Текст книги "Coming Home"

Автор книги: Priscilla Glenn

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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 25 страниц)

The waitress approached the table with their drinks then, and Leah visibly relaxed, looking like she wanted to jump up and hug her for the interruption.

After they had placed their orders, Danny reached for Leah’s menu and handed them both to the waitress.

“By the way,” he said. “I never got a chance to thank you.”

“For?” she asked, leaning over to sip her iced tea.

“For being so nice to Gram the other day.”

Leah smiled the first genuine smile he’d seen since they entered the restaurant. “She’s so sweet.”

“Yeah, a little too sweet. I don’t know what she was thinking, inviting a complete stranger who could have been a lunatic into her house.”

Leah raised her eyebrows.

“No offense to you or anything,” he added quickly. “It’s just that…well, you never know…you know?”

“No, it’s okay,” she said with a laugh. “I totally understand you being protective of your grandmother.”

“She’s not my grandmother.”

Leah pulled her brow together. “She’s not? You call her Gram.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. Why the hell did he just tell her that? “It’s just…I grew up with her grandson. So we’re sort of like family.”

Please just drop it, he prayed silently.

“Wow,” she said.

“Wow? What’s wow?”

“I don’t know,” Leah answered, stirring her drink with her straw. “It’s just, I thought it was really nice of you to do all that work around the house for her when I assumed she was family. But, now that I know she’s not…I don’t know. It’s even nicer of you, I guess.”

Danny looked down, shredding his napkin with his fingers. “I guess.”

Even if he wanted to talk about this, which he didn’t, there was no way he could ever explain why he did what he did for Gram. It had nothing to do with being nice. The truth was, he could work in her house every hour of every day for the rest of his life, and it would still never be enough.

“So, you work near here?”

Danny swept the remnants of his napkin into a neat pile before he looked up. She was looking at him with something that could only be described as empathy.

Their first piece of common ground: prohibited topics of conversation.

“Yeah, about fifteen minutes from here.”

“What do you do?”

“I own an auto repair shop. D&B Automotive.”

“Really?” she asked, squeezing another lemon into her iced tea. “That’s interesting.”

“You think so?”

“Sure.” She shrugged, and Danny smiled.

“No you don’t.”

“Well, it might not be interesting to me,” she said through a laugh. “But I’m sure it is to someone who’s into cars, which I’m assuming you are.”

Danny smirked, resting his elbows on the table. “What do you do?”

“I’m a teacher.”

“Really? That’s interesting.”

She sat back against the seat, folding her arms.

“I’m serious!” he said. “That really is interesting to me. I couldn’t do it. You must have the patience of a saint.”

Leah shrugged. “There are good days and bad days, just like any other job. I’m sure there are days that try your patience at the shop, right?”

“True,” he said. “But I’m allowed to curse at the cars.”

She laughed before she shook her head at him. She had the prettiest laugh. It made him want to spend the rest of the afternoon finding ways to get her to do it again.

“So, what do you teach?”

“Tenth-grade English.”

He scrunched up his face, and Leah rolled her eyes.

“Clearly, your favorite subject.”

“Is it anyone’s?” he asked, and she scoffed, throwing a sugar packet at him.

“Jerk.”

He grinned, picking up the packet and twirling it between his fingers. “Aren’t you supposed to be some sort of master of the English language? I would’ve thought you could come up with a much better word for me than jerk.”

“Believe me, I’m just getting warmed up.”

Danny burst out laughing as the waitress approached the table with their appetizers. She placed the plates down in front of them, and Danny reached for the pepper, freezing when he saw Leah begin to work away at her salad with a knife and fork.

“What are you doing?”

She glanced up. “Cutting my lettuce.”

“Cutting your lettuce,” he repeated.

“Mm-hm. I always do.”

He put the pepper down, watching her. “May I ask why?”

Leah reached into her salad and held up a piece of lettuce that was the size of his palm. “You can’t really bite lettuce, so either I can attempt to cram this ridiculous thing into my mouth like a savage, or I can cut it into respectable, human-sized bites.”

Danny reached over, taking the piece of lettuce out of her hand. He turned it over a few times as if examining it before he shoved the entire thing in his mouth.

“Totally doable,” he mumbled incoherently.

“Mmm. Not to mention extremely attractive,” Leah said, and he chewed his mouthful of food, smiling triumphantly.

“You have dimples when you smile.”

“Yes, I’m aware,” he laughed.

When Leah didn’t respond, he said, “So, was there a point to that comment, or were you just stating the obvious?”

She kept her eyes on her salad as she continued to cut. “Just stating the obvious, I guess.”

He laughed softly before he leaned on the table with his forearms. “Dimples turn you on.”

“What?” she scoffed.

“Oh, sorry. I thought we were still stating the obvious.”

“Oh my God,” she laughed, pointing at him with her fork. “You are cocky as hell.”

“Nah, not really. I just like it when you blush.”

“I’m not blushing,” she mumbled, pressing the backs of her fingers against her cheek.

He smiled before he said, “So, what’s the deal? Gram said you used to live in her house?”

Leah nodded. “We moved when I was twelve, though. It was so nice of her to let me see the inside. Up until that point, I still kind of felt like that house was mine.” She shrugged bashfully. “Silly, huh?”

“Not at all,” he said sincerely.

She took a deep breath, seeming to contemplate something before she said, “Like in the side yard. There was this block of concrete that cracked all the way through when my dad dropped his toolbox on it, so he had to remove all the broken pieces and re-pour it. And my sister and brother and I—we all put our hands in it while it was drying.” She smiled. “We were pretending we were movie stars. And so my mom came out and caught us, and we totally thought she was going to yell at us.” Leah shook her head as she said, “But instead she leaned down and put her hand in it too. And then we all wrote our initials underneath with a popsicle stick, and my mom wrote the date.”

Leah looked down at a strand of her hair as she twirled it through her fingers. “Obviously you know it’s not there anymore. When I first saw that it was gone, I got really upset, but then I realized I’ll always remember that story, even if there’s no physical proof of it in that yard. Just like everything else that happened in that house.” She released her hair and looked up at him.

It felt like his heart stopped beating.

Say something.

“If you really think about it,” she said, “most of the memories you have from when you’re small aren’t actually yours. They’re given to you by other people, either from a picture, or a story, or a video. We’re told or shown that it happened to us, and it becomes one of our memories. But that day with the cement?” She shrugged. “That was the first memory that was actually mine.”

He blinked at her, nearly choking on the words that were stuck in his throat.

“Anyway,” she said with a wave of her hand. “It was just really nice of her to invite me in. It was the highlight of my day. Everything pretty much went to hell after that.”

“Right,” he said distractedly. “You lost the bracelet.”

“Well, that, and then the flat on I-95.”

Danny ran his hand through his hair. “That’s a pretty shitty place to get a flat,” he said, trying to get his bearings. The further they got from the moment, the harder it became for him to say the words.

“Tell me about it. It’s even worse in the middle of a snowstorm.”

He pulled in a breath between his teeth, shaking his head. “I forgot it snowed that night. What did you end up doing?”

“I called Triple A and waited over an hour for them to get there. I was starving. I was so tempted to eat the food I’d just bought for Christmas dinner. And I ended up peeing in a plastic bag.”

The second the words left her mouth, she dropped her fork and covered her face with both hands.

Danny’s eyes flashed up, his expression incredulous before he burst out laughing.

“What did you just say?”

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. You did not need to know that.”

He tried to rein in his laugh, but it was useless, and Leah shook her head, her face still hidden behind her hands.

“Okay, now I’m blushing,” she mumbled. “Why do I have no filter when I’m talking to you?”

“It’s okay,” Danny said, and she spread her fingers, peeking at him from in between them. “If you want, I can tell you some pissing-in-public stories that will blow yours out of the water.”

“No thanks, I’m good,” she said with a laugh, dropping her hands from her face and picking up her fork.

“You really should learn how to change a tire, though,” Danny said before taking a bite of his spring roll.

She bristled. “I know how to change a flat.”

“Oh? Then why didn’t you?”

“Just because I can doesn’t mean I’d want to do it on the side of a snowy highway in the dark during rush hour.”

He looked her over, trying to imagine her changing a tire. Those delicate, feminine hands. Her narrow, girlish frame. Could he picture her under a car?

Yeah, he could. And it was hot as hell.

Leah narrowed her eyes at him before her expression straightened, and she nodded. “Ah, okay. I get it. It all makes sense now.”

“Get what?”

“You judge people,” she said casually, taking a bite of her salad. “You’re a judger.”

“What?” He laughed. “I don’t judge people.”

“Of course you do. You’ve done it to me twice now.”

“Bullshit! How have I judged you twice?”

“Well, first I was a stupid asshole because of where I parked my car. And now I’m incapable of changing a flat because…what? My nails are done? I’m wearing heels? Or is it simply because I have boobs and a vagina?”

He stared at her, trying to mask his amusement. “I thought we determined that you were an asshole because of where you parked your car.”

She smiled before regaining control of her expression, trying to look stern.

Danny laughed, taking another bite of his food. “All kidding aside, you have my number from when I called the other night. Program me into your phone. Don’t wait for Triple A to dick you around in a situation like that. Me or one of my guys could have been out there in under twenty minutes the other night.”

“Thanks, that’s nice of you.”

“Not a problem,” he said, licking the soy sauce off his thumb.

Her eyes dropped to his mouth and then darted back up, her cheeks flushing a light pink as she refocused on her salad.

He wanted to smile victoriously, to puff his chest out like the moronic, testosterone-driven male he was. But instead he focused his attention on his appetizer. Because as much as he did enjoy that blush, it was going to be his goddamn undoing.

He took another bite of his spring roll, making a conscious decision not to do anything that would bring it out again.

The waitress came back to the table with their main courses, and the conversation continued to flow effortlessly between them. Leah was the perfect mixture of snarky and sweet, confident and shy. By the end of the meal, Danny felt oddly comfortable with her, like he had known her for years.

Once he had paid the check, despite the objection from Leah, he helped her on with her coat and followed her to the door, holding it open for her as she exited the restaurant.

“Where are you parked?” he asked.

“In the parking garage two blocks down,” she said, motioning with her head.

“I’ll walk you,” he said, grasping at any attempt to prolong the afternoon with her.

He didn’t want it to end. But it shouldn’t have even started. And he knew that.

“Thanks,” she said, wrapping her scarf around her neck, and Danny resisted the impulse to reach for her hand as they started down the block.

By the time they arrived at her car, his chest felt heavy.

She turned to him, bouncing slightly on her toes with a shy smile. “Well, thanks again for lunch. I had fun.”

“Me too,” he said hollowly.

Her brow pulled together slightly as she tilted her head, but she quickly replaced the expression with another smile. “Okay, so…”

She looked up at him in that way that made him want to hug her. Something momentarily flashed across her eyes, and as soon as he pinpointed what it was, his chest tightened further.

Hope.

She looked hopeful, staring up at him like that.

End this. Now.

“So…get home safe,” he said, taking a step back from her.

Her expression dropped at the same time her shoulders did. It was the tiniest change in her appearance; he would’ve missed it if he hadn’t been watching her so closely.

“You too,” she said politely before she got in the car and pulled the door closed. He watched as she started it up, rubbing her hands together in front of the vents.

There was no way he could allow himself to see her again. Inviting her to lunch had been a momentary lapse of judgment, but to consciously pursue her? That would be completely reckless.

Not to mention selfish.

As Leah carefully backed out of her parking space and continued down the exit ramp of the garage, Danny dropped his head back, covering his face with both hands.

She didn’t look back.

“Do they sell those chicken-cutlet titty boosters in this store?”

Leah whipped her head toward her friend, laughing as she pressed her hand over Holly’s mouth.

“You do realize this dressing room isn’t soundproof, right?”

“Why? Because it’s a secret that I’m rocking the chest of a prepubescent boy?” she asked, cupping her small breasts and giving them a squeeze.

“Stop,” Leah said, swatting at Holly’s hands. “You’re proportional.”

“And you’re delusional,” she said. “Turn around, I’ll zip you up.”

Leah turned, and as Holly zipped up the dress behind her, she felt the form-fitting bodice tighten around her torso. As far as bridesmaids’ dresses went, she really had nothing to complain about; it was truly beautiful—a deep rose-colored gown with a strapless sweetheart neckline. The snug bodice transitioned into a soft, sinuous silhouette that flowed delicately to the floor.

“See?” Holly said. “Now that’s how knockers should look in a dress.”

Leah looked over her shoulder at her friend. “You should really think about teaching a class on social etiquette.”

Holly winked before turning to examine herself in the mirror.

“Lemme see, lemme see!” Robyn called from outside the dressing room, and Holly leaned over and swung the curtain aside.

Robyn squealed, clapping her hands quickly as she walked in a circle around them. “Perfect! You guys look hot.” She gave them another once-over before she said, “Awesome. Okay then, get dressed and let’s get the hell out of here and get some dinner. And more importantly, some drinks. I’m gonna go get us a table.”

She pulled the curtain closed behind her as she walked out, and Leah and Holly smiled at each other. Robyn was—by far—the most composed, unstressed, laid-back bride they had ever known.

One of the many reasons Leah loved her so much.

Leah turned her back to Holly, offering her the zipper. “Okay, do me and I’ll do you.”

“I don’t normally swing that way, but you do look hot right now.”

Someone cleared her throat loudly in the next fitting room, and Leah fought a laugh, bringing her finger to her lips.

Holly was the first friend she’d made when she moved to Bedford in the seventh grade. On Leah’s first day, Holly pulled up a chair next to her in homeroom and asked to see her schedule, scanning it for a minute before she went off on a detailed explanation of where every class was, which teachers were awesome, and which “sucked ass,” as she put it. Then she offered to walk Leah to her first class, since they had it together.

They’d been friends ever since.

The summer before ninth grade, they met Robyn—she had just moved to New York from Michigan and ended up working at the same summer camp as Leah and Holly. The three of them were inseparable for the next four years and visited one another every chance they got throughout college. To this day, Leah’s father still referred to them as the Three Stooges.

As Leah was putting her clothes back on, her phone buzzed with an e-mail notification. She reached down and grabbed it, opening the message with one hand while she slipped her shoes back on with the other.

It was the delivery confirmation for the flowers she’d sent to Catherine.

She smiled, closing out of the message and tossing her phone back into her purse. Leah had been trying to think of something nice she could do for her ever since their visit, and that morning, she had noticed an advertisement for one of those national online flower distributors on her homepage. The arrangement on the ad was an elaborate display of daffodils in a beautiful embossed vase. She instantly thought of Catherine—how she seemed to have a thing for daffodils—and ordered the arrangement right before she left to meet Robyn and Holly at the boutique.

Once the girls were dressed, they went across the street to the little Mexican restaurant that Robyn loved, only to find her already seated at a table with a pitcher of margaritas and three glasses.

“I would totally propose right now if you weren’t already getting married,” Leah said as she sat at the table and poured herself a drink.

“Speaking of,” Holly said as she took the pitcher Leah handed her, “how’s the whole celibacy thing going?”

Robyn groaned, dropping her face into her hands. “I’m such an idiot. It sounded like such a good idea, you know? I mean, your wedding night is supposed to be this big, momentous event. What’s big and momentous about having sex with someone you’ve been sleeping with for eight years?”

“So why not just renege?” Holly asked, reaching for a chip and dunking it in the salsa.

“Because we’ve already made it this far. It’s only a couple more weeks. Besides, I’m so hard up at this point that any sex I get will be mind-blowing. Our wedding night is pretty much guaranteed to make me see stars.”

Holly lifted her glass. “Well, here’s to hoping you don’t hump his leg midway through the ceremony.”

They all cracked up, earning looks from the other patrons in the restaurant just as the faint sound of Leah’s phone pulled her attention from the revelry. She reached into her purse and pulled it out just enough to check the screen.

And then she scowled, sending the call to voice mail before tossing it back into her bag.

“What was that about?” Robyn asked, nodding toward Leah’s purse.

“Nothing,” she answered dismissively, reaching for the chips. She scooped up a heap of salsa and shoved the whole thing in her mouth, trying to ignore the fact that both girls were staring at her deliberately.

“Leah.”

“Ugh, fine,” she mumbled around her mouthful of food, reaching for her drink and taking a huge gulp to wash everything down before she said, “He’s calling again.”

“Scott?” both girls said in unison, their voices incredulous, and Leah nodded.

“Fuck that,” Holly said firmly. “Pick up the goddamn phone and tell him to go to hell.”

“When did this start again?” Robyn asked.

“Just before Christmas. So, like two weeks, I guess.”

“Have you spoken to him?”

Leah shook her head.

“What a douchebag,” Holly huffed, taking a sip of her margarita.

“Whatever. It’s not a big deal. I’m just gonna ignore him.”

“I just don’t get it,” Robyn said. “I mean, does he really think you’d take him back?”

Leah grimaced, looking down. This was the last thing she wanted to be talking about. Talking made her remember, and she hated remembering.

She’d been driving home from the hospital the night her father had his heart attack. Leah had cried the entire way, struggling to see through her swollen eyes and the tears that blurred her vision. She had almost lost him—and she knew she could still lose him. He was in critical condition, his prognosis uncertain, and she couldn’t stop thinking about how much time she had wasted. She was furious at herself. At her obstinate behavior.

And at that moment, she was furious at her boyfriend.

When she had called to tell him what happened to her father, he told her how sorry he was, but when she asked him to come to the hospital with her, he said he couldn’t—that his brother was out drinking with some friends, and he’d promised to be available to pick them up at the end of the night.

Scott had never really liked Leah’s family—he’d made it very clear in the almost three years they’d been together—so it was typical of him to come up with some excuse as to why he couldn’t spend time with them.

But this was different. And he should have recognized that.

He’d told her to keep him updated and that he’d check up on her later, but all she wanted was for him to be there with her. Supporting her.

Leah made an impulse decision, getting off the highway two exits early and heading toward his place instead of her own apartment. She wanted to tell him that he’d let her down.

But more than that, she just wanted to be held.

She wanted him to wrap her in his arms and press his lips into her hair and tell her everything was going to be okay.

That she wasn’t a terrible person.

When he didn’t answer the door, Leah assumed he’d gone out to pick up his brother, so she used the key hidden in the outdoor sconce to let herself in.

As soon as she opened the door, she knew something was wrong.

She could hear music playing faintly—Dave Matthews Band crooning “Crush.” Leah took another step into the apartment, and her eye was immediately drawn to the coffee table, where there was a half-empty bottle of Shiraz.

With two wine glasses next to it.

A horrible, wrenching sensation knotted her stomach as she looked down the hallway toward his bedroom.

And that’s when she heard the muffled moan.

She had no idea why she even walked toward the door. She knew what she would find. But it was like some sadistic, unseen force had taken control of her body—her head screamed for her to leave as her legs continued to carry her toward his bedroom.

And then her hand was on the doorknob, turning it gently as she pushed it open.

The smell hit her in the face like a slap—scented candles and alcohol and sex—and she could see his bare back as he held his weight up in his arms, his hips moving steadily between the pedicured feet wrapped securely about his waist.

She stared at the image before her, everything taking on the fuzzy, surreal quality of a dream.

This wasn’t real. There was no way this could be happening.

He lifted his head then, whipping it over his shoulder and making eye contact with her. His movements slowed as he looked at her, his expression more confused than remorseful.

From below him, where a mess of red hair was splayed out over the pillow, Leah saw a hand reach up and turn his face, pulling him back down for a kiss.

It was as if the cord that had been tethering her in place suddenly snapped, and she stumbled backward, knocking over the lamp on the table behind her as she turned and ran out the door. She made it as far as the bottom of the stairs outside before she dropped to her knees and vomited.

Leah collapsed on the ground as she continued to gasp for air between coughs and sobs. Despite the fact that she couldn’t bear to be there a minute longer, after everything she’d been through that night, she didn’t have the strength to move.

He never even came out to find her.

She had no idea how long she sat there on the floor, but eventually Leah pulled herself up and stumbled to her car. She knew there was no way she could drive. She couldn’t even see. But she managed to call Robyn, and as soon as she answered, Leah broke into hysterics again, wailing unintelligibly into the phone. Somehow, Robyn was able piece together where she was, and it wasn’t long before Holly and Robyn were there, their arms wrapped around her as they kissed her head and rubbed her hair, telling her that everything was going to be okay.

“We don’t have to talk about this,” Robyn said, pulling her from the memory as she laid her hand over Leah’s.

Leah kept her eyes down as she nodded. “Yeah, I’d rather not. I’m just gonna ignore him, and he’ll eventually stop, like he always does.”

“Yeah, until the next time,” Holly said angrily. “Seriously, you should just change your number and end this shit once and for all.”

“You know that wouldn’t end it, Holly. He knows where I live. He’d still be able to send me things.”

The last time he decided he wanted to reconcile, it had been flowers and playlists he’d burned on to CDs for her.

“Hmm,” Holly said, pursing her lips. “Well, then how about a taser to his ball sack? Bet that would end it.”

Robyn snorted as Leah cupped her hand to her mouth, and then all at once the three of them were hysterically laughing.

“Oh my God, your bracelet!” Robyn said suddenly, her eyes wide as she pointed to Leah’s wrist.

Leah spun it gently. “Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you guys.”

“The old lady found it?” Holly asked.

“No, her grandson did. Well, sort of grandson.”

Robyn let out a huge breath. “Ugh, thank God. I kept picturing your dad’s face when he found out and it made me want to cry. When did you go back down there to get it?”

“I didn’t. Her grandson met me in White Plains.”

Robyn and Holly exchanged a look, and Holly put down her glass, folding her hands on the table and looking pointedly at Leah.

She rolled her eyes. “Cut the crap. It wasn’t like that. He was just being nice.”

“Hmm, a nice guy. Good start. So what’s he look like?”

“Um, tall. Black hair. Blue eyes.” Leah shrugged.

“Cute?” Robyn asked, her brow lifted.

Leah reached for another chip. “I guess.”

Holly narrowed her eyes, pointing at Leah. “Come clean. You want his bod. You think he’s sexy.”

Leah smirked as she stared at the chip in her hand, turning it over. “He’s kind of sexy,” she conceded softly, and Holly whipped her head toward Robyn, her eyes huge.

“Oh my God, I was only kidding! Leah, that’s awesome!”

She shook her head. “It’s not a big deal.”

“It is a big deal,” Robyn said, swatting at Leah’s arm. “This is the first time in like forever that you’ve even looked at a guy that way!”

“I know. It’s unsettling.”

“No, sweetie. It’s a good thing,” Holly insisted. “You can’t let that fucktard ruin you. Not all guys are like him.”

Leah took a breath and nodded just as Robyn said, “So what happened? You met him in White Plains, and then what? He gave you the bracelet and left?”

“Well, no. We had lunch.”

Holly’s hand came down on the table, causing the plates and glasses to rattle. “Are you kidding me that you’re just telling us this now?”

“You went on a date?” Robyn asked.

“No, no,” Leah said quickly, wishing she hadn’t said anything at all. “We just decided to get something to eat. Spur of the moment. It was more out of convenience than anything else.”

“And?”

“And, we talked, and ate, and it was nice.”

“So how did you leave it?” Robyn asked, and Leah pulled her brow together.

“Well, I left, and that was it.”

“Did you exchange numbers?” Holly asked.

“He already had mine from the note I left when I lost the bracelet, and I have his from when he called to tell me he found it, so…” She trailed off with a shrug.

“Did he ask to see you again?”

Leah shook her head, reaching for her drink.

The girls looked at each other quickly. “That’s okay,” Robyn said. “I mean, date or not, it was the first time you hung out with a guy alone in almost two years. And you admitted you thought he was attractive. Another huge step. I’m proud of you, girlie.”

Leah smiled softly as she picked up her drink. “So,” she said deliberately, “are you getting excited about this weekend?”

Holly laughed menacingly, and Robyn shot her a look. “I already told you guys, nothing too crazy.”

“Robyn, you’re having your bachelorette party on New Year’s Eve. How do you think it’s not going to get crazy?”

“It can get crazy, but can we just go easy with the penis paraphernalia?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Holly said, holding up her hand. “You’re not being serious, are you? If so, I have a lot of schlongs to return before Saturday.”

Leah choked on the sip she’d just taken, bringing her napkin to her mouth, and Robyn tried not to laugh as she said, “Can we at least come to an agreement that I don’t have to wear any of them?”

“No promises,” Holly said, smiling innocently up at the waiter who had come to take their order.

They spent the rest of the meal discussing last-minute details for Robyn’s party. The topic of Danny didn’t come up again, and Leah was grateful. She understood why the girls were so excited; she had been turning down every guy who showed interest, every offer to be set up, for the past two years, refusing to even entertain the idea of getting involved with anyone. And despite what Holly had said, it wasn’t because she thought all guys were like Scott. She knew that wasn’t true. It was just that she didn’t have the motivation to try and figure out which ones weren’t. And even if she did, it wasn’t like she could trust her own judgment anymore. Not when she spent the better part of three years thinking Scott was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

She found it somewhat ironic that overcoming her trust issues was a hundred times harder since the person she couldn’t trust was herself.

Besides, they were making the Danny thing out to be a much bigger deal than it was. It wasn’t some romantic rendezvous—it was lunch. Plus, he hadn’t even asked to see her again, so rehashing it just seemed kind of pointless.

By the time Leah got home, she was so tired and distracted, she almost missed the sound of her phone ringing. As she opened her front door, she pulled it out of her purse and glanced at the screen, tossing the bag down on a chair.

Butterflies flooded her stomach.

Incoming call from Danny.

She had programmed him into her phone—like he’d told her to—just in case she ever had any car trouble and needed help.

At least, that’s what she told herself.

Leah closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath, exhaling slowly before she hit the button to take the call.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Danny.”

Her smile faltered at the brusqueness of his voice.