“I don’t know that it’s worth the risk.” I hesitate before confessing, “Raewyn’s called a couple of times. I didn’t answer, and she left me a message saying that she understood, and to call her when I’m ready.”
“I’d like to meet Raewyn.” Elyse smiles. “She sounds like good people. Not many people would call their own son out on his bad behavior, like she did.”
“I shouldn’t be friends with her, right?” I ask, a tinge of desperation hiding behind the words. “She belongs to Braxton, and it wouldn’t be right.”
“Who gives a shit about what’s right?” Elyse demands, leaning forward. “You get to dictate how this plays out,notBraxton. If he doesn’t like it, he can go suck a rotten egg.”
I smile weakly. “I wish you could come back with me.”
Her mouth trembles just the smallest amount before she hides it behind another bite of food. “You know I can’t,” she mumbles, mouth full. “My parents would hunt me down and drag me back, kicking and screaming.”
Elyse’s parents own a small, bustling restaurant, and it is their pride and joy…other than Elyse, that is. But she is their one and only kid, and that comes with the expectation that, one day, she will take over the family business.
It means that Elyse has been working there since she could barely see over the counter. I have spent more hours than I could ever count in one corner of the dining room, the two of us doing our homework together while her mom kept plying us with different foods she was trialing for the menu.
I know it’s not her dream to run Hartley’s Kitchen, but she’s resigned to her fate, and trying to change her mind never ends well for anyone…least of all for her.
“I feel like I haven’t been a good friend to you,” Elyse murmurs. “We’ve barely seen each other since you moved away, and I’ve only gotten busier.”
I shake my head. “It just makes me appreciate you more,” I reassure her. “And I’ve been just as bad as you. Has your mom got you cooking yet?”
Elyse rolls her eyes, but gratitude flickers across her face at my pivot in subject. “They don’t want to burn the place down, so no. She’s never gonna stop trying, though.”
I finish my lunch and push my plate away, but smile with amusement when Elyse immediately gets to work stacking the dishes together, placing the cutlery nicely on top. She can’t help herself, knowing exactly how hard a server’s job can be and always doing her best to make it easier when she’s out somewhere.
“There’s something I haven’t told you,” she announces solemnly when she’s done.
“That sounds ominous,” I murmur, leaning back in my seat, watching her curiously. “Have you finally decided to marry your invisible boyfriend?”
“Reed is not invisible!” she immediately snaps back. “He’s just, you know…onlineonly.”
“Uh-huh. He’s probably a forty-year-old man with agut and thinning hair, living in his mother’s basement and spending all day playing video games.”
“You’re such a cynic.” She sniffs, sticking her nose in the air. “But this isn’t about the veryrealReed.”
“Who’s it about, then?”
Elyse’s eyes flit over my shoulder, flaring ever so slightly, but before she can answer me, a low voice drawls, “I’m pretty sure she’s talking about me.”
I’m stillin shock as we all head back to Elyse’s place, and she disappears into her bedroom, telling me and Nolan—my ex—that she needs to get ready for her shift at the restaurant.
“I’m surprised to see you,” I tell Nolan as he follows me into the kitchen, watching as I pull out two bottles of water, taking the one I offer him.
He looks almost the same as he did the last time I saw him, just over two years ago—dark blond hair pushed back from his forehead in a styled, tousled look, and the aristocratic line of his jaw only getting sharper with age. He’s dressed casually in dark jeans and a navy Henley, his hazel eyes tracking my movements as I slip past him and lead the way to the living room.
“Yeah. I moved back about three months ago.” I take a seat in the corner of the couch as he talks, tucking my knees under me. He follows suit, taking the other side and hooking his arm along the back of the couch, angling his body toward me. “After my father was arrested…” His mouth twists into a scowl, but he smooths his expression into something impassive. “It just seemed easier to get out until it all died down, you know?”
Only a few months after our breakup, the news broke that Nolan’s father had been caught embezzling from his company and was involved in a cold case murder…And it had been Nolan’s older brother, Declan, who made sure their father was caught.
“But you’re back now?” I ask, uncapping my water.
“My brother had a baby, and it didn’t feel right to keep my distance anymore.” He watches me for a quiet moment. “It’s good to see you, Gracie.”
My cheeks warm at the intensity in his eyes. “It’s good to see you, too,” I admit, and it’s not a lie.
We were only together for about six months, but had known each other longer, meeting through mutual friends of our families. Our relationship had been comfortable while it lasted, an easy habit of companionship. We didn’t end on bad terms, but a mutual acceptance that we couldn’t provide what the other needed. Nolan wasn’t interested in long-term commitment, and I wasn’t interested in settling for less, so ending it before anyone could get hurt just made sense.
He lifts his arm, jerking his chin at me. “Come here.”
