“Dammit, Ryan. For the last fucking time, it wasn’t a date!” I’m shouting now, and people are turning their heads to look at me as they pass on the sidewalk. I don’t even care. I hope they get a good show.

“I’m sure that’s not what he thought.” Ryan’s voice remains cool and collected. I hate him even more for his ability to stay perfectly calm.

I fling my arm toward the door of the restaurant. “If that man in there thought he was on a date…well then, I guess I know why he’s single. The only person he was on a date with was himself.”

I wait for Ryan’s face to break into a self-satisfied smile, but it doesn’t. Instead, he pins me to the spot with his dark eyes. They’re burning with intensity behind his glasses, and he takes a step toward me as if he can’t help it. My entire body heats as his gaze settles on mine.

“Why did you go out with him?” he asks, almost in a whisper.

“Because he asked,” I reply honestly. “Because I’m lonely,” I say a little louder, gaining momentum. “Because I cracked open one tiny little door to dip my toes into the publishing world again, and ever since, it’s been a freefall with one thing after another after another that reminds me exactly how good I had it. Because instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop again, I want to take back a little bit of the life I had before, but better this time. I might not deserve it, Ryan, but that doesn’t make me want it any less.”

He pulls his hands out of his pockets, but he remains silent. His eyes never leave mine. The sidewalk is empty now, and I shift from one foot to another. A street light blinks on above us, casting a soft glow over the scene. The ring on his right hand shines.

“You deserve it.” It’s so quiet, I almost miss it.

“I don’t. I walked away from the best thing I ever had and disappeared for five years. You don’t just get a second chance after something like that.”

His dark brows furrow together, and he shakes his head in confusion. “We signed you. You literally got a second chance. You’re living it, Scarlett, and it’s going to be great.”

I laugh darkly. “I wasn’t talking about the book.”

Slowly—painfully slowly—Ryan’s eyes widen. His jaw goes slack, and he leans a fraction of an inch toward me, then back again, like he’s trying to talk himself out of something.