Free Single Wide Female: The Bucket List Mega Bundle - 24 Books (Books #1-24) by Lillianna Blake

met my eyes and set his beer back down on the table, hesitating just long enough to make me slightly nervous as to what his next words were going to be.
    “They can’t all be you, Sammy,” he said, his voice serious.
    I stared at him, a little taken aback, but a moment later he grinned and winked at me. All hopes that I had of his finally professing his love for me were dashed.
    “Thanks, I guess,” I said and drained the last of my Coke.
    Even though we had shared a meal together, and he had done his best to find me when he thought I was upset or in danger, I still felt like a bit of a joke to him. I couldn’t recall when, exactly, things had shifted so much between us.
    “I’ll walk you home,” he said as we boxed up our leftovers.
    “Sounds good.”
    We settled up with the waitress and I left a good tip. It was better than the money I had wasted on the art walk. I thought of the man at the wine tasting and the way he had looked at me with such interest and then such judgment. I decided it had to be exhausting to be so perfect all of the time. Max looped his arm through mine and we began walking down the sidewalk to my apartment.
    “How’s your tummy?”
    “Better now.” I sighed.
    “Good—so maybe now you can stick to being you, instead of trying to be someone else?” Max asked.
    “Who am I?” I frowned. I stopped. Since his arm was linked with mine, he stopped too.
    “You tell me,” he said and waited.
    “I have no idea.” I shook my head. “How can I be thirty-two years old and have no idea who I am?”
    “I guess you’ve spent far too long trying to figure out who people want you to be.” Max shrugged. “It’s easy to get caught up in that game.”
    “Seems that way,” I said. “Do you ever feel like you’re falling behind everyone else, Max?”
    “What do you mean?” he asked as we began walking again.
    “I mean, everyone around us is getting married, having kids, or dogs, or something amazing like that. We’re still acting like we’re in our twenties,” I pointed out.
    “Hey, speak for yourself — I do have a fish,” Max laughed.
    “Have you fed it lately?” I glanced over at him.
    “Uh, well…” Max frowned. “I better check on that fish.”
    “That’s my point,” I said. “Did we miss out on something? Why aren’t we gravitating towards more commitment in our lives?”
    “I don’t know.” Max shrugged. “I guess I’m just not ready to settle down yet.”
    “What is that?” I asked as we reached my apartment building. “What is settling down?”
    “Huh — a house, a wife, a parrot.” Max shrugged again.
    I had to laugh at his words. But I could tell the conversation was making him uncomfortable. As much as he wanted to make it seem as if I was the one doing all of the pretending, I knew that Max was hiding a lot as well.
    “I guess this is good night,” I said as we reached my door.
    “Unless you want me to come in?” He looked over at me as I rummaged in my purse for my keys. “We could have a glass of wine.”
    “No,” I groaned. “No more wine, maybe not ever.” I sighed as I unlocked the door.
    “So that’s a no to coming inside too?” he said.
    I glanced over at him, a little surprised. He wasn’t usually so keen to hang out this late at night.
    “Don’t you have someone better you could spend the evening with?” I asked as I met his eyes.
    “Better?” He shook his head slightly. “No. Someone different, sure. But no one better.” He smiled. “You know that.”
    “Sure, Max. Go home,” I said and shook my head.
    I opened the door to my apartment and stepped inside. I started to turn back to invite him in, but when I did, he was already gone. I frowned and closed the door. It was for the best, I knew. Being alone with Max when I was a little tipsy was probably not a good idea, considering the fantasies I frequently had about him. A little buzz could blur the lines of reality and fantasy.
    However, maybe the wine I’d had had