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“Her parents stayed in one of the B&Bs a few weekends ago. Rhys is the one they spoke with about their booking. After their stay, which included taking the history and cemetery tours, eating at several restaurants, and shopping, they called Rhys and raved about their experience. They loved it here and told Carrie about it. It piqued her interest, and you know the rest.”
“Did she stay overnight last weekend?”
“Yes.”
“Let me guess. In the same B&B as her parents, right?”
Rachel nodded.
“And I’m sure that Rhys had it looking perfect,” I said, leaning my head back against my seat.
After my sister dropped me off, I told my momma and daddy about my visit with Janice and Rob. Then I went upstairs and lay in my bed to nap. I was mentally drained.
An hour later, Rachel texted me. She said Jackson was going coyote hunting with some friends tonight, and she wondered if I wanted to go to Gallagher’s and share some appetizers with her while listening to the singer, who was always there on Fridays and Saturdays.
Me:That sounds fun.
Rachel:I’ll pick you up at 7.
Me:What about Macie joining us?
Rachel:You can ask, but she’s probably with Noah.
Me:He can come too. He’s a lot of fun to be around.
Rachel:Then text Macie and see what she says.
My BFF and her handsome Aggie boyfriend arrived at Gallagher’s when my sister and I did. We shared a smorgasbord of appetizers, talked, and enjoyed the entertainment. But the entire time, Rhys was in the back of my mind. I wondered what he was doing tonight. I hoped it wasn’t Carrie Brooks.
Although my sister told me that Rhys wasn’t interested in her, I knew how he’d handled getting his heart broken by me the last time. He rebounded out of loneliness. Due to his emotional state, I could see him giving in to Miss TV Reporter from Tyler, just like he had with Trisha.
It was almost 9:00 p.m. when Macie suggested we all go to Cheers and Beers for a little while. Rachel bowed out, reminding us that she couldn’t drink.
“You could still have fun!” Macie said.
“That’s okay. Netflix sounds better.”
“Fine, party pooper.”
“What about you, Riley?” Noah asked. “Want to go with Macie and me?”
“You know what? I believe I do.”
“Well, ladies, I’m ready whenever you are.”
When we arrived, Cheers and Beers was packed. After worming our way to the bar, Noah ordered two glasses of sauvignon blanc for Macie and me and a Shiner Bock for himself.
A short while later, he told us about a German Shepherd he’d done surgery on earlier in the week. He loved the dog and said he would’ve adopted it if he could. That led to Macie asking him about getting a German Shepherd puppy they could raise together since she loved the dog breed.
As they continued talking about it, I smiled to myself. They were so much alike and seemed so happy. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were married by this time next year.
I needed to use the restroom, so I handed Macie my glass. “Gotta pee. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I said.
Standing in the line, I scrolled through Instagram on my cellphone. Then, I checked again to see if Rhys had opened an account. He hadn’t. He was still old-fashioned, through and through.
I glanced up and did a double take, quietly gasping. Rhys was walking toward me, coming back from the men’s restroom. Just like at his parents’ house earlier, his eyes locked with mine, and he slowed his pace. Then he took a deep breath as I’d just done and continued coming in my direction.
He stared hard at me until he passed by. I looked over my shoulder at him, wanting so much to touch him. God, this hurt.
