The pub noise swelled around us again—laughter, the clink of glasses, someone calling out an order—but the space between us stayed calm and peaceful. Like we’d found our footing again, even if neither of us knew exactly where we were headed next.
The moment lingered, right up until it didn’t.
I noticed the change before I saw the reason for it. The way Becca’s shoulders stiffened. The way her gaze slid past me and stuck. I followed it.
Travis stood near the bar, jacket slung over one shoulder. Same easy confidence. Same smile that never quite reached his eyes. He scanned the room, then saw us. His mouth curved, slow and possessive, like she was something he could still claim.
Becca exhaled, sharp and controlled. “Of course.”
I turned back to her. “You okay?”
She nodded too fast. “Yeah. I didn’t expect to see him.”
“Do you want to leave?” I asked quietly.
Her jaw set. “No. I’m not doing that anymore. I can take up space, too.”
That earned my respect. And maybe a little worry.
Travis started toward our table, stopping to greet someone along the way, as if he owned the place. He always did that. He worked the room and made himself impossible to avoid.
Becca straightened in the booth, lifting her chin. I didn’t touch her, didn’t crowd her, but I moved my body, making my presence unavoidable.
When Travis reached us, he smiled at me first. “Levi.”
“Travis,” I said, neutral.
Then his attention slid back to Becca. “Didn’t know you were out and about today—with him. How are things by the river?”
“Fine.” She met his gaze, calm but cool. “I am having a meal with Levi. And it’s none of your concern.”
“Whatever.” He glanced at me dismissively. “We need to talk?—”
“This isn’t the time,” she said evenly. “And for the record, it will never be the time again. Ever.”
Something flickered in his expression—annoyance, maybe—but he smoothed it over fast. “Just thought I’d say hi. Maybe check on you and see how you were holding up.”
“Okay, hi,” she said with a flippant wave of her hand. “I’m fine.”
Travis’s smile lingered on Becca a beat longer than necessary. “You always did like to talk things through,” he said casually. “I thought maybe you could talk to me. Please. How are things by the river?”
Becca’s hand stilled around her glass. It was so quick that most people wouldn’t have noticed, but I did. The faint tightening of her jaw. The way her eyes flicked up, sharp and wary, before she smoothed it away.
Travis stepped back with a shrug. “Anyway. Good seeing you. We’ll talk later.”
When he walked off, Becca didn’t watch him go.
I pressed my knee lightly against hers under the table. She pressed back.
Something was wrong. The entire exchange nagged at me. The phrase.How are things by the river?
He’d said it twice. Casual. Like small talk. Except Travis had not spent a single meaningful hour down by the river since he and Becca broke up. He’d called her living at the campground ‘temporary.’ He’d made his feelings about Aggie and the whole situation perfectly clear. Everyone in Sweetbriar knew she lived at Riverside Pines. But this felt like he was referencing something else. I filed it away to think about later and said nothing.
“That was weird,” I said, watching her carefully. “Want to talk about it?”
“Yeah. He’s nothing but weird.” She nodded, slower this time. “No. I’m okay. I’d rather not even think about him at all.”
“Okay.” Neither of us really went back to our food after that.
