Return to Us

by Corinne Michaels

  I smile as her warmth fills the space around us. She’s always sweet and loving. I doubted the woman had a mean word to say about a soul. “You are the best part of this town,” I say with a smile.

  “Vernon!” she yells over her shoulder toward the kitchen. “You come out here and see who came for your famous breakfast.”

  Her husband peeks his head out of the door. “Hello there, Miss Jessica.”

  A sense of calm settles over me as I realize that I had been worried about a town that loved me and wished me well as I ran away to avoid having my heart broken. “It’s good to see you, Mr. Vernon.”

  He gives me a wink and then heads back in.

  “I’ll give you my best table. Come on, girls.” Jennie grabs two menus and walks us over to the only open table.

  “This place hasn’t changed,” I muse as I look around.

  There are still the same deep-red booths with black-lacquer tables, checkered black-and-white floors, and football jerseys hung on the wall.

  Jennie smiles. “No need to fix things that aren’t broken. This town hasn’t changed because we don’t need it to.”

  I smile at her, taking the menu from her hand. “It’s good to see you.”

  “It’s good to see you too, honey.”

  “Table three!” Vernon yells from the kitchen.

  “I’ll be back with your food in a few. I’ll just get you your usual.” Jennie rushes off before I could give her another option.

  It shouldn’t surprise me that she would think I still ate pancakes, but when we pulled up, it was all I wanted.

  After Grayson’s games, we would all pile into his truck and head here, craving carbs and sweets. He and I would sit in the corner booth, his arm around me while I wore his letterman jacket. If I had been a cheerleader, we would’ve been that all-American couple everyone talked about. I couldn’t afford to play sports, and there wasn’t any way around it. I didn’t get to sit in the stands each Friday because I was usually working, but Grayson was always there at the end of my shift.

  I didn’t have to be embarrassed, he just loved me. The poor, sad, and angry parts were held together by him.

  It just wasn’t enough in the end.

  Delia looks at me, a smile on her lips. “Thinking of something?”

  My hands are folded in front of me, resting on the menu. “The past.”

  “It’s in every crevice of this place.”

  “That it is.”

  Her past is still the present, unfortunately. She’s been in love with Joshua Parkerson since we were kids. The oldest and most elusive of the Parkerson brothers. She has watched, wondered, dreamed of a time when he would see her as more. Joshua has always pushed her away, except for one night when he kissed her in the hallway by the payphone in the diner. A moment she’s clung to for years.

  I watch as her gaze moves there, almost as though the memory calls to both of us.

  “How is Josh?” I ask.

  “I wouldn’t know.”

  “He’s gone too?”

  Her eyes narrow, and she shifts. “Too?”

  I nod. “Well, yeah. Aren’t the Parkersons all scattered now? You don’t need an entire family to work at the same location. Their parents always had the grand plan of having their own chain. Last time my mother said they opened another location in Wyoming and Oliver went to run it.”

  Delia shakes her head subtly. “Yeah, but . . . I mean, they’re not all gone.”

  “I’m sure Stella stayed here.” She was the baby, even if only by six minutes of her twin, Oliver, and spoiled beyond belief. I can’t imagine their father allowed her to leave his side. “She and Winnie still hang out.”

  She bites her lower lip. “Well, Stella is here, yes, but . . .”

  “Did Alex stay?” I ask.

  “No, Alex went to their Savannah location,” she says.

  I can picture him loving that. Alex is our age and he used to love to party. Savannah would be the perfect mix of fun and seriousness for him. “How is he?”

  Delia leans back in the seat, watching me. “Last time we talked, he was doing really well.”

  “I always loved him.”

  Delia grins. “Alex is the best.”

  I would argue that. In my heart, Grayson was the best, but she was very close with Alex and always hung out at his house. Partially because it meant she could be around Josh, but that was beside the point. We were Alex’s friends . . . annoying, young, and stupid.

  “Yeah, he’s probably coming back to visit soon, they all do around their parents’ anniversary.”

  “It was always a big deal for them.”

  Delia pushes the salt shaker back and forth. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “Why did you break up with Grayson?”

  I feel the blood drain from my face. “You know why.”

  “I know what I heard, which was that you ended things when you went to college because it wasn’t going to work long distance with him being in a different state.”

  He was two years older, and I was so sure we’d always be together. Not because of any other reason than we loved each other that much. Surely, two people couldn’t love each other the way we did and not work. It was unfathomable.

  But loving someone when their family despises you is something else. Grayson shielded me, or he tried to, but I heard their barbs. I felt their disdain, and when push came to shove, I knew he’d choose them because they held the keys to his future. Like my father had, Grayson would’ve chosen his happiness over the people in his life. I was young and dumb and thought if I left him first, it wouldn’t hurt.

  That proved wrong. It hurt and I was too immature to go back to him.

  “Does it really matter? Do any high school sweethearts ever last?” I ask. “He’s gone and living what I’m sure is a perfect life.”

  She looks down, blowing a long breath through her nose. “How does your sister literally spend every other day with Stella and you know nothing?”

  Before I can answer or clarify, Jennie brings our plates and my stomach growls. It’s been so long since I’ve had breakfast like this.

  I stare at the plate, touching the rim, not sure how to start or if this is real. Before the crash, life was about efficiency. I was often flying early in the morning, which meant I needed to work out and then prepare for whatever trip the celebrity we were flying requested. I can’t remember the last time I sat down to eat where it wasn’t about running to the next thing. Let alone that I got to have carbs like this.

  “Are you planning to eat it or make love to it?” Delia asks with a snort.

  “Both.”

  We giggle and then the chime rings on the door.

  I look up, not knowing what possessed me to care, but when I do, it’s as though not only the plane is crashing around me but also the world. A pair of blue eyes, dark brown hair, and a smile that I couldn’t forget if I tried is there, and I can’t breathe.

  Grayson Parkerson is in town and staring back at me.

  Chapter 2

  Grayson

  I stand here, looking at the woman I loved, not sure if I’m imagining it. Stella told me she was back, but I’ve spent the last three weeks waiting to see her and . . . nothing. I figured she was gone just as quick as she returned.

  A hand clasps my shoulder, and I look away. I shouldn’t care if Jessica is here. It has been fourteen years and we’ve both moved on, but then, if that were the case, it wouldn’t feel as if I were just punched in my gut.

  “You ready to eat?” Jack asks.

  “Yeah.”

  “Good, the call we just had left me fucking starving.”

  I chuckle. “You’re always starving.”

  It doesn’t matter if we respond to a false alarm or four-alarm fire, Jack believes that getting out of bed earns him some food as a reward. Tonight, we responded to a brush fire that, thankfully, had been called in before it got out of control. Probably the football guys having a bonfir
e where they shouldn’t have. Of course, it wasn’t as if Jack and I ever did stupid shit like that when we were kids . . .

  “Fact.”

  I use every ounce of willpower I have not to glance over at her. Not that I can’t, at any time, recall how she looks in perfect detail. Her dark brown hair lays straight, rich honey-colored eyes, and freckles across her cheekbones that she tries to hide. How is it that she’s even more beautiful than I remembered?

  We get to our seats, and I purposely make sure my back is to her. If I don’t, I’ll end up staring at her and failing in my plan to pretend she doesn’t exist.

  She left me.

  She decided we weren’t worth the effort. Four years I loved her, and it took her four minutes to wreck it all.

  Jack slaps his menu against mine. “You all right?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Yeah? Because you’re acting weird. Couldn’t be because Jessica is three tables back, could it?”

  I shake my head with my lips in a firm line. “Nope.”

  “No, I mean, it’s not like she was the one who got away.”

  “She left.”

  “She did, and now she’s back.”

  “It appears she is. I don’t give a shit,” I say, looking at the menu.

  He laughs once. “Yeah, you look like you don’t care. I mean, you’re the epitome of not caring right now.”

  “Drop it, Jack.”

  I’m really not in the mood for this. Jessica Walker is not my concern anymore. She made her choice when she ran out of here like her feet were on fire. It didn’t matter that I would’ve given her everything, including time while we were both in school.

  He chuckles and starts looking over the menu. “I hear she’s back for good.”

  I release a heavy sigh, knowing he’s like a dog with a bone. “Stella said as much.”

  He doesn’t lift his gaze as he nods. “Yeah, did she tell you why or did you cut her off before she could get the story out?”

  “It doesn’t matter if she’s back for a day, an hour, or the rest of her life. It makes zero difference to me.”

  He laughs under his breath. “Fucking idiot.”

  Just as I’m about to tell him off, I can feel her standing there. I turn my head, steeling myself against finally getting a closer look at her.

  She has a smile on her face, but I can see the hesitation in her eyes. “Hi, Gray.”

  “Jess.”

  “I . . . well, I wanted to say hello. How loud to go—” She closes her eyes, breathes a few times, and then speaks again, “How have you been?”

  “Just fine.” I give her a quick look before focusing on something else. This doesn’t have to happen. We can live here and go about our lives not talking. We spent fourteen years not saying a word to each other, this should be simple enough.

  “Oh. Good.” She looks at Jack and then back to me.

  Jack gets up and gives her a hug. “Jess, it’s so good to see you.”

  She winces and then takes a step back.

  “Sorry. Shit. I forgot you’re hurt.” Jack looks stricken.

  “It’s fine. It’s good to see you, too.”

  He sits back down, shoots me a glare, and then jerks his head toward her.

  “So, how are you?” I ask, not really wanting to have this conversation. I feel like an asshole, but I can’t seem to stop myself. I’m pissed. She shows up here after all this time, and I feel like I’ve been thrown back in time. It took me years to get over her, and now, one fucking appearance and my heart is racing.

  “I’m . . . okay.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  Delia walks over and rests her hand on Jessica’s arm. “Hey, guys. Jess, I got a call from my mother and need to head home to help her. Jennie is packing up the food.”

  She nods and then turns back to me. “It was good to see you, Gray.”

  “Yeah. Sure. Good to see you too.”

  I let out a low breath while my best friend stares at me. A few seconds pass, and he doesn’t say a word or look away. “What?” I ask.

  “You were a dick.”

  “Does she deserve my kindness? She fucking left me.”

  He laughs once. “What are you, a fifteen-year-old girl? Get over it and put your big girl panties on, pumpkin. That girl has been through hell, and you were a prick, which . . . you’re not. Since when do you act like that?”

  As Jessica and Delia walk out, Jess gives me a small wave, and I lift my head. I’m not sure what anyone expected regarding our reunion. I loved that girl. I would’ve fucking given up anything for her, but she walked away without a second glance.

  So, now that her life didn’t work out and she’s back, I’m supposed to forget what she did? Too bad. Life didn’t exactly go my way either.

  But something Jack said bugs me. “What hell did she go through?”

  Jack crosses his arms over his chest, a smirk on his face. Clearly, I’m missing something that everyone is aware of. “Do you remember that plane crash the guy playing the Navigator was in a few weeks ago?”

  “Jacob Arrowood?” He’s one of the new top celebrities that everyone is going nuts over. His last action movie was top in the box office for weeks and the plane crash only added to his fame. It was all over the news for days as they searched for him and the crew.

  He nods. “Do you know who else was in that crash?”

  It takes me a second to put two and two together. Jessica was a flight attendant. I’d heard that much when Winnie was babbling to Stella about her sister. I normally could avoid anything relating to her, but they were discussing how cool it was that she flew with celebrities. Of course, she’d just done a flight with Stella’s favorite musician and Jessica had sent Winnie a photo.

  “What?” I ask, nearly spilling my coffee. “She was in a plane crash? Why didn’t anyone say anything to me?”

  Jack’s smug grin makes me want to punch him.

  “Hey now, you didn’t want to know anything. Jessica Walker is on your do-not-mention list along with—”

  “Yes, her too.”

  “Ever think it’s you, buddy? I mean, two girls, two horrible endings to your love story. I’m noticing a pattern.”

  I tilt my head back because I wonder the same thing every day. I loved two women and they both left. Jessica and I were young and as much as I wanted to marry her, give her everything, we weren’t ready. When I met Yvonne, though, it was different. I was in grad school and she was pursuing her singing career, both from the same lifestyle and she was everything my mother wanted but I fought against—only I knew I wasn’t ready to date her, but I did anyway.

  “At least Yvonne left me with something I love and was worth the hell.”

  Jack grins. “Amelia is definitely worth it.”

  While I never pictured life being this way, I wouldn’t trade my daughter for every star in the sky.

  “Jessica left me with nothing.”

  He shrugs. “If it weren’t for her doing that, you wouldn’t have Melia.”

  “True.”

  “Is she with Stella?” he asks.

  “Yeah, she’s having another sleepover. It’s why I was able to answer the fire tones tonight.”

  The food arrives and Jennie gives us a warm smile. “You boys eat up. You have to keep your strength if you want to keep saving the town.”

  Jack grins. “See, Jennie gets it.”

  “Jennie thinks food fixes any problem.”

  She stares at me, one brow raised as she smiles. “It does. My Vernon and I have been married for fifty-three years. There’s nothing in this world that can’t be fixed with love, understanding, and some food from the heart.”

  My head turns to where Jessica was sitting before. “You think?”

  Jennie winks. “Oh, I know so, son. Sometimes what’s missing when it comes to forgiveness is love.” Before I can reply, she laughs. “Or it could be that you can’t cook worth a shit and need someone else to make the food.”

  Jack an
d I both chuckle. “Well, we’re glad we can always come here,” Jack says as he digs into his eggs.

  “Always, and who knows, sometimes you find what you need even when you aren’t looking.” She leaves, and I’m sitting here, a little off balance for the first time in four years. Not since the day Amelia was placed in my arms as Yvonne ran out the door to catch a flight to France.

  “Breakfast and life advice,” Jack muses. “I need to tip her more.”

  “It’s not that easy . . . what she said.”

  “You cooking? Oh, I know, I’ve eaten the crap you try to pass off as food.”

  I roll my eyes. “The forgiveness.”

  Jack leans back, his fork resting on the plate. “And what is holding on to all that shit doing to you, Gray? Nothing. It’s making you live in this constant state of pissed off.”

  “You know why I’m pissed—and it’s not constant.”

  For the most part, I just deal with it. Sure, the two women I loved left me. Sure, I basically refuse to date and have been close to monk status for a few years. Sure, I’m raising my daughter on my own and have nothing other than her and work. It’s fine.

  It’s all fine.

  “Yeah, and I get it. But you have Amelia and”—he lifts the fork, pointing it at me—“if you ask me, you were given a gift, my friend. Yvonne wanted your money, connections, and whatever she could take. Her leaving was rough, but she did you a favor by being a selfish bitch and not sticking around.”

  This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this. My friends, siblings—hell, even her own family said it. We would’ve made each other miserable, but I didn’t see that at the time . . . or care. I wanted what I lost with Jess, and I fell for her lies.

  “Maybe she did, but you tell Amelia that when she asks why she doesn’t have a mom.”

  Jack loves my daughter, everyone does. She’s smart, funny, tenacious, and has an ability to make everyone smile. Equally, she can break your heart when she cries.

  “Yeah right, I’ll never be the one to hurt her. One day, though, she’ll see it for herself. Your ex wasn’t worth your time, and she never was the right girl for you.”