then he looked back at me. “Are you sure about that? He came over here and picked a fight.”
“That wasn’t picking a fight,” I argued.
He smirked, chuckling slightly. “Anna, that was him pissing all over you to mark what’s his.”
I took a deep breath and digested that. I didn’t want anything to do with Robert. He was being territorial because of what we once had. But that time of our lives was over. The damage was done, and there was no going back.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Why me?”
“Why not you? Anna, I’ve had a crush on you since high school.”
My eyes widened in shock. “Why didn’t you say anything? Why now?”
He shrugged. “You were with him, and then you disappeared after high school. When you came back, you were different. You just…you were dealing with all that stuff with your mom, and you didn’t seem to want any attention. Frankly, today was the first day that you actually talked to me or showed any interest in me. So, I took my shot.”
Wow, I wasn’t sure if I should be flattered that he still liked me after all these years or embarrassed that I seemed to be so damn clueless.
“So, if I hadn’t flirted with you today, would you have ever approached me?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. You’re the woman that’s unattainable.”
“I’m not unattainable.”
He snorted. “Anna, didn’t you ever notice that guys look at you, but they don’t approach you? That’s because they think you’re out of their league.”
I stared at him in shock. “I worked at a gas station for the last ten years. What part of that makes me too good for someone?”
“Your job is just a job. You’re a good person, sexy as hell, and you’ve always been smart. And you want to know what the real killer is?” I nodded in a roundabout way. He smirked. “You’re the most beautiful woman in town and you don’t even know it. That is what makes you unattainable.”
“So why do I get the feeling that this is going to be our last date?”
“I never said it would be. That’s completely up to you.”
“If you want to date me, why would you invite yourself along to Thanksgiving at my ex-boyfriend’s house, after I refused the invitation?”
“The truth is, he never knew what he had when he was with you. On the outside, you guys seemed like a solid couple, but then he up and disappeared. There’s nothing I would love more than to rub it in his face that I have you now.”
“He’s not going to care. That was thirteen years ago. And frankly, it’s not worth the effort. I don’t think about Robert and neither should you.”
Okay, that was slightly a lie. Over the years, I had thought about Robert a great deal. I wondered where we would be if we were together. I wondered if he was married or if he was seeing anyone. But mostly I thought about how he just left me behind, and that killed me. I eventually got over it, but it took years to come to terms with the fact that the life I once thought I was going to have was over, and it would never come back. Now that Robert was suddenly showing up around town more often, I had to be careful not to think about old times. That would only get me into trouble.
I started up my computer at work the next day. Thanks to Robert, I was now doing double duty, planning a wedding and running the office. I was definitely going to have a thing or two to tell Eric when he got into the office. The office phone rang and I picked it up, irritated that I was getting a call before I even had a chance to have my morning coffee.
“What?” I snapped testily.
“It’s Mrs. Cranston, dear. I have-“
“Another leaky pipe,” I cut her off.
“Why, how did you know?”
“Mrs. Cranston, you’ve had a leaky pipe or a rusty pipe every few months since I started working here.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize that it happened so often.”
“Yes, well, maybe you need to come up with different excuses to have Eric go over. Maybe make it something more realistic next time.”
“Hmm, I guess you’re right. Do you have any ideas?”
“You could break a window.”
“It’s a little chilly for that.”
“You need some light bulbs changed.”
“Do you think he would come over for that?” she asked hopefully.
“No.”
She sighed. “Well, I suppose I could ask him to move the kitchen light over.