I snort. “Right. And I’m the tooth fairy.”
“I’m not seeing her,” he insists. “And I miss you. I miss what we had together.”
“What did we have together, Ryan?”
“Are you going to deny that the sex was fantastic?”
I sigh and rub my fingertips over my forehead. “No. I’ll give you that. The sex was pretty great. But at the end of the day, that’s all it ever was, Ryan.”
“And we both knew the score, Charly. You never complained about that.”
“You’re right.” I nod. “I didn’t. And maybe I should have.”
“Are you saying you want more?” he asks, and seems to be genuinely intrigued at the idea, and I simply chuckle.
“I don’t think so. Look, Ryan, you’re not a bad guy.”
“I’m a great guy,” he says, all full of ego and arrogance, only turning me off more. I want to roll my eyes, but it’s almost funny now. “And you like me.”
“I always liked you,” I concede. “I’m not positive that was ever returned.”
“I like you.” He leans in closer and rubs his hand over my hip. “I want you. I miss you, baby.”
I sigh, looking up in his green eyes, and realize for the second time today just how much I love Simon. Ryan touches me and I feel nothing.
When Simon touches me, I’m on fire.
But if I start this conversation with Ryan now, I’ll never get him out of here, and I really don’t have time to argue with him.
“Ryan, I have a lot of work to get through, and I’m leaving town in the morning.”
“Don’t send me away with nothing,” he says, almost pleading.
“I’ll call you when I get back to town.”
I will so not call you when I get back to town.
“Excellent,” he replies and kisses my cheek. “I can’t wait.”
He winks and leaves, a spring in his step, and I can only shake my head. I guess I should be thankful for Ryan and the lessons I learned from him.
But it’s completely over between him and me. I have closed that chapter in my life, and I’m happy with the chapter that Simon and I are writing together.
I smile at the romantic path my thoughts have taken and turn back to the computer, just as Linda walks back into the storeroom carrying a brown paper bag.
“You just missed Simon. He brought you lunch, but said he couldn’t stay.”
“Oh, how sweet.” I smile, but I’m disappointed that I missed him. “Thank you. Is everything okay out there?”
“I’m fine,” she says and pats me on the shoulder. “I’m glad you hired Abby. She’s great with the customers and that girl loves shoes.”
“That’s the first priority,” I reply with a smile. “If you love the shoes, selling them is easy.”
“I like her.”
“Good. Because I need to know that everything will be handled here while I’m out of the country.”
“Don’t worry, boss. We got this.” Linda winks and leaves me alone with the delicious smells coming from the bag Simon delivered. I grab my phone and type out a quick text to him.
I’m so sorry that I missed you! I was dealing with some needless drama, but all is well. Excited to see you tonight! And thank you for the food. <3
I hit send, dig into some gumbo and get back to work, hoping to wrap things up early so I can get home, see my man, and finish packing.
“I’m going to London, uh huh, uh huh,” I sing, changing the words of the song on the radio as I turn down my street. I’m dancing in my seat, jamming out, on top of the world.
“Now I’m just cheesy,” I mutter as I kill the engine and dance my way toward the door. “And I don’t even care.”
I giggle as I open the front door. Simon’s car is parked at the curb, so he’s home already.
“’Ello, Govnah,” I say in the worst imitation of a British accent ever. “I’m home! Are you ready to—”
My voice dies and I stop cold when I see Simon standing in the living room. His suitcase is sitting next to him. He’s wearing jeans and a polo; his hair is still wet from a shower.
“What’s going on?”
“I’ve decided to leave tonight,” he says. His voice is cold, and I’m completely thrown off balance.
“Oh, okay. Well, I’m mostly packed, just give me fifteen minutes to finish up and I’ll be ready to go.”
“No.”
My gaze flies to his. He’s not looking me directly in the eyes.
“I’m going alone,” he says. I don’t know who this stranger is.
“What’s going on, Simon?”