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

get something like that for her."
    "I honestly can't believe they even make such a thing," I said, shaking my head at him. "She looks perfectly cute in the twenty-dollar one I got at Incredipet." We took a few more steps before I added, "Y'all have some crazy stuff out there in California," in an exaggerated southern accent.
    He laughed. "North Carolina's got designer dog collars, I'll bet."
    "Well, not Cupcake," I said. "I would never even buy me a ten-thousand-dollar necklace, much less my dog."
    A few seconds passed before he said, "I like your hair like that." He reached up and touched the back of my head, but as soon as I felt his hand there, it was gone again. I had styled my hair up with a scarf woven through like a headband earlier while one of my clients was under the dryer. Paige had actually helped me with it.
    "Thanks," I said.
    "I can see your dimples with it pulled up like that," he said.
    Bam, bam, bam, bam , my heart pounded. "I can see your dimples, too," I said glancing at him as we walked.
    "A pilot, huh?" he asked after a few silent seconds.
    "Who, oh Garret? Yeah, he works for Southwest." I slowed my pace walking so that I wouldn't be so out of breath.
    "I guess you like him," he said.
    I did not know how to answer that. Yes, I liked Garret. I liked him fine. But compared to Evan, I didn't like him at all. Come to think of it, Garret was pretty terrible by comparison.
    "How about you?" I asked, since I didn't know how to answer his question.
    "What about me?" he asked.
    "How are things with you?"
    "Fine, I guess," he said, shrugging as we continued down the sidewalk. "It's my first day back."
    "I heard," I said. "Mrs. Hunt came in to have her hair done early, and she was saying how excited everyone was to have you back."
    "My mom?" he asked.
    "Dee-dee," I said.
    He smiled, and we took a few more paces in silence. We were getting close to the salon when he touched my arm, causing me to slow down and look at him. "I probably should have called you," he said with a sad smile. "For what it's worth, I regret not calling."
    "Don't," I said, shaking my head. I had never been good at accepting compliments or apologies, and my instinct was to let him off the hook for whatever he was regretting before I even fully heard what it was.
    "Don't what?" he asked.
    "Don't feel like you need to regret anything."
    "I'm not asking your permission to regret it, I'm just telling you it’s a fact. I should have called, and I'm sorry I didn't."
    I smiled and shook my head, feeling completely at a loss for words. I knew the words coming out of his mouth that he regretted not calling me, but was I supposed to figure out that he was saying something more than that? Was he telling me that he wanted to be with me? Was he telling me to break up with Garret and run away with him?
    "Please don't be sorry," I said, touching his arm casually right before we approached the door to the salon. I meant it in a please don't be sorry, because if you are, I'll have to break up with Garret and throw myself at you type of way, but I didn't say all that. I just said, "Please don’t be sorry," and left it at that.
    He opened the door for me with a big smile and gestured for me to step inside. "You can't tell me not to be sorry," he said through smiling teeth when I passed him.
    Mia, Nico, and Tristan were standing near the door when we came in, so it was obvious that Evan was hoping to keep them from hearing him when he spoke. I glanced at him with a somewhat fake smile and thanked him for holding the door for me. My heart was already beginning to ache again like it did when I walked away from him at the coffee shop.
    "Are you headed home for the day?" I asked, smiling at Mia as I walked through the reception area.
    "We're gonna get some takeout and help Evan unpack a few boxes if you want to come by," she said, sweetly.
    "I'm, uh, I'm seeing your cousin's new movie, actually," I said, even though going to the movie with Garret was just about