No matter how much we got into trouble, she never wavered. Her steady presence was the one constant we could always count on when everything felt like it was falling apart. She was the glue, holding us together. That hasn’t changed.
I won’t lie, though. She could absolutely kick my arse if she needed to. Tough as nails. I’d never test her on that, even if she’s always been the softest spot in the family.
We step into the distillery café, and I motion for Mum to take a seat at the table while I head over to the counter, grabbing our usual. I have the drinks in hand when I make my way back, dropping into the chair across from her.
