Chapter 3

Vanessa fastened the necklace again. I helped her move the flowers into a vase and tried to think of something else to say.

Two days later, I came home from work to find Vanessa waiting in the kitchen.

"I want to have my boyfriend over for dinner."

My hand stopped on the zipper of my coat. "Sure. Just let me know when. I can go out."

She gave me an apologetic smile."Thanks. There's one other thing."

I looked at her.

"Could you make dinner before you leave?"

For a second, I thought I'd misheard her.

"I told him I'm a good cook," she explained. "I said I'd make him something, and now he's looking forward to it."

I stared at her.

Of all the things Vanessa could have asked me to do, that was the one thing I didn't want to do.

I didn't want to spend the evening standing in our kitchen, cooking for Adrian while he sat across from her. I didn't want to hear him compliment her. And I definitely didn't want to wonder whether he would recognize any of the things I used to make.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Her expression fell. "Why?"

I looked away.

Because he was the man I had spent two years trying to forget. Because I had once cooked for him for completely different reasons. Because I had finally accepted that Vanessa was the woman he had been waiting for, and I didn't want to put myself anywhere near the middle of their relationship.

"I'm just tired," I said.

Vanessa was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "I'll pay you."

I looked back at her.

"You've still got your grandmother's medical expenses, right?"

That stopped me.

Grandma had always been healthy. Then, two weeks earlier, she'd fallen.

She needed surgery. The numbers had been sitting in my head every night since the hospital gave us the estimate.

My salary covered rent and the basics. My savings could cover part of the bill. Not all of it.

I'd already gone through my budget more times than I could count. Saying no to extra money wouldn't make the numbers add up.

"How much?"

Vanessa smiled, relieved. "Whatever you think is fair."

I let out a slow breath. "All right."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'll make dinner."

She threw her arms around me. "You're the best."

I forced a smile. "Just don't tell him I did it."

She laughed. "I won't."

On the evening Adrian came over, I spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen.

I prepared more food than Vanessa had asked for. I kept finding small things to fix—the table setting, the glasses, the sauce, the placement of the plates.

Anything that kept me from thinking about who would be sitting there later.

When everything was finally done, I wiped down the counter and looked at the clock. Adrian would be there soon.

I took off my apron."I'm leaving."

Vanessa looked up from her phone. "You're not staying?"

"No. You wanted dinner with your boyfriend."

She smiled. "Okay. I'll see you later."

I picked up my bag and left.

I hadn't made any plans. I walked past shops, crossed streets, and kept going long after I'd run out of anything to look at.

I didn't want to go home too early. I didn't want to walk through the door and see Adrian sitting at our table. I didn't want to hear his voice through the wall. Most of all, I didn't want to know whether he liked the food.

Eventually, I sat on a bench outside a small café and checked my phone.

Vanessa had posted a photograph.

The table was set exactly the way I'd left it. A plate of food was in front of her, and Adrian's hand was visible at the edge of the picture.

The caption read: [He says I'm an amazing cook.]

I stared at it for a moment. Then I locked my phone.

I knew it was ridiculous.

Vanessa was the one who had cooked, at least as far as Adrian knew.

She was his girlfriend. I was only her roommate. There was no reason for that caption to hurt.

I opened the message box anyway.

[Can I come home yet?]

Her reply came a few seconds later: [Give it a little longer. He just left. I don't want you running into each other.]

I frowned. I hadn't realized how far I'd walked.

By the time I stood up, I was several blocks from the apartment.

I checked the sky. Dark clouds had rolled in while I wasn't paying attention.

A cold drop landed on my cheek. Then another. Within minutes, rain was coming down hard enough that people on the sidewalk started running for cover.

I hurried toward the nearest shop awning when my phone buzzed again.

I pulled it out, expecting Vanessa.

Instead, headlights stopped beside the curb. A dark car had pulled over.

I stepped back.

The passenger window lowered. Adrian sat behind the wheel.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

He looked at my wet hair, my soaked sleeves, then at the empty sidewalk behind me. "Get in."

I tightened my grip on my phone. "It's not far. I can walk."

"Get in, Claire."

I froze.

He had said my name. Not casually.

I took a step back from the car. "We barely know each other."

Adrian watched me for a long moment. Then his expression changed.

"We barely know each other?" His voice was quieter now.

"Claire Bennett. Has it been so long you've forgotten me?"