Avery Camden thinks she can walk out of her boyfriend, James Grant's, life after cheating on him with his best friend. For her, the conditions that led to their breakup aren't a beautiful memory.
When barely a year later, her family's business is ha...
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The world around us seemed to fade into muffled sounds of metallic utensils and glass plates and blurry images of ignorant people. People who were unaware of the sudden shift in the atmosphere. The tension brewing.
James gaze held on to mine with such intensity that I was almost swept off my feet. I tore my gaze from his and stared at the tag on his table.
"Table five. The breakfast cafe," it said in glittery golden cursive script.
I wished magically the words would morph into a different number. From the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of Tasha's pink hair. Her eyes narrowed seeming to say "get a move on or get fired. Now!"
Biting down on my lip and clenching my pen and paper in my fist, I hurried to James. To my own doom. My brain on its own accord went crazy thinking of all the hundreds of ways this meeting could spiral for the worst. What if I got nervous and tipped a glass of water all over that expensive-looking suit. I didn't want to ruin how perfect he looked. Plus, I was already in a very bad place with him.
Why did we keep crossing paths? Life kept making this harder for me.
His gaze zeroed in on me once I closed in. It almost felt like he was everywhere. And then:
"Welcome to The breakfast cafe. What can I get you?" Shockingly, my voice didn't quiver once, but the breath I expelled shook with a violence. James eyes seemed to sparkle, like he could see right through my entire act. Like he knew my knees wanted to give out.
I tried my best to avert my gaze from his burning ones. What else was there to look at when everything else had fallen out of focus? After eternal nanoseconds, I finally brought my stare down to the two buttons of his dressing shirt that weren't done. The exposed skin there. I wanted to touch that and find out if he still burned like I remembered.
I swallowed the stiff pump in my throat. Bad Avery! Don't let him get to you.
Yes, he had an ulterior motive for coming here. I'd asked him for his help at that party, he probably wanted to rub salt into my wounds somehow. That had to be it.
My spine went rod-straight as I braced for impact.
James, removed his gaze from me and swept the entire place with it. I used that one second to breathe as quick as possible. Then I stopped breathing when his gaze settled-no, crashed down on me.
He licked his lips. My brain flipped thrice. "I'll have whatever you're having."
My eyebrows lifted in immediate shock. Was he joking?
