“Ah.”
He laughed again.
“What?”
“It’s a conversation ender. Nobody ever asks me more.”
“Oh.” Guilt crept up on her and she frowned. “Sorry. I just don’t know—”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s a boring job, and it’s even more boring talking about it.” He looked around at the tents. “I need a drink.”
“Cider!”
“Now you’re talking,” he said with a grin. “Hard cider?”
She peered around the booths. Tables were set up with baked goods and homemade house goods, but she remembered from last year there was a beer tent. “They have that somewhere around here. I like hot cider though.”
He gestured away from the donut booth. “Let’s go find some, then.”
His genuine smile, easy demeanor but hint of dominance made Ambrose the most likely match so far. Banner had good taste in best friends.
The thought sent a reminder, and she swung around, feeling bad Banner was an afterthought. “Coming?” she asked him.
“Uh.” He ran his hand through his hair, then shook his head. “Nah. I’m going to go look around for the fresh ravioli Meadow likes. I’ll catch up with you later.”
He was probably just giving them space to be polite, which made her sorry she’d pushed him to come. She didn’t mean to make him feel like the third wheel. Honestly, she’d thought Ambrose would bore her and she’d mostly hang out with Banne
r. But Ambrose was fun and sweet and hot. She wanted to get to know him better, if for no other reason than it would take her mind off of Banner. Maybe throwing herself into this situation with Ambrose was a bad idea but sitting around her apartment moping over Mr. Perfect not wanting her wasn’t going to fix anything.
She studied Banner’s face for a moment. She thought she caught a fleeting look of hurt, but it was gone in an instant, and he gave her a reassuring smile instead.
Maybe he wasn’t okay, but neither was she. This was his idea, so fuck him if he was upset about it.
Kate nodded and walked off with Ambrose, determined to have a good time and secretly hoping Banner would come charging back up to reclaim her.
He didn’t.
They spent the morning sampling the food the fair had to offer. She was surprised at just how much fun she was having with Ambrose. He was easy to be with, easy to like. If not for his size, she wouldn’t sense the same amount of danger there was with Banner, but there were hints of dominance—enough to keep her interest.
Maybe this was what was supposed to happen all along. Ambrose seemed like a better match.
In the back of her mind, though, Banner was there with that rejected look on his face. But this had been his idea. And she knew he wanted her with someone he trusted instead of some fake Dom she might meet in a club.
Ambrose was his best friend. If they clicked, he’d be happy for them.
Right?
***
She’d gone to the fair hungry and left so stuffed she was sure she wouldn’t eat for a week. Apple pie, fried dough, fresh cannolis, caramel apples—it was amazing the button hadn’t popped off her jeans and folding herself into her car was uncomfortable. They never did find Banner again, but Ambrose kept her distracted.
The stop-and-go traffic through town gave her time to assess the day.
The man could eat! Which made her not as shy about trying some of everything too. He seemed to like that her appetite could almost keep up with his. He’d named her his Foodie Friend, and they had plans for Vietnamese food the next weekend. At his place.
What if he wanted to play right away? Was she ready for that? She thought about playing with Ambrose, but Banner kept replacing him in her thoughts.
It was Banner she wanted, but he was determined to get rid of her. The rejection still stung, even if the reasons made sense. Feelings often weren’t very sensible.