“Sorry. I wonder why she was coming around.”
He held the locket up. “To bring me back this.”
She held the locket between the tips of her fingers, running her thumb across the picture. “It’s beautiful. Did you buy it for her?”
“No. It was my mother’s, and I lost it while I was hanging around Summer’s. She finally returned it to me. It took her long enough.”
“Your mother’s?”
“Yeah.” He flicked the clasp open, showing her a picture of his parents. “They died not long after I graduated school. It was a rough time, and my mom always said I could have it. I would never sell something like this. She would wear it all the time.”
“I can see why. It’s beautiful.” Autumn smiled. “What would you like?”
“The usual. Add an extra chocolate chip muffin for Denny. He’s been in a weird mood lately.”
“Sure.”
He watched her work, admiring the curves of her ass.
She rang him up, taking the money.
“I will be seeing you on Sunday.”
“I can’t wait.”
Chapter Seven
Saturday evening, much to Autumn’s dismay, she sat in a nightclub, watching as her sister danced with some random stranger. Why did she agree to go out just to make up with her?
Sitting at the bar, Autumn drank her vodka, wishing she was anywhere else but here. Tomorrow morning she had a date, and she intended to be more than ready to enjoy that date. She’d already sent a quick text to Carter, letting him know that she was at this nightclub, and would, she hoped, be ready for him in the morning.
The song ended, and Summer made her way over. “Whoop, whoop. Why aren’t you dancing?”
“I don’t dance.” Autumn never got asked to dance, and there was no way she was just going to walk onto the dance-floor looking like a damn sap in need.
“Come on, we can have some fun.”
Autumn looked past her shoulder, seeing another guy practically drooling to have a dance with her sister. “No, you go. There’s a guy there begging for you.”
Summer looked behind her, smirking. “Okay, I’m going to go and get him.” She downed her drink, and hiccupped. “Oops.”
Autumn smiled and turned back to her drink at the bar.
“You okay?” the barman asked.
“Peachy.”
The barman left her alone to wallow in her loneliness.
Minutes passed, and with them, she started to get a little more depressed.
“Now what is a beautiful woman like you doing in a place like this?” Carter asked.
She turned toward him and smiled. “What are you doing here?”
“I didn’t want my girl to feel all alone, and I had a feeling that you would. Besides, I’m picking you up tomorrow, so why not start tonight?” He gave his order to the barman, and she was in shock.
“Summer’s here.” Autumn hated this, feeling that she had to keep him a secret even though it was her idea in the first place.