When she came back out a few moments later, she had three new jars.
“If you take these away from me,” I gave her my best scowl, “I’m going to riot.”
She laughed, setting down a jar of what looked like baked ziti. The next one had my favorite chicken potpie and the last was filled with cheesecake and some type of caramel sauce.
“I didn’t want you to get too full during my tasting, but I’m all done. These you can just eat.”
“Finally.” I started with the cheesecake, polishing it off without delay before digging into the rest of my meal. When I was finished, she ran the dishes back to the kitchen and then came around to my side of the counter, bringing over a newspaper and her laptop.
“Okay.” She handed me the newspaper first. “Green stars are the rentals I like. Red are the maybes.”
It took me less than a minute to completely dismiss all of the red, since they were in mostly college-kid neighborhoods, and all but two of the green stars. “Don’t use that property management company,” I told her, pointing to one of the green stars that I’d crossed out. “I’ve heard they have a habit of keeping people’s deposits and are assholes when it comes to maintenance.”
She frowned. “Well, then we don’t need to look online. There wasn’t much else to see.”
“How desperate are you to move?”
“Not desperate.” Poppy studied my face, her eyes traveling from mine, down my nose and to my mouth. “Kind of desperate.” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I wish I had thought of it sooner before everything was taken by the college kids.”
“Yeah. Your timing is off.”
It was the beginning of September and college was back in swing. Coffee shops around town were packed full of studying students. Traffic was a nightmare if you got within a mile of the university. And available rental space was nonexistent.
“Sorry.” I covered her hand resting on the counter.
She turned her palm up and threaded her fingers with mine. “It’s okay.”
“Cole?” a voice snapped behind us.
Oh, fuck. I knew that snap.
Aly.
Just as I’d expected, she was standing five feet away when Poppy and I turned. Her eyes were locked on our linked hands.
I smiled, hoping she’d be cool and not make this awkward. “Aly.”
But no.
She screwed up her mouth and gave Poppy the death glare—the same glare I used to get whenever I left my towel on the bathroom floor.
Aly marched the remaining distance and stood right by my side. “Who’s this?”
“Poppy, meet Aly. Aly, this is Poppy, and this is her restaurant.”
Poppy untwisted her fingers from mine and stood, extending her hand to Aly. “Hi. Nice to meet you. Can I get you something to eat or drink?”
Aly glared at Poppy’s hand, then crossed her arms over her chest as she turned that glare on me. “That didn’t take you long, did it?”
“Aly, don’t.”
“No, you don’t.” She uncrossed her arms and jabbed a finger into my shoulder. “You could have at least waited a little while. We were together for two years, Cole. Two years. How could you have moved on already? Did our relationship mean nothing to you?”
I looked over at Poppy, hoping she could read the I’m sorry in my eyes. The last thing I wanted was to bring drama into her life, but knowing Aly, she wasn’t going to make this easy on me.
“It’s okay.” Poppy’s gaze softened “I’ll let you guys talk.” Then she backed away, disappearing into the kitchen and sending Helen out to watch the counter.
When she was gone, I stood, gesturing to the door. “Let’s go talk outside.” By some miracle, Aly followed me without a word, though she huffed behind me as we walked. By the time we reached the sidewalk outside, her anger had morphed to hurt.
“I’m sorry.”
She nodded as the tears started to fall.
“Don’t cry.” My plea did nothing, but then again, Aly had always been a crier. Whenever Mom or my sister or Poppy cried, it damn near broke my heart. Aly’s tears, on the other hand, had stopped bothering me a year ago—partly because she used them for manipulation, partly because she never tried to fight them back.
One of the reasons I admired the hell out of Poppy was because she worked so hard not to cry. And when she did? Shit was bad.
But still, I didn’t want Aly to cry. I didn’t want to cause her pain.
“I never meant to hurt you.”
She nodded, reaching up to swipe a tear away. “Sure. Whatever you say.”
“We just—we wouldn’t have made it. I think deep down, you know that’s true.”
“Do I?” She looked into the restaurant and sniffled. “And what about her? Do you think you two will make it? Or are you going to do to her what you did to me? Make her fall in love with you and not even try to fall back.”
“Aly,” I whispered. “I did try.” I’d tried for two damn years to say I love you, but it just hadn’t been there.
Her chin quivered as she swiped at another tear. “Sorry. I just didn’t expect to see you tonight. And with her. It was a shock.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
She looked up to me with wet, pleading eyes as she leaned closer. “I really miss you.” Her hand lifted between us, but before she could touch my chest, I took a step back.
“I can’t touch you now?” Anger flashed in her teary eyes.
“No.” The only woman whose hand belonged over my heart was inside.
With a murderous scowl, Aly spun on her heel and rushed to her car, then raced out of the parking lot.
“Fuck,” I muttered, rubbing my jaw.
In time, I hoped Aly would find the guy for her. That she’d find the guy who’d give her his heart. It just wasn’t me.
Through the restaurant’s windows, I saw that Poppy had come back out to the counter. She was trying not to spy, but her eyes kept straying out front, searching for Aly.
