Page 106 of Fallen Hearts

I took out my phone and looked at it. Nothing. Pia and I texted every day, usually about the inn, sometimes about personal stuff. As she’d predicted, it was a weird balance to strike. I wasn’t her boyfriend so couldn’t ask if she was at O’Malley’s with the guys without appearing too overeager. Asking Parker or Beck was out of the question.

“Let me guess who you’re waiting on.”

Cole hadn’t held back sharing his opinion of Pia’s and my arrangement. I think his exact words were, “That’s the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard,” sounding more like me than his proper Cole self.

“I’m not waiting on anything,” I lied.

“Whatever you say.”

My phone buzzed. I cursed myself for not waiting longer before looking at it.

Your girl’s here.

It was from Parker.

Tell her I said hello.

A few seconds later, he texted back.

She says hello. And hopes you’re having fun. I mentioned you were out with Cole.

Tell her we’re just hanging out at one of his college bars. No, wait. Don’t tell her that. Sounds bad. Tell her I am and hope she’s having fun too.

JFC the two of you have your own phones.

Ignoring that, I said:

Take care of her.

Duh.

I put my phone down. Cole’s expression had probably been honed to intimidate his wayward students, but it had little effect on me.

“What?”

“You know what.”

Sighing, I tried to nip this in the bud. “Listen, I get it. You don’t approve. I’ll admit, it’s not an ideal situation. But what do you want from me?”

“Cut the poor woman loose.”

“I’m not cuffing her to me, Cole.”

“No, but you’re giving her false hope. We both know it’s not going anywhere. You’re back, she’s upstate. How long are you planning to be long-distance dating? If that’s what you’re even calling it.”

“We’re not calling it anything. Why do we need a label? Pia’s free to do whatever she wants and knows that.”

“And if she does?”

The beer in my hand froze halfway to my lips. I’d forced myself not to think too hard on that since Pia didn’t give any indication she wanted to date other people. On the other hand, she didn’t say shewouldn’tdate other people. She hadn’t said she loved me back.

A vision of her with some faceless man had me downing my drink and asking for another.

“Exactly,” Cole said, ordering another Scotch.

Wanting to get the heat off my back, I asked Cole about his latest publication. Half listening, I watched the women peeking up at us. One of them was actually really pretty. The kind of pretty that probably never got turned down. How easy it would be to turn her down was the exact reason me being back was a good thing.

Pia had more than gotten under my skin. She was in my blood. I woke up thinking of her. Went to sleep thinking of her. And every second in between that allowed for my mind to wander, I spent thinking of her. Wondering how she was doing. Wondering if I’d placed too big a burden on her even though she’d insisted.

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