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“Fine.”
“Bullshit. You don’t look fine.”
No, I didn’t feel fine at all. I felt unsettled. I knew it would be hard to avoid Miguel because this damn town was too small as it was, but I couldn’t imagine that he’d be jumping out at me from every nook and corner.
“You don’t look fine either.” I glance at her, changing the subject. “Have you gone to the doctor yet?”
Kate’s eyes narrow. “We were not talking about me.”
“Well, tough luck, isn’t it?”
“You can’t avoid this forever, you know?”
My lips press in a tight line. “I can damn sure try.”
Kate’s face softens. “What happened between you two, Becky?”
The sound of Miguel’s laughter has me looking up and watching him.
I could still see the expression on his face the last time I sawhim. It was etched into my memory, as vivid as it was the day it happened.
The shock on his face at seeing me.
The desperation as the realization of what was going on set in.
The anger when I walked away.
My stomach tightens, and my hand presses against it.
The pain as the last string holding onto the world I knew shattered into pieces all around me.
I shake my head, pushing the memories back. “It doesn’t matter, Kate. He’s here. He’s your friend, not that I’d ask anything different of you. What happened happened. It’s behind us and has been for years. He’s going to leave after the wedding, and I’ll go back to my life, and everything will be like it used to be.”
“I’m just worried about you. You’ve been different since we got back. Quieter. More reserved.”
“I just have a lot on my mind, that’s all.”
A hand slips around my shoulder, pulling me into a firm body. “And look who finally showed up.”
MIGUEL
Becky’s elbow connects with Emmett’s gut, pushing him away. “Get your sweaty ass away from me, Santiago.”
I couldn’t believe she was here, but it was her alright. There was no mistaking that particular shade of red hair for any other person than Rebecca. She and Kate were standing on the frontporch, leaning against the railing and talking, which gave me a minute to compose myself.
“If I remember correctly, you didn’t mind our sweaty asses when you jumped all over us after winning a football game back in the day.”
“Then you were in my good graces, which I can’t say is the case right now.” She gives him a pointed look, crossing her arms over her chest.
The corner of Emmett’s mouth tips upward, but he schools his features quickly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, you know perfectly well what I’m referring to.”
Her gaze moves over Emmett’s shoulder, those hazel eyes settling on mine. For a second, she just stares at me, and I can feel goosebumps rise on my skin under her watchful eyes.
“Miguel,” she tilts her chin in greeting, that mask of complete indifference on her face before turning back to our friends, and I know what’s coming even before she opens her mouth. “My job here’s done. I think I’ll leave you—”
Running away once again.
