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Just like he didn’t chase after me when I made it to San Francisco, either.
Ugh.I pushed away the heartache.
“Good morning,” one of the teachers on duty said as she opened the passenger door of the car. “It’s good to see you this morning. Are you ready for school?”
I saw apprehension fill Iris’s face for a brief moment. “Um, yeah, I think so.”
“Have a good day,” I said to her. “I love you.”
“Love you, too, Mom.” Her face relaxed a little as I smiled at her and reached back to squeeze her arm…
And then I watched my baby walk into the same school I had gone to…
And her father, too.
I made my way out of the parking lot and headed toward the bank just a few streets away. It was Iris’s first day of school andmyfirst day of work. I breathed out a nervous breath. I had been lucky to land the job after everything that happened at the last bank—one that I had worked at nearly ten years. It had come under new management, and when I hadn’t taken to his advances, he made up a lot of bullshit to get me fired.
And it worked.
Fresh start. Sort of.
Parking at the back of the lot, I gathered up my purse and lunchbox, straightening up my hair before exiting. The air was incredibly dry, and while my hormonal acne would appreciate the change, I wasn’t such a huge fan. I hadn’t missed that about Sans Verta.
My black heels clicked as I made my way across the asphalt, taking in the small bank in front of me. It was just a one-story brick business and was locally owned by the Hughes family. I had heard rumors of corruption, but they gave me a job—and I was going to take it.
“Hallie!” Taylor greeted me as soon as I walked through the door. “It issogood to see you! I’m just so excited that you’re back in town. I know we talked over Zoom, but seeing you in the flesh is just…wow.” My old high school best friend wrapped me in her arms, her dark hair tickling my nose.
“It’s really good to see you, too,” I said to her, taking a much-needed breath as soon as we parted. “What do you want me to do?”
“Yeah, so since you were working in the loans department back at Howard and Corp, we’re going to have you manage the loans here as well. Brendajustretired, and that’s what she did. It really works out perfectly, to be honest.”
“Great.” I glanced around, wondering which of the three offices was mine. “Just point to where I need to go, and I’ll get settled.”
“Right in here.” Taylor led me to the office in the corner, her bright pink heels clicking against the white tile floors. Banks had a tendency to smell a lot like office supply stores, and this one was no different. “Okay, so you can pretty much just take this over,” she added, pointing to the mostly empty place.
I glanced around, and the weird teal and brown color scheme made me feel like I was in the guidance counselor’s office. The only thing missing was the shitty advice. “Thanks so much.” I sat my things down on the desk and walked around the chair, noticing the welcome paperwork.
“Yeah, that’s everything you’ll need to log in to the system. I set everything up for you ahead of time, though. It’s a huge pain in the ass, and I didn’t want to put you through that on your first day.”
“I appreciate it,” I said, inwardly cringing at just how thick the stack was. “Anything else I need to know? Or am I just being thrown to the wolves?”
Taylor laughed, her dark eyes bright and starry. “Not really. The lobby doesn’t open until nine-thirty. Don’t ask me why. That’s just the rules. Beyond that, I don’t have much else to tell you, but Idohave a question.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “Sure, what’s your question?”
“So…” her voice trailed off as she stepped inside and shut the door behind her. “Angie was at the café a few nights ago and saw you there with…Gunner.”
My heart dropped.Shit.
“I was there for all that stuff after high school…”
I had forgotten how small the town could really be. “Yeah, I took Iris out for ice cream and then we ran into him. He asked me to out to catch up, and so I met him for dinner. It wasn’t anything very exciting.”
She nodded, but I could see the conflict in her eyes. “You know how much I care about you, Hal. We’ve been close—and stayed close—all these years. I know that I was kind of a shit about traveling to San Francisco to visit you, and I should’ve been better about it. That being said, do youreallythink it’s a good idea to go even testing the waters with him?”
“Well, to be honest,” I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I got caught up in the nostalgia, I guess. I don’t know. He just… Hegetsto me, and it was almost like falling all over again.”
“Oh my god, no,” Taylor groaned, not bothering to hide her disapproval. “Like you’re still considered mybestfriend, and there is nothing I want more for you than to run like hell from Gunner Watson.”
