Just… I gripped the wheel tighter.“Just being nice,” I repeated.
Because that had to be it.
It had to be.
Chapter Twelve
Jude
Her taillights disappeared around the bend, and still, I didn’t move.Just stood in the open garage bay, staring at the road like she might come back.
She didn’t.
Of course, she didn’t.
I let out a slow breath and scrubbed a hand over my face, dragging it down my jaw like I could wipe the last twenty minutes off and get my head straight.
Didn’t work.
Nothing about that had been normal.
Not her showing up right on time.
Not Penny’s reaction.
Not the way Ever looked at me like she didn’t know what to do with me.
And definitely not the way I’d looked at her.
I pushed off the spot and walked back toward the lift, grabbing the rag I’d tossed aside earlier and wiping my hands again, even though they were already clean.
Anything to keep from thinking too hard.
It didn’t help because the one thing that kept replaying was her talking about Jesse.
Not her boyfriend.
She’d made that real clear.
Not a hesitation.Not a maybe.
A correction.
He’s not my boyfriend.
I tossed the rag onto the workbench and leaned back against it, folding my arms.
That mattered.Just… seeing him.
Dating him.
Whatever the hell that meant these days.
I tipped my head back and stared at the ceiling, exhaling slowly through my nose.
She had to like the guy.You didn’t go out with someone, let them kiss you, spend time with them if there wasn’t something there.
I wasn’t stupid.
