Chapter Nine
TATE
I knew Josie was avoiding me. Okay, maybe I didn’tknowit, but it sure felt like it. Since she worked at Firehouse Café, she left well before sunrise in the mornings. The only time I saw her was when she was at work. She would blush while she waited on me and kept our conversation as superficial as possible.
I was downright restless for her. That kiss had been like pouring jet fuel on the chemistry that had burst to life between us. Fortunately, I was busy with work and the usual day-to-day insanity of having a six-year-old daughter. I’d thought I was done with homework after school, but every night, I sat with Kara at the kitchen table and helped her with homework. One night, I met the guys at Wildlands Lodge for drinks and food, something we usually did once a week. My mom was always happy to babysit Kara for me.
I sat with Graham, Beck, Levi, Wes, Griffin, and Hudson at a table. My old friend Lyle walked by, looking downright frustrated on a phone call.
Graham caught my eye. He had been a few years ahead of me in high school but was still familiar with the blowup around that whole mess. Just then, Lyle happened to glance toward our table. While already looking frustrated, he abruptly ended thecall and stuffed his phone in his pocket, narrowing his eyes at Graham and me before stalking away through the crowd.
“What the hell did you do to him?” I teased.
Graham shrugged. “Dunno. Way back when, I told him he was a fucking asshole for what happened in high school, but that’s old news. Although maybe it doesn’t feel too old these days now that they’re breaking up.”
I rolled my eyes. “That shit isn’t something I dwell on.”
Graham nodded. “Of course not. You got the better deal. You saw Kayla’s true colors before you invested much more in that relationship. I understand it more than most that we don’t make the best decisions with who we date in high school. I got an awesome kid out of it, but her mom’s long gone,” he said dryly.
I chuckled as my mind spun back to high school. Graham got his homecoming queen girlfriend pregnant. She left town within weeks of having the baby, and he’d raised Allie on his own. Graham’s parents were friends with mine. They’d babysat for Allie when she was younger a few times.
“Dude, I remember how stressed out you were.” I let out a low whistle.
Hudson, who was newer to town, glanced back and forth between us. “When did you have Allie?” he asked.
Graham chuckled. “My girlfriend got pregnant when I was a senior in high school. It was right at the end of the year. She didn’t want anything to do with having a baby. It was really stressful for a while, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Talk about trial by fire.”
“Wow.” Hudson leaned back in his chair. “Obviously, I knew you had a daughter, but I didn’t do the math about when you had her.”
“I hated math in high school,” I quipped.
After I spoke, I felt the hairs rise on the back of my neck. Iknewthat Josie was somewhere nearby. I tried to resist theurge to look over my shoulder, but I couldn’t, and I glanced over to see her approaching our table with Graham’s wife, Madison; Hudson’s girlfriend, Stella; and Casey, who worked at Firehouse Café.
My body let out an internal whoop. It would be a challenge for Josie to keep avoiding me with all of our mutual friends. Of course,wewere actually friends. I was starting to worry that the kiss might’ve ruined that.
Graham stood from the table, sliding his arm around Madison’s waist when she stopped beside his chair. He leaned down and gave her a lingering kiss. The man was seriously in love.
Josie’s eyes met mine from where she stood between Madison and Casey. Although the light in the restaurant wasn’t the brightest, I could see the pink tinge on her cheeks. It felt like she twirled a lasso in the air and cinched it around me. My cock twitched, and I told my body to stand the fuck down. “Hey, Josie,” I said, keeping my voice level.
She swallowed. “Hey, Tate.”
I loved the low rasp of her voice. I heard Hudson asking Stella if they were going to join us. Stella shook her head, her blond curls swinging. “No, thank you,” she said tartly. “Girls’ night.”
Hudson looked downright disappointed. Graham waved them off and sat back down with a loopy grin. “Dude, you are still whipped by your wife,” I teased, nudging him lightly with my elbow.
He shrugged. “Don’t care. I love her.”
His eyes shifted to watch Madison walk away. Glancing back at me, he added, “Josie’s renting from you, right?”
“Yep.”
“Good to see her back. I bet she’s stoked about the plans to re-open that old ski place,” he commented.
I nodded as Hudson asked, “Didn’t she win something in the Olympics?”
“Gold medal. Josie’s one of Willow Brook’s finest,” I said with a grin, feeling a surge of pride. I’d always been proud of Josie.
“What brought her home?” Graham asked.
