The Love Square by Jessica Calla

the morning had been torture, not only because she didn’t seem to want to talk, but because running behind her was incredibly distracting, and every stride reminded him that he’d passed up the opportunity to be with her. I’m such an asshole , he thought with every step.
    He hadn’t known what to do when she ignored his texts, so finally, he’d broken down and called Scott, who’d assumed Alex had been a jerk to Jenna.
    Alex replayed the conversation in his head.
    “Really, I wasn’t an asshole. I swear.”
    “Then give her some air, for Christ’s sake. The two of you are on top of each other all the time.”
    Alex knew Scott was right, but separating from Jenna was near impossible, even for a day. So instead, he spent the afternoon immersed in her. He lay on her couch, watched her shows, and wrote her notes. He took the pillow from her bed so he could smell her shampoo. He brushed aside the thought that he was crazy.
    That she wanted to give them a chance was a miracle, and he’d thrown it back in her face with his “I can’t do it” speech. He hated himself for rejecting her.
    But after watching her shows and talking to her, Jenna seemed to be back to her old self the next day. They went for their morning run and talked in the park afterward. He drank his coffee in her bathroom while she showered, until she kicked him out to get dressed.
    Alex did a double take when Jenna came out of her bedroom ready for work, looking more amazing than usual. She wore a sleeveless, plain, gray dress with a tie around the waist and a deep V that showed off her long neck. Although the dress came to her knees, her legs looked incredibly sexy from the knee down in sky-high black pumps. Her hair, which usually hung straight down her back, was puffy, as though she had shaken it around.
    She looked down at herself. “Am I popping out somewhere?”
    “Oh, uh, no. You look…wow. Great.”
    “Thanks.” She walked past him and started the never-ending search for her keys.
    “You have a hot date or something?” Alex teased. He picked up her remote and flipped to the sports news channel to distract himself from thinking that he could be going to bed with her later and waking up with her tomorrow if he weren’t such a freaking mess.
    When he realized Jenna wasn’t moving or talking, he looked up and found her staring. “What?” he asked.
    “I sort of do,” she said.
    “Sort of do what?”
    “Have a date today.”
    Alex tried his hardest to act casual. “Really?” He lifted his eyebrows and heard his voice squeak. Smooth. “Anyone I know?”
    “Don’t think so. I met him online. Penny set me up with a profile.” Jenna continued to flutter around the apartment. “Now where are my keys?” She mumbled as she searched her purse.
    Alex hated the douchebag already. “Wait. You don’t know him?”
    “Not yet. We’re meeting at lunch.”
    Alex knew when Douchebag got one look at Jenna, he would fall head over heels in love with her. Damn Penny. “Online dating, Jen? Is that safe?”
    “We’re meeting at a public place, Dad.” She walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “You know the Italian restaurant by my office? Can’t get much safer than that, right?”
    Alex spotted Jenna’s keys on the television stand. He brought them to her in the kitchen and dropped them near her purse. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Just you and him?”
    Jenna grabbed her snack bag from the fridge, then mimicked his posture. “That’s usually how dates work. Is there a problem?”
    She stared, challenging him to show one ounce of the jealousy he felt. Yes , Alex thought, my idiocy is a huge problem. “No,” he said, shrugging. “Have fun. Be safe.”
    “I will. Geez, he’s a stockbroker, Alex, not a mass murderer.”
    “It’s easy to be a ‘stockbroker’ online, Jenna. Do you think mass murderers call themselves mass murderers in their online profiles?”
    “I guess not,” she said dismissively. “I’ll be