“Yeah. She tried not to show it, but I could see right through it.”
“So, you’ve been speaking to her for over a year?” Jason asks.
“No. I didn’t hear from her again after that day. I had no idea what had happened between her and Adrian—if they were still married, or if they’d separated. When I didn’t hear back from her, I took it as a sign that she didn’t want to speak to me anymore, so I left it at that. Then, last Saturday, while I was at the farmer’s market shopping for plants, we bumped into each other. That’s when I discovered not only had she moved back to Sydney, but that she was now divorced.”
“And that’s when you guys reconnected and began this… unusual friendship?”
“You could say that. I mean I’m not suggesting we’ll become best of friends, but I do want to get to know her better. Beneath all that fire, she’s actually quite funny, and very intelligent.”
“Are you attracted to her?”
Heat rises up my neck and jaw at his question, and I clear my throat. “Yeah, she’s gorgeous. It’s hard not to be attracted to her.”
The look Jason gives me isn’t what I expected. It’s one coated with concern.
“What?” I ask nervously.
“Just be careful, Kaden. That woman just had her heart torn to shreds by her cheating husband, and I don’t know if getting too close right now would be wise.”
“I know, Jase. It’s not like I planned to reconnect with her, it just happened. I didn’t even think we’d see each other again. But now that we have, I don’t see anything wrong with wanting to be friends.”
“Does she know about your past?”
My eyes drift to the floor, unable to meet his gaze, and I hear him let out a heavy sigh.
“So, that’s a no then.”
“I will tell her...eventually.” I promise.
“Hmm… well, if you’re serious about wanting a friendship with her, you need to be honest and upfront from the start. You don’t want to get too involved and then have it all blow up in your face. I like her, she seems genuinely sweet. I’d hate for her to go through another betrayal.”
Jason’s parting words echo in my mind long after he’s gone, the truth in them tightening my chest. Everything he said is true. If I want to be the man I so desperately aspire to be, there can be no more lies, no more secrecy. I have to be completely honest with Hope if there’s any chance of us being friends.
She’s endured enough already, and the last thing I want is to add to her pain. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt anything resembling happiness or excitement, and somehow, around her, it seems to come easily.
I can only hope that telling her the truth about me won’t destroy the friendship we’re only just beginning to form.
Chapter 26
Hope
Zac strolls through the doors of Hawkins Bar and Grill with an energetic bounce in his step, excitement carrying him towards one of the tables by the window. He’d been waiting all week to come back to this place, while my own nerves quietly grew as the day edged closer, most of them tied to the prospect of seeing Kaden again.
I hardly slept at all last night, my mind circling with thoughts of him. Ever since he offered to help Zac with his school project, and refunded every dollar for the garden bench he delivered just days earlier, he’s been impossible to push from my thoughts.
I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around it. He’s technically still a stranger, someone I barely know, and yet here he is, handing out favours to someone he doesn’t owe a thing to.
No one has ever offered me that much of their time, effort, or money; not even my ex-husband would have doneso unless obligation demanded it. But Kaden does it simply because he wants to, without expecting anything in return.
I follow Zac to the table and slide into the seat across from him. He’s all smiles, shifting restlessly in his chair, unable to keep still for more than a second. He kneels on the seat, craning his neck to take in the room, and no doubt searching for the waiter who’ll take our order.
“Sit on your bottom, Zac.”
“Can we order now?” he asks impatiently.
“Yes, we will in a minute. I just need to pick out what we’re getting first,” I say, reaching for the menu waiting on the table and skimming over it.
“I want fried zucchini flowers, salt and pepper calamari, and chocolate fudge cake.”
