“What?”I said.
“That man looks at you like he’s already decided something,” she said.
My stomach flipped.“That doesn’t make me feel better,” I muttered.
“It should,” she said.
I opened my mouth to argue and the bell over the door rang.
Then again.
Then again.
We both turned and three customers walked in.
Then two more right behind them.
Lark straightened immediately, clapping her hands once.“Showtime,” she said.
I nodded, grabbing scoops and moving behind the counter.
Conversation over for now because suddenly we were busy.
Orders started flying.
Chocolate cones.
Vanilla shakes.
Sundaes with extra toppings.
Kids pressing their faces to the glass.
Parents trying to keep up.
No time to think.
No time to spiral.
No time to figure out what the last twenty-four hours meant and maybe that was a good thing.
Because right now?
I didn’t have a single clue.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jude
The second she slid onto the back of my bike, something in my chest locked into place.
Like it had been waiting for that exact moment.
Her arms came around my waist without hesitation, fingers linking just under my ribs, and I didn’t need to look back to know she was smiling.I felt it in the way she leaned into me, the way her body fit against mine like it wasn’t new, like it wasn’t something we were still figuring out.
It felt… natural.
I kicked the bike into gear and pulled out of the Dairy Bar lot, taking the turn slower than I needed to.Not because I was being careful, but because I didn’t want to rush it.
