“Actually, it would.” Now, I do take her hand off me and step away. I take a few more steps to put the counter between us. If she crosses that line, I’ll ask her to leave. I don’t care if she badmouths us online.
My eyes widen when I glance over Nicole’s shoulder. Jasmin’s focus is locked on me, and I swear I see fire in her eyes. This won’t go well.
Eighteen
Jasmin
What the hell is going on? Parker is staring at me with wide eyes. I heard parts of the interaction between him and this woman. He did everything he could to politely get her to back down. She didn’t.
So, what if this relationship isn’t real? I’m not a fan of someone trying to get with my guy. Especially when he’s tried to turn her down.
I almost didn’t stop by on my way out. Something told me I should. Call it a gut feeling. There’s also another emotion I can’t quite pin down. Is it jealousy? I’ve never really felt it toward anyone so I’m not sure if that’s what this is. But I do know I don’t like this woman trying to get as close as possible to Parker.
“Hey, babe.” I wave and move toward him. He’s behind the counter, and I’m not sure if I’m allowed back there, but right now…I don’t care.
I round the corner, wrap my arms around his waist and give him a quick peck on the cheek. If this doesn’t give this woman back off vibes, I don’t know what will.
“Hey.” He pulls me closer to him, solidifying my role in his life. The look of disgust on this woman’s face is priceless.
“You could have told me you had a girlfriend.” She bites out.
“I did.” His thumb caresses the sliver of skin between my shirt and shorts. “Is there anything else you needed for your event?”
“No.” With that she turns around and heads back to the patio. She brushes past Piper and clips her shoulder.
As soon as the patio door is closed, Piper laughs and makes her way toward us. “Jasmin, you are my hero.”
“Why?”
“That woman is awful. She’s been a pain since she booked her friend’s baby shower with us.”
“Does that include hitting on Parker?” I don’t know what makes me ask the question, but I do. A part of me needs to know how much of a threat this woman is. Even if I’m sure I shut it down completely.
“Yep.” Piper nods and Parker groans. “But don’t worry, he’s shown zero interest in her. I think that was my first clue there was someone in the picture.”
“Okay, Piper, you don’t need to describe my previous dating habits.” It’s not a shock to me. He told me he was a serial dater. I was too.
The only difference is that now he sounds embarrassed by it. Not like he did the night we met. When both of us were sure we would never see each other again.
“It’s fine. I know about his past.” I squeeze his arm. “All that matters is now.”
When I glance over at him, he’s staring at me with pure adoration. We’re most definitely blurring the lines. But I don’t think either of us really cares. But I know we aren’t voicing it either. We’re living in our happy bubble of delusion and will deal with the fallout after the wedding. At least, that’s my plan.
“Are you about to head out?” Parker whispers in my ear. His sister is watching us, and if she’s anything like my sister, she’s already planning our future.
“Yeah. Daniela wants to go over some wedding stuff and I need to get ready for the week.” It’s part of my weekend routine and if I skip it, the entire week feels off. I learned that during my brief stint with unemployment.
“I’ll walk you out to your car.” He moves his hand to mine. “Piper, can you handle the shower for a few minutes?”
“Yep. I want to see how pissy Nicole is.” The cheshire grin on her face is scary. From my brief interactions with her, I have a feeling she’s going to rub it in as much as she can. “Oh, before I forget, you should totally come to our next game night. I think we’re having one this next weekend.”
“I’ll check my schedule. I know we’re supposed to shop for bridesmaid dresses soon. Plus, I have to figure out what else my sister needs me to do.” I have a sneaking suspicion she’s found other things she wants me to take care of.
How do people manage work, events, and having a relationship? Even if it’s not real, I feel like we need to take time to make it believable. Besides, I look forward to spending time with Parker. It’s the only time my life feels easy.
“Awesome. If not, no worries. We have them all the time. I can’t wait for the rest of the family to meet you. They’re going to love you.”
“Sounds good.” The words are forced past the lump in my throat. The more people we meet in each other’s families means the more this will hurt in the end.
