"Since when are you and Lacey texting buddies?"
"Hey, she reached out to me first.She invited me to have tea with her at the coffee shop.I'm not flattering myself.It wasn't as if she was dying to see me.She wanted to dig up stuff about her favorite Trayton subject."She pinched my cheek and then dropped her hand quickly."Sorry, guess you're not in the mood for teasing.How are the ribs?"
"Nice topic switch.Knew I should have stayed home."
Jules reached over and put her hand on my arm."I think she just wants to see you, to talk and explain everything.I know why she had to get married, and it's a wild story."
"Not interested."I pushed off the counter, grabbed another beer and headed out.
"Don't be mad," she called to me.
I stopped and looked back at her."Never.That'd be like being mad at the world's cutest kitten.Just, from now on, Jules, stay out of my business."
"That sounded mad," she called to me.
I didn't get two feet out the door before Crusoe grabbed me."Bro, you'll never guess who just showed up."
"Lacey," I said plainly.
"Shit.You knew?Damn, I wanted to be the one to break the news to you.Have you seen her already?"
I looked past some people.All their faces were turned my direction, and as my gaze pierced the clearing between them, I saw her.She was standing in the glow of the fire looking fucking breathtaking.Her white sundress flowed around her long legs, and her dark hair was swept up off her neck.
I stood there, frozen like an idiot, and she turned my direction.Our gazes locked, like they used to in a classroom or from opposite ends of the school hallway.She even smiled sweetly like she used to do in school to remind me why I'd even bothered to show up to fucking high school.I couldn't work up a smile up in return.She'd destroyed me once too often.We'd walked out of that wedding together, and I thought, shit, Lacey is back in my life.It was something I never thought would happen, and there she was sitting in my car and then laying in my arms.Then, just like that she ripped me in two again and walked back to the SUV, leaving me feeling as if I'd just imagined the whole damn thing.
I turned and headed toward the skaters.My brother took a big jump as I turned the corner.He spotted me and temporarily lost his focus.He landed hard on his ass as the board shot out from under him on the landing.A good round of laughter followed … from everyone but Cormac."Fuck, Theo, why'd you come skulking around that corner looking like a fucking zombie?You broke my concentration."
Having my concentration broken was something I knew too well.It happened to me far too often on the trails.Dad had told me more than once that my lack of focus, something that made me a shitty student, was the only reason I hadn't won more races.I knew he was right, but there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it.With Lacey back in town, showing up out of the blue, looking like a fucking goddess, my focus was going to take a big hit.
Cormac retrieved his board and walked over to me."What's wrong?You look like you just dropped your ice cream."
"Nothing's wrong.I'm good.And that fall was nice.How's the ass feeling?"
Cormac winced and reached back to rub it."Think I've still got a tailbone, no thanks to you."
A hand slapped my shoulder, and I spun around.Jules was shaking her head."Seriously?You're not going to even talk to her?"
"Talk to who?"Cormac asked.We ignored him.
"Great.Are you two working as a tag team or something?"I asked.
"Who two?"Cormac asked again."What tag team?"
"Go skate, Mac!"Jules and I yelled in unison.
"You're both fucking crazy, do you know that?"Cormac stomped off with his board dangling from his fingers.
"It's not a tag team, and Lacey didn't say a word to me.I saw the whole disappointing interaction through the window.First, there was the holy shit there he/she is gaze clash and then the magnetic stare and then she smiled and then you walked off like a grump."
"Stay the fuck out of this, Jules."
"Well, fuck you then.Excuse me for wanting you to be happy."
"Maybe happiness is overrated."I walked away, leaving Jules with one of her infamous pouts.She'd perfected the look when she was little and not getting her way, and she was so damn cute, it was impossible to let her pout for long without giving in.
I sat on the short retaining wall along the skating area and watched Cormac regain his status as top skater with a perfect trick.Nina, an on-again, off-againfriendwalked over and sat close enough to me that her leg was pressed against mine.
"So, I see that Lacey Michaels is back in town.Didn't you guys used to be a thing in high school?"It was a stupid question because you had to have been from a different planet not to know that Lacey and I were a thing.
