Famous in a Small Town

A passing tradesperson told me the new owner of the buildings was in the diner. It seemed safest to go straight to the source. No messing around with maybes.

As far as I knew, Eileen had yet to find anyone interested in buying the place since she closed up shop and retired to Florida. Guess that had changed. Three years could make for a lot of dust. But the black-and-white-checked laminate floor, metal-edged tables, and turquoise booths held so many memories. Dad and I used to stop by for a burger and fries every Saturday. Mom liked to take her time at the farmers’ market in Falls Creek and Dad hated shopping. My teenage self, on the other hand, enjoyed shopping, just not when it consisted largely of fresh produce. To think of all the conversations Dad and I had in this space.

But back to the here and now. Studying an array of papers spread across the counter stood Claude, Lupita, and Garrett. And I stopped dead at the sight. It was a small town, so we couldn’t avoid each other forever. Though a few more days without the rock star would have been nice. A chance to practice my indifference and put my feelings back in a box.

After all, I neither needed nor wanted a man in my life. There’d been enough changes lately, what with me putting effort into my appearance and pushing at the boundaries of my fears. I’d started sitting outside with a book at night and sleeping with the bedroom windows open. It was more than enough.

“Excuse me, miss,” said a dude carrying a toolbox.

I stepped inside. “Sorry.”

“Ani, come on in.” Claude’s smile was wide. “We’re reopening the diner. Isn’t it exciting?”

“Wow.”

Lupita smacked a kiss on my cheek, then wiped her lipstick off my face with the pad of her thumb. “I’m going to make my breakfast burritos.”

“We’ll have pancakes, burgers, sandwiches, and salads, too,” said Claude. “My nephew is moving out from Chicago to help.”

I smiled. “That’s amazing.”

“Garrett’s just about bought up the whole damn town. He says he’s going to bring it back to life.”

And all the while, the rock star stood there, frowned at me, and said nothing. Like an asshole. I don’t think it had occurred to me to be angry about what happened between us before then. But I sure as hell was now.

“Can we talk out back for a second, please?” I asked, and led the way to the kitchen.

Pots and pans sat abandoned on the grill and the scent of fried food still lingered in the air. Eileen had owned the place for as long as I could remember. And her father before her. It tended to often be the way in small towns. How things got handed down through families.

“I’d forgotten how much I used to love this place,” I said, taking it all in. “How much I’ve missed it.”

Garrett leaned a hip against the old counter and stared down at me. Of course he also had his arms crossed, because being defensive and withdrawn was his chosen aesthetic. “What’s up?”

“Try again,” I snapped.

A little muscle in his jaw went pop. His gaze dipped, then he caught himself and most definitely did not look at the color of my shoes. Lucky for him, given my current mood.

“You seem to need some help now and then with being a friend. So consider this me helping you,” I said. “You can pretend you never kissed me, but you do not get to pretend I don’t exist.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“Keep going.”

“It was a mistake. It never should have happened. I had no business . . .”

“Kissing me?” Despite anticipating this line of defense, it still hurt like hell. Kind of like when Brittany Daly tripped me and knocked the wind out of me in fourth grade. As I recall, that was about a boy too. “Okay. Thank you, Garrett. Apology accepted.”

His brows rose. “You’re all right with that? With me saying it was a mistake?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Ah, no reason. That’s . . . yeah, that’s great. So we can just go back to the way things were before?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

I nodded. “Now that we have that sorted, what are you doing to my town, Garrett?”

“It was you who actually gave me the idea,” he said. “Telling me about the guy who raised the rent and drove all of those people out of business. I got my lawyer to track him down and make him an offer. The man couldn’t offload the properties fast enough. He even agreed to rush things and let us get in here early to start.”

“I don’t doubt he was keen. The idiot is making no income while paying taxes. But what’s in it for you?”

“After I signed the contract for the sale of the West Hollywood house, I got to thinking. That part of my life is finished. But I don’t want to go back to aimlessly wandering around,” he said. “It’s time to start something new. I like it here in Wildwood and I plan on staying and making it my home.”