Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 47200 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47200 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
It’s all coming full circle, though. I’m moving back to the same town where I started, not to relive the past, but to stake my claim in the future.
A brighter future than my business, too.
A future with May and a family of our own someday, sooner than later.
But the past for Steve and me isn’t so bad a place to visit over lunch. And over a couple of root beers and the kind of steak and cheese I remember growing up, we talk about anything and everything, like we used to.
Before he was married, then a single dad, back before May was even born.
We talk and talk, and then I notice it’s just Steve doing all the talking.
My mind keeps straying back to May until she’s all I can think about again.
And that little stab of guilt I’ve been carrying is starting to get bigger and heavier in my chest the longer I listen to Steve talk.
I can’t do it. I gotta tell him. I gotta tell him something.
May’s the best thing to ever happen in my life, and I won’t have it overshadowed by secrets. Not with May, not with Steve.
“Steve...,” I say, hoping the right words come out like hell. I need to tell him something about how I feel about May.
“Hold that thought, Big B,” Steve says in a dramatic tone, pointing out a courier van that’s pulled up out front of his workshop.
“That’ll be my exhaust. Be right back. Then you can tell me,” he says, and before I can even begin to think of what to tell him, he’s off.
Steve jogs across the street and signs for his delivery. He doesn’t come back over to the diner either.
He gets caught up in his work, doing what he does best – doing what he loves.
I pick up the check once it’s clear lunch is over. I ask the manager how business across the road at Steve’s workshop is.
She only shakes her head.
The kind of face people make when they know first-hand how things are really going for a local business because they have one.
“Not good. Not good for any of us right now,” she sighs wearily, creasing me a ‘thanks for reminding me’ look before she notices the tip I’ve just left.
“Well, you’re welcome to come in for a meal anytime,” she beams, and I feel like I’ve at least made one business owner’s day.
“I will,” I promise her before heading back to Steve’s workshop just to hang out like old times. And maybe for the last time.
“You’ll be seeing plenty of me around town from now on.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
May
Dad telling me not to dress up is kinda like a red flag to a bull at the moment, and I find myself choosing my graduation dress to wear tonight.
It’s a little defiant but more out of character for me. But I want to wear it for Brandon.
He’s given me more confidence than anything, and knowing it’ll remind him of that day is the least I can do now that it’s all coming full circle. A secret only Brandon and I can share, reminding us both of that day that feels so long ago but rekindled the moment I spotted him at the airport.
It fits a little more snugly than I remember, and without my graduation robe to hide my butt and wide hips, I’m debating whether I can wear it or not for the tenth time when I hear a car pull up outside.
Thinking it could be Brandon back already, I make a beeline for the door, which I unlock and pull open.
But it’s not Brandon, it’s the real estate guy, taking down the ‘SOLD’ sign from the front of the house next door.
He gives a friendly wave from over the low fence, and I absent-mindedly wave back, still wondering who it is that’s bought the place.
Calling out to the agent, which is unusual for me, I ask the obvious question, kind of expecting small-town gossip to tell me everything I need to know.
“Someone bought the old place, huh?” I observe.
“Yup,” the agent says, and I feel myself hanging out the door, wanting a little more than just a ‘yup.’
“Was he tall, dark, and handsome?” I ask, trying to make it sound funny, but seriously. I need to know now if it’s Brandon who’s bought that place.
I have a sneaking suspicion he has, or maybe I’m just hoping he has.
“Funny you should say that,” the agent replies, chuckling to himself. “But I’m really not supposed to give out any client information,” he adds dryly.
“Maybe pop on over and say hi once they move in,” the agent suggests. Then, with another friendly wave, he stowed the sign in the trunk of his car and drives off, leaving me more curious than ever.
Well, back to dinner thoughts as I still wonder if this dress is gonna be so great to wear after all. It’s getting cold out already, and I know I’m only gonna bloat the already too tight on me seams if I eat a big dinner.