coming by since Friday,” she said.
Josh shook his head, not quite believing how shitty this morning was turning out.
“Who’s that?” Melissa asked, gesturing to the truck. “You looked nice and friendly.”
“What are you doing here, Melissa?” he asked her through a stiff jaw and clenched teeth.
She flashed the smile he used to adore and do anything for. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Josh shook his head and kept glancing at the car door. All he continued to see was Shelly’s side profile.
When he finally looked back at Melissa, he was beyond pissed. “What? Why are you here?”
She grinned and shrugged. “Because I made a mistake. I want you back, Josh.”
Chapter Seventeen
Shit, shit, shit. So, it wasn’t the most eloquent moment of her life, but as she sat in the passenger seat of Josh’s truck, that was all Shelly could come up with. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Josh standing there by the window, talking to the leggy brunette, Melissa.
Over and over, Shelly kept chastising herself and her quick fall into la-la love land. Had I really thought for one moment that it would be that easy? When had I become so naive? Fairy tales didn’t happen overnight. Heck, they rarely happened at all! She just had to look at her parents for that wonderful reality check.
Pulling out her phone, Shelly texted Lena.
Need to talk…NOW.
Almost immediately, she received a response.
Lena: Are you okay?
Shelly shook her head, and then noticed out of the corner of her eye Josh was walking around the truck. Looking down at her phone, Shelly texted back quickly.
Will call in thirty minutes to talk.
The driver’s door was pulled opened, and Josh climbed inside the truck. Mutley whined and sat up on the back seat.
“Shelly…” Josh started hesitantly.
Turning to face him, Shelly plastered on the most painfully fake smile she had ever given.
She responded, “Josh…”
He sighed, shaking his head. “Are you going to talk to me about this?”
“Nope,” she answered and stared out the window, avoiding his gaze.
That was when she noticed the leggy brunette leaning up against the little Ford again, glaring at them. So, Shelly gave in to a sudden impulse and offered her a perky little wave that screamed, I’m in the car with your man, biotch.
“She doesn’t mean anything,” Josh told her as he started up the truck.
Shelly rolled her head along the headrest, so she was facing him. “Really? To me either,” she told him, her voice dripping with saccharine sweetness.
“Why are you being like this?” Josh questioned, pulling the truck away from the curb.
Shelly looked back out the window and muttered. “I’m not being like anything.”
***
Josh looked at the silent woman sitting beside him. Gone was the soft country Georgia he had been with all weekend, and in her place was Man-Eater Monroe. She wouldn’t look at him, she wouldn’t talk to him, and he had to believe that as she sat there staring out at nothing in particular, she sure as hell wouldn’t let him touch her either.
How could this morning have gone so wrong? He had been five minutes away from having a naked Shelly beneath him, over him, all around him, and then Melissa had happened. As if this weekend hadn’t been stressful enough, the arrival of his ex had to top it off.
There was no way Shelly was going to let this go, especially after her parents’ confessions on the delicate subject of cheating. The real kicker, however, was that even though she knew Melissa was his ex, being confronted with another woman was not what she was ready to deal with now.
Josh turned to look at her again. She was beautiful in her silence as she stared, fuming out the window. Hell, he thought, she is beautiful all the time, including the moment she confessed her feelings to him down by the river.
“Are you really going to sit there and pretend I don’t exist?” he asked her, no longer able to bare the silence. How did this woman slip under his skin so damn quickly?
“I’m not pretending you don’t exist. In fact, I am very aware you are right there. I am pointedly ignoring you.” She told him while she continued to stare at nothing.
“Is that right?” Josh asked, starting to get annoyed.
“Yes, it is. I don’t understand what you expect me to say,” she told him, finally turning to face him. “Is she leaving?” she asked.
Josh knew his answer was not going to be what she wanted to hear, but he wasn’t going to lie.
“No,