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“Oh, not Connor. Liv.”
“Shane is also Olivia’s boyfriend.” Connor connected the dots.
“Got it. Well, I hope you don’t hate me by association.”
Shane held his hands up. “Us guys have to stick together. Besides, you’re not the bad guy in the scenario.”
“Thank you.” Nolan knew he wasn’t, but the fact that he left and didn’t try to work things out with Isla sometimes made him wonder if he was.
“But if Liv asks, I never said that, and I’ll defend it to my death.”
Nolan laughed. “I will accept and be grateful for the silent support.”
The door opened, and Milo came in, greeting everyone as he made his way to the bar. He plopped on a stool next to Nolan and smiled at everyone. “What’d I miss?”
“Nolan’s burger order. I’m about to put it in. You want your usual?” Connor asked Milo.
“It’s that damn predictability. Why not?” Milo sighed, and Connor walked away laughing.
Nolan threw a questioning look his way.
“A few weeks ago, they told me I was predictable.”
“Because you are.” Nolan had known Milo a long time and the guy, while able to pull a hilariously witty line out of seemingly nowhere, still had an air of predictability.
“You wound me,” Milo joked, grabbing his chest.
“Let’s see.” Nolan held up his hand and started counting off his fingers. “You’ve been ordering the same cheeseburger with extra pickles and no onion since fifth grade.”
“It’s how I like it.”
“You moved into a house across the street from the water.”
“How is that predictable?”
“Because for ten years you said you were going to move into a house by the water.”
“Not so much predictable as following my dreams.”
Nolan tapped his ring finger. “Then there’s Harper.”
“You’re going to drag my girl into it?”
Nolan smirked. “She’s the most predictable thing about you.”
“If that’s the case, then I don’t mind it anymore. She’s the best thing about me.”
Nolan nudged his elbow against Milo’s. “You’re happy. I can see it in the shit-eating grin you’ve been sporting, and I’m happy for you.”
Milo grabbed his chest. “Went right for the heartstrings on that one. I can feel them pulling.”
Nolan laughed, and for the first time since he quit his job, he felt like everything was going to be all right. Because even if it wasn’t, he was home and surrounded by friends who would help him weather whatever storm came his way.
Chapter 6
July was on the horizon, and Grandma’s gardens had never been tended to. It was a tragedy and something Isla needed to fix. She refused to allow the gardens that lined the front of the house to become overcome with weeds. Besides, Nolan finally got in his car and left, so there was a less likely chance she’d see him. She hoped he was gone for most of the afternoon and didn’t come home until she was safely tucked inside her house. She just didn’t want to endure anymore awkward conversations.
She could still feel the tension between them, unspoken words that lay deep beneath the surface, and emotions that she herself had yet to untangle. Why’d he have to come back, anyway? She was perfectly content living in her regret and choosing a celibate lifestyle. Well, not really, she invested in several vibrators. A girl had to do what a girl had to do. But she was content. Kind of. Then he had to reappear in her life, and those regrets she’d accepted ate away at her like a relentless pigeon pecking at a discarded bag of chips. Pecking and pecking, trying to break through to the inside so it could scatter the contents in a mess around her.
