Page 42 of Flirting with Forever

“Oh. Ah...”

“Because she was pretty sure you weren’t interested after your date.”

“Our date. Right.”

Silence dragged on. What the heck? That was it? He wasn’t going to actually answer the question? She was dying over here! She would have given her favorite pair of Jimmy Choos to see John’s face right now. Though, an educated guess told her that he was probably frowning, his brows in a V.

“Sorry,” John said after a minute, not sounding sorry at all. “Are you and Mary...?”

“No,” Tyler answered immediately. “She’s my best friend, though.”

Another silence descended. Mary did a frantic pantomime of an awkward, screaming melt against the wall. “Someone say something,” she mouthed to the heavens.

“I’m just looking out for her,” Tyler said after a minute. “Seb and Mary and I, we’ve been through a lot together and she’s been through some pretty miserable dating stuff in the last few years.”

She was going to shave Tyler’s eyebrows while he was sleeping. Why was he saying this to John?Why?

“And I guess I just wanted to say that she’s a great person, and she doesn’t deserve to get jerked around or negged or whatever.”

There was a long pause.

“I agree that she’s a great person,” John said. “I’ve actually never met anyone else like her.”

Long pause.

Mary was actually shocked her heart was still beating.

“So, you are trying to date her?” Tyler asked, point-blank.

“Okay,” Mary whispered to herself, “maybe I’ll only shaveoneeyebrow.”

“Ah...” John started. “Mary and I—I think we’re in really different stages of life.”

Stages.

Of.

Life.

Mary had never before been aware of the oxygen in her bloodstream until it all evaporated at once. She shrank an entire coat size, feeling dizzy. If it was possible for words to bludgeon a person over the head, these ones just had.

Stages of life? Stages oflife? Good God, he made her sound like she was two chess moves away from a nursing home! They were both in their thirties, for shit’s sake, and he was acting like he was still a spring breaker, while she spent her weeknights knitting with the gals.

Stages of life?!

Mary turned on her heel and strode back to her bedroom, quietly closing the door behind her.

A memory came back to her. John’s eyes sweeping up and down their pretty young waitress at the restaurant. His eyes sweeping up and down Via and Fin when he’d met them the night he’d brought tacos.

Had he ever looked at her that way? Mary didn’t think so. Men weren’t slick about these things. One could always catch them in the act. But she’d never once caught John checking her out. Always his eyes were looking squarely into hers or down at his own shoes. Never did they dip to her chest or ass or lips. Not that she really wanted him to ogle her. But still, it made something extremely clear. He wasn’t attracted to her.

Maybe he didn’t actually think she was too old, but Mary was certain that he wasmoreattracted to younger women. Twenty-two-year-old waitresses with high ponytails. And why wouldn’t he be? He was young and hot. She was sure that he wanted to be young and hot with other young, hot people.

Mary knew she was beautiful. But she’d never felt more out of touch. More single.

This is what you want? Buried between two strangers?

Mary winced and pressed the heels of her hands to her temples.

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