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I lean back in my chair and squeeze my eyes shut, knowing this is an awesome but also incredibly stupid idea.

“Kendra,” I say, opening my eyes to see her already out the door.

“Kendra,” I repeat, hot on her heels and waving to Ed on my way out.

“Hart!” I shout down the bustling sidewalk as I push through bodies, trying to get to her.

Jesus, this girl walks fast.

Since I don’t have her phone number and no clue where Jenna lives, this is my one opportunity. And as I reach a crossroads, I look left and then right, but can’t see her, and my heart drops an inch in my chest.

Fuck, Jack.You should’ve just asked her in the café and not pussied out.

“Jack?”

I spin around to find Kendra standing behind me, pulling a purple beanie over her head.

“You basically ran straight past me, calling my name.” She chuckles.

When I step up to her, we’re only a couple of feet apart as the Wednesday morning crowds continue to push and knock past us.

“So … this might sound kind of crazy.” I shove my hands into the pockets of my sweats, already prepared for the look on her face when I say it.

“Go on,” Kendra says cautiously.

I thumb over my shoulder. “You remember I said I only live a couple of blocks away, right?”

She nods and then checks her watch. Fuck, she needs to be somewhere.

“All I’m saying is, I have a three-bedroom apartment with a solid ceiling, and I’ll be away a lot of the time so you could … if you wanted …”

Her eyes grow wide as she connects the dots. “Jack, are you suggesting I?—”

I can’t fucking stop myself when I place a palm on her upper right arm, and she cuts herself off. The second I touch her, I expect her to move away and for me to be filled with regret, but she doesn’t, and I’m not.

“I get it,” I reply. “Tyler, me, and the possible complications that could bring. But I can’t let you walk away from me and not offer the huge amount of space I have. You can treat the place like it’s yours. You won’t need to pay rent because I don’t fucking need it. You can save up for something, you know, that won’t collapse on you. You won’t even need to use the same bathroom as me.”

Stop talking now, Jack.

Kendra continues to stare at me, her face about as shocked as I expected.

I pull out my phone and bring up my number on the screen, handing it to her. “You don’t need to make a decision right now. Think on it if you want. But here’s my number.”

She types my details into her Contacts and then hands me my mobile, her upper lip raising slightly. “I don’t even know what to say.”

I shrug like I’m not fucking desperate to hear her thoughts. “It’s nothing. I could use a few more friends around this city anyway.”

When she flips her hair out of her jacket collar, I’m hit with something sweet I remember from college, and it takes me rightback to the house parties we both went to, but never really spoke at.

Checking her watch again, she winces. “I need to get to an appointment, but is it okay if I think about it? It’s just … with Tyler and?—”

“He doesn’t need to know,” I interrupt.

On another wince, she takes a step around me before turning and smiling again. “I’ve got your number, Jack. I’ll be in touch. And thanks again for … well, everything.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

JACK