Tasha nodded. “Honestly, the rest of the women should get refunds because Blaze never looked interested in anybody else.”
Johanna rolled her eyes.
But deep down she remembered it too. The way Blaze stared at her from that stage like the auction itself didn’t matter.
It was his eyes.
Even in a photograph, Blaze somehow looked straight at her as though the crowd, the stage, and the hundreds of people around him had ceased to exist. That look had always been her downfall, which was why every encounter since his return to Sheraton Beach left her feeling off balance.
Johanna swallowed hard.
“Oh my God,” Milan whispered dramatically.
“What?”
Milan pointed directly at her. “You're still in love with him.”
“Stop saying weird things in public,” Johanna hissed.
Debra chuckled knowingly as she walked by carrying another tray of cupcakes.
Every last one of them was a traitor.
Nia leaned closer. “Question.”
Johanna immediately didn’t like her tone.
“What?”
“If Blaze asked for another chance… would you give it to him?”
The table fell quiet.
Even the music overhead suddenly seemed softer.
Johanna stared at his photo on the screen. The familiar smile tugged at one corner of Blaze's mouth, and those warm browneyes still looked exactly the way she remembered.
Years ago, those eyes had made her believe they would last forever.
Then Blaze left, and Johanna learned the hard way that love didn't always stay.
Johanna carefully pushed the phone away. “I don’t know that man anymore.” The words came out calm and controlled. But deep down that wasn’t what scared her.
What scared her was the possibility that she still knew exactly who he was.
Outside the bakery windows, a fire truck rolled slowly down Main Street.
The sight of it made her stomach tighten instantly.
Nia also noticed. “Girl.”
Johanna stood abruptly and grabbed her purse. “I have to get to work.”
“You’re running,” Leigh teased.
“I’m employed,” she called over her shoulder.
“Mm-hmm.”
