Once he agreed to my guidelines, things normalized between us. There were jokes and stories and more innuendos than one conversation needed. But the best part was I could see in his eyes that he wanted to touch me as badly as I wanted him to . . . but he didn’t. There’s relief, and satisfaction, in all that.
He’ll be gone soon, Haley. And you’re okay with that, remember?
“No, actually, because that’s against the guidelines,” I say with a casual shrug.
“I hate your guidelines.”
“I know.” I try not to laugh. “But we didn’t get to work on my résumé, so that is a sticking point. I fulfilled my end of the bargain. You didn’t.”
“That’s so unlike me.” He glances at me over his shoulder. “I always make sure I fulfill my end of the bargain before getting mine.”
“Of course you do.”
I settle back in the seat. The leather is warm from the heater Trevor turned on for me, and I yawn as we enter town.
“Sleepy?” he asks.
“No. Not really.”
I turn my head to look at him. He’s so handsome as he rests one hand on top of the steering wheel and strokes his chin with the other. There’s something so inherently sexy about a man who’s in control, and that’s exactly how Trevor looks right now—in control.
I just need to be in control too.
“This is probably against a rule,” he says, “but I enjoyed having dinner with you tonight.”
“I enjoyed tonight too,” I say honestly.
He presses his lips together. “Do women really overthink everything?”
“Yes. Women really overthink everything.”
He looks at me. “Are you going home and overthinking everything we talked about tonight?”
I consider telling him the truth—that I started overthinking things way before he even showed up at my house. But if I do that, if I admit there’s something to overthink, he might get the wrong impression. Whether that I’m somehow clinging to something that isn’t there, or that I’m trying to get out of spending time with him, it doesn’t matter. Either would be bad.
“Don’t lie,” he warns. “Or does that bout of silence give me the answer?”
“Yes,” I admit. “I’ll overthink things. But that really has nothing to do with you, so don’t get the wrong idea.”
“How does it have nothing to do with me?” He shakes his head. “Such an ego killer.”
I ignore the ego part and answer his question. “Because I could be on a date with Penn right now—not that you and I are on a date—and I’d be overthinking it.”
His jaw tenses, but he keeps his eyes glued to the road ahead. “I don’t think Penn’s a good choice for you.”
“How would you know?”
“Because I’m a guy, for one. And I know what guys like Penn are thinking.”
“Me too. He’ll sleep with anything that lies still. This is not a secret.”
“Exactly, which is why he’s a bad choice for you.”
“You’re wrong,” I tell him. He gives me a look that would make me shrivel if I cared. “Penn is not a bad choice. He’s not a choice at all.”
He makes a sound of satisfaction and bobs his head back and forth. “Well, I’m glad you see it my way.”
I roll my eyes as my phone rings on my lap. I look down and see it’s Jennifer. I eke out a breath and sit straight up.
“Hey,” I say. “This is Jen from the flower shop. Do you mind if I answer it? It’s rude, I know, but—”
“No. Get it. Absolutely. I’ll be pissed if you don’t.”
I swipe the phone quickly and press it to my ear. “Hey, Jen.”
“Haley, hi. I’m sorry for calling you so late.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m just coming back from Rockery, actually.”
“Are you driving? Do you need to go?”
I glance at Trevor. He gives me a thumbs-up before turning his attention back to the road. “Nope. I’m sitting in a truck being chauffeured around.”
Trevor makes a face at that. I fight not to laugh.
“Oh, okay.” She clears her throat. “Tom and I sat down yesterday and had a heart-to-heart about the business and retirement and what we want out of life. You know those conversations always lead to tears.”
I feel myself teeter-tottering on the edge of hope, the icy side of disappointment taunting me. My throat tightens as I hold on to the phone for dear life, and I wish I could reach for Trevor’s hand.
“I bet that was hard,” I say with a gulp. “How’d it go?”
“Well, we decided to close this weekend because Tom’s aunt is coming to town, and we really want to spend time with her. She’s a sweet lady, and we don’t see her often enough to warrant spending all day at the shop.”
“I can understand that.”
“It’s a part of Tom’s issue with the shop to start with. It takes up so much of my time.”
“I can understand that too.”