Page 30 of Third Time's the Charm

I pretended to be offended. “What on earth are you talking about? We both picked up at the same time. Iwatchedyou leave with yours.”

She growled. “No. You watched me leave withyours.‘I’ll be seeing you soon.’ You are such a jackass!”

I pursed my lips to keep from laughing at the way she tried to air-quote while holding a box. Plus the way she lowered her voice in a way that sounded in no way like mine. “Well if there was a mix-up, let me fix it. Come on in.”

Her eyes widened. “I will not walk into your family dinner, thank you very much.”

“Suit yourself. I’ll be right back.” I made a show of pulling out the box and checking to see if there were in fact a dozen delicious Key lime mini pies inside, because I knew she could see me. My mouth watered.

I took my time closing the box back up, giving my family plenty of time to wander over and say hello to Berlin, and then leave, so it was just the two of us when I got back to the door. “You are correct. I did indeed take the box of Key lime. I assume you have our chocolate?”

“Yes,” she hissed. “And I have a whole family waiting. Give it to me.”

“I don’t know. Key lime is my favorite. Maybe I’ll just keep the whole box.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You’re being difficult. I know this.”

“Maybe a kiss would sweeten the deal.”

Her eyes flew open, full of all that passion Conchita mentioned earlier. “There will be no kissing!”

“Fine.” I stepped forward and took her box, offering her mine. But just as she accepted it, I planted a kiss on her cheek.

She stepped back, glaring. “I said no kisses!”

“That wasn’t a kiss. That was a normal European greeting.”

She shook her finger at me. “We’re not in Europe!”

“We could be. You and me. Let’s hop a flight and run away together.”

“Jack! What the hell? We’re done. Over. Caput.”

But the fire in her eyes, the flush in her cheeks, the way she bit her lower lip, told me we were far from over. “You can divorce me, Berlin, but there is no legal way to get me to stop loving you.”

Chapter 9

Like a pack of Tasmanian devils leaving death and destruction everywhere

Berlin

Isat awake with my pack around me. Doug was at my feet. Rattlesnake beside him. Skeeter and Transit sat on top of me. I wasn’t in bed because I tried sleeping for a couple of hours and I kept waking Ryker up. I felt bad and restless and gave up, moving to the sleeping porch.

The pack followed. And now I was the only soul in the house awake, staring out at the black of the ocean. I knew it was there because duh, I know it's there, but also because of the constant crashing of waves on the shore below. I couldn’t figure Jack out. Why was he so persistent? He signed everything with barely a word. He didn’t fight the divorce much at all. What changed?

These last few months trying to make contact, to send messages to me through our families. By all accounts Jack had changed. There was no reason for any of them to lie to me about that. But why now? Why not two years ago?

And why did it bother me so much?

Skeeter picked up his head and blinked at me, like he could hear me thinking.

“What?”

He blinked again.

“You think he really loves me still?” I really, really didn’t know what to do with that possibility.

Skeeter yawned and then kneaded my stomach.

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