Best Served Cold

“Come on, Rae. You can’t keep ignoring me. You broke up with me, remember?”

I did remember. All too vividly.

“I would understand this if I’d broken up with you. This doesn’t make sense.”

“Doesn’t make sense?” The words escaped me through gritted teeth. “You open an ice cream store next to mine and almost put me out of business, and you think I should be happy you sat your dumb ass down opposite me and want to talk to me?”

He actually flinched. “All right, when you put it like that…”

“Put it like what?” I snapped, tossing my phone in my purse. “There’s no other way to put it, Chase. You opened your store to get back at me in some petty tirade and almost ruined my life. Excuse me if I don’t give a fuck if you want to talk to me.”

I stood, grabbing my half-drunk coffee and finished sandwich. I tossed the wrappers in the trashcan behind me and stalked for the door. All I’d wanted was to eat, but now I felt as though I wanted to throw the sandwich up.

How dare he?

How fucking dare he sit opposite me like he hadn’t ruined my life? I hadn’t broken his heart for malicious reasons. My grandparents had dumped the store on me, my parents had left town, and my aunt had been dying.

I hadn’t had time for a relationship. Not one as serious as ours had been getting.

I hadn’t been ready.

“Rae.”

I ignored him and continued my stomping up the sidewalk to Best Served Cold. He said my name again, but I didn’t care. I was all out of fucks to give where Chase Aarons was concerned.

I rifled through my purse one-handed to find my keys. My fingers circled the hard, cold metal, and they clinked as I tugged them out. Finding the key to the door was a struggle since there were so many on there, and I was more than aware of Chase getting closer and closer to me.

Finally, I tucked my coffee carefully between my forearm and my stomach to free up my other hand and located the key. I unlocked the door, shoving it open so I could lock it from the inside and stop this stupid conversation before it went any further.

Of course, life didn’t work that simply.

I tripped on the frame, sending my coffee cup flying. A squeal escaped my mouth as the cup slammed into the floor, the plastic lid snapping off and sending coffee spurting all over the tiles and the front of the main counter.

I tried to steady myself on my feet, but failed, and the only thing that stopped my nose from slamming into the floor was the fact I threw my arms out in front of me and broke my fall.

I missed the hot coffee by inches.

I closed my eyes and dropped my head, taking a deep breath.

God. Fucking. Damn. It.

“It might be a little late to remind you of this, but there is a slight step there.” Chase’s tone held the slightest hint of laughter.

I jerked my head around to stare up at him. “Really? I had no idea.”

“We’re making progress in the conversation department, I see.” He held out both his hands for me to take to get up.

I shrugged my purse strap off my shoulder and got up by myself, then grabbed the bright pink strap to haul it onto the counter. “You can leave now.”

“Let me help you clean up.” He stepped fully inside and stepped toward me. “That’s a mess.”

“I can see that it’s a mess!” I dumped the purse and went to the back to grab the mop. I’d clean it properly later, but for now, I wanted it up off the floor.

“Let me help you.”

“I’m fine!” I snapped, shoving the mop into the hot mess of coffee and moving it back and forth a little too vigorously. My cheeks were burning with annoyance and, yes, embarrassment.

It wasn’t the sassy walk in and door slam I’d hoped for, that was for sure.

It didn’t happen like this in the movies.

No. In the movies, the girl escaped her annoying ex, slammed the door in his face, and locked it while flipping him the bird.

I almost fell flat on my face, spilled coffee, and mopped it up.

Girl power to the max.

Pfft.

With the coffee now soaking into my mop, I bent to grab the empty cup and lid. Chase didn’t move as I did it. He didn’t even move as I tossed the cup in the trash and put the mop behind the counter.

I folded my arms across my chest. “Why are you still here?”

“You haven’t really started in here, have you?” He met my eyes. “Nothing has changed.”

“I can take a hammer to you, if you’d like. That’d be a welcome improvement.”

His eyes shone. “You’re more than welcome to try, babe.”