Rebound Envy (Rebound #2)

by Jerica MacMillan

  "It's pretty cold out this week." The weather. That's all I can come up with.

  Scott nods. "Yeah. I heard it's supposed to be even colder next week."

  "I heard that too. Brrr." Usually there's a bit of a thaw in mid-January in the Inland Northwest. Not this year, though. We had a bunch of snow in December, and now it's just cold.

  Scott nods again. I take a drink of my wine to fill the silence and give me a chance to think of something more interesting that will take longer than two seconds to talk about.

  "Jenna said that you just started a couple months ago?" Work. That's always safe, right?

  He nods, taking a drink from his own glass of wine. "Mmhmm."

  Try an open ended question. "How are you liking it so far?"

  "It's good. I like the group I'm working with. I like numbers and it's interesting to do bookkeeping for lots of different companies."

  "Does it ever get confusing working with so many different people?"

  He shakes his head. "No. I have an organizational system in place so that I don't get things mixed up. I only work on one company at a time, and keep everything meticulously separated. I actually suggested my system to the manager of our office so that everyone can use it and increase our office's productivity."

  I smile at that. "Wow. Good for you." Jenna was talking about the new system that her boss was forcing everyone to use. She wasn't quite as impressed with it as Scott seems to be. I wonder if she realizes he's the one behind that change. "Did you work as a contract bookkeeper at your last job?"

  "No. I was a bookkeeper for a large textile manufacturing company. They had a lot of clients, both domestic and international. That's where I developed my system. It transferred over quite easily."

  "Oh, how nice." I'm saved from further discussion of his exceptional organizational system by the arrival of our food.

  Conversation lags while we eat. I really don't want to talk about his job anymore. Bookkeeping just isn't that interesting of a conversation topic. I love Jenna to death, but I can't even handle talking about her work with her for very long. Except for the stories she tells me about her clients and coworkers. Those are funny. And stories about people have always interested me. When she gets into detailed explanations of her actual work, though, my eyes tend to glaze over and I'm reduced to nodding and smiling.

  "So, Jenna tells me you're a teacher?"

  I nod, swallowing the bite of food in my mouth. "Yes. I teach high school English."

  He raises his eyebrows. "High school? Wow. I assumed you taught elementary school."

  "Really? No. I could never do elementary school. Don't get me wrong—I love kids of all ages, but I prefer the ones who can tie their own shoes and don't need help going to the bathroom."

  "Do you handle all four years of high school, or just a couple?"

  Wow, he's actually asking more about me. Most of our conversations have been focused on him. "Just a couple. I teach junior and senior English. I have a couple AP classes and the rest are regular sections."

  "You must like to read a lot." He's sort of wrinkling his nose as he says that. What's with that face?

  "Yeah. I've always loved to read."

  He nods and makes a noncommittal sound in his throat. Before I can pursue that any further, the waitress reappears to check on us, and conversation moves on to other things.

  At the end of the evening, Scott drives me home and walks me to my door. I unlock the door, cracking it open, before turning back to him. "Would you like to come in for a drink?"

  He smiles, letting me see his perfect row of white teeth, and follows me in. I stop to hang up my coat on the coat rack and head for the kitchen to get the bottle of wine I opened yesterday evening and glasses.

  When I come back into my cozy living room, Scott is standing and examining the bookshelves that occupy an entire wall. He's taken off his coat and draped it over the back of the armchair. He turns at the sound of my shoes on the wood floor.

  It's strange having a man in my home. It's been quite a while since I've invited anyone in. Well, who's accepted anyway. I invited Adam in after our second date, but he declined and we didn't go out again.

  I push away the stray thoughts of Adam and hand Scott the glass of wine. "It's a merlot. Not my usual favorite, but this one's really good. Brian makes me try all their new acquisitions."

  Scott takes a sip. "You drink a lot of wine?"

  I sit down on one end of the couch and laugh. "I wouldn't say a lot. I like to have a glass to relax at the end of a long day, or when I go out for dinner. I've learned a lot more about it and my tastes have evolved since Jenna started dating Brian. Which is kind of funny, since Jenna's still pretty clueless and just drinks whatever Brian tells her to."

  Scott laughs with me about that. He's joined me on the couch and set his glass on the coffee table. He hasn't taken more than that first taste.

  I gesture at his glass. "Do you not like the wine? I can get you something else."

  He shakes his head. "No, it's fine. I'm fine. I just don't drink much alcohol. I've actually broken quite a few of my usual dietary rules tonight."

  "You have dietary rules?"

  "I stick to a fairly low carb diet and avoid alcohol and caffeine. I'd heard that Luigi's is a great place for a date, though, and figured I could bend the rules for a special evening."

  He smiles at me, and I fight to keep the look of horror off my face. No carbs, no wine, and no caffeine? What a horrible way to live. Instead I try for polite interest. "Oh? How … interesting. Why's that?"

  Scott laughs. "I know. You think it sounds awful. It's not that bad, really. I just like to stay in shape. Have you heard of CrossFit? I work out at the local box a few times a week and mostly follow their diet recommendations. I don't do full Paleo, but I try not to overindulge. I've already had a glass of wine tonight and the pasta with dinner." He shrugs.

  I'm not sure what to say. I've heard of the Paleo diet, I mean who hasn't? But I'm not a big fan of anything that tells me not to eat entire food groups. I love ice cream too much to go dairy free without a pressing medical need. And chocolate and wine are how I self-medicate after a long week of dealing with high school students. I like to stay in shape, too. But that sounds a bit intense for my taste.

  Scott leans in and kisses me, distracting me from my horror at his chosen diet and exercise regimen. He pulls back and takes the wine glass out of my hand, setting it on the coffee table next to his. Then he leans in and kisses me again, his lips opening against mine and his tongue tasting and teasing into my mouth. He tastes lightly of the wine he just drank with lingering hints of garlic from dinner.

  Just as I'm starting to respond and thinking about where this might be heading, he pulls back. "I had a nice time tonight."

  I smile. "Me too."

  "Can I see you again? Are you free on Saturday?"

  "Saturday's no good. Jenna and I are going dress shopping and other wedding planning. But I would like to see you again."

  His shoulders droop a bit when I say no to Saturday, but he perks up at the last bit. "Would Friday work, then?"

  "Friday's perfect."

  He stands. "Great. I'll text you tomorrow with more details." He retrieves his coat from the armchair and I stand as well, a little surprised that our evening is ending so soon. The kiss we shared seemed promising, but now he's getting ready to go.

  "Okay. That sounds good."

  He presses a chaste kiss to my lips and heads for the door. I trail behind him, feeling a little stunned by everything.

  "Goodnight, Amy. I'll see you Friday."

  "Goodnight, Scott. See you then."

  He gives me a little wave and then heads out the door. I close and lock it behind him. I was just getting used to having a man in my space again, and he's gone again within thirty minutes. Usually when I invite a man in, I expect him to stay a while.

  I look at the clock. It's a little after nine, which doesn't seem that late to me. Maybe he has to get up
early to go work out. He does seem to take that seriously, after all. Hopefully Friday will go a little better.

  CHAPTER THREE

  I'm back at The Barrel Room for the second time in a week. I haven't been here this often since early in Jenna and Brian's relationship when she would drag me along to hang out with her while Brian was working.

  She's insisted that we meet this evening instead of just talking on the phone like we planned yesterday before my date with Scott. She wants to hear all about the date and squeeze in some wedding planning with me while we're at it.

  We managed to find a venue with an opening on June 18, which is perfect. It's early February now, so they have four months to plan. Since this is the second wedding Jenna's planned, she knows how much work goes into it and isn't wasting time. Which means I'm being dragged through all of this again, too.

  We normally sit at the bar, but tonight we won't. It's easier to talk and plan in the chairs than at the bar. Plus, I don't want Adam and Brian eavesdropping on our conversation. Well, I'm sure Brian will hear all about it anyway. It's Adam who I don't want eavesdropping.

  I look around once I'm inside, but don't see Jenna anywhere. I check the time on my phone to see if I'm early. Nope. I guess she's running late.

  I stop short when I see Adam at the bar. He's talking to a customer, and is pouring a glass of wine. He turns his head and makes eye contact. The idea of turning around and waiting outside flashes across my mind, but he's seen me, so I can't do that. With Jenna as a buffer, seeing him is tolerable. Without her, it's challenging at best.

  He slides the glass he's filled onto the bar next to him, then reaches to fill another that he passes to the customer he's helping.

  He turns to me and pushes the glass of wine in my direction when I reach the bar. "You didn't do more than taste the Syrah I brought you the other night. I thought you should try it again."

  "Thanks." My tone is a little wary. After our last encounter I'm not sure what to make of Adam. He's being nice at the moment, so I'm just going to go with it. For now. I take the wine and have a taste. It's really good. He knows what I like.

  "So how did your date go?"

  My eyes snap back to his. "How did you know about my date?" I'd be surprised if Jenna or Brian said something to him about it.

  His dark brows come together in confusion. "I saw you, remember? On Saturday?"

  My face clears. "Oh, right. That date. Yes, it was fine."

  His brows are still scrunched together. "That date? Has there been another one?"

  I nod, taking another sip of the wine. It's even better with the second taste, the flavors opening up even more on my palate. I close my eyes to savor it, then let the wine trickle down my throat. "Yes. I went out with Scott again last night."

  His eyebrows quirk up in surprise. I'm not sure that I've noticed how expressive his eyebrows are before. His face is much more animated than Scott's. "Scott?" Is he reading my thoughts? Oh, no, he's reacting to my last statement. "The beauty queen?"

  I snort at that. "He's not a beauty queen. He just takes pride in his appearance." Adam's right that Scott probably spends more time grooming than I do. But I can't let Adam know that I secretly agree with him. That would be disloyal to this new potential relationship.

  "So are you seeing this guy now?" His tone is neutral, but his face is not. His brows draw down and in, his eyes get hard, and his mouth sets in a firm line. Why is he angry?

  I nod, keeping a wary eye on him, unsure what new and strange reaction my answer will provoke. "Yeah. We're dating."

  He opens his mouth to respond, but I'm saved from having to hear it by Jenna's arrival. "Hey, Amy. Sorry I'm late." She gives me a quick hug then turns to Adam and stops. "What's with that face?"

  Adam's still glaring at me, the muscle on the side of his face bulging rhythmically while he clenches his teeth. At Jenna's comment his whole demeanor changes, his face smoothing into something he would present to a customer, his lips curving into a polite smile. "Hi, Jenna. What can I get you?"

  She eyes him, not buying the sudden change of expression any more than I do, but she seems to decide to let it go. "Whatever Amy's having should be fine."

  Adam nods once and turns to get Jenna her glass of wine. She takes it from the bar and then leads me to a couple of unoccupied chairs in the back corner where it's quieter and far away from Adam at the bar. She sets the large binder she's brought with her on the table and then sits down, taking a drink from her glass and eyeing me over the top of it.

  I set my glass down and turn the binder to face me, flipping open the cover. "Should we get down to the planning, then?"

  Jenna wags a finger at me. "Not so fast, Amy. What was that I just interrupted back there?" She flicks a hand toward Adam and the bar.

  I sigh and close my eyes, rubbing a finger between my brows. "I don't really know. He was asking about Scott."

  "Did Scott do something to you?"

  I open my eyes and look at her. "What? No. Why would you ask that?"

  She shrugs. "I'm just trying to figure out why he looked so mad when I walked in. I could see him getting angry if you said Scott was mean to you or something. What did you tell him?"

  "He asked how my date went at your engagement party. I told him it was fine and that Scott and I went out last night, too. You walked in right after that."

  Jenna's brows are drawn down and she's chewing on her lower lip, deep in thought. Then her face clears. "Oh."

  "Oh? What's oh?" She seems to have come to some realization that is eluding me.

  Instead of answering my question, she gets a sly smile on her face and asks, "Amy, what ever happened between you and Adam?"

  "What? Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

  She shakes her head at me. "I don't buy that for a second. You guys flirted for forever and then suddenly you stopped. You avoid coming here and when you do come, you insist we sit over here instead of at the bar like we used to."

  I shrug. "I'm a teacher, Jen. It's expensive to come here all the time and buy wine. And the chairs are more comfortable than the bar stools. Even you've said that."

  She just looks at me, the disbelief evident on her face. "Uh-huh. And something happened with you and Adam. Every time I've asked you about it you blow me off and tell me nothing happened."

  I press my lips together for a moment, then take a drink of my wine before answering. "That's because nothing did happen. Not really. We flirted a lot when you and Brian first got together, and we went on a couple dates. After the second date I invited him in when he took me home and he declined. We didn't go out again after that."

  "Do you know why not?"

  I shake my head. "No. I thought things were going well. We'd kissed and it was hot. I thought inviting him in seemed like the logical next step and that things would progress. But he didn't come in, and then he didn't ask me out or call again. And when I saw him here he'd be all polite and professional, not friendly and flirty anymore."

  A wry smile crosses Jenna's face. "I'd hardly call tonight polite and professional."

  "Right?"

  Jenna looks thoughtful for a moment, then shakes her head slowly. "And he got mad when you were saying you're dating Scott."

  "Yup."

  "There's only one explanation."

  I gesture for her to continue. "Care to enlighten me?"

  She sighs, looking at me like I must be clueless. "He's jealous, Amy."

  I snort in disbelief. "Yeah, right, Jenna. Okay."

  "Yeah, right, Amy. He is. He was mad tonight when you were talking about Scott. Did you see him at the party on Saturday?"

  "Yeah. We talked for a couple minutes."

  "Was Scott with you when you talked to him or were you alone?"

  I narrow my eyes. "Alone. What are you getting at, Jenna?"

  "I already told you what I'm getting at. I'm proving to you he's jealous. What did you talk about on Saturday?"

  "He got me a Syrah because he saw me with champagne, wh
ich he knows I don't like very much. And he asked about Scott."

  "How did he act?"

  "Mean. And insulting. He compared Scott to a beauty queen, making disparaging remarks about how long it takes him to get ready because he's so well groomed."

  Jenna stifles a laugh. "He's probably right about that."

  I widen my eyes, trying not to laugh, but a smile fights its way out. "Yeah. Probably. Still, though. He didn't have to be nasty about it."

  She laughs now, a full on laugh. "That's what you think. He's jealous, so he's sniping at your date and being mean. He doesn't like seeing you with a really hot guy."

  I shake my head. "I don't know, Jen. Adam's the one who didn't want to keep seeing me. And it's been almost two months since our last date. There's no reason for him to be jealous. He had his chance and he gave it up."

  She has that thoughtful look on her face again, then she just shrugs. "You don't have to believe me if you don't want to, but he's acting like a jealous man if you ask me."

  I'm tempted to believe her. On the surface it looks that way. Except for the fact that he's the one that didn't want to keep seeing me. I made it perfectly obvious that I liked him. Embarrassingly so, given the fact that he didn't take me up on it any further than two dates.

  His behavior is just too confusing. We have a long, drawn out flirtation, in which he fully participated, followed by two dates. If it were one date, I could believe that he was just having fun flirting and the date was more like a pity date. But you don't have a second date in that case.

  So, fine. He decides he doesn't want to see me anymore. I can live with that. I can move on. I really liked him, but if he's not interested, then he's not interested. Why would he be jealous of me dating someone else?

  Jenna pulls me out of my thoughts with a dismissive flick of her fingers. "Enough about Adam. Tell me how things went with Scott last night."

  CHAPTER FOUR

  "Would you like to come in? I think I have some herbal tea."

  Scott smiles and follows me inside. I go into the kitchen to rummage in my little pantry for the tea.