Chapter Two
“What happened withyou and Archer?” Zane asked.
And they were back to that. Riley’s neck tensed until it ached in her skull.
The Archer thing wasn’t really a big deal. So why was she making it one? “Why do you think it was anything different than any other time?”
“Probably because you said this time was different. Also, because you won’t give me a direct answer.”
Riley fiddled with the locket hanging around her neck, tracing her thumb over theFriends Foreveretched on the back. Zane wouldn’t make fun of her if she told him. But she still questioned whether she’d done the right thing. “It maybe, possibly, didn’t end on the best of notes.”
“I got that much. What did he do?”
“He proposed.”
“Proposed... a threesome? New bathroom towels?”
Seconds ticked away. She stared back.Please get it. And please don’t think I was stupid about it. A sharp chill whipped through the afternoon, and she shivered and pulled her arms tight around herself. The April sun in Salt Lake City might be nice, but the moment it dipped behind the mountains, the cold sank in. At the drive-thru, someone’s fan belt squealed. Children’s voices carried from an open car window.
Zane’s eyes grew wide. “Like down on one knee?” At least he didn’t look disappointed—that was something to be grateful for—but she hoped for some kind of sign he wasn’t going to hold it against her for walking away from something like that.
“Candlelit dinner, champagne—the works.”
“And?”
“And I turned him down, and we decided maybe it was time we went our separate ways.”
“I’m... sorry it didn’t work out?”
That lacked sincerity. Relief trickled inside Riley. “No, you’re not.”
“I’m sorry it has you on edge. I wish I knew what the big deal was.”
She twisted her mouth in frustration. Not with him, but with herself. “Everyone already thinks I’m a flake who can’t maintain a solid relationship. Like... everyone. My sister. You—”
“I don’t think that.” He rested a hand on hers.
Warmth spread through her at the gentle touch. “Right. All thiswhat happened nowandsomething always happensstuff, and you don’t think I’m a flake.”