Page 13 of Starting Over in Cedarwood

“I hate going alone.”

“I was here with Kevin and I’m going home alone, so I guess we’re even.”

“Gag.”

His irritation grew. “What did he ever do to you? Huh? You split, and I get that relationships aren’t always sweet when they end, but why are you being so nasty?”

“You saw him leave,” Kyle said. “He’s just not that sexy and he knows it.”

“He does?” Kyle wasn’t wrong—Kevin’s self-esteem appeared to have taken a hit, but with an ex-boyfriend like Kyle, it stood to reason Kevin might be touchy.

“He saw me and bolted. That should tell you everything you need to know,” Kyle said. “He can’t stand being around me.”

“I suppose so.” He turned on his heel and walked away. Right now, he needed the space and silence. He rather liked Kevin’s awkwardness. He was sweet and, once Shaun got him to open up, Kevin relaxed. Plus, Shaun couldn’t help his affinity for men with dark, moody eyes. God, he loved that soulful look. Then there was the phone thing. He’d finally found someone who wasn’t glued to their damn cell phone.

He slid behind the wheel of his car and shut the door before Kyle caught up to him. Shaun pressed his phone to his ear and nodded, faking a call. Kyle groaned from his position on the sidewalk, but didn’t approach.

Good.He left Kyle in his wake and drove away.What a nightmare.

Once he got back to his apartment, he parked in his carport, then headed into his unit. He just wanted a decent date. Not an overly elaborate one, not a club version, but a nice, quiet date where he could get to know the guy—in this case, Kevin.

His phone rang and he checked the ID screen. Cheryl, one of the few friends he still had from the Jonah-era. He set the call to speaker and answered. “Hi, girly.”

“Hi, yourself,” Cheryl said. “How are things? I see you’re settling in. Work’s going well? You’re posting on social media, which is good. I thought you’d fallen into depression again.”

“No, not depressed.” He’d left that part of his life behind when he’d moved to Cedarwood. “Things aren’t so bad here and I’m getting into the swing of life in the small town. I like my job at the paper, we’re getting new advertisements daily and I’m busy, so there’s that.” He kicked his shoes off. He threw his keys into the basket and abandoned his wallet there, too. “I’m good. You?”

“No, you’re not good,” she said. “You’re miserable.”

“No.” Not really. “I had a date and it went sideways, but that’s life. Honestly, I’m fine.”

“A date? With? Dish.”

“His name is Kevin. He’s a nice guy and has a job, but his ex-boyfriend is persistent. He showed up while we were out and it got awkward.”

“Oh no,” she said. “Did you come on to the other guy? You flirt without realizing you’re doing it.”

“I didn’t flirt with Kyle. No. He’s cute, but it’s not anything I want to involve myself with. Plus, he reminds me of Jonah. He wants attention and needs to have a relationship.” Shaun shook his head and plopped on the couch. “He’s not anything I’m looking for.”

“Right. You don’t need another Jonah. He sucked the life out of you.”

“He did.” He hadn’t thought about the relationship that way, but she was right. He hadn’t been happy with his ex. Miserable was more like it. Nothing had ever pleased Jonah and there wasn’t enough money in the world for him.

“What’s wrong with Kevin?” Cheryl asked.

“For one, he’s intimidated by his ex. Kyle is about as pushy as Jonah and determined, too. Second, he’s shy. Like the sexy, sweet, isn’t sure about himself and doesn’t know he’s handsome kind of shy.” He crossed his ankles. “Then there are the sparks. When we touched…man. I haven’t felt like that in a long time. He’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced and the kind of guy I like. Plus, he’s tall, dark and handsome.”

“Then why didn’t you take him home?”

“If he hadn’t beat feet as soon as Kyle showed up, that was the plan.” Shaun sighed and rested his head on the back of the cushion. “Remember when you dated Nick and things were fine until Kate showed up and Nick kept leaving? It’s like that. Kyle is so damn pushy and overbearing that he forces Kevin to retreat. You can’t get a word in edgewise with him.”

“Ouch.”

“I know.”

“You’re going to text him, right? And get him to come over?” she asked. “At least set up another date. You have to, and make it up to him.”

“That’s the plan. I’m going to let Kevin have some space for a day, then I’ll text tomorrow.” He shook his head. “You didn’t see the frantic look in his eyes. Kyle really did a number on him.”

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