the competition, and I can feel myself getting distracted by him. And I can’t afford distraction, not when I barely squeaked into the top three in the first challenge. I have to stay strong, or I won’t have a chance in hell of winning. Two, even if he wasn’t in the competition, or after the competition is over, don’t you think getting involved with the guy across the street is a tiny bit dumb?”
Ruby hums thoughtfully. “Because you’ll have to see him every day if it doesn’t work out?”
My heart sinks even lower. “Yes. And really, what are the chances it will work out? Even if I can convince him to give serious dating a try, things never work out with me and boyfriends. Boyfriends always break my heart. Always. The only saving grace is that we live in a huge city and I usually don’t have to see them again.”
At least not every day. I’ve run into Theodore on the street and that was misery, and I bumped into Shelby on the subway. The same car. Thank God, I never see Nelson the Odious since he doesn’t deign to come to Brooklyn.
Which brings me to my point.
“If I truly pursue something with West”—I shudder—“can you imagine how awful it would be to see him right across the street, going about his life without me? Happy that I’m no longer in his bed? Maybe even bringing his new girlfriend to his shop for brunch because of course she’s perfect for him and beautiful and sweet and loves gross, disgusting tea as much as he does.” I press my hand to the ache in my chest. “God. It hurts just thinking about it.”
Truly, it does.
I can feel it already, how much my heart will break when West disappoints me.
When, not if. I’d love to believe he’s different than the men who’ve betrayed me in the past, but I’ve been burned so many times.
And how much more would those burns have hurt if I’d been forced to see those men’s faces every day?
Ruby takes my hand. “It’s a valid concern. That would be really hard, but…”
“But?” I prod after a moment.
“But maybe worth the risk?”
I gulp. “I think friends is better. Friends. At least for now.”
Ruby’s lips part, but before she can speak, Aunt Barb returns, and the discussion veers to pies and charity work, and before I know it, I’m on my way back to the store to clear a space in my baking schedule for my own donation to the Boys and Girls Club auction.
I concentrate on paying it forward to my community and ignore the tangle of confusion knotting my stomach as I slip West’s present into his mail slot with a note that reads, “Something sweet to go with your dirty.”
Later that night, West sends me a text.
West: This chocolate is almost as delicious as you are.
And I swoon.
But it’s a friendly swoon, I swear.
16
West
I devour the chocolate she sent me, savoring every bite the way I intend to savor her pussy the next time I’m between her thighs, and wait for a text back.
I’m still waiting the next morning as I head into the shop to put the finishing touches on plans for opening day.
But still she doesn’t respond.
Not so much as an emoji.
I’m not happy. But I don’t suspect she’s playing games. Even when she was angry with me, she was frank about it. She didn’t give me the silent treatment or play the “guess why I’m mad” game. She laid it out for me, right on the street, no less.
Gigi James doesn’t mince words. She wears her heart on her sleeve and she uses that mouth.
Dear God, that mouth.
She also spoke plainly after the blow job in my library too, making it clear that we can’t be more than friends who…don’t fuck, but do things that are very fuck-adjacent.
A tad confusing, maybe. But honest.
There’s something so refreshing about that level of honesty.
There’s something wildly appealing too, about her reasons—her laser focus on her family’s business is commendable. Yet another reason to like her.
Dammit. I wish there weren’t so many. It would be a hell of a lot easier to keep my focus where it belongs—on a successful opening Friday and a solid performance at the next challenge .
It’s like I always say, timing is everything. And Gigi’s made it clear that now is not the time for anything to happen with the man across the street.
I’m still thinking about timing a few hours later as