Without another word, Jada led John toward the door to an accompaniment of camera clicks. No doubt someone was live tweeting the whole encounter and/or contacting TMZ as she walked. But there was nothing to do about that. She hadn’t done anything wrong, except unexpectedly dumping the star of a reality TV show during the season finale and then lying about having a significant other at home, but other than that, she was perfectly innocent.
Once outside the store, Jada turned in a circle. She needed to get him away from the windowed walls of the storefront. She spotted a bench farther up the block and headed that way. John fell into step beside her. He seemed to understand she wanted a modicum of privacy before resuming their conversation. Thankfully, they didn’t pass any other people, and the bakery’s customers had all stayed inside. Or maybe they had telephoto lenses and didn’t need to be within twenty feet to get decent photos. After all, everyone was an amateur paparazzo these days.
She arrived at the bench and dropped unceremoniously onto the wooden seat. Closing her eyes, she lifted her face to the sky, where the sun shone high and bright, and let the rays soak into her and give her strength. It was a lovely day, nothing to indicate that her world had been turned upside down less than ten minutes ago.
The bench shifted slightly. John had sat next to her. Her eyes drifted open. He watched her with curious and—if she were full of herself—keen interest. Okay, this wasn’t a time to be modest. She knew what a man’s interest looked like, and John was definitely giving off the vibes. But maybe not. Hopefully not. When they’d had time together on the show, tingles of attraction had filled her belly. Now that space was reserved for nerves. It felt nothing like when she was near …
Jada shook her head. “What are you doing here, John?” Her voice came out craggier than she would have liked, but that was a small price to pay. She needed to take control of the situation.
His lips, full and sensual, curled into an amused smile. She’d first been attracted to his smile. When he turned up the full voltage, it could be devastating. But then she’d noticed he employed it on everyone from cast to crew whenever he wanted his way.
“I came to see you,” he said with his smooth, baritone voice.
She couldn’t help but compare it to Donovan’s drawl, with its rough edges. She found it lacking in authenticity, if she was being honest with herself.
“Why, though?”
He threw back his head and laughed. “That’s why. I missed your particular brand of brutally honest communication.”
“Glad I could oblige. How have you been?” She really wanted to know. Reaching out to him in the aftermath never seemed right. Why would he want to hear from her? Hey, it’s me, the woman who rejected you on national TV. Seen any good movies lately? Yeah, no.
“I’m good.” He laid a hand over his heart. “Truly.”
“Have you kept in contact with the My One and Only team?”
He nodded. “Yes. Lila has checked on me a few times, making sure I’m okay.”
Jada hadn’t received the same consideration, but that was to be expected. The only thing she got were emails and calls asking, then demanding she do interviews. “That’s great. And you’re not angry with me?” She searched his eyes for the truth.
“I’ve found that anger is usually a manifestation of hurt. For me, anyway.”
Ouch. She felt that deep in her soul. She winced before she could stop herself.
He touched her arm. “Hey, don’t do that. I’m just being honest. I wasn’t trying to shame or embarrass you. When you turned me down, I cycled through the stages of grief. I can’t say I’ve gotten to acceptance, but I’m trying. I was so angry and confused. I racked my brain trying to figure out what went wrong.”
He looked away for a moment. “Then the show started airing and I was doing press. It was a lot. I thought I was doing okay, and then I saw you on social media with that guy, and I couldn’t believe it.” His eyes narrowed. “But really, that guy? Jock meets the Grinch.”
A surprised laugh spilled from her chest. He’d always been able to make her laugh. “Interesting description, but he’s a good guy.”
“But is he the right guy? I know you said you couldn’t stop thinking about him while you were on the show, but I’m hoping you couldn’t stop thinking about me once the cameras stopped rolling. We had some good times, Jada. You have to admit that.”
The hand he’d rested on top of hers squeezed, then turned her palm over and lightly ran his thumb up her palm in a sensual gesture. Danger, danger started flashing in bright red letters in front of her face. She casually withdrew her hand. “John—”