Page 28
“This is lovely,” Jo said.
“I wanted somewhere we could actually talk. Not have to shout over noise.”
We ordered wine and appetizers, and then the conversation just... flowed. We talked about everything—childhoods, dreams, fears, hopes. Jo told me about losing her grandfather when she was ten, about how it shaped her path to counseling children. I told her about Holly, about the devastation of finding her in that crash, but also about the peace I’d finally found in helping the community.
“It’s taken a long time to recover from that,” I said quietly, my hand finding hers across the table. “I thought I’d just be Remy’s dad and a deputy and that would be enough.”
“And now?”
“Now I feel want again. I want to be a part of a unit. I want to be part of a couple.” My thumb brushed across her knuckles. “You’ve woken something in me, Josephine. A craving.”
Tears filled her eyes. “You did that yourself. I just... I just saw you.”
“But with you, it doesn’t feel like betraying her,” I said, and it wasn’t until that moment that I realized it was true. “I’ve dated since Holly passed, but nothing felt right. I knew as soon as I saw you, though, that something was different. You make me feel again.” My voice was rough with emotion. “It doesn’t feel like betraying her to think about loving again.”
Her brow furrowed. “Lane—”
“I know it’s fast,” I said, forging on. “But Josephine, I’m already falling for you, and I don’t want to pretend I’m not.”
Her breath caught, and her eyes grew luminous. “I’m falling for you, too. So much it scares me.”
“Why does it scare you?”
She struggled for a moment, her gaze dropping to the table. “Because I’ve never had this before. Because men don’t usually look at me the way you look at me. Because my whole life I’ve felt like too much or not enough, and you look at me like I’m exactly right.”
My grip on her hand tightened. “You are exactly right. You’re kind and smart and beautiful, and I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t stop thinking about your body. Whether men admit it or not, a lot of them crave full-figured women. It ties back to the caveman in us.”
She snorted, cocking a brow. “Oh, really?”
I nodded. “Yup. Big hips means it’s easier to deliver babies. Man was put on this earth to procreate, and to me, you’re the ideal mate. I’m dying to explore your body.”
She stared at me for a long time, as if testing for the truth, then she smiled slightly. “Well, then…” Her voice trailed off weakly, and she fanned herself with her napkin.
We stared at each other for a long moment, and I wanted to jerk her up out of the chair to kiss her, but we were in public. I glanced around, and that was when I saw him, weaving his way through the tables like he had not a care in the world.
Blake.
My body went on high alert, and I debated reaching for my ankle gun. Instead, I squeezed Jo’s hand to warn her. She followed the direction of my gaze.
“Jo,” Blake drawled. “Interesting seeing you here.”
His voice was low and unwelcome, and it was way too friendly.
Blake Paulson stood there, hands in his pockets, that same unsettling smile on his face.
My entire demeanor changed. I didn’t let go of Jo’s hand, but my body got ready to fight.
Jo didn’t say anything, just stared at him like he was a snake.
“Fancy running into you. And with company.” Blake’s eyes slid to me. “This your boyfriend? Or just a pity date?”
My face burned—not from embarrassment, but from anger.
I stood slowly, deliberately. “I’m going to ask you once to leave our table.”
The server hovered uncertainly for a moment, then turned and wove through the tables. Hopefully, she was getting the manager.
“I’m just saying hi to a friend,” Blake murmured.
