Page 60 of Bountiful
“Hekissedme.”
Her eyebrows disappeared into her bangs. “Wow.Go,Dave.”
“Wecan’t, Audrey. Our days of wild sex togetherareover.”
She blinked at me and then pinched her top between two fingers and fanned her chest with it. “Wild, huh? Like…really wild? Give me avisual.”
“No way.” Although since he’d come back to town, my dirty mind was full of them. “He’ll never try it again, anyway. I can promiseyouthat.”
She made a sad face. “Time toapologize?”
“Obviously. But there’s a text from him on my phone, and I’m afraid to look. I’m half afraid it says, ‘Decided to go back to Brooklyn. Niceknowingyou.’”
“I’ll look.” She held out her hand for myphone.
I took another bite of chicken salad. For courage. Then I unlocked my phone and handeditover.
Audrey tapped on the screen a couple of times, thensmiled. “Aw!”
“What?”
She turned the phone around and showed me. It was a picture of Dave on the summit of a hill somewhere. I was temporarily distracted by the view of his muscular thighs emerging from his shorts. But then I noticed he held a handmade sign—marker on paper—which read:Insensitive Jerk Alert. And then in parentheses,But he’ssorry.
“Well, shit,” I sputtered. “He apologized first,damnhim.”
“That is freakingadorable,” Audrey said. “Come on. We have to make your reply justascute.”
“How?” I wasn’t sure I deserved to be cute. I’d been really out of line earlier and didn’t know how to come backfromthat.
Audrey grabbed an order slip off the stack and slapped it onto the counter. Then she took a Sharpie out of our junk drawer and handed ittome.
What to say to this man who scared me so badly? I’d never given anyone such power over my emotions before. I hadn’t meant for it to happen. But his appearance, disappearance, and subsequent reappearance had all wreaked havoc on mypsyche.
I might as well turn my apology into something cute, because I wasnevergoing to tell him how Ireallyfelt.
The pen was heavy in my hand. Finally, I uncapped it andwrote:
Awful Drama QueenAlert
(She’s even MOREsorry)
“That’ll do,” Audrey said. “Hold it up.” But when I did, she waved me over to the side. “Stand there—in front of the wooden beam. That’s cute. Now uncross your arms andlooksexy.”
“I don’t know how to do that. Just take the damnedphoto.”
“Smile,damnit.”
Itried.
At long last, Audrey took the photo. “I’m hitting Send so you can’tchickenout.”
“Fine.” I wouldn’t have,anyway.
“You should go home,” she said, handing back my phone. “It’s my day toclose.”
It was. “See youtomorrow.”
“Hey.” She stopped me. “Can I drop off my wedding favors onSunday?”
