Page 43 of Words We Didn't Say

Thisagain?“What else do I have to do? I’ve got my own place. I’m volunteering extra nights at the youth centre. I even tried that pottery class on the weekend!” My voice rose in full-on defensive mode. “I barely think about Zach at all.”

Yvette cackled. “Sweetie, you’re not convincing anyone in this room you’re over your big ol’ nerd.”

“Amen,” Andie muttered.

“I’mtotallyover him,” I said. “Just watch.” I whipped my phone out of my bag and opened the app store. My fingers whipped over the keyboard to type ‘dating.’

Yvette squealed with horror. “What are you doing?” Her hands snatched at the air, trying to grab my phone.

I dodged out of the way and hit download. “Zach isn’t the only man with a big dick in this city.” And I was counting on it. Some bedroom action with a suitable alternative might be the only way of grinding him out of my memory.

“Deenie, the idea has merit. Themeans, however.” Yvette scolded me with atsk. “A woman like you doesn’t fish in the cesspool of a dating app. You’re a celebrity. A queen needs a king, not a, uh… Okay, I have no idea what sort of blob is dwelling at the bottom of a cesspool. Whatever it is, it’s stinky and ugly, and you should avoid it at all costs. What you need is a friend with connections.”

“Stronglydisagree with this plan,” Andie said. “Jumping straight into another relationship is a bad idea.”

I laughed. “Who said anything about a relationship?” I wasn’t risking the brutal reality of intimacy again. I’d been onto a winner with short and casual. No strings meantnostrings—no feelings, no false promises, no future. Just the way I liked it.

“Let’s test the water with something low stakes,” Yvette suggested. “How about a coffee or maybe a drink after work?”

“No,” Andie said.

“I’m suggesting a drink with a handpicked, eligible gentleman.” Yvette snorted. “I’m not telling Eden to bang the Australian cricket team or anything.”

“Let’s start with low stakes,” I said to Yvette. “You go ahead and fix me up with one of your kings. The sooner, the better.”

Andie threw her hands up.

I added, “No cricketers. Absolutelynolawyers.”

Yvette bounced on the spot, clapping her hands. “Actors? Crypto bros?”

“No to crypto bros.” Ninety percent of those guys were scammers or did nothing but talk about crypto. Snooze.

“Finance? Sports? What about rugby or tennis? I happen to know averyhot doubles player who’s just landed in the country.” Yvette waggled her eyebrows. “Thighs for days.”

“Choose whoever the hell you want,” I said. “Just make ’em hot and not dumb.”

Somewhere in the city, my old therapist was shaking her head. I was falling back into the same pattern of chaos, but anything was easier than facing reality.

Andie was right.

I wasn’t over Zach.

12

He said, “I’m not proud of how I treated Eden.”

Zach

“What the fuck areyoudoing here?” Andie stalked across the salon until the tips of her boots almost touched mine. “Well?” One eyebrow rose.

“I…” My finger trembled as I pushed up my glasses.

The murder flickering in Andie’s eyes was a sign I was a dead man. Dropping my gaze to the spot where my feet were stuck wasn’t the answer, though. That was the Zach who’d let Eden walk out the door. I needed to do more. Try harder. Learn from my mistakes.

Today, I wasn’t just going to push past my comfort zone; I was going to obliterate it.

I lifted my chin and forced myself to confront Andie’s glare. “I want to see where Eden works.”

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