Cade
Lunch time.I stood to the side of the dark wooden door of Holloway’s waiting to get my heart run through a blender again.
What the hell was I doing?
This was the stupidest idea I’d had in ages. She was never going to answer my questions about the crash, and I was never going to be able to keep resisting the urge to—to, what? Ask her out for a real date? We’d been out. Hell, we’d been married. I’d been in and out and all over her for fuck’s sake. And hell, I wanted to do it all again.
I blew out a sigh, dragging a hand over my beard as I contemplated sending her a text to cancel. Was her phone number even the same?
Damn, this was going to hurt in so many different ways. Emotionally, as well as physically, since my dick wanted to get reacquainted with Charlotte almost as much as my heart and my brain did. There was no way it could ever happen. Been there, done that, had the divorce papers to prove it.
We wanted different things out of life and that was an irrevocable fact. She was all city girl, big career, with bigger plans for even more, and I was one-hundred-percent mountain cop who loved my small town and never wanted to leave. Who was I to try to keep her here? She was meant for so much more than me and the simple life I could give her.
Too late.
She pulled up in her old Jeep and I tried to keep my jaw from dropping as she got out. Her hair was down, longer now than when we’d been together, but she still had that one curly lock that insisted on falling over her eyes. I shoved my hands into my pockets as the familiar urge to push it out of her face tempted me. She had changed into a soft pink sweater, high heeled boots, and a pair of tight jeans.
Please don’t turn around.
No such luck. With a twist and a half turn, the delectable curve of her ass caught my eye as she grabbed a jacket out of the Jeep, slipped it on, then headed my way, waving and smiling as she walked. God, I wouldn’t mind taking a bite out of her ass for lunch instead of a burger.
Stupidly, I had thought breaking the ice over a meal together would make things less awkward between us, make it easier to be in the same town again, and maybe make it easier on my mother as well. I knew Mom had always adored Charlotte as a kindred writing spirit back when we were together and I didn’t want to stand in the way of their friendship. Now that Charlotte was back in town, it would be selfish to keep them apart.
“Cade, hi.”
I held the door open, gesturing for her to precede me. An eyebrow shot up as she searched my expression. I knew I looked pained; keeping my hands to myself was harder than I thought it would be. I wanted to hold her hand or put my hand on the small of her back. I would do anything to be able to touch her again. “After you.”
“Thanks.” Her heels clicked over the black and white tiled floor as she headed to what had been our favorite spot in the place. Nestled in the far corner, the circle booth was private, dimly lit by a single hanging light over the table, and romantic as hell. We used to slide close and share our food, whispering secrets, feeling each other up under the table, and eye-fucking until we could get back home to fuck for real. My god, how I had missed her.
I had avoided this spot since she left me, preferring to sit up at the bar, and I never brought a date here, ever. The subconscious reasons for my behavior hit me as a huge wave of memories almost swept me off my feet. I sat down hard on my side of the booth and dodged her eyes.
“I missed it here,” she said, drawing my gaze.
“Yeah . . .” Looking at her was a mistake. Between the soft light and her even softer expression, I was done for. I had zero chance of this lunch ending with my heart intact. It had flown out of my chest the second I met her wistful eyes with mine.
“Charlotte! Oh my god! I’ve missed you so much.”
“It’s good to see you, Savannah, it’s been too long.” She slid out of the booth to hug my cousin and I took the opportunity to shove my napkin into my lap to cover up the evidence of my still-existing attraction to her.
Savannah was our age; we’d all gone to school together. The laws of small town living while in the same family dictated that she knew the entire history of my marriage to Charlotte.
“Welcome back to Sweetbriar! Sit down, girl. I bet I know what you want—burger with extra pickles on the side and tots, right?”
“Heck yes! But no beer. It’s way too early. I’m still in the caffeination phase of my day so I’ll take a Dr. Pepper.”
“Don’t forget the cheese on the tots,” I added, flinching as the sharp point of Charlotte’s boot poked my shin.
“Oh god.” She placed her palm on my arm. “My foot slipped when I was scooting over. I’m so sorry, Cade.”
Savannah laughed. “Would you like to try our new milkshake? We have a yummy hazelnut flavor that Oliver is trying out—lactose free.” She gave me a pointed look and my eyes went wide. “You can try it on the house.”
Oliver was another cousin. After my Uncle Pat died about ten years ago, running this place became a family affair. You could always find either my Aunt Delphine—Mom’s sister—or any one of my cousins working behind the bar. Uncle Pat had recreated a piece of his home in Sweetbriar. Holloway’s had all the charm of an Irish pub, right here on Main Street: cozy booths, dark wood, a big stone fireplace, family pictures on the walls, and a long bar that ran the entire rear of the building.
“A milkshake sounds awesome,” Charlotte answered. “Thank you.”
“I’ll have the same thing. Plus, burger and tots.”
“I know. Like you’d ever get anything different, Cade.” She stepped back with a smile. “Some things never change no matter how much time has gone by. It’s so great to see you both here, back in your booth, just like the old days.” After another knowing grin she left to put our order in without ever taking out her notebook.
“Are you okay, Cade? You look—”
I forced my expression back to neutral. “I’m fine.”
“Gah! Okay, I kicked you. I didn’t mean to do it. Cheese is my weakness, and you know that it doesn’t agree with me, Cade, jeez. I’ve felt awkward and strange since I came back to town. I’m freaking out, my deadline is approaching like a frickin’ tsunami from hell, and there isn’t enough caffeine or hours in the day left for me to finish on time. I have no excuse. I lost my cool. I’ll pay for our lunch to make it up to you and your shin.”
Without meaning to, I reached for her hands across the table, and with an equal lack of consideration, she took them, interlocking our fingers together exactly like we used to do. “Chill out. It wasn’t a kick. It was barely even a nudge.” My lips lifted in a half smile. “If I recall correctly, cheese agrees with you just fine.”
She turned bright red and stared at the table. A soft gasp left her lips as she noticed our hands locked together, then withdrew hers from my grasp. “Do not say a word.”
I chuckled. “You mean about the fart that will live forever in infamy? And the fact that cheese makes you flatulent?”
“Shh!” After a sweep around the restaurant to make sure no one heard, she turned to me. “Oh my god. Stop it!” she hissed. “I had to eat that mac and cheese, Caden, and I might regret it forever, but it was the first dinner you ever cooked for me in our own house, and I didn’t want to hurt your feelings—”
“Or have me to find out that you’re a human being who farts just like everybody else?”
She buried her face in her hands. “We were newlyweds. I wanted you to think I was dainty and cute.”
“You are dainty and cute. In fact, you’re fucking beautiful, and I can’t believe it took becoming man and wife before you would fart in front of me, Charlotte.”
Her head fell to her arms on the table as she groaned. “You cried, Cade.”
“I didn’t cry. I welled up, okay? It was a moment.” I folded my jacket and placed it in the corner as an excuse to look away from her adorably overdramatic reaction. Charlotte could be over the top sometimes and I had always loved it.
“Let’s talk about something else. Literally anything else. Please,” she mumbled into her arm.
“You got it. What brought you back to Sweetbriar?” I decided to dive right into my questions. Small talk was pointless when you knew someone as well as we had known each other.
“Straight into the deep end.” Her smiling eyes snapped to mine, and she laughed. “You haven’t changed a bit.”