Page 76 of Make It Last

My lips curled into a smile. I was in my truck when her reply came through and leaned my head back against the seat for a second and let out a breath. I didn’t want to tell her I'd have to leave in a few days.

I knew I was falling in love with Ava. Not only was I shocked, because I had thought I was immune to love, but I was terrified.

When I swung in to pick up the pizza, I was waiting at the counter after I had paid, when I heard my name.

“Tanner.” I glanced over to see Laney.

“Oh. Hey there.”

“Every time I’ve texted, you’ve been busy.” She smiled too brightly. “Do you have time to talk?” she asked.

“I’m picking up pizza to go.”

“Oh.” She tilted her head. “We could sit down for a few minutes.”

The guy behind the counter reappeared. “Gonna be about ten more minutes.”

Laney’s brows lifted. I silently groaned. “We can chat while I wait.”

“That would be great. Thanks.”

I was uneasy sitting down across from Laney. She smiled a little forcefully again. Even though it had been a few years since we’d had any conversation beyond passing greetings, I knew her well enough to know something was up.

“How are you?” she asked.

I took a quick breath. “Doing well. You?”

“Well, uh, okay.” She twisted a napkin between her fingers.

“What’s up, Laney? I sense you want to talk about something. Can we just get to it?”

She let out a quick sigh. “I miss you, Tanner.” She moved to reach for my hand, where it rested on the table.

I slid it back. “Laney, we’re not together.”

“I know. But I’ve realized my mistake.”

“What do you mean by your mistake?” Unease slid down my spine, a cold sensation.

“I didn’t realize how good we had it.”

My mouth actually dropped open. “Excuse me?”

“I didn’t. I should have known better.” She swallowed. “I didn’t recognize just how good we had it, and now I do.”

For a moment, I remembered how I’d felt when we broke up. Back then, for about six months after the breakup, I would have given a lot to hear her say this. I would have wanted her back. But now?

I did a quick heart and body scan. I felt a flicker of satisfaction at her words. I wasn’t going to pretend I didn’t. But I didn’t want another chance with Laney. I didn’t even feel any attraction to her.

I shook my head. “Laney, we’re not getting back together.”

“Tanner.” She leaned forward again. “We were high school sweethearts. That’s not something everyone gets.”

“Plenty of people have a high school sweetheart,” I said evenly. “Laney, what happened? Why are you doing this? Just be honest.”

She hesitated. “It’s not going so well for me in Seattle.”

That tracked. A lot of people from Alaska went to Seattle in search of something bigger.