“Wow.” Shane finished his coffee in a single pull and set his mug back on
the table. His face was unreadable, but his voice wasn’t sarcastic. He
actually sounded kind of amazed. “I have to say, she must be something
seriously special,” he repeated.
“She is. She’s amazing. The crazy thing is, she thinks she’s ordinary.
That’s the last thing she is. She’s talented, beautiful, smart, witty, strong.
She lives life on her own terms. Stands up for the things she believes in.
Everyone at the store loves her.”
“It sounds like you’re half in love with her.”
Kiera’s heart jumped in her throat and nearly strangled her. She could
feel the butterflies battling in her stomach. Some were good, but others
were the bad kind. The kind that came from massive anxiety. Love. She
wasn’t even sure she believed in that word, but was that what was
happening to her?
“You look really happy, at any rate,” Shane went on, oblivious to her
inner turmoil. “I’m glad. You deserve to be happy. I didn’t think you were
actually as cynical as you sounded.”
“Uh, thanks.”
“I mean it.” Shane nodded. “I guess I’ll just have to tell my mom that we
broke up and that I’m not ready to get into another relationship any time
soon. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.”
“Shane…”
“Hey,” he set his hand gently on her knee, “I’m not going to tell you how
to live your life. I know you think I should man up and just finally take the
plunge like everyone else, but I’m just not ready.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah. I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually. Or not. Not everyone likes
to or has to settle down. But if you do, I’m sure it will be great. If not, you
should at least figure out how to tell your mom that marriage and kids aren’t