He slid the five across the counter, and when I reached for it, his fingers stayed there for a second longer than necessary.
It shouldn’t have felt like anything.
It did.
“I was wondering something,” he said.
I looked up from the register.“That sounds dangerous.”
His smile deepened.“Maybe.”
I waited.
He leaned in a little, still casual, still easy.“Do you want to go out with me tomorrow night?”
My brain stalled.
Because even with Lark’s teasing and his weirdly steady attention, I still hadn’t really believed that was where this was headed.
So I just stared at him.
For one second, then two.
From the back, Lark hollered, “Say yes!”
I blinked hard, reality snapping back into place.
Jesse was still there, still watching me, and still waiting.
The silence stretched, and of course my brain went there.
Jude.
Because of course that was where my mind went.
He’d never once looked at me like that.
If he’d wanted me, I would’ve known by now.
He didn’t.
So maybe saying yes to Jesse wasn’t about sparks or butterflies or any of the other nonsense romance books liked to sell people.
Maybe I could say yes even if it wasn’t for the right reason.
“Yeah,” I said finally.“Okay.”The word was out before I could overthink it or before I could talk myself out of it.
Lark let out some kind of victorious whoop from the back.
Heat crept into my cheeks, but I ignored it.
Jesse smiled.“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I repeated, steadier this time.
He nudged the five another inch toward me.“Keep the change.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
