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“His ex came back and she’s pregnant. They were together for a long time, and once you see her, you realize I don’t belong in the glitz and glam world that he’s used to. It’s easier for me to remove myself from the narrative.”
“Are you planning to go back, Kelsey?” he asks as he turns the corner and pulls into a parking spot in front of the general store. I look out the window and sigh.
“Some things never change,” I mutter.
“Small towns never want to change.” Dalton helps me out of the car, and we make our way to the hardware store.
“Well as I live in breath if it isn’t little Kelsey Sloane,” Mr. Hanley says as we walk into the store. He comes around the corner and gives me a hug.
“Hello, Mr. Hanley, it’s nice to see you.”
“How is that rainy place you moved to treating you?”
“It’s nice, but it’s not New York.”
“Nothing ever is.” Mr. Hanley gives me another hug and then goes to help a customer.
I linger near the front and wait for Dalton, looking at the odds and ends of Mr. Hanley stocks. When the door opens, I don’t look to see who it is. I figure if I avoid eye contact, no one will want to talk to me.
“No way.”
It’s been years since I’ve seen Tanner Pritchard. After our freshman year in college, he went on a road trip and never returned. He got to Texas and never left. That was the end of our three-year relationship.
I turn slowly and smile when our eyes meet. “Hey, Tanner.”
“Wow, itismy Kelsey.” We hug and it feels familiar. I didn’t expect this feeling. We haven’t seen each other in years. “I heard you’re dating some pro football player?”
“Nah,” I say, playing it off. “He’s a client and took pity on me and showed me around Portland.” This is easier than telling my old ex that my current ex broke my heart into a thousand pieces, and I could’ve prevented all of it by rebuffing his advances. He also doesn’t need to know why Alex broke my heart.
“Well, I’ll have to send him a thank you card for taking care of my girl.”
I am so not your girl anymore.
“So, what’s new?” I ask.
“Well, I got married, had a kid, and now I’m divorced. I moved to Rochester over the summer so my daughter can be closer to my parents. Her mom . . .” Tanner trails off.
I put my hand on his arm. “It’s okay, you don’t need to fill me in. I’m just happy to hear you’re doing well.”
“We should grab dinner while you’re here. Maybe I can convince you to stay.”
“Sure.” Although, I’m not positive I want to grab dinner. Nothing against Tanner, but the last thing I want to do is fall back into old habits. They were hard to kick the first time around.
“Are you staying with your parents?”
I nod. Where else would I be?
“Let me see your cell phone. I’ll give you my number.”
I reach for my back pocket, only to realize my phone isn’t in it. “Oh crap, I think I must’ve left it in Dalton’s car or it’s at the house. I just got in this morning, I’m a little out of sorts, and actually tired now that I think about it.”
“No worries, I’ll text your brother.” Tanner puts his phone away. “I don’t mean to pry but did someone hurt you?” he motions toward my arm.
I hold my cast up. “Nope. I tripped and fell. It’s a small fracture, but enough of a nuisance that I came home to get help from my mom.”
Dalton comes up to us with a bag of supplies. He and Tanner shake hands, and then Tanner tells him he’s going to text him later to make plans with his sister. They laugh, thinking it’s funny, when it’s not. They did this kind of shit when we were in high school. Dalton and my other brother Davy think they can decide who I date.
Not that I plan to date Tanner.
