Sporting (Unleashed Romance #3) - Kylie Gilmore Page 0,34

sharing about that, tell me about your relationship history.”

“This is feeling very one-sided in the sharing department. I just need to know if I’m going to have to use my ninja skills on one of your exes at some point.”

I smile. “You don’t have to worry about that. I never let it get that far, my choice.”

“What do you mean by that far?”

“I mean, you know, relationship territory. Nothing more than a month since college and, according to my alumni magazine, he’s married.”

His brows lift. “Huh, okay. Well, guess it’s my turn. You already know about Beatrice. Most people I’ve dated, it doesn’t last long, just not enough in common or whatever, but I did date Rebecca for five months. I’m afraid I broke her heart when I broke up with her.”

“Why did you?”

“I just wasn’t happy. Like I didn’t get excited about seeing her. She complained a lot too.”

“So you dropped her whiny ass. Can’t blame you.”

“She’s married now. So you and me, we’re both kind of a clean slate. No baggage, no exes bound to pop up.”

“I guess.”

“Favorite sex position?”

I do a double take.

He grins.

I squeeze his thigh. “You’ll have to find that out the hard way.”

He grabs my hand and kisses my knuckles. “That’s the way I like it best too.”

We’re seated at a booth by the front window of Happy Endings with a view of Main Street, which is a tree-lined street with lots of cute shops. Happy Endings is a bar and restaurant with an addition in back for dancing and a couple of pool tables too. After a delicious dinner of fried chicken and mashed potatoes, Eli asks me if I’d like to go for a walk after eating.

I push back my plate. “Absolutely. I need to work off some of this fried chicken.”

“Great, because they don’t start the jukebox in the back room until nine.”

“A jukebox?”

“Yeah, it’s cool. A vintage machine that plays vinyl.”

I slide out of the booth. “Not much of a club feel here, I guess.”

He joins me. “More like you can actually talk to each other, and there’s no fog machine smoking up the place.”

“Should be interesting.”

He places his palm on the small of my back, guiding me toward the door. My skin heats at the spot, and I suddenly want those big hands on more of me. “I come here regularly. It’s a great place to meet people because you can actually see and hear each other.”

“Will we run into one of your exes?” I ask over my shoulder.

He opens the front door for me. “I wouldn’t notice when I’m with you.”

I nearly stumble on my way out, but he catches my arm, steadying me. The things he says.

We start walking down the street. I’m barely aware of my surroundings, so caught up in the dreamy state of wonder that Eli weaves around me.

A happy-looking couple walks toward us, eating ice-cream cones. There’s something familiar about them.

I squint and then freeze, grabbing Eli’s arm to halt him.

“What’s wrong?”

I grip him tighter, my heartbeat roaring in my ears. “My parents. Here.” They must’ve just walked out of Shane’s Scoops. My God, they look like they’re on a date. After the war that was their divorce with all the devastation that wrought, they’re on a frigging date?

My vision tunnels to their smiling faces, the world falling away. Do I pretend I didn’t see them or say hello?

“Jenna!” Mom calls. “What a surprise. I didn’t know you still spent time here. Remember we used to have brunch at Garner’s when you girls were little? Well, Happy Endings now, but they still offer brunch.”

Brunch? She’s talking about brunch? This is not happening.

“Eli?” Mom asks when she reaches us. She hasn’t seen him in a while since she moved out of town when I left for college. She sold our house and moved into an apartment. Not in Clover Park either. This is too freaky to run into them here.

Eli offers his hand. “Yes, ma’am, good to see you again.” He shakes Dad’s hand too.

My mouth is dry. “What’s going on?”

My parents look at each other with a doe-eyed look before turning back to me.

“We reconnected,” Mom says with a smile.

“Evie moved to California for a job, and I was missing her,” Dad says. “I got in touch with your mom to talk about it. We’re both empty nesters now. Anyway—” he takes her hand “—we had a good talk.”

“And we decided to forgive and forget,” Mom says.

“Forgive and forget,” I echo incredulously. After