Page 20 of The Moment They Can't Forget

“Lovers? On the contrary, sweetheart, we already are.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re deliberately annoying me.”

“I have the upper hand. Of course I’m annoying you,” JD said. Considering he’d told himself to ignore her and act like she was Sawyer’s annoying little sister, he was enjoying this far too much.

“You could never have the upper hand over me,” she scoffed.

“Do you two ever stop that?”

They both turned at Birdie’s words. She stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, staring at them.

“What?” JD and Zoe asked together.

“Arguing. Do you guys ever take a break?”

“No,” they replied, and then they did something they’d never done before. They laughed together.

Well, fuck, JD thought, looking at Zoe. She was sweet when she smiled. It lit her eyes and transformed her face. She was beautiful anytime, but laughing with him, she was that and more.

You’ve seen her laugh, you idiot.

But never with him, and that was why the impact was so much stronger.

Get it together.

“Come on, Zoe. I want waffles, and Sawyer is going to make them because I just texted him. Hurry it up. And you.” Birdie pointed at him. “Go to work, and I’ll see you soon.”

“Move that chair to there,” Zoe said, pointing to another space. “Mrs. C shouldn’t be doing it.”

He saluted her and then turned to watch her walk out of the shop. Maybe they could do this. After all, everyone knew they argued constantly and didn’t seem to like each other very much. What he needed to do was get a handle on this desire he had inside him for Zoe Duke. Once he did that, things would go back to normal.

“Oh, now aren’t you a good boy,” Mrs. C said, stomping back inside in her moon boot.

“You can’t move this stuff alone, Mrs. C. Just call me if you have anything that’s heavy, and I’ll come help.”

Her face creased into a smile. “You’re a good boy, unlike my Clay.” But JD heard the love in her voice. Her son might be useless and lazy, but he was also her pride and joy, no matter how much she moaned about him.

JD wasn’t sure he’d ever been anyone’s pride and joy. His parents had loved him in their own way, and he’d been happy being in their lives until shit went down and he wasn’t. But no one had adored or loved him so much he could screw up and they still thought him special.

“It’s good to have Zoe back, don’t you think, JD?” Mrs. C said, now stacking swatches of material on a shelf. “It’s time for her to come home.”

“Why is it time?”

“Lyntacks always do, and especially Dukes,” the woman said, which made absolutely no sense to JD.

“There’s an entire world out there, Mrs. C. Many people want to explore it, and some won’t come home,” JD said.

“Dukes always do.” He could tell by her tone she meant it.

The people in this town, he thought. There was no reasoning with them if they got something stuck in their heads.

“If you say so. I have to go, but no lifting,” he said.

“I’ll be in later for my cut and color. I’m also having a massage with Cill today. It’s good for stress, you know,” Mrs. C said.

“So I hear. I’ll see you later,” JD said, leaving the shop. His eyes went down the street to where Birdie and Zoe were rapidly disappearing.

He could do this.

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