Page 83 of This Time Around
“Oh.”
“And ‘Plz don’t text me, K?’ First of all, did you honestly think I’d give you the brushoff with improper English?”
Allie sat staring at the screen, eyes fixed on the words there as she took them in with this new context. “That did seem weird,” she admitted.
“Come on, Allie.” He held out his hand, and she handed his phone back. Jack shoved it back in his pocket, relieved to see the softening in her expression. “You know me. Would I really text you something like that the morning after we slept together?”
The color seemed to come rushing back to her face, or maybe that was just the bruise setting up. “That’s just it, Jack. I don’t know you. Not anymore. Hell, text messaging wasn’t even a thing when we dated. I have no context for how you operate in a modern relationship. For all I know, this is how you blow off all your one-night stands.”
“It wasn’t a one-night stand,” he said. “Not to me, it wasn’t.”
He waited for her to respond. To tell him she felt the same, and that maybe there was hope of them spending more time together in the future. She seemed to hesitate, and he remembered what his mother had said about Allie’s pride sometimes getting in the way. Maybe he could make this easier.
“Look, Allie. Last night was unexpected. It was amazing. It wasn’t something I was thinking about when I looked you up a couple weeks ago, I’ll be honest. But I really want to see where things might go.”
She still hadn’t said anything, and Jack wondered if he’d overstepped. If she really had meant it when she’d said it was a mistake. He was sweating again, and he wished he knew better how to read this modern version of Allie. When she spoke at last, her voice was quiet.
“I didn’t mean it,” she said.
He swallowed hard, hoping she meant this morning’s text message and not everything the night before. “You mean about last night being a mistake?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I was pretty hurt when I thought that’s what you were telling me.”
“I’m sorry you thought that. I can see why you would.”
They stood there in awkward silence for a few beats, and Jack wondered where this round of apologies left them. Were they back where they’d ended last night, or someplace new?
When Allie reached for his hand, something surged inside him. “I’m glad you came here,” she said. “Not just right now, though that’s good, too. I mean I’m glad you’re back in Portland. I’m glad you looked me up.”
“Me, too.”
“And I’d like to keep seeing you.” She bit her lip. “I mean—if that’s what you want.”
“I want.” He smiled at her. “I really like you, Allie. A whole lot. More than I did when I loved you.”
She laughed out loud and brushed her hair from her face. “Same here. I like you a lot more than when I loved you.”
He leaned in to kiss her, then bonked his head on the damn visor.
“Ow.”
“Hang on,” she said, and wrestled the helmet off her head. “There, that’s better. Pucker up, buttercup.”
“Such a romantic,” he muttered, but bent to kiss her anyway.
The kiss was slow and soft and sweet and left him wishing she’d invited him inside so they could see where this went. But he couldn’t stay. He had to get home to?—
“Paige,” he said, breaking the kiss.
“Um, what?”
“My daughter.”
She stared at him. “I’m aware that your daughter is Paige. I’m just not sure what that has to do with kissing me.”
Jack raked his fingers through his hair. “No, I just remembered. Paige wanted me to set a time with you to go bra shopping. Are there any afternoons this week that might work for you?”
Allie reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She tapped the screen a few times, then began scrolling. “Well, my boss insisted I take a few days of bereavement leave this week, but I was planning to use it to repaint the downstairs bathrooms and maybe go see my parents. In between prison visits, I need to find time to get my hair trimmed and do some grocery shopping.” She glanced up and gave him a small smile. “Also, I still have to pencil in a time to fight your sister-in-law.”
