Chapter 19 #2
Pushing open the glass door of the cafe, I tried to smile as the hostess greeted me, leading me into my usual booth tucked in the corner.
The bitter aroma of coffee and baked goods washed over me, but today, they did nothing to lower my stress levels.
My mouth normally watered as I glanced over the menu, but my stomach rioted in protest. Tea—something calming.
While I searched for the server, a guitar strummed in the background, and other patrons loitered at the different tables, sipping their drinks while immersed in conversation.
Everything else seemed so normal, as if I could pretend this was any other lunch break.
I’d first come to this coffee shop during my first week at the firm, and, with all my nerves, I forgot my lunch at home.
Too afraid to wander too far, I’d stumbled into this place down the block, not knowing it would soon become my sanctuary.
At least twice a week, I came in for lunch, needing a break.
Real estate law wasn’t my favorite by any stretch of the imagination, but I sacrificed my passions for the paycheck.
Dreams could only get you so far, and now that I had Anna, most of mine centered on giving her the best life possible.
My eyes darted up when the bell above the door rang, the sound making my heartbeat pound loudly in my chest. Not Jace. Instead, a young couple came in, holding hands as they moved toward the counter.
Get it together, Kinsley. It was one conversation. One meeting.
After Victoria gave Jace my phone number last night, he texted me almost immediately, asking to meet. I wanted to push it off, but the team had a stretch of away games starting tomorrow, and he’d be gone for almost a week. He didn’t want to wait that long.
All morning, my stomach had been in knots, trying to figure out the best way to tell him about Anna. It wasn’t every day you told your former fling they had a daughter.
With another chime of the bell, I looked up and met Jace’s blue eyes, already finding me at the table in the corner.
He gave me a half-hearted smile as he walked through the cafe.
With every approaching step, my entire body buzzed with anticipation, unable to look away from him.
Even though it had been years since we saw each other, being this close brought back all the memories of that night.
Laughing over my gigantic stack of pancakes.
Watching the sun rise over the coast of Lake Erie.
His arms banded around me as I laid in his bed.
He stopped at the edge of the table, his eyes darting down to the opposite side of the booth. “Kinsley.” I attempted to smile at him, but my face refused to function right. “Is it okay…”
“Oh! Yeah, of course,” I shifted over some of my stuff to my side of the booth, making room for him.
Jace slid in with ease, but his body took up most of the space, made the booth feel too cramped.
His long legs stretched out under the table, practically touching my knees.
I curled my legs up, tucking my feet against the booth.
We stared at each other for a moment, and my stomach twisted again.
“Do you—”
“How are—”
Our voices mingled as we talked over each other, both unsure where to start.
Flush hit my cheeks, and I ducked my head down.
The last time I saw Jace, I was naked in his bed, and now, words felt like a foreign concept.
God, how was I supposed to do this? His nerves made it a little harder to hate him, to remember he chose this path for us.
Jace started to speak when the server blocked the end of the table. “Can I get you something to drink?”
We quickly ordered, and after the server left, our eyes caught. Jace cleared his throat. “Thank you for meeting me, Kinsley.”
I swallowed, trying to push past the lump in my throat. Keep it civil, Kinsley. “I’m sorry about yesterday. Seeing you again—”
“Shocked the hell out of you?” He shook his head, trying to hide his grin. “You’re not the only one.”
I took a sip, trying to keep my composure, but being this close to Jace was challenging; my mind and heart were at war.
His blue eyes ensnared me, and every time they caught my gaze, it brought me right back to that night in his bed, when he studied me like I was the most fascinating person he’d ever met.
However, this wasn’t about us. That path had ended for us long ago, and now, my only priority was Anna. That was the whole reason I agreed to see Jace: to get the weight of this secret off my chest. I opened my mouth to tell him, but he cut me off before I could.
“Didn’t think I’d ever see you again, even if I hoped I would.”
Wait, what? The blood in my veins didn’t just chill—it turned to solid ice.
“You have a strange way of showing it.” Fury didn’t lace my words like it had at the party.
Instead, they were steady, a cold, quiet rage that scared even me.
My spine locked into place as I stared Jace down.
“After all, you’ve had my number for years. ”
Jace’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“Let’s not make this into something it isn’t, Jace,” I said. “You wanted to talk, so talk. But let’s make one thing clear—I didn’t come here to reopen any old wounds.”