Read Online She's Got Dibs by AJ Nuest - Free Book Online Page B

words were enough.
    A string in Tessa’s heart softly snapped. Out of all the friends she and Michael had shared, out of the many acquaintances during their six years together, Tiffany was the one true friend who stood by her after he disappeared. For God’s sake, she’d hosted the bridal shower, attended every single fitting. The thought of causing a rift between them on top of the pain Michael had already inflicted… Tessa lowered her eyes and braced her forehead against her clasped hands. She didn’t want to hurt her best friend. Michael’s leave-taking had already caused enough heartache to last a lifetime.
    “You think you know someone,” she said. “You think what you have with him is real and true, and then with nothing more than a wisp of breeze on your face, you’re proven wrong. It’s like everyone was in on some big secret and they forgot to include me.”
    Tiffany tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a troubled sigh slipping past her lips. “I just think you’re playing with fire, Tessa. I worry about the choices you make.”
    She gritted her teeth, speaking past the stiffness in her jaw. “Yes, there’s a very good chance Michael royally screwed me up. And yes, it’s highly likely I may never recover. But the choices I make work for me. Don’t you see? I don’t have to worry about hurting anyone’s feelings. I don’t have to deal with any messy breakups, and I certainly don’t have to suffer that great worldwide fallacy called love.”
    “It’s not a fallacy,” Tiffany whispered. “I’m in love.”
    “I know.” Tessa reached her clasped hands across the desk in a show of support. “And I’m really happy for you. Really, I am. Maybe what I should say is love is a fallacy for me. There, does that make you happy?”
    “No, that does not make me happy,” Tiffany snapped.
    Tessa fell back in her chair. Love her business partner though she did, this reoccurring conversation would no doubt follow the same path as all those before—straight into an inescapable gridlock. “Can’t we please just drop it? I had a great time, he was really fantastic, I’m very happy with how everything turned out, and I’m home now and ready to get back to work, okay?”
    She swung to her computer and filled her lungs, shaking her head as she exhaled.
    “What category was he?”
    Tessa snapped her chin over. “What?”
    “What category?”
    She frowned. “Why do you ask?”
    “Because when you normally return from these rendezvous, or whatever the hell you want to call them, the very first thing you always tell me is their category.” Tiffany flicked her fingers in the air. “You dismiss them with a wave of your hand, grandly announcing what was wrong with them. You didn’t do that this time.”
    Well, that didn’t sound right at all. “I do?”
    “Yes, you do.”
    “Huh.” She returned to her computer.
    “Tessa.”
    She refocused on Tiffany.
    “What category?”
    She dropped her gaze to her desk, pursed her lips. Shit. “I’m not sure.”
    Tiffany sprang forward in her chair. “What do you mean ‘I’m not sure’?”
    It was definitely strange. No matter how much she replayed their night together, Dibs just didn’t seem to fit any of the molds. “I thought about it on the plane, and I couldn’t figure it out.”
    “You thought about it on the plane ?” Blue eyes resembling dinner plates, Tiffany slowly edged back in the chair. She grinned.
    Oh great. That was a sure sign of trouble ahead. “Get that goofy smile off your face.”
    She nodded, pointing across the desk. “Not to mention the internet search.”
    Gah! Talk about a stupid mistake. Now this would never end! Tessa dropped her forehead into her palm. “Can you please leave me alone so I can get back to work?”
    “I’m just saying, it normally takes you maybe three seconds to figure out what category a guy is in, but this guy—no category.” Tapping out a beat on the arms of the chair, Tiffany glanced casually