“It’s fine,” I said, turning my back on him.
Because it didn’t matter how hot he looked or how much he looked like he was ready to devour me again, he had reminded me all too well why I had sworn off the Wright family.
“Anything else for you two?” the woman asked. She placed our treats on the counter.
“I’ll take a cup of coffee,” I said.
“Make that two.”
I pulled out my wallet to pay. I did not want him to think this was a date.
He shooed me aside. “I’ve got it.”
“I can pay for my own things,” I said irritably.
“I know you can, but I invited you here. So, I’m paying.” His face was stern, and I realized he had switched into business mode or something. Because he was not brokering any arguments.
I raised my hands in defeat and grabbed my plate of sweets. “I’ll get us a table.”
A table was open in the back corner, and I plopped down into the open seat that faced the rest of the store. I was maddeningly curious about what Jensen wanted to talk about mere hours after ditching me. Part of me wanted to have a plan for whatever was going to come out of his mouth, but I felt woefully unprepared.
Jensen set our coffees along with his slice of cake on the table. I added cream and sugar while I avoided eye contact.
“Emery,” he began, “I…”
I glanced up at him over the rim of my coffee. I blew on it a little and then took a sip. “What?”
“I think I’ve made a horrible mistake.”
“And what would that be?”
“Going on a date with you,” he answered.
I was out of my seat before I could even process what had been said. “Well, that’s just…that’s wonderful, Jensen.”
“Emery, sit down. Come on, just sit.”
“And why should I?” I set my mug of coffee down but didn’t sit. “We had an awesome time last night, and then poof, you turned into an asshole. Then, you invited me here, only to tell me you regret last night?”
“Emery, please,” he said. His body was still, perfectly in control. He didn’t even glance around at the people who were looking at me funny. “Let me explain.”
I sank back into my seat. “Explain what?”
“I thought you were getting your PhD. I thought you said you were still at school in Austin, studying history and European mistresses. That’s what you told me. That’s what I thought. But you’re not doing that,” he accused.
My blood ran cold. “What do you mean?”
“You’re staying in town, aren’t you?” he asked. The idea seemed to distress him.
“How could you possibly know that? I’ve told only a handful of people, and even my mom doesn’t believe me,” I told him.
“Because you told Landon,” he said with raised eyebrows.
“You talked to Landon?” I gasped. “About me?”
“Not…exactly.”
“You didn’t tell him what happened, did you?” I asked with wild, wide eyes.
“Look, I didn’t talk to him. Morgan did. His wife is still pissed that you’re here. Morgan didn’t know about what happened with us. So, no, he doesn’t know. And I’d like to keep it that way.”
“You said…didn’t know. Morgan didn’t know, but she does now?”
Jensen shifted uncomfortably. “It was kind of an accident.”
“Oh, for the love of…” I cried, trailing off. “You don’t want Landon to find out about your big mistake, but you told Morgan? Are you out of your mind?”
“Starting to feel like it,” he grumbled.
“Great. You brought me all the way here to tell me what a big mistake I was and that Landon is probably going to find out.” I grabbed my snickerdoodle cookie and took a giant bite out of it. Then, I gave him a thumbs-up and mockingly nodded my head.
“It’s not like that. It’s more a matter of principle, Emery. I had a great time, but I don’t date girls in town. And, if I had known you were staying, I never would have asked you out.”
I swallowed back the choked words that wanted to come out at that statement. I was wrong. Jensen Wright was not different. He was just like every other guy on the planet. He’d used me for sex, and then he’d ditched me. And, even worse, he was making it a point to cement that knowledge with me in person.
“I guessed that when you dropped me off this morning. You didn’t need to come here to tell me that to my face,” I told him with venom in my voice. I pushed the plate of macarons toward him. “Have a macaron. They’re my sister’s favorite. She owns this bakery. She’d want you to have one.”
I stood and walked away from Jensen.
“Emery,” he called.
And then I heard him curse loudly. He jogged to keep up with me as I walked to my Forester waiting on the street.
He grabbed my elbow and tried to pull me to a stop. “Emery. Hey, stop.”