Texting With the Enemy (Digital Dating #1) - Marika Ray Page 0,52

his case further. Which was good. I needed time to think. Time to decide if I could look past our rocky start and envision a smooth future.

He parked behind my car and came around to open my door. Why did he have to be such a gentleman? It just made everything more muddied in my head. His hands went into his pockets and I secretly hoped it was because he wanted to touch me.

“It was nice to see you again, El. I’ll see you at the winery?” he looked at me hopefully.

I gave him a genuine smile and nodded, not trusting myself to speak just yet. Climbing out of the car felt wrong. It felt like I was going the wrong direction, but I did it anyway, knowing I needed some time to think. “Thanks again,” I said weakly.

Once in my car, I headed home and promised myself I wouldn’t do anything on my night off except think about this situation with Boston. I’d have to break out all the stops to reach relationship enlightenment. Journal, light a candle, a little soft music, maybe some meditation.

“El! Come have a shot with me and the girls!” Frank shouted from his porch the second I drove up and exited the car. I debated for only a second or two. Maybe tequila shots would be good for enlightenment too.

“Don’t mind if I do, Frank.” I climbed his stairs instead of mine and had a seat on the lap of one of his mannequins. It was time to stop fighting the weird and get on board with it. Time to stop fighting my attraction to Boston and fighting against the feelings that were still there even after what he’d done. Time to face things head on and see where I stood.

Frank poured tequila into a little shot glass that boasted being from Albuquerque, New Mexico and handed it to me. “Cheers, duplex-mate.”

We clinked glasses and tossed our heads back. The alcohol burned like fire. I grimaced and hit my chest, trying to drag in a breath. Wow. Hadn’t done that in a while.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I couldn’t help but hear Adele playing over and over all week. Did you and the guy who’s put an extra bounce in your step break up?” Frank leaned against the porch railing, resting his empty shot glass on his belly like a little table.

“Yeah, Boston and I broke up,” I admitted.

“I mean, what he did was wrong, but has he explained why he did it?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Just how much can you hear through our shared wall, Frank?”

He hemmed and hawed at that, deciding to refill our shot glasses instead of answering the question. “I’m just saying, we men tend to do a lot of stupid things, but it’s not because we don’t care. Sometimes we care too much. Like me, for example. I can’t just have one girl at home, I need several. Some people collect stray dogs and cats until they’re nearly pushed out of house and home. Maybe your Boston just cared too much. He wanted to work with you, date you, and text with you. Sounds to me like the guy was really into you.” He raised his glass and I did the same, right before we both tossed them back. Not quite the same level of burning that time.

I tilted my head to the side, feeling like my skull was getting a bit too heavy for my neck. Frank was far more insightful than I’d given him credit for. What he said made a lot of sense. And fit in with what Boston had said at the pottery place about being able to connect with me.

“I mean, I can see why he likes you. Your mom’s right. Men like the . . .” Frank gestured to his chest with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Scratch that. Frank was still a creep. Time to go.

I stood, handing him my empty glass. “I’ve got some thinking to do, Frank. Thanks for the words and the tequila.”

Frank grinned. “If you need a friend, I can send one of my girls over with you. They’re surprisingly easy to get along with.”

A sudden vision of being all alone in a few decades with only vacant-eyed mannequins to converse with flashed across my brain. “You’re a good man, Frank. Don’t you forget it.”

He smiled wider and I was glad I’d stopped by. We all just needed someone to connect with. Isn’t that what Boston had been