He rolled out of the way and landed on his back again.
“I should go.” She scooted to the edge of the bed, legs dangling off as she grabbed her shirt and covered herself. They hadn't broken up. Why did it feel like it? She forced the resolve through her veins, trying to remember everything she'd just said. She jumped when his arms wrapped around her waist.
His chin rested on her shoulder, breath warm and voice soft when he spoke. “I'll be okay if you will. We'll get coffee tomorrow. Somewhere that's not your place or mine. All three of us. We’ll find the balance again. We’ll figure it out.”
All three of them. Worst. Idea. Ever. Still, she nodded, not sure what to say. What had she done? Zach was supposed to be a fling. She knew better than to get caught up in his attention, and even after all these years, he’d still sucked her back in.
Even worse, she was terrified she was about to destroy an amazing friendship over it. She couldn’t go back to what she had back then with Zach, and she couldn’t lose Scott. That made the decision simple. Even though she and Scott weren’t meant for each other romantically, she knew which of the two men she sided with.
And the fact the thought of pushing Zach away made her completely queasy was just more proof she needed to do it.
Chapter Twelve
Nervous energy thrummed through Zach. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and parked in front of the café. The white wrought iron and candles on the middle of every table screamed trendy.
Every time he brought the buyout offer up with Scott, the conversation deteriorated into inaction. But Scott had extended the invite to lunch, so maybe they could reach common ground about why they needed to walk away from Cord now. That ought to take Zach’s mind off Rae. Since she stormed out a week ago, her memory had moved into, and taken over, portions of his imagination…
The thought vanished when he saw the woman seated at a table outside, head bent close to Scott’s, the two of them laughing about something.
God damn it, what was Rae doing there? He tried to pull his attention away from her. Her hair was in twin pigtails, leaving her neck exposed. Her opaque black T-shirt might have been a disappointment if it and her cutoffs didn’t hug her curves perfectly. Besides, stripping them off would solve the issue of what he could and couldn’t see.
He cut off the fantasy before it could run rampant. At least he’d worn slacks; he hoped that would hide his reaction. Rae was done. In the past. If any of him thought otherwise, it was a bizarre reaction to the fact he got—no, had—to see her on a regular basis.
He dropped into the empty seat at the table. “Funny running into you here.”
The pink in her cheeks darkened, and she ducked her head. That wasn’t attractive. Or alluring. Or completely compelling and intoxicating. And the last thing he wanted to do was brush a thumb over her cheek and kiss her.
“Not really.” At least Scott sounded normal again. “I invited her.”
Awesome. Fantastic. Why did Zach feel like he was being set up? He grinned, keeping his expression pleasant. “Epic. Anyone else coming?” The table wasn’t big enough for more people, and there were only three chairs—he should have noticed that up front—so probably not. But the entire situation had him off balance, and he wasn’t sure he could trust his instincts.
“Nah.” Scott waved a hand. “I figured since we’re all such great just friends now, we should hang out.”
Rae winced, grabbed her water, and then took a long swallow. Condensation dropped from the glass. It landed on her chest then trailed down between her breasts until it collided with her V-neck collar.
Zach forced his attention to Scott, searching for a hint of where the not-so-subtle dig had come from. “Just friends. Interesting qualifier.”
“Not as interesting as you might think.” A light quaver ran through Rae’s voice. “My new contract doesn’t start for two weeks, and apparently someone…” She glanced at Scott. “…has too much time on his hands. You suffering from the same thing?”
She’d found new work. That meant she’d be gone soon. An ache grew in his chest, clenching his heart like a vice. Fuck. Zach kept his gaze on hers. No need to let it drift elsewhere. His imagination was already doing enough of that. “No. I’m suffering from something entirely different.”
She raised her brows and tilted her head to the side, the corner of her mouth pulling up.
He wouldn’t lean in and kiss her light smile. He wasn’t enticed by it. The faint scent of strawberries wasn’t wreaking absolute havoc on his brain.