None of this should even bepossible. I don’t remember that night, and it seems massively unfair that something I don’t even remember could affect my life this way. If I was drunk enough to black out—offtwodrinks, somehow—it’d be a miracle if my dick still worked. I don’t want to believe there’s a chance of it being true, but fear and doubt have already taken a firm hold in the back of my mind.
As much as I hate to admit it, she’s right. Idoneed to do the right thing.
Just the thought threatens to tear me in half with grief. Kenzie just got back home, and I finally gathered enough courage to make a move.
Not even taking into account that I can’t fucking stand Savannah, this could ruin everything I’ve worked for. It would tear my family apart, demolish my sister’s trust in me, and bulldoze the shaky foundation of any relationship I’ve been hoping to build with Kenzie.
What the fuck am I going to do?
Chapter Five
KENZIE
Cities like SkyviewFalls never actually change, not in any way that matters.
Sure, there’s a different fast food joint halfway down Main Street that was a diner before this, and a pub before that. The high school kids have added to the graffiti on the old textile factory, but nothing’s new about that. The kids knocked spray paint from the same hardware store that was there when I was a kid. There are new faces, new names, but everything’s all the same at heart.
I don’t recognize the waitress who takes my order after I take a seat at the counter, but the menu is still the same as it always was. The cracked vinyl of the barstool sticks to my thighs in a way that’s both unpleasant and soothingly familiar.
It really is good to be back home.
I’m proud of the progress I’ve made, even if I’ve got some cushion with time. School doesn’t start for a while yet, but I’m already mostly unpacked and ready to get started. My office is decked out with houseplants that I’ll probably kill within themonth and framed photos of family and friends. I even have one of me and Mrs. Geraldine.
She technically retired at the end of the last semester, but she offered to train me before the school year starts. It’s an honor to take over her position, especially since she’s the only reason I excelled so much in school.
If I wasn’t able to lean on her when things got rough, I don’t know where I’d be today. Certainly not in the same diner I grew up in, excited about a brand new start.
I spent a lot of time here when I was younger, studying with Oakley and Bo and everyone who hung around them. If I wasn’t at the Montgomery Ranch or at home, I was here, PB&J milkshake in hand. This diner has probably seen more math homework than any establishment should have to suffer through.
My food comes out fast, a steaming burger with homemade fries and a massive milkshake. I’ve never ordered a milkshake here when I was on my own—usually Oakley and I would split one because of how big they are.
This is a celebration of my new job and a new chapter of life, and I’m going to treat myself with all my favorite foods. I’m pretty sure my lifelong crush kissing me is also a hell of a cause for celebration.
I tuck into my food, groaning quietly at the familiar flavors. Marge hasn’t changed her secret sauce recipe, thankfully. I could probably drink the stuff straight.
The bell on the door rings, and I glance over at the sound, almost choking in surprise when Bo himself walks up to the counter. He’s in work clothes, his jeans filthy and worn thin, his shirt covered in dust. I’ve never found a dirty man so unbearably attractive, but Bo wears it well.
Hell, he wears everything well.
He doesn’t notice me at first, putting in an order with the waitress at the counter. I take the time to fix my hair and straighten my posture before calling out to him.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” I say teasingly.
He looks up in confusion, his surprise melting away to pleasure when his eyes land on me.
“Kenzie,” he says. “I’d hug you, but I’m covered in dirt.”
I laugh as he walks the few feet over to join me. I’d hug him anyway, if he asked, but I keep that thought to myself.
“You on your lunch break?” I ask before sipping my milkshake.
“Just picking up for the guys at the ranch. PB&J still your favorite?” Bo asks, a warm grin on his face as he glances between my eyes and my mouth.
“I can’t miss out on the nostalgia,” I say, grinning right back at him. “I didn’t realize you still came here.”
I really shouldn’t look into it so much—Marge’s is a staple of the town for a reason, and it’s not just because Marge herself refuses to share her apple pie recipe. A part of me can’t help but feel warm and fuzzy. This place was always special to me, and the thought of Bo still coming to somewhere I considered ours makes my heart beat a little faster.
“I never really kicked the habit.” He chuckles and slides onto the stool beside me, propping himself up with an elbow on the counter. His eyes never leave mine. “Mind if I join you while I wait for my food?”
