Of course I remember him.
I remember Sloane introducing us the last time I was here. He declared us best friends the second she left to spend the summer traveling with her dad before he passed away.
For those two short months, I remember us being inseparable.
I remember drinking Capri-Suns and eating Cool Ranch Doritos together at the lake on the outskirts of town, his noodly limbs stretched out on the dock while he rambled on excitedly about the history of confectioners’ sugar or the science behind using salt in bread dough.
I remember racing our bikes down Willow Creek Lane, our shoulders pink and our freckles popping, before he wiped out trying to dodge the only pothole in town.
I remember sneaking into the Bramble Falls drive-in theater on classic-movie night. He couldn’t stop crying at the end ofFree Willy.
I remember eating entire boxes of Popsicles just to get to the jokes on the sticks while we swung in the hammock together in Aunt Naomi’s backyard.
And a girl always remembers her first kiss.
But…
“I don’t remember him looking likethat,” I say, unable to reconcile the cute, lanky boy I used to know with the specimen standing three people in front of me. “When did he get so…”
“Hot?” she asks with a giggle.
I shrug. “I mean, yeah.”
His once-short brown hair has now grown out in thick waves that curl at the tips of his ears and flop over his forehead, and a cream-colored apron is tied around a tall, fit body. We inch closer, and I notice the smattering of light freckles across his nose that I never appreciated when we were younger. He still has his full cheeks, punctuated by a single dimple, but now they’re accompanied by an angular jawline that adds a hotness to his boyish charm.
In the words of what I imagine might be on one of Aunt Naomi’s coffee mugs:Un-freaking-be-leaf-able.
“He hit a growth spurt sophomore year,” Sloane whispers, pulling me from my trance. “Then he ditched those nerdy round glasses he was always pushing up the bridge of his nose and, if I had to guess, probably started using the school’s weight room.”
The lady in front of us picks up a fluffy white kitten from the floor and moves to the end of the counter. We step forward, and my stomach does a weird little swoop.
Cooper Barnett is wildly beautiful.
“Hey, Sloane,” he says, grinning at her. He glances at me for a split second before opening his mouth to ask Sloane what she wants. But then he does a double take, his smile falling and his amber eyes widening as they fix on me.
How did I forget how stunning his eyes are?
“Hey, Coop,” I say, my lips curling upward into a grin I can’t contain. His jaw flexes, but he says nothing. It occurs to me that maybe he doesn’t rememberme. “Ellis Mitchell… Sloane’s cousin.”
I glance at Sloane standing beside me, watching Cooper with a furrowed brow.
“I know who you are, Ellis,” he says, a sharp edge to his voice.
“Oh.” My smile wavers. “Good. It’s been a long time. How have you been?”
“Busy.” He turns back to Sloane. “What can I get for you?”
Um, okay, then.
“I’ll just have a green tea, please,” she says. Then she turns to me, shifting her weight uncomfortably. “What about you, Ellis?”
“Do you happen to have a secret pumpkin spice latte that’s not on the menu?” I offer him my warmest smile, trying to thaw his inexplicably frosty attitude toward me.
“No.” He looks at the line behind us and sighs, obviously wanting us to move along. “I’d recommend the harvest spice latte. It has pumpkin spice, hazelnut, and gingerbread. It’s the closest you’re going to get in Bramble Falls, and it’s a million times better.”
“I doubt that,” I tell him. “But okay, you’ve sold me. I’ll have the biggest harvest spice latte you’ve got.”
He nods, taps on the screen in front of him, and gives me thetotal, avoiding looking at me the whole time. I swipe my card, and Sloane and I move to the other end of the counter to wait for our drinks.
