on a few dates, and then attaching myself to him like my life depends on it. I read a book one rainy day at the library that said this is a habit of people who weren’t shown enough attention as a child. I’m not sure about that. I had a great childhood—attentive parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who loved me. I never felt attention-deprived.
The truth of the matter is I’m tired. And as much as I fight it and hate to admit it, Dane is right. I owe it to myself to step back from dating and focus on me for a while.
“I’m not looking for a committed relationship until I’m out of school,” Claire says. “No guy is worth the distraction when I’m this close to finally graduating.”
“I’m so proud of you,” I tell her, wrinkling my nose. “I wish I would’ve figured out how to finish my degree when I moved here.”
“You’d just lost your mother. Moved to a new place and were taking care of your cousin’s baby, Haley,” she says softly. “You did great.”
I lift my fork, cut a chunk of doughnut, and fill my mouth. “Sure I did. I’m twenty-six. Work part time at the library. And am alone.”
She shakes her head. “It’s amazing no one has married you yet, with those impeccable table manners.”
I fire her a look, making her laugh, before swallowing. “Well, no one is marrying me for a while. I have a bet to win with Dane.”
“Are you still babysitting Mia?” Claire asks. “With Dane and Neely living together now, I wasn’t sure.”
“Yeah. I still grab her after school a lot, and she sleeps over a night or two a week. Actually, I need to run her leotard to Dane before I go to the library.”
I think about Dane and smile. No one could ask for a better cousin. We’re only a couple of years apart in age and fight more like siblings, but he’s always been there for me. And despite our propensity for silly bets, he’s kind and thoughtful. Neely is a fantastic fit for him, and I’m glad he’s finally found the happiness he deserves.
Claire slides my card back to me. “Trevor paid for yours. Remember?”
His name elicits a shiver that runs down my spine. “Well, if nothing else good happens today, a hot guy bought my breakfast. I’ll take it.”
“You definitely made a better impression than I did,” Claire says.
“Why? Did you say something super ridiculous before I got here?”
“Like telling him he charmed my panties right off me? Or how his smile made me want to strip in the middle of this diner?”
I cringe. “You didn’t.”
“No,” she scoffs. “I didn’t. Have a little faith, will you?”
“I seem to remember a weekend in Nashville where you did try to strip in the middle of a bar while shouting how the bartender made you want to . . .” I grin. “What was it? Come—”
“Stop,” she says, flustered. “We don’t need to remember that.”
“Oh, I think we do.”
“That was the tequila. Not me.”
“So what about the time in Memphis when we—”
She waves me off. “Point made.”
“Okay. So why do you think you made a bad impression?”
Claire’s forearms rest on the bar as she looks at me. “I didn’t say that, exactly. I just said you made a better one.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” I say with a snort. “I unknowingly sashayed my butt in his face. I begged him for his breakfast and called him a thief. That’s a five-star impression right there.”
“I think he found you . . . interesting.”
“Probably unforgettable, and not for reasons I’d choose if I had the option.” I stick my card in my wallet. “Oh well. Can’t win them all, right?”
My friend shoves off the bar. Her head cocks to the side. There’s something on her lips that she’s afraid to say.
“When you look at me like that,” I tell her, “I get scared.”
“I was just thinking he’s the kind of guy I could see you with.”
I grab my coffee and take a long drink. Putting the cup between us helps a little, like it gives me a tiny bit of distance from her crazy yet tempting ideas.
She watches me pointedly ignore her. When I don’t resume the conversation, she slides my plate away.
In a flash, I pull it back to me again to swipe the last of the caramel icing with my finger. “One—I’m on a hiatus.”
“So?”
“So I’m not dating anyone. And two, I’ll never see him again unless our coffee-and-doughnut urges and