Page 28 of Old Habits

“Wait, Jovie…” I shift forward as she walks off. “Let me drive you home.”

“I’ll walk.”

I grunt as a bolt of adrenaline fires through my veins but I’m far too exhausted to act on it. I watch her go, my eyes falling to her boots and up her legs as her hips sway with her quick, purposeful steps toward the exit.

Jovie. My Jovie.

At least, she used to be.

Now, I’m not even sure I know who she is anymore. She looks like Jovie. Talks like Jovie. But this isn’t the same Jovie Ross who pulled the fire alarm on prom night or senior pranked the vice principal by moving his office furniture to the school roof the night before graduation.

But that’s not a bad thing.

This Jovie is more restrained. Mature, even. The dark humor and quick wit are still there but she’s older, wiser, and more beautiful than I was prepared for.

Lucky hovers over my shoulder with a broad smirk on her middle-aged face. “Anything else I can get you, hun?”

I take a breath and reach into my wallet for my debit card. “No, thanks.”

She swipes it from my fingers and walks off. I ignore her smug glance back at me and check around at the innocent bystanders.

The water cooler chatter around Clover should be awfully colorful tomorrow, that’s for sure.