Page 69 of Best Served Cold

Way to find the silver lining, Pollyanna. ;-)

To be clear, this isn’t a date, is it?

Nope, but I’m looking forward to our Not-a-Date.

Me too.

I’m smiling to myself as I get dressed for work, choosing a pair of shorts and a top that’s not Buchanan branded. Then I text Hannah and Briar to share the latest news.

Hannah: You stroked your crystal necklace, didn’t you? This was a quick result. It sounds an awful lot like a REAL date.

Briar: It does.

Briar: Please be careful.

Briar: Rob’s really nice, and so are his friends, but we can’t forget he’s Jonah’s brother.

Hannah: You don’t trust men in general right now.

Briar: True.

Hannah: Well, let it be known that I’m NOT encouraging her to marry Rob instead. But I do think you should have rebound sex with him, Sophie. You owe it to yourself.

Me: He’s NOT interested in that.

Hannah: He’s a man.

Briar: She has a point. Meet up before our shifts tomorrow so you can tell us everything?

Me: Yes.

Briar’s words give me hesitation.

Am I setting myself up for disaster again?

I remind myself it’s a fake date. Sure, Rob isn’t the man I thought he was, and I’m not the woman he assumed I was, but that doesn’t mean we’re suddenly going to be an item. We can be friends, maybe. Friends who are helping each other out in a very unusual way.

And maybe…

Well. He isveryattractive, and I need to get my groove back. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to take Hannah’s advice. Out of curiosity, I check a couple of message boards I’ve joined for scorned women to see what my fellow cheating victims have to say about rebound sex. Everyone seems very pro rebounding!

But no, no. I can’t sleep with him. I shouldn’t. Still, I change into a short blue dress that I picked out with my friends, feeling almost giddy—and very naughty—as I slip it on.

You’re not going to sleep with him.

But would it be the end of the world if I did?

Something has changed between us, and it buzzes with possibility like a hive of bees, plenty of danger mixed in with the honey.

You’re not going to sleep with him.

But I wear the dress anyway, and I feel good in it. I feel beautiful and wanted.

When I get to the brewery, I discover my coworkers have hung up a photo of Jonah behind the bar with the word BANNED scrawled across it in red. It puts a ball of emotion in my throat. Especially when the other server on shift suggests we hang it on the dartboard.

Dylan pulls me into the back and says, “We’re family here. I wouldn’t let that man distribute a pack of gum for me, Sophie. Doesn’t matter how many contacts he has. And if anyone asks me, I’m going to tell them exactly what I think of him.”

In the past, no one other than my great-aunt had stood up for me. No one. But suddenly I have a whole army of people in my corner. Still…it’s hard to believe I deserve it, after everything, especially since I know Otis is right. I’m not fulfilled at Buchanan Brewery. I like working here, but it won’t be enough for me, long term. It feels dishonest to accept their support when I know I don’t plan on staying.

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