Page 54 of How He Got the Girl
“And you must be Shayna.” I smile at the woman with dark hair and a knotted headband covered in pearls. She’s wearing a coat covered in a floral pattern in vibrant shades of pink, green, and blue. It doesn’t read winter, but I think that’s the point. Mallory always described her as the bright, positive friend. If my memory serves correctly, she works at a flower shop, so it’s fitting.
“What about her?” Kelsey points to the girl next to Shayna. She’s about as tall as Alyssa, but she has dark hair and facial features similar to Tyler’s.
“I’d guess she has some relation to Tyler, but unfortunately, I don’t know your name.”
“Tess.” She steps forward, extending her hand.
I give it a firm shake. “Nice to meet you, Tess.”
A little girl jumps out from behind her. “I’m Evie! IloveChristmas.”
“It’s lovely to meet you, Evie.” I shake her hand too, making her giggle. “I love Christmas too.”
“My mom needs a new husband. Are you single?”
I choke on nothing but air.
“He’s dating Ms. Mallory.” Tess kneels to be on her daughter’s level. “And honey, you can’t just walk around telling people I need a new husband and asking if they’re single.”
“Why not?” Her little nose scrunches. “How else will you find me a new daddy?”
Tess blows out a breath and stands to her full height. “Okay, on that note, we’re going to go find a snack. Nice to meet you, Griffin.” She shoots me a hurried smile before leading her away from the group.
Mallory tugs my arm, pulling me down to whisper in my ear. “Maybe she’s a better bet for your fake girlfriend. I mean, a girlfriend and an adorable daughter who loves Christmas? Everyone would adore y’all.”
“There’s just one glaring issue with that idea.” I pull back to look into her brown eyes, pools of silky chocolate that I could bask in forever. “She’s not you.”
Her shoulders rise and fall like she’s letting out a heavy sigh, although I don’t hear one. Is there such a thing as an internal sigh? If so, then she’s probably internally rolling her eyes too.
When will she understand that there’sno oneI want but her?
“Who’s up for a round of hot chocolates?” I ask, addressing her friend group. “It’s on me.”
All the girls’ eyes move to Mallory, then back to me.
“You know Mallory doesn’t drink hot chocolate anymore, right?” Kelsey steps closer, looping her arm through Mallory’s.
I look at my fake girlfriend as she elbows Kelsey in the side, and I wonder what else could have changed in the last few years. “I thought you loved it.”
“I used to.” Mallory won’t meet my gaze. It looks like she’s having a silent conversation with her friend, one I wish I were privy to.
I lower my voice, not wanting to draw attention to her discomfort. “Is it because of me?”
Kelsey answers on Mallory’s behalf. “What do you think?”
She walks back to her friend group, and Mallory shifts on her feet. I feel awful. I never meant to be the reason she stopped drinking hot chocolate. Or the cause of her pain when she never got my call.
I wish I could go back in time and zip the napkin with her phone number up in my pocket, safe from harm. But this is the hand we were dealt.
On a more positive note, if Mallory felt strongly enough about me to forgo one of her favorite things, then that means she may have felt as strongly for me as I did for her. And if she felt it once, then maybe she’ll get that feeling back. Because a once-in-a-lifetime love doesn’t just disappear.
“There’s always a first step to falling in love all over again,” I whisper.
Mallory finally looks at me. Her eyes are riddled with confusion and a dose of hurt rather than the fire I expect. Hurt, I can work with, even though it kills me to see her wounded.
“Are you still talking about the hot chocolate?”
“I’m talking about whatever you want me to be talking about.” My voice is husky, a mix of sadness and desire.
