Page 28 of Lady Luck's Kiss
A single deep red bloom Jack had given her, sweet and old-fashioned, was resting right there in plain view.
Perfect. Just perfect. Exactly what she needed—Buddy, the man who had been asking her out for months, walking into this moment and drawing all the wrong conclusions.
Greaaaaaat.
“Do you need me to come in?” Buddy called through the open door.
Charlotte stiffened. “No.”
Her tone came out sharper than intended, but she didn’t want him stepping inside and taking in the scene. The truck. The rose. The undeniable evidence that something had happened.
Her appearance didn’t help either. She hadn’t slept well, tossing and turning all night with memories of Jack’s smile lingering in her mind. She hadn’t bothered with lipstick this morning, her hair was in a messy knot, and she was clinging to her first cup of coffee like a lifeline.
It wasn’t the walk of shame. Not even close. But she could see exactly how it might look to Buddy, standing there with his delivery and his assumptions. His expression wasn’t smug or possessive, though, which was a small mercy. Instead, he looked…concerned. And that somehow made it worse.
Before she could figure out what to say, another vehicle rolled up—an Uber. Her stomach sank when Jack stepped out, holding Starbucks in one hand and another bouquet of flowers in the other. He kissed her on the cheek, looked at Buddy, and then whispered in her ear.
“I’ll call you later,” Jack breathed and she nodded erratically. Yeah. That looked bad. To anyone else, it looked very bad.
“Thanks. I need a little space,” she replied simply, feeling nervous and not wanting to come off as too clingy or needy. Jack hesitated, dropped his hand, and then nodded - getting back in the Uber to leave.
No, she needed a moment for the world to stop spinning - except it felt like it was turning even faster - and in the wrong direction.
Greaaat.
“Had a good night, I see,” Buddy remarked, his voice flat and just sharp enough to sting.
“Fantastic, not that it’s any of your business,” Charlotte snapped back before she could stop herself. Heat rushed to her cheeks at the caustic edge in her own voice, but Buddy had struck a nerve. The fact that he said it the second Jack’s Uber pulled away only twisted the knife deeper.
“Well if you need me to take this little beauty down the road, I can.”
Her stomach clenched. Was he threatening her business because his feelings were bruised?
“No, I need the work and you know it.”
“I’m not sure what I know or don’t know anymore,” he muttered, his eyes narrowing. “I thought you didn’t want anything like that right now in your life. Or was it just me?”
Her pulse jumped. “Buddy, you’re nice. Sweet. I don’t want complications right now. And Jack and I are complicated.”
“Jack? As in Jack Seguin? The tow-in from the other day?” He ripped off his baseball cap, twisted it in his hands, then shoved it back on with force. His stare bore into her like she was someone he didn’t recognize anymore. Charlotte’s face burned hotter, probably redder than the lipstick she usually wore.
“I’ve known Jack for a while,” she lied, her gaze darting away. The words felt heavy and wrong the second they left her mouth. She wasn’t a liar, not usually, and she knew she wasn’t pulling this one off.
“What you do is up to you,” Buddy said slowly, stepping closer, “but when you decide you want a real man…”
Her heart jerked into her throat.
“…When you want to make a go at a partnership that could be beneficial for both work and home, let me know, Charlie.”
He closed the distance between them, his presence suddenly overwhelming. Charlotte instinctively backed away, but he kept coming until her shoulders brushed the side of the Chevy. Before she could process, his hands gripped her shoulders, and he leaned in.
Her body reacted on instinct.
“No!” she yelped, shoving her hand between their faces to block his mouth. Her knee jerked up, barely missing its intended target. She lost her footing and stumbled backward, crashing onto the rough asphalt. Pain shot up her arm as it scraped, and her tailbone throbbed from the fall.
Shock and fear churned in her chest. Not just from Buddy’s unwanted advance, but from the tangled mess she’d just made of her life—her fragile beginning with Jack, the stability of hergarage, and the years of friendship she’d shared with Buddy. Three horrific strikes, and it wasn’t even ten in the morning.
“Fine,” Buddy barked, his voice edged with anger as he grabbed the chains under the Chevy and slammed them onto the back of his truck. “I can take a hint!”
