Page 25 of The Quit List
I snap my head up to look at Jax, sure I misheard. “What?”
“That behavior screams girlfriend to me.” His expression suddenly darkens, but just as quickly, he shakes his head. Shakes it off. “All about the messaging, but then bails when it transitions into a real meet-up? He’s shady, for sure.”
I’m shaking my head over and over. “No way.”
Jax’s eyes meet mine again. “You know him better than I do.”
Do I…?
It’s not like Emmett and I met in person, not like we’ve even spoken on the phone. All I have are a couple surface-level details from our brief conversations over the last few days, and the info on his dating profile. And if Jax is right and he really can read people, he probably could’ve gleaned a lot more about the guy than I have.
“He probably got caught in traffic…” I try again, feebly.
Jax simply nods. Rick, as if sympathizing with me, gives my hand a lick. The fact that Jax is not calling me out almost makes everything feel worse.
I cough out a laugh that I hope sounds uplifting and positive, but actually sounds more like an indigestion hiccup. “I don’t know why I’m upset,” I say with a shrug. “Find a man who wrecks your lipstick, not your mascara, am I right?”
Jax smirks. “I always heard ‘break her bed, not her heart.’”
The laugh this time is real, if still a touch teary. But when I see Jax’s lips in a crooked grin, my traitorous stomach swoops dangerously.
“Charming,” I mutter as I make a big show of rolling my eyes while shooing away the pesky misplaced butterflies and positively raunchy mental images his words conjured.
“I like to think so.” He throws me a teasing wink. “I’d better get going. Take it easy, Holly. Forget the ghoster and good luck with your next date. I hope he’s your real Prince Charming and not another toad.”
And with that, he saunters off, Rick Astley the dog trotting along at his side.
What a guy.
I don’t realize I’m staring after him, lost in thought and mulling over his words, until something cold and wet trickles down my hand. I dump my melted popsicle in the nearest trash can and give my hands a wipe.
Now that I’m out of Jax’s slightly mesmerizing presence, I’m thinking a bit more clearly.
And maybe I should take what he says with a grain of salt. After all, the guy has straight-up said that he’s a player, so it would make sense that he assumes every other guy is exactly like him. He probably dates multiple women at once himself.
Maybe Emmett really did have a reasonable excuse for standing me up and Jax is just a big, hulking, tattooed pessimist who has no idea what he’s talking about.
A pessimist with very strange scratches all over his arms. What did he say about breaking beds…?
Nope, Holly. We will not be going there.
As if on cue, my phone pings in my bag, making me jump. I check the screen to see a new message.
This is Emmett’s girlfriend. Whoever you are, stay the hell away from my boyfriend, you nasty little homewrecker!
Damn it.
10
JAX
I’m still thinking about Holly the bad dater when I arrive at Full Moon for my evening shift.
All I can hope is that she takes my advice and ditches that loser, whoever he is. Because if I know one thing, it’s that there is no way in hell he was stuck in traffic…
But I can’t dwell on the sassy, cute brunette and her slew of bad dates right now. The restaurant is due to open in fifteen minutes and I have work to do—both here, of course, and now also for my upcoming business.
Because alongside the big “we’re pregnant!” news, Maddie also made some pretty compelling points. Obviously she’s no longer an ideal guinea pig for me to practice my wilderness guiding with, but she said she would be glad to assist me with the marketing and social media stuff—from afar.