“He’s got it bad,” Julie says with a dreamy sigh. I keep my face cast down, pretending to read over the flyer as my stomach twists into a knot. A rush of unexpected emotions floods me. “I think you’ve got it bad too.” I snap my head up at that.
“You’re talking to me?” I flick a glance over to Gracie, who is still giggling.
“Yes, I’m talking to you,” Julie says. “Who else would I be talking to?”
“Gracie.” I shrug, pretending to not care.
“Me!?” Gracie points to herself. “Why me?”
“He kept looking at you.” I point out what I thought we all saw.
He’d even turned his back to me to focus on her at one point. I noticed his attention go to her a few times. Not to mention since they got here he’s been over here twice. God knows he doesn’t care for me, so why else would he be coming over here? I hate that it bothers me.
“No.” Gracie rolls her eyes. “You're nuts. I bet he doesn't even remember my name.” This time it’s me that rolls my eyes. Gracie is beautiful. She lights up a room when she enters it. She was both prom queen and homecoming queen our senior year for a reason. She’s hard to miss.
“It doesn't matter.” I grab the flyers and throw them in the trash.
“What the hell?” Julie walks over and takes them back out.
“I don’t want to talk about this.” My emotions are all over the place right now, and I’m not sure why. I think it’s that dress, or it might be the whole festival thing and Tidas all rolled together. It shouldn’t bother me that he pokes at me, but being called boring hurts. It wasn't the first time I’ve heard it.
“Wow. He’s really getting to you. This meetup tonight is going to be wild.” Gracie wiggles her eyebrows.
“No it’s not because I’m not going,” I say smugly. “What’s the point of going? He doesn't listen to anything I say.”
“What do you mean you're not going?” Julie looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have. “It’s about the Fall Festival. You love the Fall Festival.”
“If the town wants something new then fine. They can have him do it.” I wave my hand toward next door, not even wanting to say his name. “I’ll happily watch him fall on his ass.”
Wow, Gracie mouths.
“So the bridesmaid dresses.” I force a smile as I try to change the subject.
“You’re not getting off that easy. That man is into you.” Julie points at me.
“Right,” I laugh. “I’d be a fool to ever think that. Even if he was, I'm sure it would be so he could make an ass out of me or to prove some point.” Julie drops her finger, her face going soft.
“You have to let what Brent did to you go. Not all men are that way.” I wince at the reminder. If only it was so easy. I hate that I let it bother me at all. It’s been years.
Brent asked me out senior year of high school. I don’t know why I agreed. I knew I wasn’t into him, but I was flattered. Until the night of the date. Not only had it been a bet with a few of the guys at school to see who could finally get in my pants, but he’d spread around that I'd been as cold as a fish.
Not that he even knew! Jacks ended up beating the crap out of him over it. It had been one of the things Julie’s family used against Jacks and why she shouldn’t have been with him. I’ve always hated that I’m the one that caused a reason for them to not like him.
“Can we not talk about Tidas anymore?” I ask.
The truth is, I do have this weird crush on him. I have from the very first day I met him outside my shop. He was so dang handsome. I’d thought for a moment when he smiled at me and walked over that he was going to ask me out or something. I’d been so mad I’d let myself fall into that excitement of thinking someone was interested in me.
I already knew about him from my mom. She was going on about the handsome lawyer that took over the building next door for a few months. She kept saying she wanted to introduce me before someone else scooped him up. She failed to mention he was a divorce lawyer. One who thinks marriage is a death sentence.
“Can we talk about you dating someone else then?” Gracie asks. She’s always trying to set me up with someone.
“Not this again,” I groan.
“Come on! I’ve been telling you about Charlie for weeks. One date. He's a good guy. I swear.”
“If he’s so good, then why aren’t you dating him?” I lift a brow in question. I might be a cold fish, but Gracie is an uncatchable butterfly. I’m a bit surprised Hollow Oaks has managed to keep her here.
“No chemistry. Not like what I saw in here a few moments again between you and the hunk next door.”
“That’s not chemistry,” I say dryly. Still my silly heart flutters even thinking of Tidas actually being interested in me.
“Can I just give him your number and he can text you? Maybe see if something sparks just texting?” she pushes.
“Let me see a picture of him. Where’s he from?” Julie asks. He can’t be from here or we would have heard about him already.
“He’s in Excelsior. He bought a house there a while back. He’s a contractor.” Gracie runs over to her bag to get her phone.
“That’s not far,” Julie says as Gracie comes back with her phone and shows her a picture of him. “He’s cute.”
Gracie turns the phone my way. “Cute,” I agree, but there’s no instant attraction or anything.
“So can I give your number to him?”
“Fine,” I agree. Then maybe they’ll leave the Tidas thing alone.
“Perfect,” Gracie chirps.
We spend the next hour going over more wedding details before they both leave the shop. I close up for the night and slip out the back, taking the long way around to my place so I don’t have to pass by Tidas’s building. I live right off the main strip in town and can walk home.
I know I’m being a brat, but I want to make him sit over there and think I might be coming over. Instead I’ll be home in my pajamas.
Not thinking about Tidas Combs.