Heartbreaker - Julie Kriss Page 0,11

just thinking the same thing. “Come on, Mina. I promise I’ll show up.”

“You said that last time.”

“I mean it. I’ll be there. But I work shift work, so it will have to be a few days from now, on my day off.”

Right. Holden was an EMT now, which meant that when he wasn’t trapped in elevators, he saved lives. Maybe he was slightly less of a jerk than he used to be. Still, I wanted a guarantee. “Do you have any cash in your wallet?” I asked him.

His brows drew down in a confused frown. “What? No, I don’t. A few bucks, maybe.”

“Not good enough.” I looked him over, which wasn’t a hardship. He was wearing a watch that looked sort of nice. “Give me your watch,” I said.

“What for?”

“When you actually show up to meet me for dinner, you’ll get your watch back.”

“Mina, that’s crazy. I’ll show up because I actually want to have dinner with you.”

“Words are cheap, Holden. I think I’ll rely on the watch, thanks.”

He sighed, and then he undid the watch and handed it to me. “Be careful with it. I love this watch.”

He seemed to mean it. Once I had the watch in my hand I realized it didn’t look all that expensive, but it was well-worn, as if he always had it on. “Okay,” I said. “When are you free for dinner?”

“Thursday. My day off is best, because I work twelve-hour shifts that can go long.”

“Hmm,” I said, standing alone in my apartment with a bowl of popcorn in one hand and Smash the Patriarchy emblazoned on my shirt. “I might be free on Thursday. I’ll check.”

A grin touched the corner of his mouth, and my knees went a little weak. He looked even better than he had in high school. He pulled out his phone. “Give me your number and I’ll text you.”

So I did, typing my number into his phone and labelling it. He leaned toward me and watched over my shoulder, and I had a zap of his pure masculine energy, as if he was surrounded by a force field. “’Goddess?’” he said, reading over my shoulder.

“To distinguish me from all of your girlfriends,” I said.

“I don’t have any girlfriends.”

That was nice to hear, assuming I believed it. “Well, you’re in luck, because I’m temporarily single, so there’s no one to get jealous when I have dinner with you.”

When I handed his phone back to him, the smile was at the corner of his mouth again. Like he wanted to smile at me, but he wasn’t quite sure I’d approve.

For a second I wanted to smile at him, too. But I resisted, and I sent him on his way.

For once, I’d call that a win.

Six

Holden

I got off the train and headed home, still thinking about Mina Maple. Jesus, Mina Maple. Of all the ghosts of my past to show up and haunt me, all the way from Wisconsin, it had to be that one.

The one with curves and long, dark hair. The one I’d screwed over so bad she’d started crying, ten years later.

I ran a hand through my hair as I walked down the sidewalk, avoiding my fellow Brooklynites who were going home now that it was dark. I knew what kind of guy I was. I had no illusions about that. And facing up to Mina, apologizing to her, hadn’t been fun. But then she’d ended up in my arms and, jerk that I was, it had felt good. I’d never touched her in high school, even though I’d really, really wanted to. I’d been hoping I’d get the chance to touch her on prom night.

The prom night I’d stood her up for.

My hand went to the spot on my wrist where I usually wore my watch, a nervous habit I had when I was upset. But my fingers encountered only bare skin, because I’d given my watch to Mina. Right. Because she didn’t trust me, and I didn’t blame her.

The night air was cooling off, and the city scent was almost pleasant as the breeze picked up. I climbed the steps to the rundown brownstone I shared with four other roommates, all of them EMT’s like me. No way could any of us afford a place on our own, and with the shifts we all worked, we hardly saw each other anyway.

Right away I could see Eric’s old sneakers discarded inside the front door, his gym bag next to them. Grim’s boots weren’t there, which meant he