Page 64 of One Sweet Day I Found You

Austin searched the room and found the group of attractive women. Nodded his approval.

“I got here about a month ago.”

“Seriously? You rock.” He sipped his drink. “Last I heard you were off on a walkabout. Globe-trotting. Sampling the Vegemite. How’d that go?”

Courtney shook her head, rolling her eyes. She couldn’t help but laugh. So, Austin still managed to pull off charming and obnoxious at the same time? “Somethinglike that.” She pushed some hair behind one ear. “It was great. Trip of a lifetime. I just got back before I came here, actually.”

A barstool opened up next to Austin’s open seat and he motioned for her to take it. He sat back down.

Courtney hesitated. Did she really want to spend all this time withthe enemy?

“Well, I’m really glad it worked out for you. I was worried about you.”

Courtney studied him. Austin had a look on his face she hadn’t seen in a long time. Respect? Admiration? Things she’d spent the better part of the last nine months wishing she still elicited from him. Or was he just looking to hook up?Thatwas probably it.

“Let me buy you a drink.” He motioned across the room to some of the guys from their party so they wouldn’t wonder where he was. “Come on. Let’s catch up. I get to see the guys for three days straight.”

Courtney’s stomach churned. She still hated even the thought of this guy, on some levels. He’d put her heart through the wringer, broken a promise. Deceived her. And he’d never even apologized for it.

What in the world was she doing here, talking to him?

He downed the rest of his drink and signaled the bartender.

On the other hand, this might be the greatest thing ever. Austin was not treating her like he used to—after things turned sour.

Somehow—and she had no idea how this was happening—but somehow, he saw only the new and improved Courtney Price. Not the one he’d tossed aside like a worn-out pair of socks. She felt like the girl she’d been when they’d first started dating—the one who had no flaws, no tired history of arguments with. Just desirable. Sexy. It was hypnotizing, after the way he’d treated her for so long.

She climbed onto the barstool. A few more minutes wouldn’t kill her.

But nothing was going to happen.

Nothing. She had never forgiven him for what he did to her. And she wasn’t about to now. Still, she wanted to see where he was going with this. It was gratifying, on some messed-up level.

She steeled herself and accepted his offer. “Okay, sure. I’ll have a glass of white.”

“Some things never change, do they?”

Austin gazed at her like she was his oldest and closest friend. Like he still knew everything about her. It was a little maddening. He didn’t know anything about her anymore.

“If you’re referring to my choice of drink, then no.” Courtney gave him a dry look and glanced over at the table where the girls sat, laughing and talking. Maybe she should say goodbye to Austin and go back to them. This was probably a bad idea, sitting here.

But the guy from the bar who’d been making eyes at Marcy was now occupying Courtney’s seat across the table from Marcy. His buddy appeared to be drooling over Gia.

Courtney grinned and then returned her gaze to Austin. It looked like the girls hadn’t noticed her absence yet. She might as well stay here a little while longer.

“And so, did you just travel around the country, or what’d you do all that time?” Austin asked.

She explained how she’d had a bunch of her travel stories published online. Lived in an international hostel. Worked at a coffee shop to make ends meet. Made some great new friends. Checked a bunch of things off her bucket list.

“Seriously? That’s so cool. I’m so happy for you, Court.”

And now he was back to nicknames. That didn’t sit right with her, either. He’d surrendered that privilege a long time ago.

Courtney straightened her shoulders and flipped her hair back.

The bartender placed a glass of Sauvignon Blanc in front of her and another martini in front of Austin.

She cleared her throat. “So, how’s your job?” She could, at the very least, be polite. “Still going well?”

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