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“I made the mistake of letting him think we were friends at one time and that he could say something like that to me without getting his ass laid out.”
“So you weren't friends?”
“Nope. I don’t know what you call the people I hung out with in high school. Users? Immature idiots? But they definitely weren’t my friends.” He shrugs. “I suppose I used them back to a degree as well.”
“Wow,” I say, surprised once again at his candor. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry? The hell for?” He smiles, gazing at me curiously.
I reach out, placing my hand on his thigh, needing to touch him for some reason. It’s like my head is fighting with my heart, and this time, my heart wins.
“That sounds sad is all. You were so popular. Had so many friends back then. It’s crazy to think you were really lonely.”
His brows pull together. I would have never guessed that about him back then. I thought he was on top of the world. That he had everything.
“I suppose I was,” he says. His expression makes me think he’s realizing that for the first time too. “It wasn’t all bad, though. I got to see you every day back then.” He winks at me before dipping a bite of the pretzel into the beer cheese and bringing it to my mouth. I open, taking it.
We spend most of the meal that way—with him feeding me more often than he feeds himself. We don’t speak much. It’s hard to when there is so much yummy food to eat.
“I can’t eat anymore!” I say through a laugh when they try to bring out more desserts. Minnie already gave me a double helping of funnel cake with extra powdered sugar like the good ol’ days. God, I missed this so much.
“Box it.” Knox slides the plates to the edge of the table. “We can have cake for breakfast.”
Minnie lifts her brows, giving me a knowing smile. At least she thinks it’s knowing. Knox’s words make it sound as though I’m staying over and we’ll be doing much more than sleeping.
“Knox.” I elbow him in the side when she takes the plate back to box the cake for us. “She thinks we’re going to…” I trail off.
“What? You’re staying over. It sounds to me like you’re the one with a dirty mind.”
I roll my eyes at him. “You also announced to the whole restaurant that I’m your girl.” That’s going to spread around town faster than a wildfire. The people here live for gossip.
“You are my girl,” he says, standing. “Thanks, Minnie.” He takes the to-go box from her hand.
“Anytime. You know that.”
“Thank you, Minnie. Everything was so wonderful.” I take Knox’s hand to help me get up. Between the food, traveling, and working with Grams, I’m dead on my feet. “You tempt me to move home knowing you’re here cooking all this deliciousness every day.”
“Pretty sure that’s the plan.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me before she’s off to another table.
“Come on. I want to get you home. You need rest.” Knox tangles his fingers with mine, leading me out of the restaurant. I let him. Just like I let him kiss me and defend me and tell me so many nice things. I don’t know what’s happening, but Idoknow I like the way Knox makes me feel. Maybe I shouldn’t question it so much.
People openly stare at us as we go.
“You know you’re creating rumors,” I tell him when we get back into the car.
“Are they rumors if they’re true?”
I shake my head. “I don’t live here anymore, Knox. We can’t be a thing. It would never work.” I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince him or myself.
We ride in silence for a while, and he takes my hand. His calluses are so different than what I imagined.He’sso different. Not what I remember at all. Except for the handsome part. But maybe I’m not the same, either? Maybe I’ve grown and changed, too.
“It’s not a thing,” I think I hear him say.
Then I get distracted by pink Christmas lights on an adorable cottage-style house. This house wasn't here before. Okay, there was a house here. But it was an old, rundown one that was uninhabitable when I left for the big city. This one is brand new.
“Look. They have pink Christmas lights.”
“I sure do.” Knox pulls into the driveway.
