Madi’s cheeks reddened, but she offered a soft smile that had my heart squeezing. “Sorry, kiddo. I fear you may be a menace. If it makes you feel any better, I have a feeling everyone here was too when they were your age.”
“Especially June,” Dallas snorted.
It was my turn to protest. “Hey.”
“What? I remember how you were at her age.” He leaned against the work table with a rose twined between his fingers, a derpy smile on his face.
His dimples were showing.
Fucking deplorable.
“In fact, I distinctly remember you spray-painting my bicycle pink and then blaming it on . . . Hmm, what was it?”
“Oh I remember this,” Levi said with a knowing smirk. “I was visiting that summer.”
“Oh, yes,” Dallas continued. “You blamed it on the tooth fairy.”
Avery’s laugh peeled through the room. “And Dad believed every word and you rode around the rest of the summer with a pink bike.”
Evie snickered next to me. That little plan had been her idea, but I’d definitely been the one to execute it, and Avery had been the one to plead for no punishments.
Laura was having the time of her life. Her laughter was contagious and I felt myself relax into the chaotic fun of jabs that could only be exchanged after knowing someone for so long.
“Let’s not forget the time you put googly eyes over all of my school binders, Dallas,” I countered. “Withsuperglue.”
He smirked, his eyes on me in a way that sparked something fierce and hot. Dallas kept watching me as everyone around uslaunched into stupid stories from our childhood, leaving Mateo and Madi in a whirlwind.
God. Why was he like this?
It would never be the same.
Maybe I was mourning that in a way. I’d never be able to look at him and not want him so bad it made my bones hurt.
Finally, I pulled my gaze from him and shifted it to Madi.
Her eyes were teary.
Fuck.
Had we said something mean? Did I go too far?
She caught me staring and sucked in a breath, taking a step toward the hall that led to the front of the shop. “Is there a bathroom?”
“Of course. I’ll show you,” I said, moving quickly.
Everyone barely noticed our departure, aside from Dallas. His brows tugged together as Madi took off down the hall, and I followed after her.
“Hey,” I said softly when I caught up with her. “I’m sorry. Are you okay? Did we do something?”
She spun around. We were safely out of earshot of everyone else now, the lights dim, but still glinting off the two tears rolling down her flushed cheeks.
Madi wiped them away quickly. “No. I’m so sorry. I just . . .” She took a deep breath and slumped against the wall. “I haven’t been around people like this in a really long time. I can’t remember the last time I was around . . .”
“Friends?” I asked softly.
“People that love each other.”
Ouch. My heart ached for her. I leaned back against the opposite wall, but the distance between us still wasn’t much. Heat tugged in my stomach.
