Speaking of Love (Perfect Kisses) by Ophelia London Page A

just say they’re not subjects teenagers would normally discuss in public.”
    Rick loved being like this with her, when she was relaxed and unguarded. These moments were rare. Rick was learning to cherish them.
    “Well, good luck with that next week,” he offered. “And let me know if you need any help thinking up embarrassing stories to relive.”
    “Don’t tell Principal Walker,” Mac said, then looked over her shoulder as if checking to make sure she wouldn’t be overheard. “But I get most of the topics from my own life or close friends.” She cracked open her soda and took a long drink. “It’s easier that way. Why be creative if I don’t have to?”
    Rick nodded. “What are some scenarios?” he asked as he rotated his body and leaned against the inside of the door, facing Mac full on. She was like watching a play, front row: she had her audience captivated.
    “Getting lost at the fair,” Mac said, counting off on her fingers. “Getting caught sneaking into the movie theater.”
    “Not you ,” Rick said, feigning shock.
    Mac scowled and shook her head. “Of course not.”
    Rick chuckled and peeled off his coat. “What else?”
    “Belching in public.” She held a hand over her mouth, squelching her own carbonated air bubble. “Again,” she quickly added, “ not me.”
    Rick burst out laughing.
    “Um, forgetting your passport at the airport,” she added, her voice becoming more hushed. “Death of a favorite pet. Getting dumped on your anniversary at the exact place you first met.”
    When her voice died out completely, Rick also fell quiet and just watched her. She was staring down at her lap.
    “That last one,” he finally said. “You?”
    She rubbed her nose. “Yeah.”
    Rick stared at her as she sat, ringing her hands together. He had never seen her so tense. He could practically feel it.
    “How long ago?” he asked, instinctively asking for further details. “When you were in high school?”
    The harshness of Mac’s angry scoff startled him. “Try three years ago.”

Chapter Eleven
    Mac couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. If there was a part of her brain that could stop it from happening, she couldn’t seem to find it. It was a subject she hadn’t broached with anyone but Tess. And the last time they had spoken about it was over two years ago.
    “Mac, what happened?” Rick asked.
    “Just like I said. We’d been going out for a year. I thought it was serious.” She rubbed her nose again. “He didn’t.”
    “Were you in love with him?”
    “Yes,” Mac said, blinking, her face feeling hot. She stared straight ahead at the dusty dashboard.
    “He left you?”
    She nodded.
    Rick sighed. “What an idiot.”
    Mac couldn’t help chuckling softly. “Thank you.”
    “I’m not saying that as a compliment,” Rick added. “It’s a simple fact.”
    “He was an idiot,” Mac agreed. “I thought he was going to propose to me on our anniversary and together we would run our own chapter of the Humane Society, and he thought it prudent to have me get all dressed up just so he could say he was leaving Franklin and moving to Paris to be with another woman.” She paused to catch her breath. “Turned out he didn’t even like dogs. I haven’t been in a relationship since.”
    Rick was quiet, too quiet. Over-sharing had never been her problem, and here she’d just relived one of the most painful moments of her life in front of Rick. How humiliating.
    When Mac lifted her gaze and turned to him, the confused look in his eyes made her stomach drop.
    She was the idiot here. She had just shared way too much—verbal diarrhea at its worst. No wonder she always tried to keep a lid on her past. The sudden, overwhelming desire to tell Rick private things about herself was not how their weekend was supposed to go. Rick was meant to fall in love with Brandy, and Mac was meant to build a snowman with Jeremy, then go home alone and set up another couple.
    Instead, she’d