“David’s back?” asks Jennifer.

I flip a piece of popcorn in my mouth, nodding grimly. We’re both sitting on the floor in front of my couch. We’re a few episodes into a Gilmore Girls marathon.

“I thought you said he got the message loud and clear when you broke up last summer?”

“I thought he did.”

“So,” asks Jennifer. “Are you interested?”

I sigh, leaning my head back against the couch. “I’m going to tell you something you can’t tell Lauren, okay?”

Jennifer nods. “Okay… Are you going to tell her eventually, though?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. I’m just afraid she’ll go and try to kill Mark if I tell her.”

“Mark? Wait. What?”

I tell her everything I know so far about Mark’s plans to buy out my shop and tear it to the ground.

When I’ve finished, Jennifer looks down at her hands, frowning. “Can they really do that?” she asks.

“Apparently,” I say. “And the only way I have to stop them is to come up with an impossible amount of money. David could come up with that kind of money in a heartbeat, and so could my parents. I hate myself for it, but I can’t do that.” I realize how this must sound to Jennifer. She’s going to lose her job because I’m too proud to go to my parents or David for money. Still, I know I couldn’t live with myself if I did. Even if I let David bail me out, it would be like signing a deal with the preppy devil.

“Well… You’ll figure it out. I know you will.”

I nod, thinking about the possibility that I could also be mixing a pregnancy into this whole mess, too.

“What does David want, anyway?” asks Jennifer.

“He wants to get back together. Maybe my parents put him up to it or something. Who knows.”

“Does he really think you’re going to get back with him after what happened?” she asks.

I laugh bitterly. “It wouldn’t surprise me. I went to school with a bunch of guys just like David. They are given anything they could ever want. They get used to just taking what they want, whenever they want it. Cheating on me probably barely registered as a blip on his radar.”

“Asshole,” says Jennifer, reaching to grab a handful of popcorn.

“Yeah. They all are.”

She grins. “Reid is by far the sexiest of the assholes. For the record,” she adds.

I decide it’s finally time to get my car back the next morning. I thought Reid might just be joking about me having to come over to get the car. I thought he’d eventually get tired of it taking up space and bring it over, but apparently he wants to turn this into a battle of wills. Maybe he thought the only way to get me to come over to his smelly garage was by holding my car hostage. Well. He’s probably right.

I find him on his back beneath a truck. The muscles in his arms cord and tense with every movement of his capable hands. I clear my throat, averting my eyes and wait for him to notice me.

“You here to apologize?” he asks.

Apologize? Is he talking about the other night with David? He’s dreaming if he thinks I’m going to apologize for whatever is bothering him. “No. I’m here to get the car you kidnapped.”

“You mean the car I graciously fixed for you? For free?”

“I don’t need your handouts,” I say. “How much do I owe you?”

I didn’t come over here to pick a fight with him, but something about Reid just riles me up. Everytime, without fail.

He comes out from under the car and stands, stretching out to his full height. I feel small and fragile next to his tall, broad frame.

“You owe me dinner.”

“No,” I say. “No. No way.”

“Then I’m keeping the car.”

“You can’t just keep my car. That’s against the law,” I say, knowing I sound pathetic.

“Then send the cops. But you’re not getting the car until you agree to dinner with me.”

I plant my fists on my hips. I’m getting ready to give him an ear-full when his son, Roman wanders out from the garage. Roman is shirtless, his small belly rounded and glistening with sweat. I’m struck by the cuteness of Reid’s son wanting to go shirtless like his dad always does, and how he hangs around the shop and seems to enjoy himself there.

Roman waves. “Hi, Miss Sandy.”

I breathe out my anger, not wanting to scare Roman. I smile, kneeling down. “Hey there. Were you helping your daddy fix the cars?”

“Nope,” he says. “I was watching to see if you two were going to kiss. Daddy says he likes you.”

Reid slowly turns to glare down at Roman. “Traitor,” he mutters.

“Is that right?” I ask, looking from Roman to Reid. “Your daddy hasn’t ever said anything nice like that to me.”

Reid folds his arms. “Don’t listen to her, Bud. I say nice things to Miss Sandra all the time.”

“Really?” asks Sandra. “Care to refresh my memory?”

“Sure. We’ll catch up over dinner tonight. Wouldn’t that be nice, Roman?”

Roman’s face lights up and I feel myself being caught deeper and deeper in Reid’s little trap.

“Really? You’re coming to dinner?” asks Roman. “Can we have spaghetti?”

“It’s up to our guest. How’s that sound? Spaghetti. My place. Around six. Oh, and wear something nice,” adds Reid, with a devilish grin.

I’m left standing completely dumbfounded. I still don’t have my car keys. I am apparently expected for dinner tonight. And I’m going to have to cancel part two of the Gilmore Girls marathon with Jessica. Roman turns to wave bye to me as Reid leads him back into the garage, and all I can do is walk back home and wonder what the hell Reid Riggin’s idea of something nice is.

I arrive at Reid’s place after a short, uncomfortable walk across the grass separating our houses. It’s 6:07 P.M. He said around six, so I didn’t want to look like I was trying too hard to follow his instructions, but I also didn’t want to show up early and look too eager. So I chose a perfectly unassuming amount of time after six to come.

I’m wearing a strapless black dress. It only comes down to mid-thigh and it shows a little more cleavage than I probably should in front of Reid Riggins. Then again, I doubt any amount of skin is really all that safe to show around him. I have on a pair of black pumps and earrings my grandma gave me. I spent a long time on my hair trying to make it look like I didn’t obsess over every last strand. The truth is I’m nervous as hell, and I spent way too long getting ready.

I don’t know why, either. Yes, he’s gorgeous. Yes, he’s sinfully sexy. But he’s also absolutely insufferable. If it wasn’t for the vague and admittedly unlikely threat of his baby growing in my belly, I could safely say he and I would never have a future together. Something about the certainty of that draws me to him though, as odd as that sounds. Maybe it goes back to my young rebellious teenage years when I tried to date guys that would piss my parents off. Or maybe I still have no idea what kind of guy I want to be with.

That’s not true though. I know one thing. The David Cumberfields of the world can all go extinct for all I care. I could live without guys like Mark Riggins, too, for that matter. Thinking about Mark makes me think about my bakery. I still haven’t even told Lauren about it. I definitely haven’t told my parents or my sister, and I don’t know if I will. Jennifer was understanding enough, but I know Lauren will take it harder. She’s a good friend, but she can be a little overzealous at times, and I think she might actually try to attack Mark Riggins when she finds out. And my family… well, I’ll drop off the face of the planet before I tell them. It would hurt too much to let them see me fail just like they predicted.

My mind is still bouncing from thought to thought when I knock on Reid’s door. The sound snaps me into the moment. I’m really doing this. I guiltily wonder if what I’m really doing is trying to endear myself to him more so that he might want to stick around if I’m really carrying his baby, but that’s ridiculous. I’m not going to tie myself to someone for the rest of my life because of one mistake. And that’s exactly what it was. A mistake. If it even happened.

God. I’m a complete mess right now.

The door opens. I raise my eyebrows when I see Reid is wearing a dress shirt and pants. “Wow,” I say.

Reid smirks. “Wow yourself. You look great.”

I blush. I don’t need to do anything to boost his ego. I should’ve kept my mouth shut, but damn. There’s a definite sexuality to seeing him dirty and shirtless from a day of working on cars, but this look is perfectly sexy too. He even seems to have run a comb through his hair. Even in the dress shirt and pants, his masculinity is plain to see. He has enough buttons undone to show his tanned skin and the crease of muscle in the center of his chest. His sleeves are rolled halfway up his forearms so that his powerful muscles are on display. And the way the dress pants hug his muscular legs is mouth watering.

“Come on in,” he says, placing his big hand on my back, coaxing me inside.

The touch should be innocent. Maybe it is to him. But it sends heat pulsing from where his hand touches through my entire body, electrifying my nerves and sending me into overdrive. My mind calls up the images that have been replaying ever since the night of the festival. Bare, muscular skin. Piercing green eyes. A cock so perfect it has to be make-believe. Something daring and wild inside me wants to do a little research tonight, to compare notes, so to speak. The only way I’ll know what really happened is if I get a glimpse beneath those clothes of his.

I follow him into the kitchen, blushing at my own thoughts. That’s all they are. Thoughts. The truth is I’m not bold enough to make any kind of move. I’m just realizing coming over here was more dangerous than I thought. If Reid is planning to get me into his bed, my ability to resist is going to be laughable right now. I’m too confused and too drawn to him. With all the uncertainty in my life right now, it’s hard not to cling to the clear message my body is sending when I’m around Reid. And that message has sex written all over it.

Seeing Roman at the table coloring sobers me up like a splash of cold water. No matter how attracted I am to Reid, he’s still my best friend’s ex. If Tara ever found out something happened between us, she would never forgive me. Even if she’s far from being a pillar of trust and loyalty, I don’t want to hurt her.

“Hi,” says Roman.

“Hey there,” I say.

“Daddy makes the best spaghetti.”

“Is that right?” I ask.

Reid moves into the kitchen and holds up a jar of store-bought sauce. There’s an opened box of noodles and steam rising from a pot on the stovetop beside him. “What can I say. I follow instructions like a champ.”

I grin. If this meal impresses Roman, Reid’s cooking skills probably don’t extend far beyond the microwave. I get a sudden urge to bake something for them. I want them to taste my cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven. Watching Reid strain the pasta and listening to Roman hum is doing treacherous things to my mind. It’s making me start to imagine what life would be like if I was part of their family. Me and my unborn child. I could bake fresh cinnamon rolls for them in the morning. Reid would slide out of bed with his hair in disarray and hug me from behind, kissing me on the cheek and thanking me…

I must really be losing it if I’m daydreaming about marrying Reid. He just needs to open his mouth and piss me off, which I know he will, to squash all these crazy ideas floating around in my head.