I’m not special to him just because he told me a sad story about his past. He’s a flirt…a player…a good time. He told me himself: he hasn’t had a girlfriend since high school.
Ugh, why am I even thinking about this? He’s Hayley’s brother!
Not even Sunny Gillepsie is worth the humiliation of striding over there and making it appear like I’m groupie number five. Plus, it’s pretty apparent which business she’s going to choose for her article.
With my jaw grinding, I turn around and stride as far away from the talent show stage as I can get.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
DYLAN
I don’t considermyself a jealous person. But for some reason, seeing Nate fucking Williams put his mouth on Jade’s neck earlier made me want to put my fist in his weasley face. And I know that makes me the biggest hypocrite on the planet because I am literally surrounded by women right now, but here we are.
I’m also not thrilled about the way Sunny keeps hanging onto my arm, but I don’t want to embarrass her by shaking free. Cindi doesn’t seem to mind in the slightest, lifting to her toes and pressing a glossy, sticky kiss to my cheek. Probably because she’s so good at “sharing.”
“I was hoping I’d run into you,” Cindi says while her friends grin at me from over her shoulder, wiggling their fingers in a weird sort of wave. “We’re going out tonight and I really think you should come.” Her gaze travels over to Sunny. “You can even bring your friend if you want.”
Telling Cindi a flat-out no will undoubtedly lead to her trying to change my mind, so I go with something more neutral. “We’ll see.”
Thankfully, Ella saves me from having to interact beyond that by bounding over like a miniature superhero and demanding boardwalk fries.
The women coo over my niece, but Ella doesn’t appear impressed as she laces her chubby hands with mine and tugs me toward the food trucks. “Sorry, ladies. I’ve gotta get this monster some food before she eats me,” I say over my shoulder.
Ella chomps her teeth and growls low in her throat.
With my hand occupied in case Sunny gets any ideas, the reporter drifts along next to me. Every so often, she pulls a notebook from the back of her tight jeans and jots something down or takes a picture with her phone. We chat a little while we wait in line at the fry truck, and I buy Ella and Sunny fries. We then head back through the buzzing crowd toward Main Street, where the bulk of the vendors are set up.
There are more crafts in the high school gymnasium, and tonight is the battle of the bands at the football field. When I was younger, my friends and I used to spend Friday night down at the cabin getting roaring drunk and show up to the parade with raging hangovers.
Sunny glances up at me with a smile as bright as her name. “After all these years, who would’ve thought I’d be strolling down the streets of Still Springs with Dylan King?”
“Crazy, right?” I laugh, but it sounds forced. Reminiscing with a woman I barely remember isn’t something I care to do, so I steer our conversation back to the present. “So, what made you want to do an article on Still Springs?” Seems to me there are a gazillion topics more interesting than this place.
She doesn’t think about her response for very long. “With everything going on in the world, people want feel-good stories now more than ever. Plus, anything about fall usually gets a ton of hits, and small towns are trending. I told my editor all about our wholesome little fall festival, and she was immediately on board.” She sweeps her gaze from the candy apple and kettle corn stand down to the antique store’s gigantic half-price sale sign. “Although it doesn’t seem so little anymore.”
She can say that again. There are people everywhere. And while it’s a great infusion of cash into the local economy, all these crowds make me want to go straight back to the apartment and hide until everyone’s gone. I know it doesn’t make sense because I live in a city, but this is different because half of these faces I recognize. And from the glowers and glares, I know they recognize me too.
Ella hands me her greasy paper cup, and I pop the few crunchy fries at the bottom into my mouth before throwing it into the trash. “Well, your community appreciates it,” I say to Sunny. My sisters are still going nuts over the news, and I’ve heard a few folks up at the store talking about the article as well. When nothing exciting happens, I suppose this sort of shit is newsworthy.
“I hope so. A national spread is nothing to be sniffed at.”
I’m sorry, but that’s the fourth time since this morning that she’s said the word “spread,” and every time she does, my mind dives right into the gutter.
Ella asks me to buy her a bunch of rocks from a vendor, and of course, she has to have the hot-pink bag to put them in.
“Your niece is adorable.” Sunny ruffles Ella’s pigtails. The little beast twists around to glare and growl at Sunny. I have to bite back my laughter.
“Yeah, she is.” And she knows she has me wrapped around her pink-tipped fingers. “Hey, do you mind if we swing by my place for a minute?”
“Trying to bring me home on a first date?” Sunny says with atskand a playful slap on my arm.
Hearing the word “date” makes me break out in a cold sweat. “I actually need to get Ella back to her mom.” The talent(less) show put me a little behind schedule, not to mention all the trinkets we’ve bought, like the shiny rocks, a blinking tiara and matching wand, and a cross-eyed wooden doll.
“No need to look so scandalized. It was obviously a joke,” Sunny laughs, and I immediately relax.
The moment we round the corner, Ella darts through the crowd to where her mom and dad are waiting in front of my apartment. I’m about to follow her when my gaze snags on a familiar profile.
My feet remain glued to the sidewalk as the middle-aged woman with strawberry-blonde hair slowly turns toward me. All the air in my lungs escapes, and I’m suddenly an eighteen-year-old kid who just got one of the worst calls of his life.
