Page 20 of Unofficial

Landry kisses her cheek and steps back. "Have a safe drive home, Jess. I'll be calling you."

"I'll be waiting," she says and lets him shut the door for her.

This is the start of moving on, and Jess can't decide if she likes it or hates it.

Chapter Eight

Sitting at the bar every night since he last spoke to Jess has Kade feeling pathetic. When Tim looks at him, Kade knows he still thinks he's an idiot for letting a girl like her go. He probably is, if he's honest, but he doesn't care. He can’t care. He tells himself he comes here to pick up women, but he can't fool himself. Deep down, he knows he comes looking for Jess.

He's thought about calling her every night since he left her place as she cried on the other side of the door, but the memory of what he did to her, what pain he caused her, stops him. Calling her and giving her hope he'd be willing to try something he swore he'd never do again would be nothing short of selfish. No, what he did before was selfish, but doing this would be downright cruel. So, if he doesn't want a commitment, why can't he get Jess off his mind?

"Want another?" Tim asks.

Kade looks at the half-gone beer in his hand and sighs. "Might as well."

"Meeting anyone tonight? Or are you just seeing if someone strikes your fancy?"

"Strikes my fancy?"

Tim chuckles. "It was the nicest way I could think of to say if you were on the prowl or meeting up with someone to ultimately take home."

"That obvious?"

"Not really. You've been here alone a lot. No one really seems to catch your eye these days, do they?"

No, no, they do not. "I guess not."

"Probably because they're not a dirty-blonde haired beauty you used to spend a lot of time with. Then again, maybe the one you're waiting for will be here tonight."

"Who the hell are you? And what are you talking about?"

Tim levels Kade with a glare. He knows it was nothing short of a terrible act, but what else could he say? That he's been here every night for weeks hoping Jess would walk in? Nope. He wouldn’t do that.

"Why would you say she might be here tonight?"

"Because she's sitting at the other end of the bar in a really nice dress," Tim says. "But I didn't tell you that she was here."

His heart immediately races, and he nods before walking to the bathroom. When he comes out, he takes the long way around the bar, and sure enough, Jess sits with a glass of wine in front of her.

"No beer tonight?" he asks and takes the seat next to her.

"Tim told you I was here, didn't he?" Jess asks, her eyes not even glancing back at him.

"I went to the bathroom and needed to stretch my legs. You look nice."

Taking a sip of the white wine, she just nods. "Thanks."

"Aren't you going to tell me I look nice?" he jokes.

"I'm sure you look like you always do," she says, and he can't decide if it's a joke or not.

"How have you been? How's work?"

She finally turns and looks at him. "Work's good. The jewelry project we worked on impressed the Historical Society, and they've recommended us for other projects that are getting started now. It's been really busy, actually."

Projects she hasn't reached out to him or his company to help with. Once they started dating, she threw business his way, but it's been rather quiet from her firm since they ended things. "That's great, Jess."

"Thanks. How have you been? Still dealing with the work drama?"

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