?<strong>Chapter 376:</strong>


    Katherine took it, her expression calm but her words cutting.


    “Shawn, we’re like this car—just not built for the same road.”


    Shawn chuckled.


    “What do you mean?”


    “It’s outdated, breaks down at the worst times, and never gets me where I need to go without trouble. Do you think that’s a good match for someone like me? I’m a woman who values efficiency and speed. Being with you feels like riding in this car—nothing but dys and detours.”


    Shawn blinked, realizing the weight of her metaphor.


    Shawn wasn’t upset. He rummaged through his car, which he’d owned for what must have been seven or eight years, and pulled out a heat patch.


    “Think hanging out with me is a waste? I’d say those boyfriends you had before were the real waste of your time.”


    Katherine, feeling the familiar difort from her period, blinked in surprise when he handed her the patch. Her heart skipped a beat.


    Did Shawn really know her that well?


    “Who said that? They were all great. Talented. Promising, even!” she shot back.


    Since she was a child, Katherine had admired people more capable than herself. Her ex-boyfriends had always been impressive in some way—whether it was their ambition or their ability to support her.


    Shawn, however, was painfully ordinary in most aspects. Sure, he was good-looking and easygoing, but he didn’t have that spark, that thing that made her heart race.


    Yet, somehow, this man had been weighing on hertely, making her feel like she was constantly sneaking around. She steeled herself. Enough was enough—time toy it all out there!


    Fixing her gaze on him, Katherine took a breath.


    “Shawn, I’m practical, okay? Whoever I’m with needs to either take care of me or help push me forward in my career. You can’t do either of those things. You know what they say, right? Once someone’s experienced the best, they can’t settle for less. Once you’ve loved a rose, how can you be content with a daisy? So—”


    But before she could finish, Shawn leaned in, his face suddenly much closer, his features magnified.


    His eyshes fluttered slightly as he pulled back and met her gazezily.


    “Go on, keep spouting that nonsense, and I’ll kiss you again!”


    Katherine covered her mouth, staring at him in stunned silence for a solid four or five seconds before she exploded.


    “Shawn Watson! Do you really think I won’t do something to you?”


    She swung at him a couple of times, but Shawn effortlessly caught her wrists, holding them firmly in ce. If there was one way to describe Katherine at that moment, it was all bark, no bite.


    Truthfully, she was scared.


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