2. Chapter Two
Chapter Two
Scarlett
Ryan’s eyes stay locked on me, tightening the knot in my solar plexus. My heart is ramming against my ribcage, and I’m working to catch my breath.
My fingers slide to my lips.
The warmth of Steven’s body, his scent surrounding me. I lost myself in the moment. In him.
My best friend.
An ache grips my chest. It doesn’t matter how right it felt, or how much I liked it. He’s off-limits.
“It’s okay.” Ryan spits out, his mouth tight. His gaze slits, and he looks Steven over. “I’ll come back another time, when you’re alone. To see if Emma has any news.”
Nodding stiffly, I place my hand on Steven’s arm and press myself closer to him. I can feel the weight of his gaze as he looks down, watching me.
“Of course.” I push through a tight throat, attempting to smile. “You know where to find me.”
Giving me and Steven one last sneer, he makes his way toward the exit. It’s not until the dogs bark that I feel my shoulders sag.
“Want to tell me what that was all about?” Steven says gently, nodding his head in the direction of the door.
Sighing, I lean my head against Steven’s arm and shake it back and forth.
“Scar.” His voice is gruff, tinged with concern.
His thumb presses under my chin, and I squeeze my eyes tight, afraid he’ll see all the emotions I’m working to shove down. The back of my eyes sting, and I shake my head again, but this time I let go of his hand and walk toward the counter.
“Wait!” Steven calls out, and I look at him over my shoulder. “This is from my mom.”
He’s holding out a coffee cup, reaching for the cup; our fingers brush, and a spark shoots through me. “Thanks.” I quickly take a sip, the warmth comforting.
“So what was that about?” Steven’s green gaze searches mine, and my shoulders drop on a long breath as my mind grasps for words about Ryan while Steven’s real question hangs heavy between us.
“I shouldn’t have pulled you into that.” Behind the counter, I slide the display case open and grab the empty tray I’d stacked while alone with Ryan.
“A little warning would’ve been nice.” Steven’s voice is right behind me. He’s so close I can feel the heat rolling off his body. All I want to do is lean into him and have him hold me.
But I can’t. Even if that’s what I want.
Shaking my head, I work to pull my thoughts together while I place the tray and cup on the counter. “I panicked.”
“Well, you can panic like that any time you want,” he laughs sardonically.
My face burns, and I catch my lower lip between my teeth. Reaching out, I grab one of the dog treats and put it on the tray.
Steven moves beside me, grabs a treat, and starts filling the tray from the opposite end.
Memories of us in high school, working here when Uncle Dunky first opened the bakery, flood me.
The corner of my mouth curves, and Steven gently nudges my side.
“Remember when Emmy would jump up and try to grab all the fresh treats? It didn’t matter how hot they were, she never stopped.”
A chuckle falls from my mouth. “How could a dog be so good and yet so bad?”
“She was hilarious! Coach yelling at her was the best.”
“I miss those days.” The corners of my mouth fall.
“They were great.” I don’t see the smile on Steven’s face, but I hear it in his voice. “Why don’t you tell me what makes you so uncomfortable about that guy, that you’d want to pretend I’m your boyfriend?”
Oh, Bennett. If you only knew.
“You know how I do the questionnaires for the podcast, right?” He nods his head. “Ryan filled one out, putting me as the girl he wants to connect with.”
“That’s definitely horrible.” My hand whips out and smacks his arm, but he takes hold of it, wrapping his fingers around my wrist. When he doesn’t let go, I look up at him. “And absolutely a reason to claim that I’m your boyfriend.”
I’d claim that in an instant if only…
His gaze sparkles with mischief, and he’s smirking.
Swallowing, I hold his gaze. Half of me wants to wipe the smirk away, the other half aches to kiss it until I forget why I shouldn’t. His eyes darken, as if reading my thoughts, and a flutter dips low in my belly. Pulling my hand away from his, I continue lining the tray.
“When ‘Emma’ told him that’s not how things work,” I say softly. “That the process is more about matching people based on other factors, he pushed. She, I, stayed firm, but he wouldn’t let it go. It’s been a few weeks now, and he keeps asking me if ‘Emma’ has any updates.”
Picking up the tray, I carry it back to the front and slip it into the display case.
“And?” Steven asks from the opposite side of the counter.
The four feet of space between us allows me to breathe again, but it also leaves me with a chill. “I kept telling him that she didn’t discuss those things with me. That she kept them private. But he just kept reaching out and getting more demanding.”
When I look up at Steven, his brows are pulled together and the muscle in his jaw ticks. “And today?”
Nibbling the inside of my cheek, I try to describe what happened. Ryan hadn’t crossed any clear line, but something about the way he looked at me made my skin crawl. When Steven walked through the door, relief hit me so hard I just reacted.
“Scarlett, did he hurt you?”
My gaze whips to Steven’s hard eyes, and I vehemently shake my head. “No,” I say forcefully. “No. Nothing like that.”
My hand moves forward to reassure him, but it stops halfway over the counter. “I swear, Steven. He didn’t hurt me. But…”
Steven places his hand over mine and squeezes, the simple gesture tugging at my heart. “Scar?”
“But he made me uncomfortable. When you walked through the door, I was relieved.”
One of his brows quirks up, and I pull my hand from his, a flush creeping up my neck.
“And excited to see you—”
“I’d say,” he waggles his brows at me, and heat blooms across my face.
“I didn’t think,” I choke out. “I just acted.”
Steven stares at me, his expression sober. I can feel him trying to understand my explanation about the kiss.
His eyes search my face, looking for the truth I’m trying to hide. The muscle in his cheek jumps.
I avert my gaze.
Seemingly deciding to let it go, he huffs out a breath and shrugs a shoulder before bowing. “Glad to have been of assistance.”
Acid rises in my throat as my insides twist. Then I think of Steven’s dad and force myself to smile. “Greatly appreciated, kind sir.”
Reaching into the display case one last time, I reorganize the trays. “So are you all settled in yet?”
“I just got home, James. My luggage is waiting for me in the living room to be unpacked. A task to tackle later.”
Normally I’d ask him if he wanted help. But nothing is normal about today.
“How has the matchmaking been going? Other than…” Steven throws a thumb over his shoulder. “Any new stories?”
The weight on my chest lifts. “Do you remember me telling you about the new librarian?”
“A few months ago? New to town?”
I nod, handing him a stack of napkins, making sure not to touch him. He automatically goes to each table and fills the napkin dispensers. “She’s also stunning, but painfully shy.” We fall back into our old rhythm so easily it aches.
Stepping out from behind the counter, I grab a broom. “You know Eddie Miller? The firefighter?”
“Eddie’s a firefighter now?”
“Yup. Two years now. Anyway, he sent in a questionnaire to ‘Emma’.” Stopping mid-sweep, I lean on the broom. “Did you know he loves to read?”
“Isn’t ‘Emma’ supposed to keep her clients and the details about their lives confidential?” Steven’s eyes are wide, his grin mocking me.
“Yesssss…” I can’t stop the smile that breaks free in response to his teasing. “But as my best friend, I can trust you, right, Bennett?”
The corners of his mouth dip for a millisecond before a wide grin stretches across his face. “Of course.”
Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I bite my lip, trying to remember where I left off.
“He loves to read,” Steven says, easily reading me like a book.
“That’s right, thanks.” Pushing the broom along the floor, I continue. “I was in the library grabbing the new J.S. Ethan thriller and—”
“Don’t they give you nightmares?” His breath is warm against my ear, sending chills down my spine. I swat my hand at him only to have him chuckle.
“No, that’s J. Anthony, and I don’t read him anymore. That last story was…” Shivers run through me, and I shake my head, working to chase away the memory of the nightmares. “Back to Miller.”
Steven finishes with the napkins, locks the front door while turning over the closed sign, and comes back to lean against the counter as I finish up sweeping and telling about my firefighter and librarian love match.
He laughs at all the right parts, and smiles while I talk, but I can tell he’s only following my lead.
Relief and regret tangle in my chest. I’m grateful we’re sliding back into safe territory, but I also hate it…because that kiss already betrayed me. It showed him exactly how I feel about my best friend.
The third promise I made to Steven’s dad rises like bile, burning the back of my throat. But I can’t put it off any longer.
Putting the broom away, I slide my palms down my pants and ask, “So, when are you going to send your questionnaire to ‘Emma’?”