Then he steps back, closes it and taps the roof twice. His grin lights up his face before he turns and walks away, Morgan by his side.
“For what?” I call after him.
Turning back to look at me, he winks.
“For allowing me to walk you to your car. See you soon.” He gives me a small wave before they turn back towards the village.
I take a deep breath and puff out my cheeks on the exhale.Nope, I’m not affected by him at all. I feel absolutely nothing,I lie to myself, as I start my car and head home.
Chapter Twenty-Two
When Riot invited me for a drink at Bob’s on Saturday night, I eagerly accepted. Who’s Bob? No idea. I don’t think anyone knows, but the dive bar is a hot spot.
We haven’t had a chance to talk beyond the occasional text since the beginning of the week when he stopped at the house. A lot has happened since then, and I have questions that he may be able to answer.
Like how long has Hannah lived at the cabin? Why didn’t he tell me my new co-worker is friends with her? Has he ever been invited to their book club?
When I arrive a little past 8 p.m., the place is already busy. I spot Riot across the room with Carson and Ryan. Riot waves his hand so I can see them. As I get closer, I see Beck, Megan, and Claire huddled together in an animated conversation at the next table. I thought this was just going to be a quick drink with a friend, but I guess I was wrong. The gang’s all here.
I weave my way through the tables, exchanging greetings with familiar faces. There are off duty cops and EMS sitting in the corner. I return Mason Kent’s nod on my way past.
Bob’s mainly caters to the locals. Tourists tend to stick with higher end establishments and resorts. I haven’t been heresince I was barely legal to drink, but it doesn’t feel like much has changed since then. The lights are dim, the music is loud, and the floor feels slightly sticky. I can smell spicy BBQ wings wafting from the kitchen. I didn’t eat much dinner, and greasy pub food sounds good right about now.
The men are all smiles when I reach them. The women give me mixed reactions. A smile from Megan, a small grin from Beck, and a scowl from Claire. That all tracks. I have my work cut out for me.
Ryan stands and shakes my hand. “Nice to see you again, Logan.” I shake his hand in return. I don’t know Ryan well, but I remember him being a good support to Hannah and her mom after Mr. Knight’s death. He is quite a bit older than us but, when you are twenty-one anyone over thirty is practically antique. Now that I am in my thirties, I’ll have to rethink that. I’m not sure how my friends pulled him into their group, but Riot says he’s a good guy.
Carson slaps me on the back and pulls me in for a bro hug.
“Long time, man. It’s great to see you. How’s it going?”
I appreciate how chill Carson is being. After I left Emerley, I barely talked to him. He has every right to hate me. At the very least call me out on my own bullshit but he doesn’t. He knows I’ll talk to him when I’m ready.
“Good. Glad to be back.”
I hear Claire snort and Megan shushing her. She was always the peacekeeper. I see some things never change.
“I would love to catch up sometime. What can I get you from the bar?” Carson asks, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.
“Me too,” I say with a smile. “Beer’s good. Whatever’s on tap.”
“Awesome. Be right back,” he says heading toward the bar.
Claire scowls at me from her spot at the adjacent table. We grew up together, so I know she is a fiercely protective friend, but I have never been on this side of her wrath before.
“Hey, Claire. It’s nice to see you.”
“Oh, wow, look who decided that small town living is good enough for him again.”
She folds her arms across her chest. She’s not trying to hide how she’s feeling about seeing me, and I honestly can’t blame her.
“The town was never the problem, Claire. I was.” I hold her gaze.
I don’t have any excuses or pretty lies. I fucked up leaving the way I did.
“Are you planning on sticking around this time?” she asks, her expression becoming unreadable.
“I didn’t come back just to leave again. I’m here to stay.”
