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He turned back to her. “My family is going down to the river on Saturday afternoon. Sort of a last get-together before Carson and Olivia head back to Denver. My family wanted me to invite you. I told them you might not be able to get away, so you have an out if you don’t want to go…” He let the sentence drift off, waiting for her response.

She folded her arms and regarded him. “What reason did you give for me not being able to make it? Are there more prison friends I should know about, or am I going to a protest for some questionable cause?”

He raised his hands in a gesture to stop that direction of conversation. “I told them you might already have something planned with your grandmother. I’m not going to give you any more questionable activities. Like you said, you live here, so it’s unfair for me to say those sorts of things about you.”

Well, that was progress. “Thanks,” she said.

“You can still be a bad girl without all of my added backstory.”

Somehow, this didn’t feel quite like the progress she’d hoped for. “Maybe not.” She rested a hand on her hip and lifted a brow. “Pulling off a bad girl persona is hard. You should probably get me the boots to help with my image. I’m a size seven and a half.”

He shook his head and laughed, his blue eyes amused. “Maybe you weren’t the best choice for a girlfriend.”

“Oh?”

“Our history makes it too easy to fall back into old patterns.” He grinned in a way that made him look adorable. “That and you know how to get me to buy expensive clothes. You’re sure the boots will do the trick?”

She was losing her edge. “I’m just kidding about the boots,” she said. “You don’t have to buy me anything else.” She would end up feeling like he was her sugar daddy, which was somehow worse than feeling like she just didn’t measure up to Jennifer and would only ever be the fake girlfriend. “I’ll see if I can find someone to stay with my grandmother.”

He nodded. “Let me know.” Then he left.

She stared at the closed door, waiting for the room to return to its usual no-hot-guys-are-here-now status, so she’d feel normal again. Had she actually thought, had the phrase really gone through her mind … that she felt like she was falling in love with him?

Well, that was clearly the worst idea she’d had lately.

Love was a choice, and it wasn’t one she was going to make. Jace wasn’t interested in her long-term. He’d proven that in high school. She needed to remember it.

He was right about her being the wrong one for this role. It was way too easy to fall back into their old roles. Hers had been the girl with the unrequited crush.

CHAPTER 13

Jace smiled all the way to his car. Spending time with Marlowe always made him feel alive, always made him laugh. She’d been the same way in high school. He would be stressed out about his homework load or an impending test, then he would hang out with her and none of it seemed as important.

It was probably a good thing that she hadn’t been around when he went to college. In order to get the grades for med school, he’d focused only on getting straight A’s. Each semester, he’d written up his class schedule, calculated the time he needed to study, and stuck to it like a religion. There hadn’t been much time for socializing, and no one to tempt him away from his schoolwork.

When he got to med school, the pressure had only risen. One of the reasons dating Jennifer had worked out so well was that she was just as driven as he was. She hadn’t complained that the two of them hardly ever got to see each other, and when they did get together, it was often hours spent in the library poring over review books or having rapid-fire rounds of flashcards.

That’s what he needed. A woman who didn’t ask for more time than he could give. That’s why dating Marlowe again for real would be a bad decision. She was too distracting. Those green eyes of hers just demanded attention. She had a way of tilting her head that made you feel like you were in on a joke. And those pink lips … looking at them reminded him of all the times they’d kissed.

If he dated Marlowe, she would want him to come back to Lark Springs every chance he got, and she’d be able to convince him to do it too. If she came to visit him in California, she wouldn’t be happy with library dates.

His mind was concentrating so completely on the pros and cons of a relationship with Marlowe—and granted, there were some impressive pros—that he reached his house, hardly remembering driving there.

He definitely shouldn’t fall for Marlowe. She planned to open a salon in Lark Springs. She had her grandmother to look after. Jace had a year of med school left, then three years of residency in another state.

What was the point of breaking up with Jennifer because neither of them wanted a long-distance relationship, just to jump into something with Marlowe who wouldn’t want to live anywhere that Jace ended up?

He had to keep that in mind.

Even if it was difficult.

He got out of his car and walked across his driveway. An image of her kept replaying. Marlowe leaning forward, green eyes shining, a grateful smile on her face, then her lips soft against his. He could still feel the pressure of that kiss on his mouth. So familiar and yet so tantalizing because it hadn’t been for someone else’s benefit. It hadn’t been part of an act.

He wasn’t sure if he was being really smart or really stupid for not driving back to her house and finishing that kiss.

Also, he was suddenly considering moving back to Lark Springs when he was done with his residency and ready to start up his own practice. Lark Springs was a nice place to live.

He’d just reached his door when his phone buzzed with an incoming call. He took it from his pocket, hoping it was Marlowe. If it was, he was absolutely driving back to her house.