Nick furrows his brow. “Is she okay now?”
I finish off my beer before answering. “Yeah. The florist has been closed the last two days, which I think helped a lot. We had a quiet night last night, just watching movies at her place.” Nick nods, looking away, but I’m not quite ready to let this go. “Why were you asking me about Paisley? It can’t be just because she was curious about me and Gracie.”
His mouth tightens at the corners, but he doesn’t meet my eyes. “Does Gracie know about your history with my sister?”
I blink. “No. Why would she? I never dated her or anything.”
I know I told you not to wait for me, but I guess I kind of hoped you would.
Paisley’s voice floats through my head, like she’s calling me a liar. But we didn’t date. Iwantedto, and she turned me down flat, telling me her life wasn’t ever going to be in Sterling Creek.
“What are you getting at?” I demand brusquely, and Nick’s expression hardens.
“I’m just making sure the past stays in the past, Brax. There’s a reason you and Paisley never made a go of it, right? And now?—”
“Now, I’m with Gracie,” I tell him firmly, and I mean it. I let go of Paisley and any feelings I had for her a long time ago. When I saw her the other night, it was like stepping through a time warp, and for asplit second, it sent me back to a time where those feelings were crystal clear and sharp. I remember how everything felt simpler, more exciting,and how Paisley’s eyes would lock with mine across a room—like we had a secret only the two of us knew.
I thought it was love, but I know better now. The crush I had on her back then doesn’t even come close to touching what I feel for Gracie now.
“Right.” Nick’s watching me, eyes assessing.
I don’t look away because I have nothing to hide. “Can’t believe you’re warning me off your sister. Isn’t that what you should’ve done four years ago?”
He slicks his tongue over his front teeth, muted amusement flickering in his eyes. “You thought you were so good at hiding your feelings, but I know you better than anyone.”
The back of my neck prickles, but I laugh it off. “Well, you don’t need to tell me to do anything this time,” I say, and then change the subject to something safer. “Gracie and I are going to see the house on Tuesday.”
Nick’s shoulders drop an inch, his expression relaxing. “No shit? That’s awesome. I know Gracie loves that place.”
“Yeah.” My lips quirk. “She’s been wanting to set down some serious roots in Sterling Creek. Perfect timing, huh?” I look away as I say the words, each one tasting bitter on my tongue, my confidence shaken.
Nick tilts his head to the side. “There is something else I wanted to talk to you about,” he says softly, and I automatically tense, knowing exactly where he’s going with his new round oftalking. “You haven’t said much about the callout?—”
“Nick.” His name is a burst of sound, cutting him off as I shoot him a dark glare.
He’s not put off. “You need to talk about it, man. What happened isn’t something you can just brush under the carpet. Have you even told?—”
“Stop, Nick,” I snap. “I didn’t come here to hash that out, and I don’t fucking want to.”
He presses his lips together, holding his hands up in surrender. A moment passes. Another. And then he shifts the conversation to a new first-person shooter game he bought.
When he stands up to get another round of drinks, I call out after him, “Get us a plate of nachos or something.”
He waves at me over his shoulder, and I pull my phone out, checking my messages. There’s nothing new from Gracie, which isn’t a surprise as she’s not a huge texter.
I send her a quick message to let her know I’m thinking of her when the sound of a chair being pulled out from the table brings my head up. I’m expecting to see Nick with our drinks, so it’s surprising to find Paisley sitting down across from me, her smile wide.
“Braxton,” she breathes. “Mom said you and Nick were down here tonight. I thought I’d come join you.”
“Hey, Paisley,” I murmur, brows drawing together. “Did Nick know you were coming? He didn’t say.”
She lets out a light laugh. “No, he’s got no idea. Mom told me what his plans were, and I figured I’d join.” She pauses a beat, brown eyes flaring slightly. “It’s been so long since I’ve been back, and all my friends have either moved away or don’t want to hear from me.”
“Right,” I drawl. “Can’t imagine why that would be.”
She leans forward, her mouth pulling down. “I knew you were mad at me,” she says. “I could tell the other night. You have to understand why I?—”
“Paisley,” Nick cuts in as he appears at the table, setting the fresh beers down a little too hard. “What are you doing here?”
