Page 6 of Inked Heart
I smile and wave back.
Across the table, Emette follows my gaze.“Who’s that?”
My heart sinks again.“Damien,” I say.“Laine’s brother.”
Emette turns slightly to look at him.“Oh.”
The way he says it makes my skin prickle.“What?”
“Nothing.”
“That didn’t sound like nothing.”
He shrugs.“He’s that accountant guy, right?”
“Yes.”
“Huh.”
I wait.Because there’s clearly more.
Emette leans forward slightly.“Didn’t he used to be that skinny nerd in high school?”
The words hit me like a slap and I sit up straighter.“That was a long time ago.”
Emette chuckles.“Guess he finally hit the gym.”
My chest tightens and I glance toward the front again.Damien is talking to the hostess now, probably picking up a takeout order.He looks calm, focused, and unbothered.Like the kind of man who’s perfectly comfortable in his own skin.
Which makes Emette’s comment feel even uglier.
“People change,” I say quietly.
“Sure,” Emette replies but the dismissive tone tells me exactly what he thinks about that.
Damien finishes at the counter and turns toward the door.For a moment it looks like he might glance over here again.But he doesn’t.He just walks out.And I can’t explain why watching him leave makes something in my chest feel strangely hollow.
Across the table, Emette wipes his mouth with his napkin.“You ready to go?”
I look down at my half-finished pasta.“Already?”
“I’ve got an early morning tomorrow.”Of course he does.
I nod.“Okay.”
The waitress brings the check a few minutes later.Emette grabs it before I can even reach for my purse.
“I got it,” he says.
“Thanks.”
Outside, the night air is cool against my skin.Streetlights cast soft golden pools across the parking lot.For a moment we stand there in silence.
Emette checks his phone again.“I should head home,” he says.
“Already?”
“Yeah.”
