“Baby Char!” Bree stood beaming in the doorway; her thick brown hair braided over her shoulder. She rushed toward me, pulling me into a crushing hug against her lean and tall frame. The scent of vanilla and nail polish remover filled my nose.
My voice was muffled as I tried to greet her. “Hi, Bree. Glad you’re back.”
She grasped my shoulders tightly and pushed me far enough away to examine me with intense hazel eyes that matched her son’s. “Not a baby anymore. Dang it, girl. You’ve blossomed into a beautiful young woman. You’re not supposed to grow up so fast. Quit it! You’re making me feel old.”
It was silly, but I couldn’t help the flush that crept into my face or the proud smile on my lips. That meant a lot, coming from her. I’d always thought Hunter’s mom was gorgeous, with her incredibly high cheekbones, long lashes, and cool rustic fashion sense. She was a lot younger than my mom. She’d had Hunter when she was only seventeen and moved to Rock Valley not long afterwards.
“You’ll never be old, Bree,” I said as she led me inside the small living room and kitchen combination.
The place smelled like a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies had just come out of the oven. Cardboard boxes lined the walls. Their old brown microfiber couch still stood in the middle of the wood floor, facing an old giant box TV. Gone was the ex-fiancé’s ugly blue recliner and the drink cooler he used to keep beside him during football games.
“Oh, baby Char, you’re getting a whole dozen of these cookies to yourself after a compliment like that,” she said with a wink. “You deserve it. Anyone that builds up my ego automatically gets spoiled with baked goods.”
“You mean these cookies?” Hunter had his hip leaning against the kitchen counter, his eyes glittering with trouble. With a wink, he stuffed an entire cookie in his mouth. His jaw worked as he chewed it slowly and wagged his eyebrows at me. I stifled a giggle. Bree shrieked and then whipped the kitchen towel at him.
“Men! I swear.” She wiped the back of her hand across her forehead and huffed. “Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Your momma should count her lucky stars she had two daughters.”
I flung a smile at her, but my gut twisted a little at her comment. My mom hadn’t been so lucky a couple months ago, when I’d been stuck in a crazy cycle of self-destruction. I was pretty sure she would’ve traded me for someone like Hunter in a heartbeat. Hunter might have liked to tease, but he never did anything wrong.
“Well, you two enjoy your movie night,” she said, snatching a cookie off the cooling racks. “I’m going to go unpack some stuff in my room. Charlotte, it’s good to have you around again, baby girl.”
“I’m glad you’re back, too,” I said, watching her sway down the hall in her tight denim jeans and brown peasant top. I’d missed Hunter desperately last year, but I’d missed his mom nearly as much. It felt so good to be in this house again, with both of them.
Almost like the last year hadn’t happened.
Tossing my bag of goodies on the counter, I grabbed the DVD for tonight’s event and handed it to Hunter.
“Easy A. What a surprise,” he said with an eye roll as he headed toward the TV.
I plopped down on the worn couch and grinned at him, feeling totally at home. “A lot of things might have changed, Hunter McNally, but not that. It’s still my favorite movie and this is still my favorite way to spend a summer night.”
He knelt down and put the disc into the player, his brow furrowing in thought. “That’s good. You know...I was worried you’d forget about me and be too busy with all your boyfriends to spend any time with me when I got back.”
I threw a bag of Skittles at him. It bounced off his muscular chest and fell to the floor.
“What boyfriends? In case you haven’t notice, I repel the opposite sex.”
He snorted, tapping buttons on the DVD player. “Um...that’s not even close to the truth. At least three of the rodeo guys asked about you after you left the opening ceremony today.”
Blood rushed to my cheeks as I sat straight up. “You’re lying.”
He arched an eyebrow, amusement showing in the curve of his lips. “Seriously, Char? I know you’re near-sighted, but you can’t be that blind. Especially after that jerk Graham pretty much drooled all over you.”
I grabbed a throw pillow and hugged it to my chest. Hunter wasn’t the type to tell a fib, so it had to be true. Embarrassment and pride swirled in my head, fighting for control. Embarrassment won out. I shook my head and leaned back into the cushions.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said resolutely. “Even if I had a hundred guys after me, I’d never forget about you. I like you too much.”
Something flickered in his eyes as he looked at me and inhaled slowly. “Really?”
Of course it was true. He shouldn’t have looked so surprised. I’d always liked hanging out with Hunter. That was part of what made us such great friends.
I patted the seat beside me. It was time for a change of topic. My lack of a dating life was not something I wanted to be talking about on our first movie night back together. “Duh, I like you. Now come sit down and let’s get this party started.”
He shot me a small smile and stood as the opening movie trailers began to play on the TV behind him. “Thanks for that, Char Char.”
“Anytime.”
I watched him move toward the kitchen to grab some more cookies. Hunter might have resembled something more like a man now, but I could still see some of that boy I used to know. It was there in the warmth of his eyes and the teasing tilt of his smile. I held on to those familiar bits, even as he sank into the sofa beside me and our thighs touched, causing strange little waves of heat to ripple out across my body.