Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right

Not washing my hands–that was directed at both Wayne and me.

I was cool with it, but Wayne looked a little awkward.

“I won’t get sick from a little dirt,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

Hayden walked over, holding a pack of wet wipes.

Wayne reached out to grab it, but Hayden kept his grip tight. So, I just took the pack myself and handed Wayne a wipe before grabbing one for me.

“Rea, who’s this?” Wayne asked, eyeing Hayden, clearly wondering why this guy wasn’t exactly being friendly.

such a strong vibe

“This is Hayden Hart, our lighting engineer,” I introduced him, feeling the weight of Hayden’s intense gaze on me. It pushed me to add, “And this is… my friend, Wayne.”

“Nice to meet you,” Wayne said, extending his hand to Hayden.

But Hayden just gave a nod, and before things could get me awkward, Demi jumped in, “Mr. Hart’s got a bit of a germaphobia.”

Wayne smiled faintly, withdrawing his hand and turning to me. “Let’s sit down and eat before the food gets cold.”

Demi licked her lips, eyeing the gnocchi. “Can I have one?”

“Of course,” Wayne said, then, trying to be polite, extended the offer to Hayden. “Mr. Hart, want to try some?”

“I’ll stick with my porridge,” Hayden declined, already walking away.

Demi paused mid–bite, then looked at me with a smirk “Keira, I think Mr. Hart’s acting like he’s got a serious stick up his butt.”

I gave her a thumbs–up. “You’re spot on.” This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Wayne chuckled at our exchange, then said, “Mr. Hart seems to have a bit of a temper.”

“Not usually. He’s usually cool and collected, though kinda distant. But today, it’s like he’s got a short fuse, “Demi said, her mouth full but still managing to keep talking.

Fortunately, our food finally arrived. But after finishing the gnocchi and cucumber soup, I wasn’t really in the mood to eat anything else. I left the rest for Demi and Hayden.

Demi was more than happy to share the meal with Hayden, but he insisted she go ahead without him since he had to get back to work.

I could see the disappointment on Demi’s face as he walked away, and it was honestly pretty amusing. “You seem pretty cheerful. I was worried you might be feeling down,” Wayne said, pulling my attention back to him.

“Why would I be down?” I asked, taking another bite of gnocchi and chasing it with a sip of soup. I’m not

#25 BONUS

the type to

wallow in heartbreak. When I’m in love, that person’s my whole world. But when it’s over, they’re nothing.”

Wayne nodded. “That’s the Rea I know.”

“How are your parents?” I asked cautiously.

It was odd they hadn’t reached out lately. Had they finally accepted that Jace and I were done? That didn’t seem like them.

Wayne gave me a small smile. “Do you think they’re doing okay?”

My fork froze halfway to my mouth. Wayne kept going. They still think you and Jace are just on a break. They’re convinced you’ll work it out, that you’re just cooling off and need some space.”

So that’s what was going on.

The gnocchi suddenly tasted like cardboard. I forced it down and muttered, “They’re gonna disappointed.”

be

“Maybe, but they’ll get over it eventually. Don’t let it weigh on you,” Wayne said, trying to be reassuring.

I wasn’t stressed–just guilty. They’d treated me like I w

heir own kid.

“They see you as their daughter. The idea of you not being around? That’s hard for them,” Wayne added softly.

“Daughters get married eventually. But even after that, they can always come home,” I replied.

When I looked up, Wayne was watching me.

There was something in his eyes, a flicker of something deeper as he smiled. “But if you married into my family, you’d be home for good.”

Yeah, that wasn’t happening.