No Strings

“Whoa, whoa, it’s okay,” he says, cutting her off. “I wasn’t questioning you. I was just asking what you were doing here.”

“Oh.” She sighs in relief. “I’m having lunch with Ben.”

“Ben,” he repeats, humor in his tone.

“Savannah doesn’t know anyone,” I explain, “so I stopped by yesterday with lunch, and she insisted on returning the favor today.”

“That’s very friendly of him.” Lucas stretches out the word friendly like the asshole he is.

“There’s plenty if you want to join us,” she offers, her voice cracking a bit.

“Thank you, but I have to head into the office and play catch-up, and then I’m meeting Laura for a late lunch. I was just stopping by to welcome Ben home.” Laura is his girlfriend of two years.

Savannah nods. “Is Bri back too? I haven’t heard from her today.”

“She is, but she’s in a meeting. We wrapped up sooner than planned and took an earlier flight, so she rescheduled an appointment. I’m sure she’ll be by to see you later. She’s excited to have you here. Wouldn’t stop talking about it all week.”

Savannah laughs softly. “I’m very happy to be here. It hasn’t even been two days, but I love it at Sharp. Everyone is extremely helpful and friendly.”

“Good,” he says. “Enjoy your lunch. We’ll talk later.”

He turns on his heel and walks over to me. “Friend, my ass,” he mouths as his hand lands on my shoulder. “See you tonight,” he says out loud.

Once he’s gone, Savannah releases a loud sigh. “That was…” She trails off, trying to figure out what to say.

“Lucas,” I finish.

“Huh?” She raises a single brow.

“That was typical Lucas.” I open the bag and take out the cartons of food. “He thinks because we hung out and you posted some pics on social media, something is going on between us.”

I keep my eyes trained on her face to gauge her reaction, but she doesn’t give shit away as she says, “I’m sorry. I should’ve asked you if it was okay to post pictures. I didn’t even—”

“Stop.” I wave her off. “It’s all good. Lucas has recently gotten serious with his on-again, off-again girlfriend, so now he thinks he has the right to play matchmaker. He wants everyone to be as happy as he is.” I roll my eyes. “Between him and my sister, they’re determined to make me join the Hitched Club. He saw those pictures of us and tried to make something out of nothing.” I wait to see what her response is—if she’ll hint that she wouldn’t mind making something out of nothing—not that I would… But at least if she tries to wrangle me in somehow, I can cut the strings before she attempts to tie a knot.

Savannah opens the boxes and pushes one toward me, the smell of chicken lo mein filling my senses. “Oh, I know all about that club. I terminated my membership and have zero desire to reinstate it.” Either she’s a damn good liar, or she really doesn’t see me like that because she genuinely sounds like she means it.

She twists the top of her sweet tea and gulps down a large sip before she continues. “Besides, I’ve only been around you for like a week, and even I know you’re not the getting hitched type.”

Her statement should make me happy. It’s exactly what I wanted to hear. She knows the score and accepts it. We’re friends and nothing more.

Then why the hell do her words make me want to defend myself?

“You know my reasons,” I say instead. “But what are yours? What has you running from commitment when most women are running full speed toward it?”

“Been there, done that.” She takes a bite of her food and swallows it down with a sip of her sweet tea. “Met my now ex-husband while I was in college. I was interning at the company his father owns. We dated for a short time, and then he proposed. We were married right after I graduated.”

She exhales a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for whatever she’s about to say next. “I was blinded by my desire to have that whole happily ever after and didn’t see how selfish he was. That he didn’t love me but loved the idea of having a trophy wife on his arm. He thought a woman’s place was barefoot and pregnant, supporting her husband.”

She smiles sadly. “When I couldn’t be what he needed, he found someone who could. And the worst part? It was my best friend.”

What an asshole. I’ve only known Savannah for a short time, but even I can see the amazing person she is. She’s someone you dote on and cherish. If she were mine, I’d—

Fuck, nope, not going there. She’s not mine, nor will she ever be.

“Just because he was a piece of shit doesn’t mean every other guy is.”