Both Liv and I pulled out our phones and snapped a few pics. Noah didn’t have anything for him to sign, but he had some fancy app that allowed him to sign his phone. He could save it like a picture.
I just shook my head, wondering how long it would be before he knew more than I did.
He probably already did, and I was just in denial.
I turned to thank the guy for being so generous, and I found him leaning over the fence, talking to Liv.
“Since you seem to know the area so well, would you mind showing me around sometime? I don’t get out much and would love some…one-on-one time with a local.”
The way he said it left no room for the imagination, and I rolled my eyes at his very obvious tactics for picking up a date.
Reaching my arm out to aid Liv, I fell short when I heard her utter the one word I’d assumed she never would.
“Sure,” she replied.
“Great. Give me your phone,” he instructed.
She willingly handed her phone to the no-name football player, and I watched as he punched in a series of numbers.
“I just programmed my number into your phone and called myself, so now, I have your number. I’ll be in touch.”
I didn’t talk much to Liv for the remainder of the day. I would say only just enough to get by. She’d obviously picked up on my annoyance. Whether or not she knew the source of it was a mystery.
By the time we packed up and made it back to the car, I was about to explode.
“What will Don Juan think of your date with the football star?” I seethed.
She pulled out of the parking spot. “I guess I will never know since I don’t plan on telling him. We aren’t exclusive, Jackson,” she answered, her voice clipped and short.
My head fell back on the seat, and I closed my eyes in frustration.
Exclusivity—is that what I want with Liv? Can I see myself building something solid and long-lasting with her? Or do I just want to take her away from everyone else?
Jackson
My sour mood didn’t abate as the weekend dragged on.
On Monday, thoughts of Liv once again dominated my mind as I rode the elevator at work, but this time, they were anything but pleasant. I imagined her beautiful body wrapped around that hotshot football player after he’d wined and dined her all over the city. I was pining for a woman who was the opposite of everything I needed.
This had to end—now.
The elevator door slid open, and I stepped out on the fifteenth floor. Breezing past the front desk in the direction of my office, I already knew what I was going to do—the one thing I’d sworn I wouldn’t.
But desperate times called for desperate measures.
And I was desperate. I needed to move on from this…infatuation with Liv—and fast.
“Good morning, Mr. Reid,” Kate greeted as I rounded the corner and stopped in front of her desk.
“Again with the formalities, Kate. What am I going to do with you?” I grinned.
“Oh, um…I just thought—”
“Call me Jackson, please. Why don’t we go out to lunch today? That way, we can get to know each other, and you won’t feel so awkward about it.”
She nodded with enthusiasm.
God, I even hate myself right now.
“Great. It’s a date,” I said.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come in, Jackson?” Kate asked, seductively leaning back against the doorframe.
It was Friday night, and after an evening with a woman who looked good enough to eat, I should have been jumping at the chance to walk through that door and find out exactly how good she tasted.
Instead, I was trying to think of any excuse to do the opposite.
“I’d better get back home. It’s my first night out since the move, and it’s a new babysitter. I’m getting a little antsy, wondering how they’re doing,” I tried to explain, throwing out words faster than my brain could process.
“Of course.” She nodded, rubbing her hand over my shoulder in a comforting manner.
I looked down at it, forcing myself not to back away from her touch.
“Tonight was amazing, Jackson,” she started.
She’d gotten over formalities fairly quickly after our initial lunch date, and she now used my first name in such abundance that I was even beginning to hate it.
“Glad you had a good time,” I responded lamely.
“Call me tomorrow?” she asked with expectant wide eyes.
Dear Lord, what have I done?
“I have a busy weekend with Noah lined up, but I’ll be sure to catch up with you on Monday, okay?” I suggested, seeing her face fall as the words tumbled out of my mouth.
“Sure. Monday then.” She gave me a small peck on the cheek and turned, stepping into her apartment.
I watched the door shut behind her perfect little body.
God, I am a grade-A asshole.
But it didn’t stop me from fleeing to my truck like a man running for his life the moment the lock had clicked into place.
What have I been thinking?
Kate was indeed everything I had hoped to find when I began this new adventure in Richmond. She was smart, beautiful, and came from a similar background as me.