I already knew they weren’t. Born and raised in Cedar Falls, only leaving for four years of college, I knew everyone in this town.
“We’re from PA,” the blonde said. “Here for a girls’ weekend.”
As if I hadn’t figured that one out already. I was about to ask their names when Parker called my name. That fucker had been my wing-man for as many years as I could count. What the hell was he thinking?
“Be right back,” I said, grabbing some empties and a tip along the way.
I tossed the empty cans, about to lay into him when I realized why he’d failed in wing-man duties.
Every muscle in my body tensed as I spotted her making her way toward the bar. It would be impossible not to notice the boss’s daughter, no longer the girl who’d grown up next door to me. Mae O’Malley had always been the cutest kid on the block. The darling in elementary school. Prettiest girl in middle school. But then in high school, something else blossomed in her. An awareness of her inherent goodness and intelligence so that, by the time she left for the Culinary Institute, her confidence matched her beauty.
Mae’s long dirty-blonde hair was tied in two loose braids, one thing that hadn’t changed since it had always been a favorite hairstyle of hers. It ended just above her full breasts, and she managed to look both innocently girly and impossibly sophisticated all at once. Her flawless complexion glowed, the minimal makeup she wore enhancing a natural beauty that was without compare. After two years in France, she sauntered toward us with a confidence and sophistication that screamed “not from Cedar Falls.”
Except she was. But now she was back, with a French fiancé. Frankly, I wasn’t ready for this.
“How about a round of shots?” Cole interrupted my thought, forcing me to tear my gaze from Mae. Parker and Cole waited for my reaction.
I immediately headed for the tequila, poured one for myself, downed it, and poured three more for Cole, Parker and me.
It was gonna be a long night.
2
MAE
“Surprise!”
Before I could respond, Jules tossed her arms around me. I had no idea why she was yelling surprise, but it was so good to see a familiar face. I held on, probably a little too tight, because when my long-time friend pulled away, she already looked concerned.
“Mae?” she asked, staring at me like she was trying to solve a puzzle and I was the last stubborn piece.
“What’s the surprise for?” I asked, avoiding the question which I’d eventually have to answer.
Jules pointed to a corner table. It was hard to tell with a crowd in the way who was exactly sitting around it, but there were at least seven or eight people.
“It’s not like a welcome home party or anything, just a few people who can’t wait to see you.”
Inwardly groaning, I was about to plaster a smile on my face and suck it up but instead I found myself being pulled toward the entrance of my parents’ bar. Resisting Jules was like standing in front of a tidal wave and expecting to stay dry. As the chatter and laughter of O’Malley’s Pub died away and the door closed behind us, I found myself back on the sidewalk. As always in May, especially with good weather, the small-town square was filled with locals and visitors alike. Some sat in the gazebo in the center of the small park in front of us. Others wandered in and out of restaurants and the few shops that were still open.
Good ol’ Cedar Falls. For how much I’d wanted to get out of this town, there was something oddly comforting about being back. Maybe not so odd. Only someone that you’d known since middle school would look at you with the same concerned expression as Jules wore right now.
I will not cry. He isn’t worth my tears.
“It has something to do with you ghosting me for the past few weeks, doesn’t it?” Jules and I moved away from the entrance of the bar as a couple made their way inside.
“I didn’t ghost you,” I argued. “As if I’d ever…”
Jules crossed her arms. At all of five foot nothing, her pitch-black hair and wispy bangs didn’t hide one of my friend’s most unique features. Light green eyes blazed, Jules daring me to refute her.
“Okay, okay. I get what you mean.”
“Spill. Now.”
She was as much as a spitfire as the day we met. Thinking of how to say it, not having told anyone except my parents when they picked me up from the airport last night, I went for the direct approach.
“We broke up.”
Jules’s jaw dropped. Her eyes widened. She was no longer crossing her arms, which flew to her mouth. “Oh my God, Mae. What the hell happened?”
