Page 14 of Escape

Laughing, I nodded. “Yeah, I don’t know about that. I feel like you and I are the only unlucky ones left. Are we ever going to find the one?”

My friend shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. It’s not for lack of trying. I’m beginning to think there are some of us destined to be single for life.”

Though I might have been exaggerating slightly about us being the only ones left, I wasn’t far off the mark. The truth was, it wasn’t more than a few years ago when nearly every single person at Harper Security Ops was single or casually dating. That had recently changed, and now, we had more guys working here that were married, engaged, or in serious relationships with staying power. Some members of the team were even expecting children.

One by one, they seemed to be dropping like flies. And if I was honest, at the very beginning—when Royce hooked up with Tarryn, or Nixon got together with Mallory—I could recall thinking they were the suckers. It was clear the women who’d come into their lives were the kind of women that made them want to settle down, and I thought it was the rest of us who were the lucky ones.

But it seemed I was wrong.

Royce and Nixon got things started, and it wasn’t long before everyone else followed their lead.

Well, mostly everyone else. There were still a few of us left who were single, but we were outnumbered at this point. Even if I was happy for everyone who’d found someone, I could admit I was feeling the sting of jealousy.

Being single was not all it used to be. I was ready for something more permanent. I just wasn’t sure what I was doing wrong and why I hadn’t found her yet.

I groaned in response to Greyson’s statement about us being single for the rest of our lives, but before I could respond, Jake felt compelled to be encouraging. “I hope you don’t believe that. It’d be a crying shame if you didn’t get to experience what so many of us have had the chance to experience. Who knows, Huck? Maybe you’ll meet your girl at the diner.”

Rolling my eyes as I moved toward the exit, I mumbled, “That’s unlikely. I’ll be back in a little bit. Have a good class.”

“Later, Huck,” Greyson said.

“Later.”

I pushed through the door and left. About fifteen minutes later, I’d made it to Betty’s. Since this was my first time here, I took a moment the second I stepped inside to look around and take in the space. It was clear the place was new. Everything was shiny and clean, and from what I could tell, the staff was pleasant. I was immediately seated in a booth and given a menu.

And that’s when it happened.

It wasn’t more than two minutes into my perusal of the menu when I felt a presence beside me. A feminine voice started speaking before I even lifted my gaze from the menu.

“Good morning. Welcome to Betty’s. My name is…”

The woman’s voice trailed off the second her eyes connected with mine. I couldn’t say I didn’t understand why. My gut clenched as something constricted in my chest. I was certain my eyes were deceiving me.

But just to be certain this was real, and in an effort to help her, I decided to complete her sentence. “Josie.”

She blinked her eyes several times, clearly feeling some of the same as I had been. When she’d deduced that I was sitting in front of her, she breathed, “Huck.”

Damn.

Damn, I’d forgotten just how much I liked the way her delicate voice sounded saying my name.

Snapping myself out of the fog and disbelief, I rose from my seat and immediately moved to hug her.

She flinched.

Fuck, she flinched.

In an instant, I pulled back and allowed my eyes to roam over her. “I’m sorry.”

The second she got my apology, she shook her head and seemed to relax. “No. No, you don’t have to be sorry.” She reached her arm out, indicating it was okay to give her the hug I’d originally intended to, and when I did, I could admit I held on to her a little longer than would have probably been considered acceptable or appropriate for two people who weren’t dating one another.

But I couldn’t help it.

I couldn’t believe she was here.

For the first time in all these years, Josie Day was right in front of me. And until I saw her, I didn’t realize just how much I’d missed her.

When I finally loosened my hold on her and took half of a step back, I said, “It’s so good to see you again.”