It didn’t feel easy to Ria. She honestly couldn’t remember anyone other than Jacob giving her those particular flutters. She’d been so long without them that she was starting to wonder if she just wasn’t cut out for a romantic relationship or marriage.
She wanted it. But it felt like Jacob had somehow hijacked that part of her mind and heart and sabotaged them from wanting it with anyone but him.
It was enough to make a girl scream.
But she wasn’t going to go out with a man she knew she wasn’t interested in—and that included Billy. If he asked her out, as awkward as it felt, she should probably just tell him no.
THE NEXT DAY, ON TUESDAY afternoon, Jacob sat in his rental car and stared down at a text on his phone that had come in that morning.
It was from Ria.
Hey—if you get a chance, could you stop by the shop in the next few days? I wanted to talk for a minute.
That was all it said.
Ria couldn’t have sent him a text more designed to make his head explode if she’d been trying to do just that. She wanted to talk.
Talk to him.
About what?
His brain told him the obvious answer to this was the situation with the building she rented. That was what they’d just argued about yesterday. She’d been really upset, so it was likely that she wanted to continue that conversation. Convince him not to sell out when he inherited the property.
But she hadn’t said she wanted to talk about the building. Maybe she wanted to talk about something else. She was obviously still angry with him. Maybe she wanted to settle things between them.
Maybe she wanted to make up.
No matter how much Jacob tried to convince himself otherwise, the truth was pretty obvious to him. And if Ria told him that she wanted them to give it another go, he wasn’t sure he was strong enough to say no to her.
Even knowing he’d probably end up hurting her again, he still wanted her with every cell in his body, and those few minutes with her yesterday had proven it without any doubt.
They’d been arguing. He’d been surprised and angry and frustrated and confused and guilty all at the same time. And despite all of that, he’d wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her until neither of them could see straight.
Not the state of affairs he’d been hoping for on his return to Azalea. He’d stupidly thought he could slip in and out without rousing too many latent emotions.
After reading the text a few dozen times to assure himself there were no more clues to be had in the brief words, he climbed out of the car and walked down the block to the little flower shop where he’d spent so many afternoons in high school, hanging out with Ria as she helped her parents.
It still smelled the same as he entered now, a chime signaling his entrance. That unique mix of flowers, cleaning supplies, and musty old building. He breathed it in and tried to calm the pounding in his chest and the twisting in his gut.
Ria came out from the back almost immediately, obviously quick to greet what she must assume was a customer. She wore black capris and a charcoal-gray sleeveless top, the slim cut highlighting her tanned arms, long legs, and the luscious curves of her breasts and hips. Her hair was loose today, hanging down her back in thick, dark waves.
His body reacted to the sight of hers. His skin heated up. His muscles tensed. His groin hardened just slightly as he remembered the feel of her hair between his fingers. The texture of her skin. The way her lips parted and her eyes darkened as he brought her to orgasm.
That was really not what he needed to be thinking about right now. He slammed the mental door shut on those thoughts and gave his head a brief, hard shake. “Hey,” he managed to say.
“Hi.”
He’d caught a flicker of emotion when she first saw him—surprise, confusion, or something similar—but she’d controlled her expression into a polite smile now.
They stared at each other for a minute, and Jacob had to fight another wave of bone-deep want.
They’d known each other nearly all their lives since he’d moved in with his grandfather when he was three years old. They’d been in the same class for most of school, and they’d started hanging out in high school. For the first two years, he’d been too insecure to actually ask her out. He’d just hung around her like a shadow, waiting for her to smile or laugh or talk to him. Then, at the beginning of their junior year, he’d finally worked up the courage to ask her to a movie.
She’d said yes.
They’d dated for two years. He’d never been as close to anyone as he was to her. They’d talked for hours. They’d fallen asleep together on her couch. They’d kissed until he was on the verge of exploding with lust because she was hesitant about going all the way and he would never pressure her. But despite the torture of not finding physical release, the next day he’d do the same thing again.
Because kissing her—even without complete satisfaction—was better than anything else he’d ever experienced.
They’d had sex for the first time the evening after they graduated from high school.
And the next day his grandfather had kicked him out.
“Thanks for stopping by,” Ria said, her soft voice dragging him out of his reflections.
“Oh. Yeah. Sure. No problem.” He cleared his throat, telling himself to get it together. He’d lived long, hard years since he’d known Ria back in high school. He wasn’t a shy, lonely little boy anymore.
There was no reason to start acting like one.
“I wanted to talk more about the building,” she said.
Of course. The building. What else would she want from him anymore?
Her eyes narrowed as she studied his face. “I promise I won’t yell at you again, so you don’t have to look like I’m leading you to the gallows.” She smiled, obviously trying to lighten the mood.
He forced a smile in return. He wasn’t afraid that she was going to yell at him. He actually wouldn’t mind if she did. At least that would prove that he meant something to her.
The thing that would hurt the worst was indifference.
“Anyway.” She ducked her head for a minute and then met his eyes to continue. “I was talking to Skye and Madeline. And we have some ideas. For this block. I know you haven’t made any decisions yet, but I wanted to see if... if... you would give us a chance to make an offer if you decide to sell before you hand the town over to a developer.”
That wasn’t what he expected. Anything he expected. He stared at her for a minute, trying to adjust his expectations to her polite voice and reasonable manner.
This was worse than being yelled at. This was purely business. He searched—actively looked—and couldn’t see any of the emotional torment he was currently feeling in her face.
She was still kind of mad about the way he’d ended things. That much was clear.
But what was also becoming clear was that she’d gotten over their relationship in a way that he never had.
She hadn’t summoned him here for anything personal. Not even a fight.
She only wanted to do business.
The knowledge lodged like a lump in his throat, and he had to cough to clear it before he could get any words out. “What kind of offer?”
“We’re working on that. We wouldn’t cheat you. I hope you know that. And we know you have to do what’s best for you. But I hope you’ll give us a chance to think of something that might be in the best interests of Azalea too.”