“Jack, if you really want her, you’re going to have to fight dirty. You’re Jack Eversea, talented actor and now I hear screen-writer and producer. For Christ’s sake, you have a face and body that make girls swoon—”

“Ah, Dev,” I say turning back to him, uncomfortable with his assessment, and trying to make light of it. “I’m flattered.”

“Shut up, Jack-ass.”

I smirk.

“You just have to make yourself attractive to her. We’ll start with her basic needs, and you’ll more than satisfy every one of them so she can’t turn you down. Did I ever tell you I was a psychology major for a while?”

“God, no wonder I just poured my heart out lying on your couch.”

“Yeah, well, it comes in handy, I can tell you. Especially when my pathetic friends become too miserable to help themselves. But right now I’m experiencing one of the first basic needs—I’m starving. What say we go get something to eat and start operation Make Jack Happy Again right away? Let’s hope she’s working tonight.”

That alone was going to piss her off, since she’d asked me to leave her be. But I’m going to have to trust Devon because I have no idea what else to do. I get up to head to the shower. “I hope you know what you’re doing. What’s the other basic need?”

Devon smiles and drains the rest of his beer, placing the bottle carefully down on the glass table. “Sex.”

“That won’t work on her.”

“Dude, you don’t think reminding her of the chemistry you two so clearly have will at least make it easier to get past her defenses and actually try and fix this?”

I pause at the foot of the stairs, running a hand through my hair. “Shit, I have no idea. She’s as likely to hate me more for trying.”

And that was the truth.

In all of my imaginings about what would happen if Jack Eversea ever lowered himself to set foot back into my life, telling me he was in love with me had never featured. Okay, wait. Imaginings, yes. Realistic scenarios, no freaking way.

And using his feelings against him? Telling him to walk away from me if he meant them? No again.

His eyes had flickered as I delivered my final words, like he wanted to close them against me but willed them open. His breath rushed out of him before he clenched his jaw. Like I’d hit him.

I knew it was a low blow. I was making sure he had no recourse. To not walk away would be saying he hadn’t meant it. And that was what I wanted, wasn’t it?

After Jack had looked at me in stunned silence and walked out of the house without another word, I marched upstairs and flung myself on my bed. I lay there waiting for dawn. Glancing at the clock now and again, it seemed to take like four hours for the clock to inch forward thirty-two minutes.

Of course, I’d had fantasies that Jack Eversea loved me, couldn’t live without me, yada, yada, yada. I think at one point it involved him admitting it to forty million television viewers during an acceptance speech at the Oscars. Seriously. I was only human. I mean, the entire time he was here in Butler Cove felt like a dream. A fantasy. Let’s face it, a delusion.

But never when I considered the reality of him coming back, if he ever would, did I expect him to tell me he was in love with me. Me. I huffed into the small pocket of heated space that was under the pillow then flung myself onto my back to get some more air.

I replayed every moment back in my head. Jack wanting to talk to me, looking so tense and … nervous as he spoke of me dating Colt. A notion I’d taken a perverse delight in not denying. I guess he was nervous, although I’d never seen him that way before. He almost seemed … jealous. Then the way he’d suddenly launched himself at me when I mistakenly admitted I wasn’t over him … like I’d given him the permission he’d been waiting for.

Damn, and I was just like some pilot light that had been left on for seven months, just waiting to be dialed up to full flame. Even now a dull ache thudded low in my belly. Why did he have to be the only one who could do that to me? It wasn’t fair.

None of it made sense. If he really felt that strongly about me, why hadn’t he contacted me for so long? I hadn’t even given him a chance to explain that. I was too busy being shocked at his declaration and telling him to leave me alone. And besides, what could he say that would justify his actions? I would stand by my decision. I had to. I couldn’t keep going through this. I had my own life to lead, and I wasn’t going to get dragged off course.

Trying to park my unwieldy pickup on Broughton Street in downtown Savannah was a nerve-wracking experience, both for me and the homeless guy sitting under the eaves of the vacant storefront next to me. I normally considered myself pretty adept at handling my truck, but my mind was scattered and tired today.

I finally got the truck situated snugly alongside the curve without incident and climbed out, not bothering to lock up behind me. If someone needed something out of my truck that badly, I’d just as soon not have to pay to get a window fixed.

Heading up the street past the Trustees Theatre with its large old school marquis, I did a double take.

The Princess Bride, One Night Only.

I seriously did not need to start seeing signs pointing to Jack everywhere I went, but there it was in black and white. Shaking my head to dislodge memories of the ridiculous flirting we’d done when we first met, one–upping each other with lines from the movie, I crossed the street.

I’d deliberately parked far away from Colt’s office on Bull Street where he worked with a team handling the private banking needs of the high net worth families of Savannah and surrounding areas. I needed time to walk, clear my head and get my game face on. I could also hit Blick, the art supply store, before heading back and not have to lug stuff around town. After lunch with Colt, I also needed to shop for a dress.

The sun shone valiantly through the canopy of live oaks in historic Johnson Square outside Colt’s office, creating a crisscross of shadows. I passed the fountain, putting flight to a kit of scrounging pigeons, and found a bench dappled in sunlight where I could text and wait for Colt.

Now that I’d resolutely put the idea of any kind of future with Jack out of commission, an idea that made my chest ache, I needed to address the situation with Colt one way or another. He’d intimated he wanted to be my date for my art opening at the Westin, and I’d been putting him off. I wished there were more time before the event so I could mourn and come to grips with everything that had just happened with Jack. Then at least, I could give Colt a fair chance. But to be honest, I wanted to go back to being on my own.

I looked up in time to see the tall, well-defined frame of Colt striding across the street in a dark suit, accompanied by an elegant and exotic creature in impossibly high red heels and a grey pencil-skirt and fitted jacket trotting as fast as possible next to him. Her dark hair was swept into an elegant chignon. Yikes. I couldn’t remove my eyes from her, and I felt instantly dowdy, plain, and unkempt. And really, really short.

“Hi, Sweetheart.” Colt leaned down, and wafting expensive cologne onto me, kissed my cheek. “This is Karina Knowles, she works with me. Karina, this … is Keri Ann Butler.”

Karina’s exotic face with its flawless skin and almond shaped eyes immediately broke into a smile of beautiful teeth as she stretched out a soft hand to shake mine.