Page 9 of Another June with You

“Who’s Autumn?” Shannon broke the silence.

“How do you know about Autumn?”

She avoided eye contact. “Oh, I saw her name on your phone. You said it was work.”

He glanced over and saw her eyeing him.

“Was it? Or is she …”

Was Shannon jealous? She sure seemed to be. “Is she what?” He wanted to hear her say it.

“Your girlfriend?” She stared straight ahead. “Fiancée?” She began chewing on her bottom lip like she always had when she was nervous. “Wife?”

As if on reflex, he reached out and took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. Her eyes grew wide, but she obviously remembered what it meant when he used to do that, because she released her lip from her teeth as he let go. Touching her had been a mistake. Now that he’d done it once, he wanted to do it again.

Her eyelashes batted against her cheeks as she stared at him, awaiting an answer.

“We probably shouldn’t get too personal this weekend.” The attraction he still felt for her was making him say and do stupid things.

“Oh. It’s just … I heard you were planning to propose to someone.”

He didn’t answer at first. He couldn’t. He felt the sudden need to undo a button or two at the collar of his dress shirt. The girl she referred to wasn’t Autumn, it was Jacqueline, his college sweetheart. She was the one he had been dating since senior year, the one he adored—at first. She was the one for whom he had bought the largest diamond he could afford.

But even after five years spent with Jacqueline, he couldn’t go through with it. Sure, they had a good relationship and decent chemistry, but something had been missing. Not once had she walked into a room and elicited the kind of response he got when Shannon was near—dry mouth, heart pounding in his ears, blood surging. He had loved her, just not enough. He wished it hadn’t taken him so long to figure that out. And the fact that he was still skittish about commitment because of Shannon ticked him off.

“Autumn’s my girlfriend, yeah.” That wasn’t the whole truth, and he didn’t elaborate to tell her it wasn’t serious with Autumn, because he wanted her to think it was. He wanted her jealous, hurt, and regretful over breaking up with him.

“Oh.”

“She’ll be here on Friday for the rehearsal,” he blurted, hoping to get more of a reaction.

“Well, I look forward to meeting her.” She responded politely, but he knew that forlorn look in her eyes and the way her bottom lip stuck out in a little pout. She wasn’t happy that he had a girlfriend or that she was coming to town. And that fact pleased him more than it should have.

“Take the next left to my apartment.”

I shouldn’t care about her at all after what she did to me.

“All the way to the end. Building three.”

And I definitely shouldn’t go anywhere near her apartment.

He turned his car into an empty parking spot in front of her building. “Can I walk you to your door?”

Oy! Why can’t I just leave well enough alone?

“No.” Shannon shook her head.

“Carry your bag for you?” What is the matter with me?

“Not necessary.” Her answers were clipped.

“Use your bathroom?”

Her disapproval was obvious in the way her mouth tilted to one side.

“What? I gotta go.” He really did.

She sighed. “All right. I guess. But only for a minute.”

---