I guessed I had nothing to lose.
Nothing at all.
Only gains at this point. A night out would be nice.
I found myself smiling despite the fact that my heart reminded me I’d much rather have a do-over with Rip—different restaurant, same situation—where he didn’t scold me or scowl, where he genuinely liked me, and where he returned a kiss with the desperation I felt every time I looked his way and his eyes went dead.
Thankfully, I didn’t see Banks the rest of the afternoon.
More importantly, I made good headway on my article about fish and chips in the UK and the best places to visit in London. Thankfully, the blog I worked for knew the entire situation I was dealing with and had said I could do a series of articles about my favorite places I’d visited in the last two years and the places I wanted to visit in the future, which meant a bit more research, but it was something, and I was still getting paid, which was huge.
God, I missed traveling.
It wasn’t even about the food or the articles, it was the different cultures, the different experiences. While Rip might not think it was a real job, it fit me well because it was constantly changing, constantly interesting. I could never have a desk job—ever. So while he didn’t understand my work, I really didn’t understand his either. I would have died of boredom.
A sudden knock on the door jolted me out of my thoughts.
“Banks, if you interrupt me again…” I groaned and looked up into Heather’s bright-green eyes.
Her face was impassive.
Was she even breathing?
Was she even human?
And how tall were those heels? They were red and looked like weapons.
Maybe she had changed, we could become best friends, and she’d let me borrow them. Even if I was just walking around the house with a glass of wine, I’d at least feel fancy.
I deflated a bit; I was being ridiculous. People change, clearly. I wasn’t the same person I’d been in high school, thank God. Maybe I needed to give her a chance. It wasn’t like she’d been rude to me; cool, but not rude.
“Hi! Can I help you?” I tried to sound sweet, when I really wanted to run out of the room screaming in fear that she was seconds away from embarrassing me or saying something cruel.
There was no way she didn’t remember me, right?
No. Way.
I waited for her to say something.
“I remember you now.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes, and I hated that it took me back to a dark place when I was here to actually get things done and focus. “We went to high school together, didn’t we?”
“Yup.” I quickly gathered my things and forced another smile. “I figured it was just so long ago you didn’t remember. No worries. I gotta get going back to the kids, though, it’s been an adjustment, as you know.”
She was blocking the door, her eyes drinking me in, not in a nasty way but more of a curious way. “He’s mine, you know.”
“Banks?” I laughed, suddenly realizing that despite how good-looking Banks was, I wasn’t at all interested. “You can have him.”
“Not Banks.” She said it like a fact, like a fact I should know. Two plus two equals four. Not Banks but Rip, it had to be.
“Well?” I shrugged lightly. “You’re welcome to him too. I’m just trying to survive ketchup stains, the PTA, and potty training.”
“I can see that,” she said with a sudden smile. “Sorry, I just wanted to be clear. I’ve been interested in Rip awhile. But you know men, they’re clueless.” She literally flipped her hair like an actress in a bad soap opera. “Anyway, Rip and I make sense, and it felt like he was finally seeing it after our date. But then everything slipped into chaos with the kids, and I know it’s been a rough adjustment, especially for someone like him.” She shot me a bright smile. “He’ll come to his senses. You know, if he could get any free time instead of playing pretend dad.” She laughed.
I almost punched her. How insensitive could she be? And how insecure could I be that I was staring her down like she was somehow the perfect person for him when she seemed just as selfish as she’d been in high school?
Old me would have been grumpy and rubbed it in Rip’s face that of course he deserved someone just as arrogant. New me? I kind of wanted to stand in front of him, the kids, the cat, and tell her to back the hell off.
Honestly, she’d be perfect for him, or at least the old him who didn’t have kids and preferred everything perfect. “I really do need to get going.”