If she could get away with fanning herself, she would. But she restrained her hands beneath her legs and pretended what he just said hadn’t set her on fire.
Lord help her, she was in deep, deep trouble.
They pulled into the BFD parking lot and nerves flapped in her stomach like giant bats. She might run into Harper while they were there, but she could handle it. Right? Harper would most likely make suggestive comments and pull her aside to gush that they made a cute couple, but Wren would just blow her off. Or at least, she should blow her off.
Because whatever they were doing was temporary. He’d helped her forget about the fire and what she lost, but it all came roaring back in this very moment. Heck, she was half-inclined to pack up what little she owned in the world and move somewhere else just because she could. She had no obligations, nothing tying her down besides her various accounting jobs. But she would give enough notice so everyone had time to replace her. Some of the work she could do from anywhere, meaning she wouldn’t have to quit at all. She could just . . .
Be somewhere else.
“Finally.” He shifted the car into Park and cut the engine, turning to smile at her. He reached over, touching her cheek, his fingers drifting across her skin, and she pressed her lips together to prevent him from seeing them tremble. “I’ve had a good time with you today.”
His touch rendered her speechless. All she could do was nod.
“Hope to have a good time with you tonight too.” His eyes grew dark, and her mouth grew dry.
Temporary. No matter how much fun they were having and how much she was growing to like him—really like him—she needed to remind herself of that.
Frequently.
THE MOMENT THEY walked into the restaurant, Wren knew something was up. She could feel it in the air. A sort of electricity that crackled and hummed, though she couldn’t place it. Harper’s eyes went wide when she caught sight of them, and she rushed over, a fake smile plastered on her face as she steered them toward the doors that led outside to the patio.
“I don’t want to eat outside,” Wren protested with a shake of her head.
“It’s such a nice evening though.” The pleading look Harper sent her couldn’t be mistaken.
“It’s still over one hundred degrees outside,” Tate pointed out gently, tipping his head toward the many empty tables in the diner. “We’d rather sit in here. Right, Wren?”
“Definitely,” Wren said, surprised that he actually called her by her name. Though he had been all afternoon, throwing in the occasional Dove to balance it out. She didn’t mind anymore. Not really.
“I’m going to use the restroom,” Tate said to Wren, offering her a gentle smile that she felt all the way down to her toes. “I’ll be right back.”
The moment he walked away, Harper turned toward Wren, her expression serious, her voice hushed. “You need to get out of here.”
“Wait. What?” What was Harper’s problem? “Are you refusing to serve us? What the hell, Harp?”
Harper grabbed hold of Wren’s arm and pulled her closer to the front of the restaurant where no one else was around. “Someone’s here, and I don’t want you to see them.”
“See who?” Curiosity made her try to look around Harper to see whom she could be talking about.
“Stop looking around! God, you’re so obvious.” Harper blew out a frustrated breath. “Fine, it’s Levi.”
Wren went completely still. “Levi? My Levi?” She hadn’t referred to him like that in forever. She hadn’t thought of him as hers in years. Yet here she was, first mention of him and falling back into old habits. He’d been her Levi once upon a time.
Until he wasn’t.
“Yes. He came in a few minutes ago with his parents.” Harper sent her a pointed look. “I’m sure you don’t want to run into him while you’re with Tate.”
“I don’t mind.” The thought actually filled her with excitement. She could show Levi she’d moved on, right? Tate was gorgeous. Even Levi would have to acknowledge that. To look like she was involved with Tate would put on quite the I’m-so-over-you show for Levi. He’d get the message loud and clear.
And she was over Levi. She had been for years. Yes, he’d broken her heart in high school. Yes, she never talked about him. Like, ever. But there was a reason for that. She didn’t like to latch on to the past. It did her no favors and usually ended up hurting her more than anything else. She couldn’t even remember the last time she saw Levi in the flesh—fine, she’d stalked his Facebook profile a long time ago—so what was the big deal?
“You should mind.” Harper leaned in and murmured, “He asked about you.”
Her heart started to race. “Really?” She cleared her throat to get rid of the squeak. The pointed look Harper sent her wasn’t helping matters. “What did he say?”
“He asked if you still lived here, and I said of course.” Harper raised her brows. “Then he said he’d love to see you while he was visiting.”
“How long is he visiting?”