AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Real talk.” I lean in slightly, lowering my voice and meeting her gaze. “What’s life been like for you since high school? I guess you already have a pretty good idea of how it’s been for me. I started working for my dad’s firm in my senior year of college. Once my father saw how well I did, he retired. What about you?”
She’s a turtle retreating into its shell, her shoulders hunching, her confidence draining. “You were right about me sticking around back home. I was going to go away for college, but then my dad got sick, and Mom needed me to help out. So I ended up going to community college the first two years, then taking online courses for the rest of my undergrad and graduate work. I just graduated this past semester. In the meantime, I worked part-time doing bookkeeping for a couple of the little places around town.”
And there she was, one of the smartest girls in class. “You were going to Columbia, weren’t you?”
Her features pinch in obvious pain. “I don’t want to talk about it. No offense.”
“None taken.” What a fucking disappointment that must have been. All these years, she’s been sticking around a town where Main Street goes dark at dinner time. Aside from the movie theater, there was nothing to do at night but hang out and maybe get drunk in the woods. She’s too old for that now. “Did anybody else stick around town?”
“Not really.” She laughs shakily, then takes another sip of her wine before adding, “Now you see why I was willing to do anything to keep this job. It’s my way out.”
“I’m glad you got the job, though I’m not surprised. You’re a fucking genius.”
“Is that the word you used to describe me back in the day?” Her head tilts to the side, her lips twitching in a smirk. “Because back then, I’m pretty sure you called me a nerd. Dork. The bookworm, the loser…”
“You know that’s not how I really felt, especially when we got to know each other.”
“Really? Because the last thing I remember, you were making a big joke of asking me out on a date.”
The bitter note in her voice is surprising. “Who was joking?”
“You were. Like I just said.”
“I was not joking. I was dead serious. I wanted to take you out.” I wanted to do a lot more than that, if memory serves. “You were the one who turned me down without even thinking about it.”
She sits back, brows drawing together. “Because I figured you were joking.”
“I meant it.”
“How was I supposed to know? I mean, you never even spoke to me before we had that project together.”
“I know that.”
“All your friends were jocks. And they always used to snicker behind my back. Who could blame me for thinking you were just screwing around to embarrass me?”
“I wish you had said something then. I would have set you straight.”
“And how would you have done that?”
“How do you think?” When she blushes, I know she gets my point. All this wasted time, all because of crossed wires.
“We were kids,” I remind her. “Kids make mistakes. But I’m glad fate brought us together again tonight.” I can’t help but grin before asking, “Are you glad?”
“What do you think?” There’s a devilish gleam in her eyes, that disappears before the server approaches to take our dinner order.
They’re busy in the kitchen, every table full, but I don’t mind waiting. How often do I have the opportunity to sit across the table from a woman who stimulates more than just my dick? Maybe it’s the sense of her knowing me, that familiarity. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since high school, but at my core, I’m the same person I always was. There is a sort of shorthand between us that only comes from past acquaintance. I haven’t been able to enjoy that in years.
“I would love to show you around town once you settle in,” I offer over our salad course. “I could even introduce you to a few people I think you’d get along with. I’ll show you the sights. Introduce you to more establishments like the one in which we’re currently seated…”
She giggles but can’t hide her intrigue. “I thought you were rarely in town, and men like you were too busy for things like that?”
“I will never be too busy for you.”
Shit.I didn’t mean for that to come out, not that way. It turns out she’s bringing back old habits, too, such as the way I used to blurt out whatever stupid thing was at the forefront of my mind before common sense could convince me otherwise.
Staring down at her salad, she murmurs, “That’s very nice, but…”
“No. Don’t pretend this is nothing but kindness or something I feel like I have to do. When I find something I want, there’s nothing that can get in my way.”
