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She waves a hand “Don’t be Betterin trouble” Leaning on the counter, she grins “So, hoas it?”

I don’t e to hide the way my face falls

“Oh fuck,” she says “What happened?”

“It was aone”

Elle narrows her eyes “But he was supposed to be a one-night stand So that’s fine, right?” It takes her a second, and then she looks down at where uy He was someone you knew”

I nod

“So…what’s the problem with that?”

She doesn’t know about Bryce Not about all of it “I’ve wanted hi time It was just a sheer coincidence that it was hie”

A customer walks into the store, then, and I don’t have a chance to finish telling her the whole story And we don’t have a chance for several more hours Tuesdays are always busy for us, and we have a steady stream of customers, and I have a few calls that I need to s slon, it’s nearly noon, and I’rateful that we haven’t been able to talk about it Because I don’t knohat she’s going to say and I don’t knoI can take He already decided that it was mistake What else matters?

But Elle isn’t one to give up that easily As soon as the store calives a fuck He’s hot, and you’re attracted to each other Weirder things have happened”

“It’s not just that,” I say

She rolls her eyes “Then tell me”

“He’s my father’s best friend”

I see the shock register on her face right as the bell on the door rings, and I see Bryce walk into the store like I summoned him out of thin air

Here

Bryce is here

He came back

Relief and hope pour over me like cold water, and I hear Elle suck in a breath “Holy fuck, that’s really him And he’s even better than the pictures Does he have a brother?”

She’s right, Bryce is stunning He’s dressed in perfectly pressed slacks and a button-down shirt that’s rolled up to show off his forearms It looks like he could have stepped out of an ad for sone

“No brothers,” I murmur, as he walks up to me, and he leans down and capturesand bold and completely unexpected Oh