Page 41 of She's Like the Wind

“Well with Gage, I would be surprised if you said it was anything but.”

He sipped his wine with nonchalance, and I couldn’t help but wonder—was he playing with me? Did he see how much I still loved Gage, that I was just testing the waters to see how far I could go?

Or maybe he knows that casual relationships are part of being a grown-up, Naomi. You should try it sometime.

I glanced at him. “You know him well?”

“No.” He gave a careless shrug. “But in New Orleans, reputations are like humidity. They settle on you whether you want them or not.”

I sipped the last of my wine. “That’s cryptic.”

He eased forward, elbows braced on the table. “Not at all. A woman who knew him…and knew me, once told me that he was a man who built houses and didn’t let people live in his heart.”

I gave him a tight-lipped look and then added because his remark had struck home, “Are we really going to talk about another man while we’re on a date?”

He seemed puzzled for a moment and then let out a bark of laughter. “You are special, aren’t you, Naomi?”

“Isn’t everyone?” I challenged.

“You’re more so than others. It’s not just that you’re beautiful, it’s the grace with which you carry yourself.”He picked up my hand that lay on the table and brushed his lips over my knuckles. “I can’t believe he had you and let you go.”

I arched an eyebrow and slowly slipped my hand from his. “If we’re bringing up one of my exes, maybe we should throw in one of yours—just to keep things balanced.”

He was pissing me off now.

“I sit on the Jazz Festival board with Gage,” he explained. “That’s all, and I am sorry for being so uncouth. IthinkI’m jealous.”

“Youthink? You don’tknow?”

He laughed again, soft, self-deprecating. “Your candor is refreshing. I like a woman who knows herself.”

Thankfully, he veered off Gage, and I wished my brain would do the same.

We were nearly at the door when Jonah’s eyes flicked sideways, a flicker of amusement ghosting over his face.

I turned and saw Gage with his date, just a few steps behind us. I expected him to pass by like a ghost, pretend I didn’t exist. Instead, he stopped.

“Naomi.” His gaze dropped to where Jonah’s hand rested lightly at the small of my back…before lifting to meet mine.

“Gage,” I replied evenly, managing a smile I didn’t feel.

“Jonah,” Gage added, his tone cool.

“Gage,” Jonah echoed, just as coolly, not bothering to smile.

Sloane greeted Jonah with a pair of air kisses and a hug that was a touch too familiar. They all knew each other, of course—small city, big money, overlapping circles.

We stood there awkwardly close, Sloane and Jonah making small talk while Gage and I said nothing at all. The scent of his cologne curled around me, familiar and sharp.

Sloane and Jonah talked while Gage and I didn’t.

We did say goodnight and something on the lines of, “nice to see you” or some other such lie and went on our way.

Thanks to traffic being light, we were home quickly—no time to dissect that weird meeting at the door of Saffron. My ex, my date’s colleague, my ex’s new woman, my date…what a freaking mess! But also, a harsh reality check. Gage had moved on. I should as well.

So, when Jonah asked me if he could see me again as he walked me to my door, I replied with an enthusiasticyes.

I hated that I was using Jonah to help me heal.