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Authors: Susan Mallery
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skills with women. If he put his mind to it, Jesse wouldn’t stand a chance. Then he would walk away without looking back.
CHAPTER FIVE
MATT STOOD. “I’M NOT a yogurt kind of guy,” he said. “How about some fries?”
“Sure.” Jesse watched him walk to the front of the restaurant and order.
He was so different, she thought, wishing they could all be more comfortable together. That would take time. She knew that. Most good things took time. Only this wasn’t what she wanted—the distance, the strained conversations. She wanted them to be comfortable together…a family.
If only, she thought, not sure that would ever happen. So much time had passed. It hurt to remember how close she and Matt had been and how much had been lost.
He returned with a tray and three orders of fries.
“That’s a lot of food,” she murmured, knowing Gabe couldn’t eat even half of the order and she shouldn’t. Fries seemed to take a straight line to her thighs.
“Eat what you want and leave the rest,” Matt told her.
She held in a laugh. Waste food? Not on her income. Every crumb was accounted for. Not that he would understand that. Matt had been rich when she’d left and he seemed to have done well in the past five years.
Gabe returned to their table and eyed the fries. She smiled. “Yes, you may have some.”
He grinned and grabbed one. Fries weren’t a regular food in their house. All this eating out and fast food was going to go to his head.
Jesse reached for a fry herself, only to find that it didn’t taste like much. She wasn’t hungry at all. If anything, her stomach felt a little queasy. The old “I used to be in love with you and now I’m nervous” diet. Limited audience, but very effective. She grabbed her coffee.
“You were in Spokane the whole time?” Matt asked.
“Yes. I ran out of gas and money pretty much at the same time. Once I was working, I didn’t feel the need to move on.” She hadn’t been hiding, just trying to get away. Not that anyone had come looking for her.
She felt bitterness rise up inside of her, but pushed it away. Both Nicole and Matt had been angry with her, thinking she’d betrayed them. That’s why they hadn’t hunted her down and dragged her back. At least that’s what she told herself because it was better than the alternative. That neither of them had really cared about her at all.
“Have you seen your sister?” Matt asked.
Was he showing interest in her? Being polite? Was it possible he could get over being mad?
“Yes. I stopped by to see Nicole after I saw you.”
“How did that go?”
“Not great. She’s dealing with a lot right now. She has twins who are only a few months old, so that’s hard. I’m going to start working in the bakery, just to help out. Plus I’ve created a brownie recipe I think she’ll really like. I’m going to make some for her. Sort of a tasting.”
Which couldn’t be anything he was interested in. So maybe she should talk about something that would be more relevant. As much as it pained her to bring up the past.
“I wanted to tell you,” she said, aware that Gabe was still sitting next to her, munching on fries. “I didn’t know how. You’d been so angry and I was hurt. I felt guilty.”
“About Drew?” Matt asked, anger flaring in his eyes.
She stiffened. “No. Nothing happened there. I told you that.” She glanced at her son. “We’ll talk about that later.”
“Fine, but we will talk about it.”
Because he didn’t believe her, she thought sadly. Just like Nicole didn’t believe her. She pushed away her fries and pressed a hand against her stomach. She felt queasy and uncomfortable. None of this was going the way she wanted. Her fantasy had been a perfect family reunion. Instead she’d gotten an awkward reality, which really sucked.
“I owe you child support,” Matt said.
What? “No, you don’t.”
“Gabe is my son, my responsibility.”
“None of this is about that.” She wished she
CHAPTER FIVE
MATT STOOD. “I’M NOT a yogurt kind of guy,” he said. “How about some fries?”
“Sure.” Jesse watched him walk to the front of the restaurant and order.
He was so different, she thought, wishing they could all be more comfortable together. That would take time. She knew that. Most good things took time. Only this wasn’t what she wanted—the distance, the strained conversations. She wanted them to be comfortable together…a family.
If only, she thought, not sure that would ever happen. So much time had passed. It hurt to remember how close she and Matt had been and how much had been lost.
He returned with a tray and three orders of fries.
“That’s a lot of food,” she murmured, knowing Gabe couldn’t eat even half of the order and she shouldn’t. Fries seemed to take a straight line to her thighs.
“Eat what you want and leave the rest,” Matt told her.
She held in a laugh. Waste food? Not on her income. Every crumb was accounted for. Not that he would understand that. Matt had been rich when she’d left and he seemed to have done well in the past five years.
Gabe returned to their table and eyed the fries. She smiled. “Yes, you may have some.”
He grinned and grabbed one. Fries weren’t a regular food in their house. All this eating out and fast food was going to go to his head.
Jesse reached for a fry herself, only to find that it didn’t taste like much. She wasn’t hungry at all. If anything, her stomach felt a little queasy. The old “I used to be in love with you and now I’m nervous” diet. Limited audience, but very effective. She grabbed her coffee.
“You were in Spokane the whole time?” Matt asked.
“Yes. I ran out of gas and money pretty much at the same time. Once I was working, I didn’t feel the need to move on.” She hadn’t been hiding, just trying to get away. Not that anyone had come looking for her.
She felt bitterness rise up inside of her, but pushed it away. Both Nicole and Matt had been angry with her, thinking she’d betrayed them. That’s why they hadn’t hunted her down and dragged her back. At least that’s what she told herself because it was better than the alternative. That neither of them had really cared about her at all.
“Have you seen your sister?” Matt asked.
Was he showing interest in her? Being polite? Was it possible he could get over being mad?
“Yes. I stopped by to see Nicole after I saw you.”
“How did that go?”
“Not great. She’s dealing with a lot right now. She has twins who are only a few months old, so that’s hard. I’m going to start working in the bakery, just to help out. Plus I’ve created a brownie recipe I think she’ll really like. I’m going to make some for her. Sort of a tasting.”
Which couldn’t be anything he was interested in. So maybe she should talk about something that would be more relevant. As much as it pained her to bring up the past.
“I wanted to tell you,” she said, aware that Gabe was still sitting next to her, munching on fries. “I didn’t know how. You’d been so angry and I was hurt. I felt guilty.”
“About Drew?” Matt asked, anger flaring in his eyes.
She stiffened. “No. Nothing happened there. I told you that.” She glanced at her son. “We’ll talk about that later.”
“Fine, but we will talk about it.”
Because he didn’t believe her, she thought sadly. Just like Nicole didn’t believe her. She pushed away her fries and pressed a hand against her stomach. She felt queasy and uncomfortable. None of this was going the way she wanted. Her fantasy had been a perfect family reunion. Instead she’d gotten an awkward reality, which really sucked.
“I owe you child support,” Matt said.
What? “No, you don’t.”
“Gabe is my son, my responsibility.”
“None of this is about that.” She wished she
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