9. Chapter 9
S trolling through Loring Park the next day, I scanned the early spring scene around me.
Winter wasn’t over yet—this was Minnesota, after all—but there were signs of rebirth all around.
It wasn’t freezing today, and some children were even running around without coats on.
I’d worn a coat, but only because it looked so perfect with my outfit.
I glanced in the other direction toward some still-bare trees near a bike rack.
My heart skipped a beat when I spotted him turning around, his eyes shaded as he removed his helmet.
When he slid his sunglasses off, I exhaled sharply and nearly tripped on a rock in my path.
It’s not him .
I tried to calm my racing heart as I focused on putting one foot in front of the other.
Of course it wasn’t him. What were the odds I’d see him two days in a row?
I bit my lip, shaking my head at the ridiculous thought.
I’d managed to avoid dwelling on yesterday’s encounter too much.
It had been surprisingly easy with a new kitten to deal with.
Like most kittens, Charlie was fun but exhausting to take care of.
And obviously adorable. Though he kept me up most of the night, I’d been a little sad to leave him with Rafael today for this lunch meeting at the park.
I refocused my attention on the path in front of me, being sure to avoid any rocks or branches left by the recently melted snow and ice.
When my eyes landed on Jack Normandy, I nearly lost my footing again, and my heartbeat quickened a bit.
I wasn’t interested in Jack, not like that , but I was anticipating some tension with him today. Maybe a lot.
“Jack!” I said, coming toward the picnic table where he sat, his lunch set out in tidy containers around him.
“Hey, Annie, it’s good to see you,” he said with a genuine smile.
Relief coursed through me. So far so good.
He didn’t seem angry. Not that Jack was the angry type—he was the most even-tempered man I’d ever met, even to a fault.
He should show some feeling once in a while, I’d always thought privately.
“Same to you,” I said, sliding into the bench across from him and putting down my lunch bag.
“Thanks for agreeing to BYO lunch at the park. I’m unemployed, so I need to save my pennies. ”
“Are you kidding? I love eating at the park. I always ask myself why we don’t—why I don’t do it more often.
” He ran his hands through his wavy brown hair in a little gesture of what I could only gather was nerves.
The “we” slip was interesting. Was he referring to himself with a love interest?
He’d always been so mum about any lovers or girlfriends.
I knew next to nothing about his love life, actually; I wasn’t even certain if he was straight.
Except … there was something about the way he looked at Viviana that made me wonder sometimes.
They had been best friends forever, yet sometimes in his gaze I read something more than platonic feelings. I shivered.
It’s probably my imagination—it’s not like I’ve been great at identifying real romantic feelings lately.
“Well, thank you, nonetheless.” I dug into my packed lunch. “I will admit I have an ulterior motive, though hanging out with you is always fun, Jack.”
“Sure it is,” he said with a lopsided smile. “Fun is what I’m known for. ”
I peered at him for a moment before shrugging.
He was giving off a kind of strange mood, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
He was his usual pleasant self, yet there was something different, maybe an edge that I hadn’t seen before.
Interesting . Making a mental note to probe later, I unwrapped my PBJ sandwich.
“Then I hope this won’t be too disappointing.
I’ve come on business, sort of. That is, I want to learn about your business. ”
“My business? You want to know about Randall’s ?
” He was a highly esteemed writer for a well-regarded literary publication, as well as being the author of several books.
During and after grad school, his success had come fast, and he was already well on the path to peaking in his career, if he hadn’t already.
I wondered how it felt to be a writer who’d reached such heights in his career already.
He couldn’t be more than 35 at the most, if his classic good looks and toned physical form were any indication.
“Not Randall’s specifically, just … publishing, books, all of it.” I paused to chew a mouthful of sticky-sweet PBJ.
“Are you interested in becoming a writer?”
“Me? Not a chance.” I laughed. “I should back up. In the past weeks, some things have happened … kind of a lot.”
He nodded as though he understood that feeling. I wondered again what was going on with him, but I could try to wring it out of him later. No distractions now.
“Some good things, like Rafael getting engaged. But some not so good.” I drew in a deep breath.
“So, this is a little bit mortifying, but it must be said. The short version is this: Brandon turned out to be a cheating jerk. So I had to quit Bolder. Now I’m, well, I guess you could say I’m exploring my options.
I think … no, I know I don’t want to look for another editing job. ”
His eyes widened. “That is a lot. And from the look on your face, I can tell it’s not even the half of it. I have to say … well, never mind. It’s not my place. Let’s talk about the career move—”
“Wait, Jack. You can say anything to me.”
His blue eyes stared into mine, and he gave me an earnest smile. “I was going to say Brandon didn’t deserve you. I will admit I’m a little surprised. He did seem decent, unlike his friend Greg. I knew he was a jerk from the start. I only wish Vivi had seen it sooner.”
The very last thing I wanted to talk about was anything adjacent to my falling out with Viviana, but the look on his face contained such anguish that I couldn’t just bypass the subject. “Jack, what … happened?”
“You don’t know?”
I shook my head. “I haven’t been in touch with her or with Brandon. Didn’t Viv mention we had a huge fight? Probably my fault.”
“If she did, it was vague,” Jack said, his brows furrowed. “Sorry, I can’t recall the details.”
I bit my lip. It wasn’t really relevant right now, was it? “It doesn’t matter. Suffice to say, we fought, bitterly. And haven’t talked since. I need to call her, but … I haven’t yet. I have been going through a lot of other stuff, I guess, is my only excuse.”
His face was full of sympathy. “It’s all right, Annie. You don’t need an excuse for me.”
I wanted to hug him, but we weren’t that close.
“Thanks, Jack. That means a lot. It’s been a hell of a week.
Or two weeks. I’ve lost track. Anyway … I feel bad about Viv, but I don’t know what to do about it.
I’ve never been awesome at friendships with other women, for some reason.
And I don’t know why I’m telling you that.
” I laughed self-consciously and took a sip of water to distract from my embarrassment.
He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Hey, not sure if it’s your thing, but Jenn and Kieran are having one of their board game nights on Sunday. Vivi usually comes. Might be a low-key way to break the ice. Interested?”
I glanced up, surprised, and then I winced. I’d been invited a few times in the past but had always declined because, well, board games. Not my thing. So they’d given up on inviting me at least a year ago. “Well, I—”
Jack put his forkful of salad down and raised a hand. “No pressure, Annie. None at all. I was just throwing that out there. In fact, don’t even answer. Just think on it. ”
I nodded slowly and smiled. “Thank you, Jack. That’s really nice of you. You’re right, it’s not really an interest of mine, but … I will at least think about it.” I chewed some grapes and then frowned. “But will you tell me what happened with Greg? Did he hurt her? I’ll kill him.”
“I’ve contemplated bodily harm to him myself.
” Jack grimaced. He was the furthest thing from a violent person I’d ever met.
The idea was laughable, except that this must mean that Gregory had been really awful to Viviana.
“I don’t want to share a lot of personal details that aren’t my business to share, but basically he was using her to get information about her father.
And she found out in a pretty awful way, overhearing him talking about her to Brandon. ”
My heart rate quickened, and I felt the flames of fury rise. I couldn’t even think of Brandon with sadness or humiliation anymore; I felt only loathing.
He knew.
The bastard had been in on Gregory’s scheme this whole time.
How could I have been so oblivious?
I was so angry I could barely speak. “So, in addition to playing me, all the while he was supporting some sick goal of Gregory’s to exploit Viviana and her father?
Brandon had to have known the whole time.
Maybe dating me was even part of the plan.
Either that or I was just a fun way to pass the time,” I said, feeling the heat on my face as rage mounted.
Jack lowered his lids for a moment before looking up with a pained expression. “I’m so sorry you were part of this whole betrayal too. I blame myself in part. I knew Gregory was no good. I had no evidence, but I knew. Yet I stood by … I should’ve been more vocal about it.”
“Do you think she would’ve listened?” My voice rose.
“No, Jack. I’m at fault. I saw them together quite a bit.
I saw how he treated her … and even how he talked about her if I asked when she wasn’t around.
I wanted it to work out between them, maybe for selfish reasons.
I wanted to see Viviana happy, and the moments where Greg wasn’t being a jerk, she did seem happy. ”
Jack made a face but nodded slightly in acknowledgement. “I know what you mean. I suppose that’s why I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to ruin her happiness or her excitement.”
“She seemed to really like him, at times. I hoped … well, I should’ve known it wouldn’t go anywhere with someone like him. But I wanted that for her. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her truly in love before.” I sighed. “For that matter, I don’t think I’ve seen you in love before either, Jack.”
He paused momentarily in chewing what appeared to be a homemade trail mix.
The pause was very brief, and I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t been watching him carefully.
When he finished chewing, he folded his hands in front of him and looked at them for several long seconds.
Finally, he looked up with a slight smile.
“We’re not here to talk about me, are we? ”
I laughed, feeling some of the earlier anger and tension dissipating. “Fair enough, Jack. Though I do want to hear about your work. Tell me everything you know about book publishing, book sales, anything adjacent to that.”
Appearing relieved, he sat back with ease, popping another handful of raisins and nuts in his mouth. “That I can do. Anything I can emphasize in particular?”
“I want to know how the business works, what kinds of opportunities there might be for someone just starting out, willing to work her way up, that sort of thing,” I said, my voice slightly shaky at the end.
Inexplicably, I felt a little nervous. Perhaps because I was finally thinking about—and ready to start talking about and hearing about—something I might actually grow to care about and build a life around.
My true calling. Maybe. “I don’t think I want to edit, and I don’t think I’m cut out for writing books.
But I want to be … near books. Involved with them somehow.
Or other kinds of publications, I don’t know.
Tell me everything. Educate me, wise master. ”
His wide smile set me at ease once again, and he proceeded to do just that.
Though he worked for a periodical, not a book publisher, he had in fact written several published books and knew a lot of people in adjacent industries.
He was easy on the eyes too, I observed as he spoke animatedly about his passions.
But I also reconfirmed that I felt nothing more than friendship for him.
Which was a bit of a relief, but also disappointing … ugh, why wouldn’t I be attracted to someone like Jack?
Not because of …
Freaking Kylan.
Get out of my head.
And out of my city.