Page 36 of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart

“Dinner with old friends,” he said.

“You want to take me to dinner at a rundown bar,” I said, making sure I understood exactly what was happening.

“Scared?”

“Of food poisoning, yes. Getting tetanus, absolutely. Catching fleas, almost certainly.”

He laughed. “Don’t knock it till you try it. Don’t tell me you don’t like a good greasy dinner.”

“There’s a greasy dinner and then there’s,” I waved at the building, “this. Do they even serve food here?”

“Best hot wings and nachos in Dallas.”

“I guess the better question is are they legally allowed to sell food?” I asked.

He rolled his eyes. “Get the stick out of your ass. We’re celebrating.”

“Ah yes, the sex dream. Nothing says celebration like a bar that’s older than dirt.”

He laughed and draped an arm around my shoulders. I didn’t try and brush him off. We walked inside the dark bar. I had been here once or twice with my father back in the day. The owner back then wasn’t real particular about kids being in the bar, as long as we weren’t drinking and didn’t rat him out.

The smell of greasy burgers and beer hung heavy in the air. It was exactly the kind of place I expected Kannon to frequent. He guided me toward the long L-shaped bar. His hand moved to my lower back. “This is my spot,” he said pointing to a stool. “You can sit beside me.”

“Oh gee, I’m honored.”

The man behind the bar raised an eyebrow at Kannon. “You’re bringing a woman to the bar?” he asked.

I didn’t miss the emphasis on the word to. Clearly, Kannon was a regular if he had his very own stool. I imagined this was quite the pickup spot. Just how many women had ridden on the back of his bike?

“Riggs, this is Merritt, Gary’s daughter,” Kannon said. “I thought I’d bring her somewhere she could appreciate real culture for a change.”

“And you brought her here?” Riggs chuckled. “It’s nice to meet you, Merritt. I’m sorry about your father. Gary was a good dude.”

“Thank you,” I said with a sad smile.

“What’ll it be?” Riggs asked.

“A margarita,” I said, glancing at Kannon. “And don’t you dare let him order for me.”

Kannon smirked. “You heard the lady.”

As Riggs busied himself with my drink, the familiar faces started rolling in. People from high school, old neighbors, even a couple of former coworkers from my first summer job stopped by to say hello. It was nice to see them—mostly. I did my best to be friendly, but part of me wished it could have just been me and Kannon tonight.

I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the dream and the way my body had been betraying me ever since. I was feeling a little possessive. I wanted him all to myself. With the way people were swarming, it was like Kannon was a celebrity. Again, jealousy was clawing at the back of my mind.

I had zero right to feel that way about him. Kannon and I had never been like that, not even close. Sure, there was a time when I thought I wanted that, but it wasn’t a good idea then and it wasn’t a better idea now. He would have been every bad decision wrapped up in one dangerously good-looking package. And from the way he used to look at me back then, I was pretty sure he felt the same. But we had never acted on it. Life had pulled us in different directions, and I convinced myself it was for the best.

Still, sitting beside him right then, laughing at old stories and watching him charm everyone around him, I couldn’t help but wonder what might’ve been. What if we had given in to temptation? I knew what would have happened. We would have fizzled out and probably never spoken to each other again.

Riggs delivered my margarita, clearly very proud of himself. I took a sip. “This is good,” I admitted. The glass even looked clean.

“Damn right it is,” Riggs said, puffing out his chest. “What’ll you have for dinner?”

There wasn’t a menu, which probably meant the offerings were exactly what I saw written on the chalkboard. “Cheeseburger,” I said.

Kannon held up two fingers. “Make it two.”

“Coming right up.”