Free It's About Time (Hunt Family #5) by Brooke St. James Page A

your last client?" he asked.
    I swallowed hard as I regarded him. I knew what he was getting at. He was asking me when I would be done working because he wanted to hang out. He was about to ask me to hang out. That was going to be the very next thing out of his mouth; I just knew it. I was pretty sure if I would have looked down at my chest, I could visibly see my heart pounding.
    "I'll be done at around seven, if all goes well," I said answering his question.
    "Would you want to—"
    I knew what he was going to say, and I couldn’t bear to hear him say it and then have to turn around and refuse him.
    I cut him off before he could get the words, "Would you want to… hang out ," out of his mouth.
    "How's California?" I asked, pretending that I was going to ask it before I heard him start speaking.
    "It's fine," he said. "I guess you already have some plans for tonight," he added, not letting me off the hook that easy.
    I smiled at him, and I tried not to make it too regretful looking, but it was difficult. It was Friday, and I had plans to see a movie with Garret. As I stared at Evan, I had the distinct feeling that I wished Garret didn't exist—or at least that I'd never met him.
    "I'm going to see your cousin's new movie," I said, trying to throw a distraction into my answer while not being dishonest.
    Evan smiled, but I knew he knew what was going on. "That's cool," he said lifting one shoulder in a gesture that said, I tried . "Mia told me you were seeing somebody."
    The bees. The colony of bees was causing my whole chest to rumble. The thought of him talking to Mia about me caused the bees to come back in full force.
    "He's a pilot," I said, feeling the need to say something but not knowing what to say. "He's gone a lot, but if he's home on the weekend, we usually get something to eat and go see a movie or whatever."
    Rambling. TMI. I took a deep breath, and reached out to squeeze Evan's arm as I continued to walk around him. I touched it and gave him a quick squeeze, and it was with great difficulty that I made my hand let go.
    "It was great seeing you," I said with a big, farewell smile. "You look amazing."
    "You look amazing, too," he said as he shifted to watch me walk around him. He was smiling at me, but his smile had all sorts of layers to it, and disappointed was definitely one of them.
    I walked out of the coffee shop feeling like my heart had just broken into a thousand pieces. I literally felt a crushing sensation on my chest, like something was compressing me. I could barely catch my breath even though I was only walking. I stopped once I got out onto the sidewalk and took a deep breath, letting air slowly into my lungs and then out.
    "You okay?" I heard from behind me. I knew who it was before I turned to see that Evan was standing there. My eyes were watering, but there weren't enough tears gathered to fall onto my cheeks just yet. I stood there with wide eyes, hoping they'd dry if I held them open long enough. I smiled stiffly, knowing I'd just been caught letting out an exaggerated sigh.
    "I'm fine," I said. "I just love the smell of coffee."
    He gestured to the coffee shop. "I just came over here to talk to you," he said. "I'll walk you back to the salon if that's where you're headed."
    "Yeah," I said, somewhat stunned.
    "How's Cupcake?" he asked when we fell into stride beside each other.
    "She's amazing," I said. "She's at my mom's house. She'll be excited to know you asked about her."
    Evan smiled, and we walked a few paces before he said, "Would you ever buy her a ten-thousand-dollar collar?"
    I got tickled at that. My nerves were already on edge, and the ridiculous question had me giggling. "Do they even make such a thing?" I asked, still laughing at the way the question struck me.
    "Yes," he said, laughing along with me. "I saw one."
    "Did you buy one of those?" I asked, with my face scrunched up.
    "No," he said, still smiling. "But I thought about Cupcake when I saw it. I wondered if you'd ever