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“No, you were thinking about their Irish nachos.”
“So were you,” I giggled.
“Then that’s where we’ll go.”
During the twenty-minute drive between Rhys’s house and my parents’, we discussed the latest happenings in Cypress Hills. One of them was the powers-that-be wanting to annex more land.
“Can the town afford it?” I asked.
“Yep. There are a lot of new residents, several new businesses, and more in the works.”
“I hope Cypress Hills doesn’t get too big. I’d hate for its small-town charm to go away.”
“I don’t think it ever will, no matter the growth. This is a special place.”
“Just like the one that you took me to earlier.”
“We’ll go back to it sometime if you want.”
“I would love to.”
When Rhys and I reached my momma and daddy’s front door, he gazed into my eyes, making my heart beat faster. My emotions were a raging mix. I wanted to kiss my high school sweetheart goodnight. It felt like a natural thing to do in this déjà vu end-of-date setting, although, technically, Rhys hadn’t taken me on a legit date.
“Thank you again for today,” I told him.
“You’re welcome. I’ll pick you up a little before noon tomorrow.”
“Oh, um, your towel,” I said, unwrapping it from around my waist.
“Keep it. I’ll get it from you later.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. It’s just a towel.”
“Okay.”
“Goodnight, Riley.”
“Goodnight. I hope you have sweet dreams.”
“You too.”
Rhys turned around and walked down the porch steps with his hands in the front pockets of his cargo shorts. When he reached the driveway, he looked over his shoulder at me and waved. I waved back, and then he crawled into the cab of his truck and cranked the engine. But he didn’t leave.
I kept standing on the porch, watching him and thinking he was changing the radio station or something. After over a minute had passed and he still hadn’t left, I became worried and started heading toward him. His driver-side door flew open, and he began running in my direction. Within seconds, we were standing face-to-face again.
“Riley, I…” he began, searching my eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am to have you back in my life.”
“I’m grateful to have you back in mine.”
“Who would’ve ever thought that we could be like this? Friends again.”
“Right?”
