“Hey, Lex,” he said with a bright smile as he jogged up to meet her.

“Hey.”

She watched him as he approached, knowing that something was wrong. Dark circles were beginning to appear under his captivating blue eyes, and his hair was rumpled. Though it still looked good. Plus, the Chucks were a dead giveaway. They were like a security blanket.

“You look nice.”

“Really?” she asked, considering her outfit.

She was wearing a loose, cream button-up tucked into a flowing coral skirt with her black jacket. She still hadn’t been able to find her scarf. At least, it wasn’t cool enough yet for it to be necessary, but she had thought it would go well together. Nothing fancy though.

“Really.” Jack nodded and pushed her toward the entrance to the restaurant.

He grabbed the door handle before she could reach for it, and then he opened the door for her.

“Thanks,” she murmured, walking through the door.

“Anytime.”

The pair got into line behind another couple, and they waited to order. Lexi already knew what she wanted, but she was really more concerned with what was going on with Jack.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” she prodded.

Jack chuckled. “Not here, Lex.”

His blue eyes seemed to stare straight through her, and she looked away quickly. She knew those eyes still had power. They were friends, but it wasn’t always an easy gaze to hold.

Lexi cleared her throat before speaking again. “If not here, then where are we going to talk?”

“I was hoping we could get into your office.”

“What?” she asked, surprised.

Jack had been to her office before, but usually, he would only meet her there to go to lunch or something. The office was closed. It was after-hours. He knew that. What could he want to go to her office for?

“I just need somewhere private to talk to you.”

“It’s closed, Jack.”

“You have a key, don’t you?”

“Well, yeah…”

He looked at her pointedly, pleading. “So, we could still go?”

Why was she letting herself get sucked in by that stare? It must have something to do with that desperation she had heard through the phone yesterday.

“I mean, yeah, we can go, but why do we need to?”

“I don’t want to talk about it here.” He actually looked uncomfortable. “Can we just go to your office? I was hoping we could get this to go.”

Lexi sighed. This man always had his own agenda.

“Fine. We can go there, but we can’t stay long.”

He reached out and squeezed her right hand. “Thanks for understanding.”

She stood still for a second as that same bolt of electricity shot through her body, like it always had. She saw it mirrored in his eyes, and then they both hastily dropped their hands.

Same old Jack, yet…still so different.

With to-go bags in hand, they returned to their respective cars and drove the short distance to her office. Jack got stuck at a red light right as she turned into the parking lot. Lexi easily slid her car into her normal parking spot even though there were closer places. It was just a habit at this point.

As she waited for him to make it through that interminably long light, she stared down at her ring. Her jacket was long enough that it covered her hands, and unless Jack had been looking for it, he probably wouldn’t have noticed the diamond on her finger. She had been meaning to tell him over dinner, but now that they were bringing dinner to her office, it felt too intimate.

Biting her lip, she yanked the expensive ring from her finger and placed it in the glove box. Ugh! She already hated herself for doing it. Her hand looked bare without the ring, and guilt seeped into every pore. She should tell Jack today. But…she couldn’t tell him. She hadn’t even told her parents or Chyna yet. Jack couldn’t be the first person to know.

A tap on her window made her jump clear out of her seat. Her hand flew to her chest, and her head darted to the source of the noise. Jack was laughing as he looked at her through the window, and she scowled up at him. She opened the door really fast and heard him grunt as it collided with his knee.

“Jesus, Lex,” he said, grabbing for the door to keep it from hitting him anywhere else.

Lexi stood from the car and smirked. “Serves you right. You shouldn’t scare a girl like that.”

“I didn’t think I would scare you. Chill,” he said, shutting the door for her. He experimentally stretched his knee out a few times, but then he seemed to walk just fine once they started up the hill to the entrance.

When Lexi located her office key, she opened the door and quickly disabled the security system. Once Jack was inside, she reactivated the alarm, so no one could follow behind them. Then, she shut and locked the door. They took the elevator to the third floor, and Lexi flipped on the light switch, illuminating the open office space.

Her office was one of the first doors, right next to the employee lounge, which was both good and bad. She always heard the latest gossip, but people frequently dragged her away from her work. Not to mention, she was one of the first people her boss would see when he walked in.

“Do you want to eat in the lounge?” Lexi asked, pointing at the open door.

“Sure.”

The lounge was high-end with two black leather couches, a mounted flat screen television, a small but sleek kitchen, and a wooden table that could seat six comfortably. Jack walked inside and set the food down on the glass coffee table in front of the couch. She followed behind him and took a seat on one of the couches before reaching for her food.

Lexi was anxious to know what he wanted to talk about. Too many scenarios ran through her head, but none seemed plausible. She never knew with Jack though—anything could happen. She wanted to broach the subject again, but he was already pulling out his pad thai and digging in, leaving no room for conversation. Seeing that he wasn’t going to talk about what had been so urgent yesterday until he was ready, Lexi reached for her sushi.

Silence with Jack had never been uncomfortable. Even now that things were different between them, it still seemed as effortless as it always had. He didn’t seem to be in a rush, so she didn’t rush. She didn’t have anything else to do tonight besides finally telling Chyna about the engagement. At that thought, she bit down on her lip on accident and squeaked. Jack looked up at her with a question in his blue eyes, but she just swallowed her food and looked away. He didn’t know why she was jittery, and she certainly wasn’t going to tell him after prying that damn ring off of her finger.

After they finished their food, Jack threw the rest away in the trash across the lounge. Then, he leaned back against the counter and stared at her. Lexi stared right back. She searched his face for a clue, for anything that would tell her what she was about to hear, but she didn’t like what she saw. His eyes were stormy and contemplative, his forehead was creased in thought, and his arms were folded lightly over his chest. Whatever it was…was heavy.

“Jack,” she whispered unintentionally, “what is it?”

“You remember that time we went to the beach together?” Jack asked.

Lexi tilted her head to the side and eyed him suspiciously. What did that have to do with anything? And for that matter, how could he think she would forget? That had been the first time they had…been together.

“Of course I do. What about it?”

“I was just remembering how you looked at me that day when you saw me in the sand.” His eyes were distant as he seemed to be recalling the moment.

“You weren’t supposed to be at the beach. You were supposed to be in Savannah,” she reminded him. “I was just surprised.”

“Surprised.” He laughed and shook his head. “You were flat-out shocked and lit into me, like it was all my fault for existing.”