Something was wrong. She was too pale. And her eyes were red-rimmed. Had she been crying? He was across the room in a second, cupping her cheek. “Hey, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
He didn’t believe her. “Maggie?—”
“Please.” She touched his arm. “Not here. Did you say you wanted to introduce me to a friend?”
His brows flickered, but he moved back toward the counter. “Maggie, this is Jalen, but we call her Jay. She was our intelligence specialist in the Navy.”
Jay held out a hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Maggie. I’ve heard many great things.”
“I haven’t heard anything about you.” She shook her hand. “But I’m looking forward to getting to know you.”
“I’ve just learned that he’s told you nothing. Not gonna lie, it kinda hurt.”
As the women talked, his phone vibrated with a text.
Polly: Hey. Maggie isn’t answering my text. Are you with her?
Ethan: Yeah, she’s here at The Pancake Bar. How was she when she left you?
He should be figuring things out with Maggie and not asking her best friend, but he wanted to know what the hell was going on and he wanted to knownow.
Polly: She was fine. Why? Is she not okay now?
Ethan: I’m not sure.
He shoved his phone back into his pocket as Jay whistled. “I’m impressed.”
Maggie offered a small smile.
He touched her back. “Do you want me to order you something?”
She shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”
“So, tell me the most embarrassing thing Ethan did in high school,” Jay said, looking far too excited.
Twenty minutes later and their food still hadn’t arrived. The place had been packed since the meeting had finished. It was like the entire town had decided to come here for a post-meeting meal.
Jay was in the middle of a story about a day he’d drunk too much and lost his boots, but he was done being patient and done with the small talk. Just…done.
“Excuse us for a moment.” He grabbed Maggie’s wrist and guided her toward a quiet corner of the restaurant.
“What are you doing?” she gasped.
He didn’t stop until he had her in the hall near the bathroom. “What’s going on?”
“I’m meeting your friend.” Maggie swallowed, her bottom lip disappearing between her teeth before she asked, “Have you two ever dated?”
He frowned. “What?”
“It’s okay if you have.”
He searched her eyes. Eyes that still weren’t quite bright enough. “We kissed once. About a year ago. We were both drunk,but we still realized right away that nothing was there. It didn’t go any further.”
She frowned, like she was trying to work out if he was telling the truth.
“You think I’d lie to you?”
