“Hi, Rae.” The deep rumble of his voice carried a smile, rich and warm enough to settle my nerves in an instant.
He looked the same as he did in high school—those piercing blue eyes that I used to get lost in, that smile, his bald head because he started shaving it as a teen, and his beloved cowboy hat he always wore because his dad gave it to him. But he looked bigger than I remember. He was always muscular in high school, but now...Wow. He had a couple of tattoos on his arms now. My eyes wandered and I noticed he’d also grown his beard out since I last saw him. His deep red beard was now peppered with gray, somehow making him look more handsome than I found him the last time we had seen each other.
I quickly realized I had not replied to him yet and felt my face flush. “Hi, um...Thanks for helping me out there.” I gave him a small smile, trying to hide my embarrassment.
Chancing a glance back up at him, he flashed me the smile that made me feel like putty. “Anytime. I didn't know you were coming back to town. Last time I spoke with your parents, your mom said they were going out of town on vacation.”
“Oh, um. Yeah, I wanted to get out of the city for a bit and figured I'd come stay here while they're out.”
“That makes sense. How long are you in town for? We could meet up for coffee or dinner, or you could come to the farm and I can cook for you—catch up, talk about ‘the good old days.’” His laugh was like whisky laced with sunlight—smooth, bright, and it made my unsteady heart beat hard in my chest.
“Yeah, that sounds nice. I'd like that. I'm not sure how long I'm in town for, to be honest.”
“Oh, well, maybe if you're in town long enough, you and I could meet up more than once.” He gave me that smile again. Back in the day, I was a dorky teen, though, and now, I felt broken. No one in their right mind would want to be with me.
“Yeah, that would be great.” I tried to sound as upbeat as possible. However, I didn’t know if I was convincing enough. My nerves were still shot since the glass broke.
Caleb pulled his phone out of his pocket and passed it to me. “Here, type your number in if you want.” I did and passed the phone back to him. “I’ll text you so you have my...” He looked at it for a brief moment. He must have seen the sun icon next to my name. He smiled at me. “You remembered.”
For a brief moment, it felt like “the good old days.” He had called me Sunshine from the day he met me. He’d said my name being “Rae” fit because my personality was like a ray of sunshine, and I always brightened his days. If I only felt now how I used to feel.
“I did, Ranger,” I smiled back at him.
At the end of the aisle, a tall male resembling Ethan passed by, and a wave of anxiety went through me. My legs started shaking and soon my hands were as well. The world around me felt like it was closing in on me, and I knew I had to get out of here, to safety.
“Hey, Rae, you okay?” Caleb said, and it sounded like he was miles away despite standing next to me. “I, um, I have to go.”
“You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost.” Caleb sounded so concerned.
“S-something like that. It was good to see you.” I abandoned my cart and briskly walked out the door before I collapsed or embarrassed myself more. As soon as I was in my car, I locked the doors and started the engine, the keys jingling in my shaking hands. In my rearview mirror was the man I’d seen inside the store, not Ethan. He looked like him but thank goodness it wasn't him.
I thankfully never gave Ethan my hometown nor parents’ address. He just knew I grew up in Missouri and my last name which was not the same last name as my parents’ or my mom’s maiden name. My biological father had not been in the picture since my fifth birthday, but they’d chosen to give me his last name on my birth certificate, and when my mom remarried, we just never changed it. Thankfully.
My mom’s new husband was my dad, even if we were not blood related. I had wanted to change my last name to his for years, but I just never thought about it when I had time, and now I am thankful I hadn’t yet. While Ethan could do some research and find information eventually, I was hoping he would just stop caring at some point.
I took a few deep breaths and pulled out of the parking lot. Grocery shopping would have to wait, but at least I felt safe.
