put it in the pantry. Most of the night was a blur of her heart racing while trying to teach the class and then of Zev gazing into her eyes, when her brain had failed to function and she’d given in to those sinfully delicious kisses…
“Someone left their chocolates here last night,” Birdie said, snapping her out of her reverie. “So…I started putting the pieces together. You never lose your phone, which means you were supremely distracted last night, and based on the fact that you’re uncharacteristically late today and the state of that messy bun you have going on, I’d say it’s safe to assume you and Zev got reacquainted last night.”
Carly shoved the phone into the back pocket of the denim shorts with lace trim that Birdie had given her and said, “Don’t ask.” She turned away, pretending to straighten up the shelves of wooden blocks with a saying about chocolate printed on them.
“Oh, I’m asking!” Birdie hurried out from behind the register in a cute blue-and-white polka-dot minidress that matched her headband and said, “You’re wearing the outfit I bought you, too! I knew that burgundy tank would look great on you. The pink lace bralette and the leather necklaces are perfect touches. Did Zev like them this morning? I noticed last night that he was wearing leather bracelets.”
“I wouldn’t know. I told him to leave last night.” She tried to move around her friend, but Birdie blocked her way, grinning like the pesty-but-lovable bestie she was.
“Did he leave last night, or in the wee hours of the morning? I assume it was after the great sex?”
“We didn’t have great sex,” Carly snapped, hating herself for taking her frustrations out on Birdie.
Birdie’s smile faded. “Bummer. Zev sucks in bed? I wouldn’t expect that from the way he looks.”
“No. I don’t know! He didn’t suck when we were together.” Carly groaned and pushed past Birdie’s all-too-exuberant self. “Maybe he does suck now, but I doubt it. He sure knew what he was doing when he kissed me.”
Birdie let out her signature squeal and followed Carly around the store as Carly pretended to straighten bags of candies and other goodies. “You totally owe me one for last night, by the way. I went to the ranch after my yoga class and Cowboy was getting ready to come back here. He was worried about you. He said when you saw Zev, you totally freaked out. But don’t worry, I told him it was the good kind of freak-out, not the bad one.”
“Yeah, well, now you know what being with Zev does to me. He makes me forget who I am and turns me into an unorganized mess who can’t sleep. He occupies every iota of my brain so I can’t think of anything but the way he kissed me and how his hands felt in my hair and—ugh! See?” She stomped across the store.
Birdie put her hand on her hip, speaking sarcastically. “God forbid your perfect world gets upended by a hot guy who looks at you in ways I’ve never seen a man look at a woman.”
There was no denying the way Zev looked at her like she was the only thing he saw. But she’d been his and he’d left her behind. And she’d done the same to him in Mexico. But that had been her survival instincts kicking in. She didn’t know if she could walk away again.
“I can’t be with him, Birdie. He hurt me.”
“You were teenagers. Everyone knows teenagers are stupid, and you had both lost someone you loved, Carly. You told me how close you and Tory were and that you guys double dated all the time. Losing a friend like that would be a lot for anyone to handle, much less a guy who’s got hormones and nineteen-year-old stupidity messing with his head.”
“But he never called, and he never came back for me. You’re supposed to be on my side, aren’t you?” She felt like she might cry for no good reason, just like she had last night while she’d consumed almost the entire box of Lucky Charms she’d bought on her way home after class.
Birdie’s expression softened. “I am always on your side, no matter what. But he must have come back here last night, which means he wanted to see you again. This was taped to the door this morning.” She reached into the pocket of her dress and handed an envelope to Carly.