“Well, it took you far. You even dated that actor. His name escapes me, but he was on those superhero movies.”
I nod. “Charles Baldwin.”
“Yes, him! Ohhh, my granddaughters just love him. My daughter too. And me,” she adds with a laugh.
“He’s pretty easy to love,” I say back with a laugh. “He’s a good guy.”
“But you two aren’t…”
I shake my head. “No, we’re not dating. We realized we’re better as friends,” I say, going with a line this time Karina has fed me and wants me to use. Because Charles and I are friends, and we all know someday the truth is going to come out, and for Charles’s sake, I hope it’s sooner rather than later. “And he travels so much for work. Nightfall is filmed all over the place. The scenes in the magical forest are all filmed in Turkey.”
“Interesting! Do you ever get to go on set—oh look, I’m interviewing you. I’m sure you want to enjoy your evening with your friends.”
“It’s fine,” I tell her, not bringing up that I’m here…at a bar…alone…because a raccoon probably tried to get into the screened-in porch and it scared me. “And yes, I do a lot. The good thing about being a writer is you can write pretty much anywhere.”
“Oh goodness, yes. I picked the wrong career path.” She laughs again. “How long are you in town? I don’t want to impose but school starts next week and the kids would just die if you came and spoke to them.”
She’s talking about her students, I’m assuming, and that sort of thing is usually set up by Karina for me, but this is home. I don’t need special arrangements to go back to Silver Ridge High.
“Probably only a week. I came back to the peace and quiet of Silver Ridge so I can finish my book,” I start, leaning to the side so I can look past Mrs. Clemmons at Sam.
He’s bent over the table, about to hit a ball with the pool stick. Lauren picks up a beer—Sam’s beer—and waits until he’s straightened back up to take a sip. She makes a show of putting her lips around the bottle, and damn her, she doesn’t spill a drop.
“…the next time you’re in town?”
I blink. Fuck. What? “Uh, sure,” I mumble, watching Lauren take the pool stick from Sam and bend over, purposely bumping him with her butt. My blood starts to boil…even though I know I shouldn’t care.
Mrs. Clemmons claps her hands together and I realize I just agreed to come in and talk to her class. “They’re going to love it!”
“Yeah.” I try to fake excitement. “Email me details?”
“Of course, of course!”
I grab a napkin from the bar and take a pen from Sahil for a pen to write down my email for her, giving her my personal email account so her message won’t get lost. She’s so excited she practically skips away.
“You made her night,” Sahil says, coming back over and grabbing my drink, topping it off with more vodka and club soda. “What you do, agree to have a quickie in the parking lot?”
“Sex with older women is your fantasy, not mine,” I shoot back.
“It’s a wonder you’ve never been subject of said fantasies. You’re looking pretty old there, Fisher.”
“I’d glare at you if it wasn’t for all the Botox making me look younger,” I joke, and he laughs. “It’s nice talking to you again.”
“We could talk more often if you came home more than twice a decade.”
“I’ve come home more than that, and shouldn’t you be giving your other sister the same lecture?” I ask, meaning Farisha. “Though I think having a kid gives her a pass.”
“It does, though now that our parents have one grandchild, they won’t stop pestering me to settle down. I keep telling them I will once I’m done with school.”
“You’ve changed your major how many times now?” I cock an eyebrow.
“Five. And I’m kind of taking this semester off.”
“Oh, right. You should be at school now. You’re taking time off?” I echo. “That couldn’t have gone over well with your parents.”
“Hell, no. I had to go on three arranged dates to get them speaking to me again.”
I laugh and take another slow sip of my drink. Sahil is waved down to the other end of the bar, and I drum my fingers against the worn wooden counter, fighting the urge to turn around and glare daggers at Sam.
That traitor.
Of all the women in Silver Ridge, he has to be hooking up with Lauren fucking Wallace. Letting out a sigh, I take another sip of my drink and turn, casually looking out at the bar. My mistake. Mason catches my eye and a big smile splits his handsome face. He elbows Sam and points, waving to me.
Dammit.
Dammit.
Dammit.
I suck down another sip of my drink and pull the straw out of my mouth too soon and slobber it down my chin. Smooth, Chloe, real smooth. Confident by Demi Lovato comes on, and it’s like a sign. I quickly wipe my chin, set my drink down only to pick it back up, needing something to do with my hands.