"Who's the woman?"
"No idea. I don’t think she’s from around here."
"He's still hot."
"Yeah, well." She gives a curt laugh. "That's how he gets you."
My fingers tighten on the menu.
"Got me when I was twenty-three. Two months ofyou're the only girl in the world, baby. Met me at the Timberline, took me up to that cabin of his folks', gave me the whole song and dance. I really thought I was different."
"What happened?"
"I find out from Cassidy Palmer that he'd taken her up there the weekend before. And then Becca Hill the weekend beforethat. Three of us. And after all that he didn't even bother to breakit off. Just stopped calling. I had to hear it through a friend of a friend that he'd gone back out to L.A."
I look up.
Beck’s eyes are on the salt shaker between us, and a small muscle ticks in his jaw under the scruff.
Then his eyes lift to mine and his mouth twitches into a sheepish grin.
He sets his menu down, and pushes himself up out of the chair.
He limps over to the table with the two women, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
The woman is maybe my age, maybe a little older. She’s got a pretty face with blond hair pulled back. When she sees him standing there she pales.
“Hey, Tara."
"I didn’t—" She glances at her friend. "I didn't know you could hear me.”
"It's okay. That's why I came over." He swallows. "Uh, I owe you an apology."
The whole café doesn't go quiet, but our corner of it does. A man nearby eating a piece of apple pie, lowers his fork. The friend, Meg, is staring up at Beck with her mouth open.
"I was a cocky kid and I treated you like you didn't matter. I should’ve done this years ago and I didn't, because I was stupid and a coward, and I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."
Tara's eyes are wide. She’s obviously stunned.
"You don’t have to say anything," Beck adds. “I just wanted to let you know.”
He nods to her. Nods to Meg, who looks frozen in time. Then he turns and hobbles back to our table and lowers himself into his chair.
He picks up his menu. "I'm gonna get the chicken salad."
I’m speechless.
Lacey finally comes over with her pad.
And I order the chicken salad, too.
Later that day, after I’ve ridden Riot and put him away, I go back to my room to change.
When I come back out, I remember I wrote down a question in my notebook earlier that I needed to ask Beck.
But I check the house, and he’s nowhere to be found.
I head out toward the barn. The grass is still warm from the sun as I cross the yard, the breeze blowing gently.
