Sweet Trouble by Susan Mallery

she were in the mood to be honest, she had some personal interest in getting to know him. He was still the only man she had ever loved.
    “I could meet you for dinner,” she said, grateful that she was staying with Paula and wouldn’t have to worry about finding a sitter. Gabe adored his grandmother and the feeling was mutual.
    “I know a quiet Italian place close to you,” he said. “Grazies.” He gave her the address and simple directions. “Seven?”
    “That’s fine. I’ll be there.”

    JESSE PULLED INTO THE parking lot a couple of minutes early, which gave her a chance to check her makeup in the rearview mirror and try to get her breathing under control. She was beyond nervous and telling herself to get a grip wasn’t helping.
    Too much had happened too fast. Coming home, dealing with family, seeing Matt, knowing everyone in Seattle she cared about hated her. The irony with Matt was she hadn’t done anything wrong. She’d fallen in love with him, nothing more. Yet he blamed her for so much.
    “Deep breaths,” she told herself as she climbed out of her car and walked toward the restaurant.
    Matt was waiting by the front desk, looking tall and handsome in a long-sleeved shirt and slacks. He’d come a long way from that geeky computer nerd she’d first met in a Starbucks years ago. But were all the changes on the outside or had he transformed who he was inside as well?
    They were led to a booth by a window overlooking the patio. Jesse slid in then took the offered menu. Despite how great everything sounded, she didn’t know if she was going to be able to eat. Not sitting across from Matt.
    He thanked their server and studied the wine list. “They have a nice selection of Italian wines,” he told her. “Any preferences?”
    “No. Whatever looks good to you is fine.”
    He nodded, still studying the wines.
    She remembered the first time they’d gone to dinner at the Olive Garden. She’d thought he was adorable. She still remembered the flash of his smile and how she’d realized he was someone she might have to worry about.
    “What are you thinking?” Matt asked.
    “Nothing much.”
    “It was something. You had an interesting look on your face.”
    She didn’t feel that telling him the truth was a good idea. “I saw Nicole today. We had a tasting for the brownies I’ve been working on and she liked them. We’re going to start selling them in the bakery.”
    “That’s good. Things are going well with her?”
    Jesse thought about her sister’s determination to think the worst of her. “We’re making progress.”
    “You’re still staying with my mother?”
    “Yes.” Did he want to hear about the woman who’d raised him? Did he miss her? “She’s been wonderful. Gabe thinks she’s fabulous and she can’t get enough of him. They play and watch movies and go for walks. I kind of feel guilty for having so much free time. It’s been nice.”
    Matt’s expression was impossible to read. She searched his dark eyes, but he wasn’t giving anything away.
    She hesitated, then said, “She’s changed. Before she didn’t want anything to do with me. I think she would have been happy if I’d been run over by a truck and left on the side of the road.”
    “Probably,” Matt told her.
    Ouch. Not that it wasn’t true. “But she’s different now. Open. She wants a relationship with me and Gabe.” Jesse touched her water glass but didn’t pick it up. “She misses you.”
    The server appeared. Jesse sighed at the timing. They placed their orders. When they were alone again, she said, “What happened between the two of you? You used to be so close. I know I got caught in the middle.”
    He stared at her for a long time. “I never forgave her for telling me about you and Drew.”
    His voice was low and flat. Despite her innocence, she flushed. The humiliation was hard to escape.
    Paula had come to the house to do whatever she could to break up Jesse and Matt. Nicole had told her that Jesse