Page 10 of As Long As You Kiss Me

“I can’t let myself think that way.” Sully didn’t want her heart getting involved. She’d only end up hurt.

“You deserve to be happy after everything you’ve been through.”

“I am happy,” Sully said, tilting her head and smiling. “I have my ice cream shop. I’m living the dream.”

“But you could have even more.”

“And so could you,” Sully shot back. “It’s not like you’re dating anyone.”

“Hey! We’re not talking about me here,” Aubrey protested.

“See? It’s not so fun when the tables are turned.”

“Fine. I won’t bug you about Jackson.”

Aubrey meant well. She just got a little overexcited about things sometimes. And like her mom, she liked to meddle in other people’s love lives. She just wanted to see everyone around her happy.

Sully couldn’t fault her too much for that. But she didn’t want to talk about the kiss with Jackson with her either. “What about you? Do you have anyone you’re interested in right now?”

“Nope,” Aubrey said. “I’m too busy focusing on work for dating.”

“Doesn’t your mom want grandchildren?” Sully teased.

“Please don’t bring that up.” Aubrey groaned. “My mom has been relentless about that lately.”

“Maybe you should think about accommodating her.” Sully couldn’t help but grin. “Bryant is single. What about him?”

Aubrey scoffed. “No way. I’m not into him. He’s too full of himself.”

“There’s got to be someone out there for you.” Sully really did want her friend to find happiness.

“Maybe you should try a dating app,” Sully suggested.

“That’s an awful idea. Those apps are full of creepers.”

“Hey, you never know. Some people find true love from those apps.”

“Yeah, I might not. With my luck, I’d end up with a stalker.”

It was a relief to have Aubrey thinking about her own dating life. Sully couldn’t think about that kiss with Jackson anymore. It didn’t matter how amazing the kiss had been. It was better to pretend it had never happened. Because it wasn’t like that kiss could mean something. She wasn’t in that place.

Some things were better when she buried them and kept them that way.

“I’ll havea plain vanilla cone with one scoop,” Lauren said.

“You have all these flavors to choose from and you just want vanilla,” her husband, Chase, teased her. Chase and Lauren were adorable together. Sully went to high school with them, and then Chase left for a long time. When he returned to Maple Creek, he’d become an ultra-famous rock star and eventually fell in love with Lauren, who was a single mom at the time.

“There’s nothing wrong with vanilla. I like it, and I know I can rely on it to be good,” Lauren insisted.

“She’s right.” Sully scooped out some ice cream for her. “You’d be surprised how many people come in here wanting plain vanilla. We sell a lot of it.”

“Bunch of weirdos,” Chase said.

She handed Lauren the cone. “What will you have?” Sully asked him.

“I’ll take mint chocolate chip. Two scoops in a cone.”

“Sure thing.” Sully dug some out for him. Lauren had been a single mom when she’d gotten together with Chase, and now they had a baby together. But the kids weren’t with them today. “You guys out on a date?”

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