Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 117506 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117506 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
“Well, I think it’s fine. Just because she’s back in town doesn’t mean anything. Besides, did you see the way he smiled when he saw you?” Timberlynn said.
I pulled my cell phone out of my back pocket. “What’s your number?” I asked Kaylee. Once I sent her my number, she fired it off to Lincoln and Timberlynn.
“Have fun!” the three of them said as I made my way over to Channing. I smiled and waved goodbye to Brock, Ty, and now Tanner, who had just walked up. I had instantly liked all three Shaw women when I first met them and secretly hoped that maybe we could all be friends. I had to admit, I was a tad bit jealous of Kaylee’s friendship with Dirk, though.
When I got to Channing, he was beaming. “Hey! You found it.”
With a lighthearted laugh, I nodded. “I did. I had to stop and ask for directions, though.”
Channing leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. “Merit, you remember Lauren from high school?”
I nodded. “I do. It’s Lauren Price, right?”
She forced a smile. “It is, but I’m sorry, I don’t remember you.”
I lifted my brows slightly and felt Channing tense next to me. “No worries, it was a long time ago,” I said, waving her rudeness off with my hand.
Lauren looked me up and down. “Wait. I remember you now! You were on the cheerleading team. Friends with Kaci, and you had a thing for Dirk Littlewood.”
I forced my smile to stay in place. “It was good seeing you again, Lauren. If you’ll excuse us.” I turned to face Channing. “I hear a favorite song of mine. Should we dance?”
“Yes! Let’s,” Channing said as he placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me onto the makeshift dance floor in the middle of Main Street.
I could practically feel Lauren’s eyes boring into me. I was beginning to think Kaylee had it right after all.
Channing pulled me into his arms as we took off dancing to Kelsea Ballerini’s “Love Me Like You Mean It.” He was a good dancer, and I quickly found myself having fun. It felt good to not have any stress or worries weighing me down for once. And Channing was a lot of fun to talk to as well. It was a refreshing change from Chris.
Oh, I had enjoyed dating Chris Warren. Life with him was never dull, and I got a few trips to England out of it to boot. The sex was good, but he was married to his job—which was fine by me. He had been a good friend, but both of us never saw it going past our friends-with-benefits arrangement. Once I knew I’d be leaving New York for Montana, we officially broke it off and wished one another well. I did miss him and his humor at times, though.
“I need something to drink!” I said, laughing. “We’ve been dancing nonstop.”
Channing winked, and I felt a bit of disappointment that I hadn’t felt anything by the intimate gesture. Something. Anything. What was wrong with me that a man as handsome as Channing couldn’t elicit any feelings?
As we walked toward one of the booths set up for drinks, I had a feeling I was being watched. I took a quick glance around and didn’t see anyone, so I ignored it. It wasn’t lost on me that Lauren had stared at us while Channing and I were dancing, so it was probably her gaze I felt now—although I didn’t see her anywhere.
“How do you like being back in Hamilton?” Channing asked as we walked along the booths. Hamilton held an annual street fair and dance in early June. It was always on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and included booths with food and crafts. As a kid, I had loved to walk along Main Street with my friends. It was usually me, Dirk, Brock, Kaci, Libby, and a few other friends of ours. Channing hadn’t been in our little group, but of course we all knew each other, with it being a small town and all.
“I’m glad to be back.”
“You don’t miss the excitement of New York?” he asked, looking skeptical at my answer.
With a half shrug, I replied, “I missed it some when I first moved back, but now I’m getting settled in, and it feels good to be home. I enjoy breathing in clean air.”
He laughed. “I heard you were buying a house.”
I stopped walking and faced him. “How did you hear about that?”
With a smirk, he replied, “Hamilton may have gotten a bit bigger, but the gossip mill still runs strong.”
I frowned, and he laughed harder. “Don’t get all worked up about it. Ken, the guy who owns it now, is a firefighter. I already know about the divorce with Lindsey and how they’re in a rush to sell. He happened to mention they had a cash buyer and said your name.”