Page 125 of Head Over Heels

Sophie wept for a good minute before she sobbed out, “I met this guy, and he doesn’t live here and I do, and I might have a job offer and he left me because of it.”

The bartender frowned. “You don’t want a man that doesn’t support your career.”

“I know, right?” Sophie wailed, bursting into fresh tears. “I’m so confused. I don’t know what to do.”

“Maybe you could try talking to him, telling him how important your job is.”

Sophie shook her head. “He told me he can’t do it anymore. That it’s been fun, but that he can’t be my”—she sobbed—“my . . . my . . . fuck buddy.”

“Hmm . . . that doesn’t sound right.” The older woman tilted her head. “In my experience, there’s only one reason a man would ever give up sex.”

“Why’s that?”

“Love, doll face. When they’re in love and they don’t know what to do with all their feelings.”

Sophie wanted so badly to believe that, but she knew it wasn’t true. She’d seen how love worked. She’d never experienced it herself, but she’d seen it with the Donovans all her life. When you loved someone, you stuck it out. You fought. Clawed your way out of the wreckage for it.

But Ryder had left and said he didn’t want anything to do with her.

She might not know for herself, but she knew how it was supposed to look. Bailing wasn’t it.

She shook her head. “Trust me, he doesn’t love me.”

Nobody did. That was just the way things were for her. She’d accepted that a long time ago when her parents got on a plane and didn’t look back.

Deep in her heart she’d thought Ryder was different.

Turned out, she was wrong.