“Life’s a bitch sweetheart,” Micah replied, which made Jimmy burst into laughter. Someone needed to serve him club soda. I didn’t care if he’d turn thirty on his birthday. It was past time Jimmy found a woman and settled into a pattern. Calmed down, stop living in bars. His older brother Brent had straightened up after marrying Chloe. Jimmy had no interest in that. Didn’t seem to be heading in that direction.
Eli was looking back at the bar toward Nate as he walked over to me. His forehead was drawn with concern. He still hadn’t met the adult Nate. He hadn’t seen him since that summer. It had been long enough for Nate to forget so I figured Eli had to.
I hoped Eli had forgotten. I knew the others hadn’t seen Nate but from a distance that summer. Micah was the only one other than Eli and Larissa that got a good look at the sixteen-year-old boy he had been. He was a man now and although I recognized him I felt fairly sure they wouldn’t.
“Who is that?” Eli asked.
He would remember. I knew him well enough to know Eli hadn’t forgotten.
“The fiancé of my boss.”
“Why does he look familiar?”
And there it was. Eli’s excellent memory.
“Because it’s Nate Finlay,” I admitted. I then waited for Eli’s response.
He paused and studied me a moment. When his eyes widened, they were big. “The guy from that summer,” he whispered, before looking back at Nate. “He’s Octavia’s fiancé?”
“Yes.” Now he was going to ask me why I didn’t tell him this at the store. I counted to ten in my head and I knew what was coming next.
“Why didn’t you tell me who he was?”
I shrugged. “He didn’t remember. I didn’t want him to hear me. You know I need that job.”
Again he looked back at Nate. “He remembers.”
I started to argue the point when Eli slipped his hand through mine. “Let’s go dance,” he said.
I wanted to ask him how he knew Nate remembered. To go beyond what he’d already said but I needed to let it go. Besides, I was doing my best to pretend that Nate wasn’t Nate. Not the Nate that I knew, just some other guy who happened to be known by that name, and was marrying the woman I worked for. That was all I knew how to do.
We danced two songs before Micah cut in and then I danced a few times with him. Eli came back and interrupted us. We needed to get Saffron home.
“Can’t take her home like that. Blythe will fucking shit.” Micah spoke and he was right. Her mother would not be happy. But then again, Saffron, who was a lunatic, rarely did something to please them.
“She can stay with me,” I told him.
Eli scoffed. “Not sure that’s a good idea. I don’t want Krit Corbin on my ass. If he finds out she’s drunk and being hidden . . .”
“Jimmy should take her. She’s his cousin,” Micah interrupted.
Seriously? When was Jimmy ever responsible for anyone but himself? “That’s a terrible idea,” I responded. “Might as well throw her in a ditch.”
Eli nodded in agreement. “Can we call Holland for help?” Poor Holland had to bail her twin out of trouble on an average of once a week. I hated to do this to her, but there wasn’t any other choice.
“Yeah, I’ll call her,” I said.
Both guys seemed happy about that. I left them to head back to the table where my phone was tucked away in my purse. I tried really hard not to look at Nate as I swerved across the floor. I finally compromised and let my gaze slide past where he was sitting, but he was gone. Although I felt disappointed, which was silly, I knew it was for the best. I didn’t need any more temptation.
I could’ve invited Nate to our table so he wouldn’t have been alone. But then everyone would talk and he could remember and my embarrassment would know no bounds. That he had forgotten me, forgotten our summer, was a thing I preferred to keep to myself.
“Your boy left!” Saffron yelled, before I was even close to the table.
I ignored her. What else could I do?
“He sauntered out of here looking like sex on a motherfuckin’ stick,” she added.
“Why is she calling him your boy? You didn’t tell her about that summer did you?”
I snapped back at Eli quickly. “Of course not. She wanted to go hit on him and so she asked me who he was. I said he was my boss’s fiancé and that the man was very taken.”
Eli nodded but didn’t look thrilled. I’d moved out of my parent’s house. I didn’t need Eli hovering, and worrying like they do. Surely, he knew that.
“Eli, stop it with the concerned frown. That was a long time ago. I’ve all but forgotten it. Besides for once in my life I want to be treated like I’m grown up and independent. Can you please let me?”
“Yeah, I know, B.C.” he said.
B.C. meant before cancer. It was the way we labeled my sickness. B.C., D.C. and A.C. Before, during and after.
“Exactly,” I responded. We both knew everything B.C. was from a different life and era. One where we didn’t know fear or pain, or if we did it was temporary. My cancer had ignited our perfect worlds and shown us that life was fragile.
Nate Finlay
I WAS HERE like I promised. I just hadn’t got out of my truck yet. I was giving myself a pep talk. Which was ridiculous considering our history. She was nothing but a childhood fling. One that I was pretending I didn’t remember, which explained me sitting in my vehicle.
“This is a higher level of coward,” I said to myself out loud.
Shaking my head with disgust I got out and headed for the door. The backdoor. Not the front. Bliss had a question about a shipment. I would answer then be on my way. The list that I had of “to do’s” at the place was a half mile long or better, but I couldn’t stay in there with Bliss. Alone, where I could see her and smell her.
Octavia wasn’t going to be happy if she got back and her shit wasn’t finished. I should stay today and get things done. Stop being a dick and hiding. She hadn’t said anything about that summer. Maybe she’d forgotten me too? Lies. I’m lying to myself. Like me, Bliss remembered. I’d seen it on her face the moment we locked eyes. It was as if we were still there. Younger, happier and knowing. Knowing we’d never forget this.
Opening the backdoor I walked inside and stopped short when I saw Bliss’s ass. Stuck up into the air being asslike. It was a nice one. No, scratch that. It was a stellar one and I thoroughly enjoyed the view. The shorts she was wearing rode up high and perfectly cupped her stellar ass. Damn.
She then began to shake that ass, as she remained bent at the waist. She must have heard me come in. Was that why she’d asked me to meet her here? To shake her ass at me? That wasn’t a horrible plan. Currently it was working for her.