Page 37 of When You Were Mine

He waited for Darby, and together, they left the dining room.

He didn’t even look back at her.

After a moment of silence, Jasper said, “Well, that happened.”

She’d made a total fool of herself. “I shouldn’t have made the kilt comment.”

“Oh, that’s not the issue.” Jasper seemed amused.

“You think he’s jealous about Emil?”

Jasper broke into a slow grin. “No, I’m not thinking that’s the issue at all.” He pushed back his chair. “I’m thinking you two might’ve been more than just pals in that little ole town of yours.”

“We might’ve been a thing.” She attempted a teasing tone, but she couldn’t play. She was devastated. Confused. Her entire world had turned upside down, and she was shaken. “But that was a very long time ago.”

“Are we going to pretend that handsome hunk of man flesh wasn’t staring at you so hard he was literally willing you to pay attention to him? And really, good on you for not giving it to him.”

“Why?”

“Because you just played him like a fiddle.”

She shook her head. “Believe me, I’m not playing. And now, you and I have work to do.”

And if she didn’t dive into it, she’d be obsessing over everything Jasper just said.

Because the last thing she wanted was to play games with her ex.

She wanted to finish this job and get out of there.

She wanted to get as far away from Trevor Montgomery as she could.

He’d made the decision yesterday, the moment he’d laid eyes on her.

Since then, his mind had been revving, his thoughts spinning, but it was the mention of a guest list that snapped him into focus.

Because he couldn’t waste anyone’s time with something that would never happen.

He had to end this engagement, but it had to be done privately.

Unfortunately, they didn’t make it halfway across the lobby before Darby stopped and turned around. Distress carved deep lines in the skin around her eyes.

“You okay?” he asked. “You forget something?”

“No.” She let out an uncomfortable laugh. “Well, yes, actually. My mind.”

In the month they’d known each other, she’d been full of energy and confidence. She ran her business like a pro, taking no shit and yet rewarding her team with praise, encouragement, and a good deal of autonomy.

But right then, she seemed lost and confused, haunted by her ex.

He could relate. “Do you need to go talk to him?”

“No. He’s in an interview.”

“You can wait for him in the dining room.” It would put off their conversation, but she wasn’t going to be able to focus on anything else.

“Yeah. That’s probably a good idea.”

In his peripheral vision, he caught a flash of red and black—the colors of Elzy’s blouse. Anticipation exploded in his chest.

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