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“You’ve been here before?”
“Yep. My friend Jason’s band plays here on occasion. They’re playing tonight.” Mallory motioned to the stage against the window. Four guys were setting up their equipment. “That’s Jason. He plays bass.”
“You’re into beards, huh?”
Mallory grinned. “Beard is the new black.”
We found a space at the bar and waited for our drinks.
“Well, if it isn’t Charlotte Thompson.”
My spine stiffened and my pulse accelerated. Who had recognized me here, of all places? I slowly turned around, gripping my purse, preparing to make a run for it. I let out a relieved exhale when I laid eyes on the familiar face.
“Kyle! Hi. What are you doing here?”
“I live here. What are you doing here?”
“I live here, too. Well, not here here. I live … I live …” Do I tell him where?
“Nearby,” Mallory said. “I’m Mal. You are?”
“Kyle Tomlin. I’m Charlotte’s high school sweetheart.” He offered me a sly smile.
“Ex,” I corrected. “Ex-high school sweetheart.”
Mallory’s eyes widened.
Oh, no. Is she going to say what I think she’s going to say?
“You’re the douchebag who cheated on her! On prom night!”
Yep. She is.
“You told her about me?” Kyle’s smile deepened.
Mallory turned to me, gesturing to Kyle with her thumb, as if he wasn’t standing right there. “This guy, Char? Seriously? You definitely upgraded with Tanner.”
“Tanner?” Kyle shoved his hands in the pockets of his dark slacks.
“Her boyfriend.” Mallory crossed her arms while she surveyed him from head to toe.
I love her. I cleared my throat. “So, you live in New York?”
“I do. Going to school here. Trying to secure myself a spot on Wall Street.”
“You always said you’d get out of Apalachicola.”
Kyle winked. “What brought you up north? New York doesn’t really seem like your scene.”
I tugged on the hem of my dress. Why am I nervous around him? It’s just Kyle. Sure, he’d broken my heart, but that seemed so long ago. Plus, he’d left for college before the bakery burned down. Hopefully, he hadn’t heard anything about it. “Dad wanted to grow his business. He figured we’d do better in a bigger city.”
“How is Frank?”
“He’s good.”
“Good, you’re all caught up now.” Mallory tugged on my elbow. “Come on. Let’s go say hi to the boys.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
