“You’re actually going to your office today?”
He chuckled. “I am. Spending time with guests is part of my job, but not the majority. I’m sure I have a hundred emails waiting in my inbox.”
“You didn’t have to hang around after the ride.”
“I know. I wanted to, though.” His arm brushed mine. “I didn’t know what having you on the ranch again would be like. It’s not like old times.”
We were going there. Cormac had always been one to say what was on his mind. In the early days, at least. When we got to college, it seemed like he’d forgotten how to talk to me at all.
I guessed I had too.
“No, it’s not,” I agreed. “We’re all grown up now.”
“We are. It’s been a long time since we spent our summers together. Things have changed.”
“A lot has changed.”
“A lot. Yeah. But not everything.” He kicked a rock off the path, dirt billowing in its absence. “History doesn’t go away becausewe stop thinking about it, though. It’s still there. It happened. Our names are still carved under the table at Gray’s.”
“Are they?” I peered at him in my periphery. “Have you checked recently?”
“No,” he admitted, his shoulders slumping slightly. “But they never replace anything at the diner, so I’m assuming…hoping.”
“You’ve made me curious. I’m going to have to go to Gray’s and check.”
His gaze slid over the side of my face. “Maybe you’ll stay and eat this time.”
I turned sharply toward him, my lips parting.
His cheek twitched, and the corner of his mouth rose.
A laugh sputtered out of me. “Are you calling me out, Cormac Kelly?”
“Maybe.” That corner kept rising and rising. “When you saw me, you hotfooted it out of there. Might’ve given a less secure man a complex.”
“Oh, shut up.” I gave his arm a shove, but he didn’t go anywhere. “I’d just driven a thousand miles all by myself. I wasnotprepared for a reunion scene. Plus, you were on a date with your girlfriend. Me interrupting was the last thing you needed.”
“Ah. You ran away for my sake.”
“Yep. You should be thanking me.” I folded my arms and did my best to frown at him. My efforts were thwarted by his stupidly sweet smirk. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m trying to be serious.”
He huffed a laugh. “Why would you want to go and do that?”
Something light and long-lost filled my chest, bubbling up to my throat. My heart quickened, and my scalp tingled. What was this?
I couldn’t put a name to it, except that it was familiar in the same way as catching the scent of childhood out in the wild. Instant nostalgia and floods of memories of laughter, skinnedknees, and reckless days so strong and out of place, it was disorienting.
It didn’t last any longer than it took to reach the resort, but that was okay. Knowing I could have it, even if only for a little while, made it worth it. It meant I might have it again one day soon.
Cormac held the door for me, laughing at something I’d said about Javier’s color-coded clipboard system. The lobby was relatively empty, only a pair of guests sitting together on one of the plush leather couches.
Cormac placed his hand on the center of my back, guiding me toward reception. We drew near the desk, and his pace stuttered.
Melanie, a pretty young brunette, stood, her chin tipped up as she leaned toward the blond woman perched on a stool beside her.
Wait a minute.I recognized this woman from Gray’s Diner. This was Cormac’s girlfriend—and wow, was she gorgeous. Her blond curls were as perfect as her makeup, and her black suit was tailored within an inch of its life. Elena had mentioned her name.
Victoria.
