“Sounds good,” Brayden said. “Need help with anything?”
“No,” I said flatly. “Just a couple minutes.”
He nodded. “We’ll get out of your way and meet you downstairs then, alright?”
“Sure.”
I turned on my heel and went to my kitchenette, where I removed my apron and watched Brayden and Bella leave through the corner of my eye.
What am I getting myself into?
I shook my head when the door closed behind them. It was just dinner. I was a grown woman. Surely I could withstand having a meal with him, couldn’t I? It’s not like there was anything between us anymore. We were an old item. A couple of kids who fell hard for each other back in high school. That was it.
At least, that was all it had been to him.
I had thought I would marry him.
I groaned inwardly as I got my jacket and flicked off all the lights in the loft. I left and locked up behind me, then put my jacket on while I was out in the hall.
Gracie was going to shit herself when she found out I went to dinner with him.
I should go downstairs and tell him no, that it was a bad idea. There was no harm in being honest. I certainly didn’t owe him anything. It was the other way around. A meal with him wouldn’t make up for what he put me through, and if he had any sense at all, he already knew that.
But his eyes had looked honest when he told me he was sorry moments ago. He meant it, I was positive, but it was too late to matter now. He should have called me when he first left. He should have told me how sorry he was that he left me behind. He should have explained himself. Then maybe I could have had some sort of closure and been able to move on without wondering what the hell I had done wrong.
Without thinking I had driven him away.
I made it halfway down the hall before stopping and turning around.
“You’re being a baby,” I hissed to myself. “It’s just dinner. Then you’ll probably never have to see or hear from him again. You can finally close the door on that chapter of your life and walk away.”
I turned back around, my hands balled into fists at my sides, and marched straight down the hall to the top of the stairs. I hesitated for only a moment before forcing myself forward and hurrying down to street level.
“Just dinner,” I reassured myself as I pushed the door open.
On the sidewalk, I paused to inhale a deep breath of cold fresh air. It cleared my mind and chased away the lingering oily smell of paint in my nose.
Brayden was beside me, leaning up against the wall as Bella played in the snow on the sidewalk. His hands were in the pockets of his kneelength black coat, and the stark white of the snow made his eyes look even greener.
Fuck me, I thought. I should have told him no. What the hell was I thinking?
“Ready?” he asked, his voice making the hairs on the nape of my neck stand up.
I nodded. “Yeah. Where were you two heading?”
He cracked a smile that reminded me of the boy I used to know. “Don’t hate me, but I was thinking Emmett’s diner. I told him I’d bring Bella by while I was in town.”
I crammed my hands into my pockets. “Works for me. He makes a good burger.”
“I don’t want a burger, Daddy,” Bella piped up as she crossed the sidewalk and came toward us. “Cows aren’t food.”
“You don’t have to have a burger, kiddo. I’m sure there are plenty of animal-free things you can eat. Alright?”
I dropped into a crouch in front of Bella. “Do you like grilled cheese?”
Bella looked up at her dad, who nodded. “Yes,” she said softly.
“Good!” I said with enthusiasm. “Because Emmett makes the best grilled cheese in the whole world. I promise.”
Bella grinned and swayed on the spot. “Okay, I believe you.”
“Good.” I chuckled, standing back up and looking over at Brayden. “Ready to go?”
He nodded and the three of us started off down the sidewalk. We cut across town square and headed down Fourth Avenue toward the diner, which was alight with neon lights that glowed and reflected off the snow on the street. It gave the place a retro vibe, and even from the street, we could hear the music playing inside.
“Not much has changed,” Brayden said as we walked by the windows toward the front doors. “Is that still the same juke box in there?”
“You’d better believe it,” I said. “It still plays through the same twenty tracks, too. Emmett suggested a few years back to add some new ones, but people freaked out. God forbid someone tries to do something new around here.”
“God forbid,” Brayden muttered, grabbing the door and holding it open for Bella and me.
“Thanks,” I said.
He nodded his head politely and stepped in behind me.
Standing in the warmth of the diner, I was acutely aware of how close Brayden was to me. He was at my back, maybe half a foot away, and the smell of him was intoxicating. It flooded my nose and played with my brain, urging me to be nicer to him. He had said he was sorry, and he was a different man than the boy I remembered.
Much different.
There was something in the way he walked and talked that lent him a new sophistication that suited him. He was hot as hell—hotter than anyone I had ever seen in person. His sharp chin and high cheekbones made him look like he belonged on the cover of a magazine.
His broad shoulders, narrow waist, and thick arms had me wondering what he looked like in Florida where he wouldn’t be hidden beneath layers of winter clothing. What did a man like him look like naked?
I swallowed and tried to brush the thought away as heat gathered below my belly.
I was in trouble.
Chapter 11
Brayden
I shook the snow off my boots on the mat at the front door of Emmett’s diner and looked up to see his familiar, bearded face behind the counter. He gave us a friendly wave and motioned for us to come sit at his counter in the three empty stools at the end.
I nodded to them, and Rein took the lead, weaving between chairs and tables. As she walked, she undid her jacket and pulled it off, draping it over her right arm. I reprimanded myself for checking her out. Her walk was different than I remembered. Her hips had a gentle sway to them that pulled my eyes to her perky ass, which she definitely didn’t have when we were an item.
Rein took the last stool at the end of the counter and hung her jacket on a hook at the end. I hung mine beside hers, then helped Bella out of hers. She squirmed a bit when I fidgeted with the zipper. Kids’ clothes weren’t made for big clumsy fingers like mine. I finally got her jacket off and hung it up before lifting Bella onto the stool beside Rein. I took the one on the other side of my daughter and grabbed her a menu.
“So a grilled cheese, hey?” I asked.
Bella nodded.
I found it on the menu. “It comes with fries, or if you’re feeling fancy, a Caesar salad. What do you want, kiddo?”
Bella grinned sheepishly and pressed her hands down in her lap. “Fries.”
“Fries? You’re sure? You don’t want nice crunchy lettuce?”
Bella giggled and shook her head.
“Alright, alright. Fries it is.” I closed her menu and pushed it away, then looked up at Rein. “What are you having?”
Rein bit her bottom lip and then looked down at her own menu. “I was kind of craving a burger. And definitely fries for me, as well. Emmett’s are the best.”
“Glad he found his calling,” I said.
“Who’s Emmett?” Bella asked, looking up at Rein instead of me.
Rein blinked down at my daughter. “He’s a friend of mine. And your dad’s. We all used to go to school together.”
“We met him at the grocery store the other day, kiddo,” I said.
“Oh, right, he’s nice,” Bella said. Then she looked back at Rein and tugged on her sleeve. “How long have you known my daddy?”
I was surprised at how much Bella was talking. Us
ually, she kept to herself around new people. She had a tendency to get kind of clingy with me when exposed to someone new. Sometimes, she even hid behind my legs. It was shocking to see how comfortable she seemed to be with Rein.
“I’ve known him for my whole life, I guess,” Rein said. She looked me right in the eyes, and I swear I saw her smile. “We both grew up here in this tiny town, so everyone knows everyone.”
“That’s neat,” Bella said. “It’s like my preschool. We all know each other there, too.”
Rein giggled. The sound was just as pure and sweet as I remembered. Damn.
“Yes, just like your preschool,” Rein said.
Emmett arrived in front of us on the other side of the counter. He was wearing a white cotton shirt and blue jeans. A towel was draped over his shoulder, and sweat speckled his brow. He was working hard, it was clear to see, and he was smiling like he was having the best time of his life.
“Hey there, you three.” He looked down at Bella and wiggled his fingers at her. “Nice to see you again, Miss Bella.”
Bella smiled shyly. “Hi.”
Emmett chuckled and braced himself against the counter. “What can I get for you guys? Burgers? Fries? Poutine? Milkshakes? What?”
“Jesus, slow down,” I muttered. “I didn’t realize you were going to try to upsell me. I thought we were friends.”
Emmett cocked his head to the side and cracked a clever grin. “Friends see each other more often than once a decade, man.”
I chuckled. “Touché.”
Rein let out a long sigh and cleared her throat. She was clearly tired of our bantering. “I’ll just get a cheeseburger and fries, Emmett. And a coke, please.”
Emmett nodded his head and looked down at Bella. “And for you, little lady?”
Bella looked at me, and I nodded for her to tell Emmett her order. She looked back up at my friend and smiled politely. “A grilled cheese and fries, please.”
Emmett’s eyebrows crept upwards. “Well, alright then. Nice manners.” He turned to me. “She’s more polite than you ever were.”
I shrugged. “I try. Same as Rein for me.”
“You got it,” Emmett said, nodding assertively and then turning away from us to busy himself with other customers sitting farther down the counter. I watched him bustle around like a chicken with his head cut off for a couple minutes and was dimly aware of the fact that Rein and Bella were chatting beside me.
Their conversation was simple, mostly Bella just asking silly questions, like why Rein had red in her hair, and Rein answering sweetly. She endured the bombardment of questions my daughter threw at her like a seasoned pro, and I turned to watch the exchange.
It was nice to see Bella so at ease with a stranger. She was usually tentative and shy. It was something Mrs. Jasmine had chatted with me about several times, and she and I were both working toward trying to help Bella have more social skills. But right now, she was completely at ease. Not only that, but she was enjoying herself.
Emmett brought us our drinks and placed them in front of us. Rein plucked straws out of the metal dispenser on the edge of the counter and passed one to me and one to Bella. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Rein did something she used to do when we were young.
She tore one end of the wrapper and pulled it off about an inch. Then she twisted the extra paper at the still sealed end of the straw. She lifted the straw to her mouth, pursed her lips around it, and pointed it at Bella.
Then she shot the paper straw covering at Bella’s drink.
Bella looked up gleefully and proceeded to do the same thing with her straw.
Rein laughed as it bounced off her shoulder. “You shoot your straws, too?” she asked playfully.
“Daddy and I do it all the time.” Bella giggled.
Rein lifted her coke up and sipped it. Her eyes met mine, and I wondered if she was thinking of all the times I had shot my straw at her in this diner. It used to drive her crazy. I used to promise that I wouldn’t do it, and then, when she wasn’t looking, I’d do it anyway, winning myself an exasperated look that for some reason I found incredibly endearing. Probably just the teenage boy in me.
Rein was still looking at me. I shrugged. “Old habits die hard.”
Rein surprised me by smiling. “Apparently.”
Emmett returned with our meals shortly after, placing them in front of us. The smell was intoxicating, and my mouth was watering as grease dripped off the edges of my burger. We dug in, and I relished each and every bite. Back in Florida, I didn’t eat like this.
Bella devoured her grilled cheese and fries and chatted with Rein all through dinner. I sat in silence, enjoying my French fries and the sound of the two girls talking like they had known each other for ages. It made me think of what things would have been like if Bella’s mother had still been with us. I figured it would feel a lot like this.
When I finished eating, I wiped my mouth with my napkin and pushed my plate away so I could lean forward on my elbows and look down the counter at Rein, who was nodding along to a story Bella was telling her.
She finished her story and began munching on some fries.
“So,” I said, catching Rein’s eye. “How has this place been since I left?”
Rein pursed her lips and stared back at me for a moment before answering. “Not much has changed, as you can see. People are getting by. Somehow, we’re all finding a way to make ends meet. If someone needs a hand one month, everyone is there to help. Small towns are good that way.”
“Yeah, I remember that.”
“I bet,” Rein said.
I analyzed her expression. She was angry. “I know you’re still mad at me, Rein. I don’t blame you. But I don’t want to spend all my time here with you mad at me. Can I take you to dinner sometime? Maybe we can work through this and put it behind us.”
Her eyes narrowed. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Her response surprised me. Being turned down was rare for me, but being turned down by Rein Petty felt like a cold punch to the gut. “Really? You won’t even do dinner?”
Rein shook her head. “What happened between us happened, Brayden. I’m over it, okay? But I don’t want to go reliving that. I can’t.”
Rein raised her hand and caught Emmett’s eye to ask for the check. He brought it over within seconds. She plucked it from the counter, read the total, and grabbed money from her purse. She put it down on the counter beside the check and slid off her stool.
She gently grabbed Bella’s shoulder. “It was so nice to meet you, Bella. I hope you like the polar bear painting.”
“Bye,” Bella said, frowning slightly.
Rein paused beside me as she made her way by. “See you, Brayden.”
“Alright,” I said. “It was nice to see you, Rein. Really.”
She gave me a curt nod but didn’t return my sentiments. I shouldn’t have expected her to.
***
After leaving the diner, I took Bella back home to my mother’s place and got her ready for bed. She was sleepy and grouchy as I made her brush her teeth, and by the time I had tucked her into bed in my mother’s spare bedroom, she was asleep.
I paused in the doorframe and looked back at her as she slept soundly. “Sleep tight, kiddo. Love you.” I flicked out the light and pulled the door closed, leaving it open just a crack. Bella wasn’t a huge fan of the dark.
When I came back into the living room to prepare the couch to sleep on, my mother came in with a cup of tea. She was moving slowly, and I noticed that her wrists and arms were thinner than I remembered. I wished I hadn’t noticed.
“You got what you wanted,” I said. “Rein went out to dinner with us.”
“You ran into Rein Petty?” my mother asked innocently, coming and sitting down on one end of the sofa.
I dropped down beside her and shot her a sideways look. “Yes, miss matchmaker, I did.”
My mother sipped her tea and shrugged her frail shoulders. “What are the odd
s?”
“Pretty decent, seeing as how you sent me to the art gallery she owns.”
My mother smiled wisely and looked me in the eye. “You needed to see the girl. I know you. It was eating you up. Besides, I’m sure it was nice to see her, despite it all.”
I leaned back in the sofa and rested my neck on the cushion. It felt good to decompress after a long day. “You’re right. It was nice to see her. But it was obvious how much she didn’t want to see me.”
My mother reached out and rested her hand on my knee. I was instantly filled with nostalgic memories of sitting on this very sofa as a boy and having her bandage my knee after taking a bad fall out on the street. I rested my hand over hers.
“It’s a relationship I wish wouldn’t have ended for you,” my mother said softly. “But I’m glad you were able to see her again. She’s a sweet girl. Always has been.”
“Unless she’s pissed at you,” I said.
My mother looked up at me and smiled in that old humorous way she used to. The way she did when she was feeling playful. “She always did let you know exactly how she was feeling, didn’t she?”
“That she did,” I said, laughing. “That she did.”
Chapter 12
Rein
I crossed my arms and took a step back to analyze my Valdez harbor painting. For some reason, I couldn’t get one of the sails on one of the boats to look proportionate to all the other boats, and the angles were all wrong. Try as I might, I couldn’t make it look like anything but a giant marshmallow floating in the middle of my painting. I frowned and rested my hand under my chin.
It took me three seconds to realize I had my paintbrush pressed to my jaw.
I let out a startled yelp and then scolded myself for being an idiot, just as the door to the loft opened.
“Hello?” Gracie’s familiar voice called.
“Hi!” I shouted, hurrying across the floor and making my way to the sink in my kitchenette. I splashed water on my face and rubbed off the dark blue paint. I grabbed a towel from one of the cupboards and dried myself off.
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