Page 69 of Until August

Couldn’t argue with that. “Yup.” We were quiet for a beat, lost in our own thoughts.

“Oh! How did it go with your son? I forgot to ask.”

“A bottle and a half of wine would do that,” I teased.

She groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

“It was good. It was great spending time with him. I got to see him again today.”

She smiled. “That’s great. Is it hard being with Sasha now?”

I thought about her question. “I’m not sure what it is. Feels weird, I guess. When you have a kid with someone, you’ll always be in each other’s lives whether you like it or not. But we’re in a much better place than we were two months ago. I think she’s happy with her new life, and she’s starting to accept that I’m not going anywhere. And just to make it clear. I’m here for my son, not for Sasha.”

Judging by her frosty behavior earlier, I thought she needed to hear it. So I moved in closer and skimmed my hands down her arms, clasping her hands in mine. “I’m not trying to win her back or anything like that.”

And it was true. Sasha and I had gone our separate ways. Other than Sage, we didn’t have much in common anymore.

Nicola gave me a sweet smile. “You’re a good man, August Harper.”

“Give it some time.” My hands settled on her waist, and I pulled her against me. “You don’t know me that well yet. You might change your tune.”

“Nope.” Her hands curled around the back of my neck. “My mind’s made up about you.”

I kissed her lips, sealing the deal, just a chaste kiss that wouldn’t lead to more. Then I released her and took a step back. “Go home and get some sleep.”

She was still smiling when she opened her car door and slid behind the wheel. “Good night, August.”

“Night.” I waited until she drove away before I walked to my truck.

I had no idea how to navigate this uncharted territory, but I wasn’t going to figure it out tonight, so I shoved it out of my head. Guess we’d just play it by ear.

But for someone dead set against a relationship, it was already starting to feel like one.

Maybe this could be a second chance for both of us.

The fuck? Where had that come from?

Jesus. I needed sleep and a reality check.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE

Nicola

Ari rushedin from the dining room, looking frazzled, and smoothed her hands over her black button-down. “Okay, Nic, don’t freak out, but—”

“Hey, Ari,” August said, cutting her off. “Check on table ten. Looks like Courtney just spilled water in the guy’s lap.”

Ari’s eyes widened. “What? Oh crap. Talk about bad timing,” she muttered.

I eyed August suspiciously when Ari flew into the dining room to deal with the ‘problem’ that didn’t exist. “Table ten is fine.”

“Huh. I thought Courtney spilled something. My mistake.”

“What are you keeping from me? What was Ari talking about?” I scanned the dining room for clues, and that was when I saw him. TheLA Todaycritic who had slammed my restaurant. He was with three others—two men and one woman, “The Blonde,” as he always referred to her in his reviews. My mouth went dry. I grabbed my bottle of water from under the counter and took a sip before I returned it to the shelf and wrung my hands.

“What is he doing here?”

“Giving your restaurant another chance,” August said calmly as if my restaurant’s reputation didn’t ride on Jonathan Kessler’s review.