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She emerges through the doorway after her sister. The overhead light dances on her long, glossy, auburn hair, which is no longer in the ponytail she favored in high school but instead falls in soft waves around her shoulders. She tilts her head, listening to something her nephew is saying to her, and her eyes flicker with sparks as she laughs. She takes off her coat and drapes it over her arm, her cheeks rosy with the heat inside after the cold outside, her skin bright, almost glowing. She’s ten years older than when I last saw her, and she’s even more beautiful.
A lump forms in my throat, and a sharp needle of pain lances my heart—completely unrelated to the double bacon cheeseburger in front of me.
Amelia Taylor. The girl I’ve loved since we were fifteen. The woman I’ve come back to Cherry Creek to see because in the ten years since we last saw each other, I haven’t stopped thinking about her.
My feet move before I tell them to. I’m up. I’m walking. My heart jackhammers against my ribs, and I’ve closed more than half the distance between us. My gaze is targeted on Amelia, but Ginny spots me first. Her eyes widen, and she elbows Amelia in the side as I approach. Amelia glances at her friend before following Ginny’s eyeline to settle her gaze on me.
My breath chokes. In that unguarded moment, I see every emotion as it crashes behind her eyes. Surprise. Delight. Warmth.Friendship.
She smiles, her full lips stretching wide into a dazzling curve that manages to blaze a fire so hot it heats my skin.
“Oliver!” She steps forward but then hesitates, a sudden cloud descending on her brow as if she’s deciding how best to greet me. A hug? A handshake? A wave? They’re all inadequate for the former best friend who hasn’t been seen in ten years. I should be thankful she remembers me at all.
She settles for standing in place. I lean toward her, past Ginny, the kids, and Amelia’s sister, Felicity. “Happy birthday, Amelia.”
She puts a hand to her heart. “Oh my gosh. You remember it’s my birthday?”
I laugh. “Of course. We were best friends, right?”
I catch a glare of resentment from Ginny, who must have become Amelia’s replacement best friend in the time since I’d left.
Amelia’s oblivious to Ginny’s annoyance. “Get in here!” she says and finally grabs me in a big, friendly hug.
I hug her back gently, my heart jumping around, skipping over itself. My packed-down crush is threatening to combust. This hug, this contact—evenseeingher—means more to me than it does to her. I never told her how I felt.
“Good to see you,” I say into her hair. It smells like coconut. I hold on a second longer before wrenching myself away.
She laughs. “It’s good to be seen. It’s been way too long, Ollie! I catch your posts on social media now and then, though. I heard your parents moved back here, but I thought you were some fancy lawyer in Chicago now.”
“I don’t know about fancy, but yeah, I’m still in Chicago. I’m here for Christmas. Came to see my parents.”And you, I don’t say.
A blink of her long lashes. “That’s great. We totally need to catch up for real.”
I nod. “Absolutely.” I tear my eyes from her and glance at the rest of her gang who’ve all been openly staring at us. “Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt your party.”
She shrugs and puffs her lips out, making her duck face. I love it. I remember the first time I noticed her doing that. It was on the playground in second grade. That may have been the first moment I fell in love. “You’re not interrupting anything. This was a last-minute plan.”
Her younger nephew—I recognize him from her social media posts—tugs on her pant leg. “I’m hungry, Auntie Meelie! Make the man stop talking.”
Felicity reddens with embarrassment and peers down at him in horror. “Hudson! That wasn’t nice. Apologize to your aunt and her friend.”
He lifts his chin, a glint of rebellion burning in his eyes. It’s a look I remember seeing on his aunt, and it means trouble. “I’m sorry, Auntie and boring friend, that you’re talking so long when I’m hungry.”
Amelia stifles a giggle, and I clamp down on a smile.
“It’s okay,” Amelia says, resting her hands on her nephew’s shoulders. “Would you like to join us, Ollie? Some of us are a handful, but it’s been too long since I’ve seen you.”
Her nephew looks like he’s hating me more by the second. “No, thank you. I was just here to get some of the Cordial Diner’s famous fried chicken. They have thebestfried chicken. I’ve been craving it for years. But I should really get back to Mom and Dad. I said I’d help them hang some pictures tonight. Gotta go.”
“Oh, sure. If you’ve got to go.” Her lips turn down. Is she disappointed? The thought buoys me. I start to leave. “Hey.” She catches my arm. It’s my imagination, I’m sure, but the warmth of her touch radiates through the layers of my sport jacket and shirt. I resist the urge to cover her hand with mine.
“Yes?” My antenna goes up, and I stop myself from rushing to fill the pause with a declaration of love. Or a proposal.
“I have this idea I’ve been looking into, and I might need your help. Would you have time to meet up tomorrow? Around four? I’d love to run something past you.”
I feel myself beam and recognize that I have zero game when it comes to Amelia Taylor. I never have. “Run away!” I say.
Her eyes narrow, and she frowns as she tries to process my comment.
