Page 9 of As Long As You Kiss Me

Chapter 3

“Did you get any hot sauce?” Sully asked Aubrey, who had just gotten them some tacos. They had their favorite medical drama streaming on the TV, and both girls were lounging on the couch with the food spread out on the coffee table.

“It should be in the bag.” Aubrey took a long pull on the straw of her soda, swallowed, and sighed with an obvious look of pleasure. “Ahh. Caffeine. There’s nothing like it.”

Sully dug around until she grasped the packets hidden in the bottom of the bag. “Got them.”

“Thanks for picking up dinner.” She’d had a long day at the ice cream shop, and she just wanted to put her feet up and get some food in her belly.

“It’s no problem. Have you heard anything from Mason since that night at Dixie’s Tavern?” Aubrey pulled a wrapped burrito out of the fast-food bag.

“No, thank goodness. I think Jackson may have scared him off.”

“I wouldn’t want to get on Jackson’s bad side. He looks pretty intimidating.” Aubrey unwrapped her burrito.

“Well, Mason isn’t exactly the strongest guy, either.” Although that hadn’t kept him from punching several walls and even a bedroom door. His temper was terrifying.

“I still can’t believe you kissed Jackson. I knew it was a good idea for you to reconnect with him.” Aubrey practically bounced off the couch in excitement.

“I didn’t know I was going to do it, to be honest. It just kind of happened.”

“Do you think it will happen again?” Aubrey looked over at her.

“I don’t think so.”

“What if Mason comes around a second time? What will you do then?”

“I’ll go back to the self-defense classes I used to take.”

“Why did you ever stop?” Aubrey asked.

“I guess I got comfortable. I didn’t think I needed them. But now that Mason’s back in town, it’s a different story.”

Aubrey’s eyes were full of compassion when she looked at her. “I’m sorry you’re going through this. I can’t imagine how scary it must be for you to have him around.”

“To think that he had the nerve to try to get back together with me. Did he believe I’d just forget about the fact that he made my life a living nightmare?”

“That psychopath probably doesn’t have any empathy. Don’t expect him to take responsibility for his actions. He probably just makes excuses for his behavior.”

Sully felt a tightness in her chest, thinking about how bad things were with Mason. She couldn’t dwell on the inner workings of his mind. It was too dark and painful. “How was work?” She had to change the subject, or she would burst.

“We had an event at the Whitmore House that I had to run.”

“At least you’re staying busy.” The tightness in her chest released a bit now that the focus wasn’t on Mason anymore, and she unclenched her jaw.

“It’s true. Business has been good after all the celebrity weddings we’ve had. I’ve gotten quite a few people from out of town showing up to book their weddings with me. They want to be married at the same place all those famous people were married.”

“That makes sense.” Maple Creek was known for being the hometown of several celebrities. But all that attention from the media hadn’t changed the everyday charm the town held, thank goodness. Maple Creek was still the darling small town she’d grown up in. She never wanted it to change.

“I can’t believe you’re not going to pursue anything with Jackson,” Aubrey said. “You guys would be so cute together.”

“Who’s to say he wants to be with me? I don’t think he sees me as someone he could date.”

“He didn’t seem to mind that kiss.”

“A kiss is one thing. Being a couple is something completely different. That takes commitment.”

Aubrey considered that for a bit and then frowned. “And why couldn’t Jackson give you that?”

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