This club was a bit more upscale and fit Bryce. There were still plenty of single ladies trying to catch the eye of someone, more of them on the floor dancing and grinding, but not like the clubs she used to frequent.

  When the music slowed down, Bryce was quick to stand up and reach his hand for hers, bring her to the floor and pull her in tight. Her head went right to his shoulder and she snuggled in.

  “You smell so good,” she said. “I like when you put cologne on.”

  She felt his chest rumble with the laughter. “I don’t wear it often. And I only put it on because you commented on it last weekend at the wedding.”

  “Are you sure it didn’t have anything to do with me jumping your bones after the reception because I’d said it’d been like an aphrodisiac?”

  “That might have played a little part in my choice tonight.”

  She liked that he did that. That he listened to the things she’d said. That he cared enough to know what she liked.

  “Thank you again for this. I had so much fun at the wedding, but I don’t expect us to go out all the time like this.”

  “I know. I just got thinking that we don’t do as much as other people our age.”

  She laughed. “I don’t need a lot. Just time with you and then a few nights like this, that is enough.”

  “Same here,” he said.

  When the song ended and the beat picked up, they made their way back to their table. After two hours she’d had enough and just wanted to go back to Bryce’s, get him out of his nice pants and shirt and fling these heels off her feet.

  She knew she looked good, if understated, but she liked wearing sneakers or being barefoot more than the heels.

  Like she appreciated he cared enough to know what she enjoyed, she knew enough what he did too. But fashion had its price and her feet were paying it now.

  “I think I’m ready to call it a night,” she said. “How about you?”

  “Are you sure?” he asked, looking at his watch. “It’s only nine thirty.”

  “More than sure,” she said.

  He threw some money on the table, stood up and grabbed her hand as they weaved their way through the crowd and to the front door.

  The minute they stepped outside, she made eye contact with someone coming in. An ex of hers. One she hoped she’d never see again.

  Adam was the last person she’d dated, or dated somewhat seriously. They’d been together a month or so and at the time she’d thought what they had was special.

  He thought otherwise.

  He wanted the candy on his arm. He wanted someone to show off to all his friends.

  He talked down to her and made fun of her job, but did it in a way that it took her time to figure out he was really doing it.

  When she broke it off, he made her feel so bad about herself, that she’d gone home and gotten drunk, then cried herself to sleep with the bottle of wine in her arms.

  When she woke up the next morning and ran to the bathroom to toss up the cheap wine, she’d taken a good look at herself and realized that was all she was.

  Cheap to him. Stupid. Dumb blonde.

  In his eyes she was just like all those other women he’d picked up in a club that he’d put in a category, and when she’d had enough, he let her know in the meanest way possible what he really thought of her.

  “Payton,” Adam said. So much for hoping he’d forget about her. Ignore her. Move on. Nope, she should have known better.

  “Adam,” she said back and started to move away.

  He wasn’t moving to let her through though. “Stepping up in the world, huh? This isn’t quite your style.”

  “Yours either,” she said back. “Now if you’ll excuse me.”

  “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend? I come here often and have never seen him.”

  Bryce stepped in front of her. “Bryce Fierce. Is there a problem here?”

  She’d give Bryce credit for lifting his eyebrow when he’d said that. She didn’t think he was much of a violent person and he wasn’t showing it now, but he wasn’t backing down either. More like taking a stand in a silent way that meant more.

  “Adam Price. No problem. Payton and I used to date. Just surprised to see her here is all. Like I said, it’s not her style. Then again, you aren’t either. Or maybe you are. If you’re looking for a good time, Payton is all of that.”

  “Excuse us,” Bryce said, then started to move away. Payton didn’t expect Bryce to fight for her. That wasn’t his way. That wasn’t even Adam’s way. He just liked to run his mouth.

  They were a few steps away when Adam said, “Did you know Payton can’t read? That’s why she tries to hook up with guys better than her. To move her up in the world.”

  Payton’s back stiffened. She never expected Adam to stoop that low. Nor did she ever know what she did to him for him to treat her the way he did. She was just sure he got his rocks off on it.

  Bryce turned back and looked at Adam, then burst out laughing. “That doesn’t even deserve a response other than you need to get a life.”

  “I’m not kidding you,” Adam said back. “Ask her, she’ll tell you the truth.”

  “Ignore him,” Bryce said and they walked back to his car. But she couldn’t ignore him because all her fears were just now thrown right in her face.

  Too Specific

  Bryce started his car and pulled out of the parking lot. He glanced over at Payton and saw that her face was pale and she was clearly upset.

  “Hey, don’t let what he said bother you. I’m not stupid. I know you can read. Good grief.”

  “Of course I can,” she said back.

  “He was trying to get a rise out of you and he succeeded. What was that about?”

  “Just someone I dated. We met in a club. A different one. One that catered to the younger crowd. He was looking to pick someone up and he did. I mean we didn’t go home that night or anything. I’m not a slut.”

  He never thought that of her. “So you what, exchanged numbers?”

  “Yeah. We danced, we talked. He got my number and called me the next day. He was nice and we went on a few dates. Let’s say he liked to show me off. Wanted me to dress up, put more makeup on. Do my hair. Those kinds of things. I mean when we went out it called for it.”

  Completely different than what the two of them did. “Did you enjoy doing that?”

  “Not really,” she said. “But I liked him and we had fun together. I work a lot and it was tiring. Then he’d talk down to me when I complained. Said that my work was meaningless and what did it matter. My aunt had died and the business was mine and I was struggling. It was stressful and going out with him was a release, but it was tiring me out.”

  “I can see that. I know how hard you work. So why would he say that? About you not being able to read? Talk about stupid.”

  He knew she said it more than once about not liking school. Not being good in school. But no one got through without knowing how to read. At least he didn’t think so.

  And the truth was, she had her own business. You couldn’t run a successful business and not know how to read or write.

  She texted him all the time. They went out to eat and she ordered off of menus. Though he did ask her to read instructions to him that one time and she managed to distract him enough she didn’t do it.

  Still, it didn’t matter. He’d be an idiot to not know that she couldn’t read and he wasn’t an idiot.

  “Like I said, he talked down to me. When I didn’t want to go out as much, that is when he’d berate me about stuff. About my job. Anything he could find he did.”

  “But why make that comment?” he asked again. It just seemed too specific to him.

  “Because I read slowly. There were times he’d ask me to look at something on the computer he was reading and then say things like ‘aren’t you done yet? How long does it take for you to read it?’ Then he’d question me on it like he didn’t think I read it.”

  “Sounds like an ass to me,” he said.

  “He was. I broke things off with him and then he got even nastier. Like he couldn’t believe I would do that. That he was the one that should have ended things with me.”

  “There are a lot of assholes in the world,” he said. Seemed like she didn’t have very good taste in men, but it was a point in his favor that she was single when they met and was now his.

  “There are,” she said quietly.

  The rest of the drive was done in silence. When they got back to his place, he had a feeling their night wasn’t going to end the way he had hoped.

  He pulled her to the couch and grabbed the remote and started to channel surf for something to watch, just wanting them to relax and take her mind off of her encounter with her ex.

  “Why don’t we go into your room?” she asked instead.

  “We don’t need to,” he said back. “We don’t have to have sex every Friday and Saturday night.”

  When she snorted, he tried not to laugh. He’d love to have sex with her every night of the week. He’d love to have her in his bed nonstop, but that wasn’t all he wanted out of her and he wanted her to know that.

  “It’s the only time we get to see each other,” she said.

  “We see each other all the time,” he argued. “I stop in and see you a couple of times at work.”

  “That’s different. We aren’t alone. We’re alone on the weekends.”

  “And you think I only want to have sex with you when we’re alone?” he asked, trying not to get insulted. She better damn well not be lumping him into the same category as the ass they just ran into.

  “No. I mean I know you like it.”

  “Who doesn’t like having sex? But that isn’t the point. There is more to you than your looks and what we do in the bedroom and I’m a little bit bothered I’ve got to say this to you. That I’ve been trying to tell you for months that you should think more of yourself.”

  Why were they having this conversation again? How many times did he have to tell her these things?

  Sure, he understood that her mother and father said stuff to her for years about this. That they told her to use her looks because it’d be the only thing to get her ahead in life. But in his eyes she was proving them all wrong.

  She’d gotten ahead just fine working hard and doing what she enjoyed. Didn’t she decide to even start to expand her business more? Wasn’t he encouraging her to do that when he felt no one ever encouraged her to do anything in life?

  Yet here she was letting some dick’s words bring her back down.

  “Yeah well, sometimes it’s hard to get out of that. To break away. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. If you don’t want to fool around, can we just go to bed? We can watch TV in your room.”

  “Sure,” he said. No use pushing things.

  ***

  The next morning Payton woke up first. She had a splitting headache from lying in bed all night and playing back everything in her mind.

  It wasn’t just last night though. Not even what Adam said, but everything in the past month. Even last weekend.

  How many times had she heard she was so different than the type of women that Bryce dated? Or that he never brought women to work events and then suddenly brought her. On top of that she had to deal with Anne and her petty comments.

  Then last week at the wedding, when she overheard Bryce’s family defending her from those comments again.

  She must be an embarrassment to them all and they just didn’t have the heart to say it. Or they saw that Bryce was happy and wanted to make sure everyone understood it and backed off.

  That didn’t make her feel any better though, that his family had to stand up for her.

  They didn’t know about her life. They didn’t know about her disability. And if Bryce knew, how much harder would that be? The genius with someone who barely got out of high school because she struggled to read and write.

  She still struggled, even though she worked hard at it. She wanted to get better, but she gave up so easily.

  And then he had to tell her again that she should think better of herself.

  She knew that. She’d always known that. But when people put their feet on your back and hold you down so much, it’s hard to push them off and stand up. Or stand up for herself.

  She walked into the bathroom and took a shower, then went into the kitchen and cooked him breakfast, knowing he’d be out soon enough.

  When he walked into the kitchen fifteen minutes later in shorts and a T-shirt, his hair still damp, strolling over to give her a kiss on the cheek, then asking, “Did you sleep okay?” she just wanted to cry.

  “I did,” she lied. “How about you?”

  “Not bad,” he said. He was looking closely at her eyes, reading the lie but not calling her out on it. “It smells good in here.”

  “French toast. Simple and I know one of your favorites.”

  “Everything you make me is one of my favorites.”

  She let loose a genuine smile. “You’re good for me.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that.” He kissed her on the tip of her nose, then walked over to get a cup for his coffee.

  She wanted to savor this breakfast together because she knew it might be their last after she got done thinking some more today.

  Got The Hint

  Bryce didn’t know what was going on with Payton. She’d left his place on Sunday morning her normal time. They’d had their breakfast together, she’d given him a kiss and gone on her way with her clothes like she always did.

  This time she was distant though. Not just actions and her words, but her eyes.

  She wasn’t making contact with him, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. Was it something he said? Or didn’t say? Should he have fought for her honor with that prick last night?

  He didn’t think so. It wasn’t his way. He said what he did and was being the bigger man. He didn’t believe a word of what the guy had said and told her that. Sometimes just walking away was the mature thing to do.

  Somehow though, he had a feeling she didn’t believe much of what he said.

  As if that wasn’t bad enough, they didn’t talk that much on Sunday when he knew she was back from prepping at Millie’s.

  Normally she’d text him when she was done and then they’d talk for a bit. But instead she texted him she was home and had laundry to do and a few other chores and errands to run. He got the hint and said they’d talk later.

  He wanted to show up first thing Monday morning for breakfast, but his mama didn’t raise no fool and something told him that he needed to give her space.

  But here it was Wednesday and he was ready to stop guessing because they hadn’t talked much at all Monday or Tuesday.

  He walked into Millie’s a few minutes after six thirty, knowing it’d be quiet and they could talk a bit.

  “Hey,” he said when she popped her head up to look at him.

  “Morning. I haven’t seen you in a few days.”

  “I figured you needed space. That’s the impression I’ve gotten. Has enough time passed?”

  She smiled at him, but it didn’t reach her tired eyes. “I guess.”

  “What’s going on with you?”

  “Just busy. I had a lot to catch up on Sunday. We were gone the weekend before for the wedding, then we spend so much time together on the weekends, that I’m getting behind. I used to spend the weekends catching up on paperwork and stuff, but have been doing it during the week to have the free time on the weekends.”

  He never realized that. “How come you’ve never said anything?”

  She shrugged. “It hasn’t come up. But now that I’m thinking of expanding the business to catering, I’ve been trying to work it out in my head and the time I need and so on.”

  “So you need some more time?” he asked. “For your business?”

  “I suppose that might be what I’m trying to say. Maybe we need to take a little break from each other.”

  His heart was starting to hurt. He didn’t expect her to say that. Needing to have more time to work on her business was a far cry from taking a break, or breaking up.

  “How long of a break? Why don’t you spell it out to me?” He’d done enough assuming in his life and was beyond that now.

  She gulped. “I don’t know. Do you need to know a timeline? Can’t we just play it by ear? Don’t you have your paper to write too? And the rest of your summer session to finish. The fall session is starting in a few weeks, so I’m sure you’ve got all sorts of prep work to do too. It’s probably a good time for us to regroup and think things through.”

  “I don’t have to regroup and think of anything, but it seems you’ve made your mind up and there isn’t any talking you out of it.”

  He turned and left, not willing to stay there and beg her. To tell her she was wrong or being crazy. That he wanted to know where these thoughts were coming from.

  That he felt like he’d been used again. That she had her summer fling, she had some fun, and now it was time for her to get back to work on her business.

  He walked to his car, got in, drove to his office and tried to get some work done, but he couldn’t focus. How the hell could he have known it would hurt this much? That he’d fallen in love and it was gone as quickly as it came.

  Maybe it was a good thing he never told her how he felt. The last thing he wanted was her to stay with him because of pity.

  Hadn’t he always said he wanted to be with someone who only wanted him for who he was, not what he could offer? Well, that held true for the reason he’d want someone to stay with him. Because they wanted it, not because they felt guilty or sorry for him.

  ***

  After a long day of being miserable and having to put a fake smile on her face, Payton let herself into her apartment and the tears just burst out, running down her face, her chest heaving while she tried to catch her breath.

  It was the right thing to do. To break it off with Bryce. She’d been waiting for him to call or stop in so that they could have this conversation. Actually she shouldn’t have been a coward and should have called him before today.