He was checking me out. Big-time. He wasn’t even trying to hide it. His eyes dropped down my body and came back up with a grin.

A fierce blush roared up my neck.

The letter had me so flustered I couldn’t even think straight. All I could think about was what Zane had said. I wasn’t in the right headspace to deal with what I’d just learned, let alone this stranger who was trying to date me, here in my doorway, shamelessly ogling me and playing with my dog—Jason’s dog—Jason, who was here in my city and hadn’t come to see me because he broke up with me and didn’t want me anymore.

My other eyelid twitched once, just to remind me that today could still get worse.

“I’m sorry,” I said, reaching for Tucker’s collar. “He gets really excited when people come over. Tucker, let’s go.”

“It’s fine,” Adrian said. “I like dogs.” He let Tucker lick his chin.

God. I was two seconds from maniacal cackling.

Tucker finally finished with him and ran back into the apartment and Adrian stood.

Time to get this over with.

I grabbed my purse and slung it over my shoulder. Then I stepped out into the hallway and closed the door.

“I’m glad I have you alone for a minute,” Adrian said from behind me as I bolted the lock. “I actually wanted to talk to you before we went down.”

“Okay.” I turned to him.

My eyelid was having a seizure. I squeezed it shut and stood there looking up at him with one eye. I was positive I looked insane. My face was bright red and I had to cross my arms and tuck my hands into my armpits to keep them from visibly shaking.

But he smiled at me anyway. “I heard some of Kristen’s phone call with you earlier. I know you just broke up with someone and this date’s a little jarring for you.”

Oh God. I shook my head. “It’s not—”

He put up a hand. “It’s fine.” He gave me a smile. “I’m only in town for a few days and I’m just grateful for the opportunity to have dinner in Los Angeles with a beautiful California woman—even if she is unavailable. I just wanted to let you know that this is a zero-expectation situation. I’ve already been told that if I even so much as shake your hand tonight without your express consent, I’ll be punched in the forehead.”

I snorted, my face going soft, and I tucked my hair behind my ear. “Josh is really protective of me.”

“It wasn’t Josh.” He gave me an arched eyebrow. “So does Kristen hit hard, or…”

He actually managed to draw a laugh from me.

Adrian dipped his head to look me in the eye. “Look, let’s just have a good time,” he said. “Let me buy you some drinks and see if I can’t make you have some fun. Deal?”

He waited patiently for my reply. I relaxed a little. Taking the pressure off this date was at least something. My eyelid took mercy on me and relented and I gave him a weak smile. “Okay.”

He nodded toward the stairs. “Ladies first.”

We started walking. “You know, I have to be honest,” he said, holding the door to the stairwell for me. “Your pictures don’t do you justice.”

I scoffed. “Let me guess, Coachella?”

“Uh, no, actually.” He jogged down the steps behind me. “Headgear?”

I pushed the door to the sidewalk open, laughing.

Kristen and Josh were parked a few feet away. Adrian ran ahead and opened my car door for me. He put a hand to my back as I got in. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like any man touching me who wasn’t Jason.

Jason would never touch me again.

It was like I could feel him in the air now that he was here in California. He was all around me, like the sun on my face. It actually made me peer out the window, looking for him.

I let out a long breath, trying to release him from my mind.

It didn’t work.

Chapter 43

Jason

? Somebody Else | The 1975

It wasn’t hard to find the ones that were Sloan’s. I just looked for the paintings that looked like photographs.

Three hung in the gallery, and they all had sold signs on them, marked by red dots. I stood there, staring, studying every inch of the artwork, making out almost-invisible brushstrokes.

She touched these. Her hands had created them, her eyes had looked on every inch of canvas, and the art had sprung from her beautiful mind.

Pride filled me. I took a deep breath. I missed her. I missed her every second.

The click of heels on wood turned me to the approaching gallery curator, a polished gray-haired woman in glasses and red lipstick. “You must be the gentleman who called.”

I looked back at the paintings. “Yes. You said you had a Sloan Monroe available?”

“It’s in the back. Your timing is excellent. It was just dropped off. These don’t stick around for long.”

My heart swelled. I couldn’t take my eyes from the wall. “She’s very talented,” I breathed.

I hoped she had used the gift card I’d given her to buy the supplies to make these. I wanted to be a part of this. I wanted to be a part of it all.

It wasn’t over. It would never be over. At least not for me.