Page 95 of Small Town Boy

“Go, go where?”

“Back to Boston? I don’t know. But, Hickory Hills isn’t for me.”

I know I’m overreacting as soon as the words leave my mouth. The pang hits me, leaving me feeling even worse. I might not belong here, but I’m falling in love with it. Just like I’ve fallen for the man standing before me. But neither he nor this town loves me back, and that’s not something I can handle.

Turning to go, I hang my head, more tears coming. A new round of cheers rings out, more people crossing the finish line and heading toward the food. Over the din of conversation, a guitar chord rings out, Dustin’s band warming up. Right on schedule.

Even over all that though, the only thing I hear is Noel’s voice.

“Absolutely fucking not.”

27

NOEL

“What part of the conversation did you come in at?”

I grab Bronwyn’s arm, spinning her around. Her tear-stained cheeks are enough to gut me, but knowing that those tears are because she thinks I betrayed her is even worse.

Everything in me aches with the knowledge that I caused this. I need to fix it. I need to make her understand that she’s mine. I’m hers. That we’re in this together.

Ride or die.

“All about how I don’t even like sweet tea.” There’s a sass to her voice that I haven’t heard since she moved here. Her defenses are up, and I don’t blame her one bit.

I broke down those walls once before though, and I can do it again.

“Oh, so you missed the part all about where she asked me if you could even cook and then also tried to shock me by ‘outing’ that you’re on birth control.”

“She what?!” Bronwyn shrieks.

A few of the adjacent townspeople turn to us and look, but just as quickly turn back to their breakfasts.

“Much like the sweet tea thing, I ignored the cooking question, not seeing a reason to give her more fodder for the gossip mill that Mama gave you a sneak peek at the recipes.”

“And the birth control? Did you tell her that’s none of her damn business?”

I hang my head, looking at my boots, trying not to burst out into laughter. This would be the very wrong time to do that. “That one I might have gotten smacked for after I told her I was well aware.”

“Noel!”

I chuckle, unable to help myself. “What’d you want me to say? That she doesn’t need to worry because I still carry a condom in my wallet?”

“Noel!”

Anger flashes in her eyes, and I tone it down. She’s not finding this as funny as I am. And that’s fine. In her shoes, I probably wouldn’t either.

“Bronwyn, I’ve lived here my whole life. I spent four years listening to Mrs. C drone on about math equations. I’ve developed a few coping mechanisms, and one of them is to not give them anything. If you don’t fuel the fire, there’s less smoke. So I simply nod my head and smile.”

“It’s not just nodding your head and smiling if you agree to let her set you up with someone.”

Okay, she has a point there.

Only, I have a counterpoint.

“The person she wants to ‘introduce’ me to, if you can call it that, is Emily Barrowcliff. Who I’ve known since elementary school. That’s her over there.” I point to a smiling blonde over near the picnic tables, who is currently shoving a cinnamon roll in her mouth. Standing next to her is someone I know Bronwyn will recognize. “Hey, Em!”

Emily looks up, waggling her fingers in a wave, still chewing the large bit of pastry. It’s a very unglamorous moment, of which I am sure Emily doesn’t care one bit.