Page 34 of Art of Love

Nate leaned in and said something that had Dylan smiling behind the rim of her coffee mug. It wasn’t the same smile that she gave him. It was lighter, almost… guarded. He frowned. Still, it twisted something low in his gut.

Abe didn’t like the way Dylan’s eyes sparkled when she laughed at one of Nate’s jokes. And from the looks of it, the man was a very funny guy. He ground his back teeth.

Then the man leaned closer and flicked the back of a finger across Dylan’s chin and Abe’s vision almost grayed.

Needing a moment, he turned towards a display of new release books, grabbed one that he’d already read, and took a steadying breath as he hid behind the cover.

He wasn’t going to walk over there and make a fool of himself, he told himself several times. He wasn’t that guy. Not anymore.

But dammit, she could at least look like she remembered that she had kissed him yesterday and rocked his world. Like the night had meant something.

Instead, she looked like she was shopping for someone else to wreak havoc on.

He glanced over and noticed how well she fit into this little town, where people smiled and flirted and didn’t carry around the weight of death, lies, or investigations. Or worse, the Hollywood elite, with their snobby parties and flashing cameras.

Abe put the book back and turned towards the exit, his jaw tight, his stomach sinking. He would never fit in here, just like he didn’t fit in the elite LA circles. Sure, he could fake it, but he belonged on his ranch, alone with his horses.

He didn’t know what Dylan was doing with Nate. Maybe there was nothing between the pair? Maybe she just liked bookstores and spending time with a guy who flirted and could make her laugh?

But as the bell chimed again behind him and the door closed, he realized he didn’t want to lose his heart to a woman that had lied to get him.

“Hey.” He turned around a few steps from the bookstore as Dylan rushed after him and reached for his arm. “What’s the rush?” she asked, falling in step with him easily.

He glanced over his shoulder. “No rush, just… three’s a crowd.”

She glanced back and then laughed. “Nate flirts with everyone. With all women, all walks of life. He lays it on thick all the time. Trust me, he’s harmless. Well, maybe.” She shrugged and then laughed, then her smile grew. God, why did just seeing that smile cause his knees to grow weak. “Were you jealous? Honestly, he’s like a brother, if I had ever had one.”

He shrugged and then surprised her by taking her hand, locking their fingers as they walked down the sidewalk towards the park in the center of town.

“Maybe,” he admitted. They walked for a while in silence.

“So much has changed in town,” she said when they reached the gazebo in the center of the town square. “Some things haven’t.”

“It must have been nice,” he said, stopping and leaning on the railing and looking out over the green grass, the many colored flowers, and the families enjoying the summer day. “Growing up here.”

“It had its moments.” She leaned next to him. “Where did you grow up?”

He tilted his head. “Didn’t you read that in my file?”

She shrugged. “You tell me.”

He smiled. “Just outside of San Fran,” he answered.

“City boy turned music star turned cowboy,” she teased and had him laughing.

“Something like that.”

“Siblings?”

He shook his head. “You?”

She shook her head. “Parents?”

He shook his head a little slower. “Dad died in a car crash when I was ten. Mom passed four years, six months, and…”—he calculated quickly— “four days ago.”

She touched his arm lightly. “How long was she sick?” When he raised his eyebrows, she shrugged and reminded him, “It was in your file.”

“Right.” He motioned towards a bench under a tree. “Let’s sit in the shade.” When she nodded, he took her hand again and they strolled over to sit before he answered her. “Mom was sick all her life, it seems. She claimed that she had been just as bad before I came along, but something always told me that was a lie.” He leaned back and lifted an arm to wrap behind her shoulders and played with the ends of her braids.