My breath comes fast, my heart thundering in my ears. My foot still aches, but now it’s the least of my problems. The pressure within me is dizzying, consuming, and I don’t know what to do with it. I just know I need to get out of here.
Need to change my panties, because they’re damn near soaked in slick.
Again.
I storm into The Gilded Lily, my heart pounding, pulse racing with a combination of pain, anger, and a hundred other things I can’t even name. The bell above the door jingles too loudly in my ear, and it’s almost as if the entire town is in my head, whispering the same damn judgmental crap that I know has been floating around ever since I left this place.
I need air. I need to forget that I just crossed paths with Calvin Rhodes and Ford Maddox in the span of five minutes.
But the second I walk in, I spot her.
Tansy.
She’s in the back of the bakery, moving between tables, her sharp tone cutting through the low hum of conversation. She doesn’t notice me right away, but I’m pretty sure she’s always had some kind of sixth sense for when I walk into a room.
I’m not sure if it’s the years apart or the fact that I’ve been avoiding any kind of human connection, but the sight of her makes my chest feel a little too tight.
It’s like being a kid again, back before everything fell apart, before I became the town’s scandal.
“Lo?” Her voice is full of disbelief, and it stings more than I want to admit. “What the hell are you doing here?”
I force a smile, a little too wide, a little too practiced. Not quite the homecoming of tangled limbs and hugs one would expect from a high school bestie, but who can blame her? I’m a walking pariah, and she’s the one that has to live here after I leave.
Again.
“You didn’t hear? I’m back in town, just for a bit. Thought I’d stop by and see how you’re holding up in the bakery.”
Tansy quirks a brow, her sharp eyes taking in the way I’m standing. Tense, a little too on edge.
Not at all the greeting I expected.
Or hoped for.
“Well, I’m in charge now,” she says, and her body relaxes somewhat. “Grandma’s gone, but the bakery’s still kicking. Hard. And you are… here?” She cocks her head to one side. “The big city chew you up and spit you out or something?”
I chuckle. I know she means nothing by it. It’s just her sassy sense of humor. “It was either this or becoming a hermit in the mountains, Tans. Honestly, I think I picked the lesser evil.”
She laughs, loud and full of the same warmth that reminds me how much I love her. Okay, definitely a much better reaction. I can work with this.
“Fair. I can’t argue with that. So, when’s the pity party start? You here for the rest of your life, or are you just passing through with that amazingI’m broke and need to find myselfenergy?”
I can’t stop my eye roll. “The second one.”
“Ah, that’s what I thought. Come find me when the self-discovery needs to be drowned in whiskey. I’ll be here, getting paid to put up with half the town’s drama. You know, the usual.”
“I think we can make that happen.”
Tansy winks before adding, “I’ve missed your sarcastic ass. I’m still recovering from you abandoning me like that.”
I give her a pointed look. “You look like you’ve survived just fine.”
She throws a towel at me. “Whatever. Let’s get drunk tonight. This town’s gonna drive you nuts if you don’t.”
Oh, thank fuck.“Deal,” I say, before I turn to walk back toward the door. “What time do you finish? I’ll be back.”
“Five.”
“See you then. The Rusty Bucket Tavern won’t know what’s hit it!”
