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“You know what a worrier she is. You live downtown, you’re next door to a gym full of random guys, and everyone in town knows who you are. Who we are. It’s no secret that we have money. I don’t like you living here.”
“That’s incredibly judgmental. Not everyone cares about money, Dad. The guys at the gym are the least of my worries. And I’m almost twenty-three years old. I’m an adult, and I’m also quite capable of taking care of myself.”
“We’re your parents, and we love you. It’s not judgmental; it’s the truth.”
“Well, Ronny has money, and he’s more frightening than anyone I’ve ever dealt with before,” I whisper-hissed.
And that included my addict brother, who’d broken into my place of business wearing a face mask.
He leaned forward as he glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “I handled things with Ronny, and you know that. He got the message loud and clear. You don’t need to worry about him anymore. Subject closed.”
God, he could be so stubborn. “I’m just saying… No one at the gym has been inappropriate in any way. It’s the peopleweknow that are more alarming.” I raised a brow. Dad could think what he wanted, but it was the truth.
“Point taken, Demi. Just do me a favor. Keep your head up, and be aware of your surroundings.”
I didn’t have time to argue because my mom came out of the restroom, and we got busy following Benjamin around and making sure he turned my cute coffee shop into a damn fortress.
The rest of the day went by in a blur, and Peyton convinced me to go to Whiskey Falls bar tonight. I hadn’t spent much time in Magnolia Falls since I’d turned twenty-one because I’d been away at school. It was fun that I could get into bars now without worrying about fake IDs, which never worked well in small towns. Everyone knew your name and your age.
I slipped into my fitted white bodysuit, a distressed, short jean skirt, and my favorite cowboy boots. Country music, cold beer, and cute boys were the plan tonight. I hadn’t dated anyone in months, as I’d sworn off the opposite sex after what happened with Ronny right before I’d graduated.
Not that I’d ever considered dating him. We’d been friends leading up to that night. But the experience had completely freaked me out, and afterward, I’d thrown myself into therenovations at the coffee shop and focused on starting my own business. I had no desire to date.
But I was ready to get my flirt game on. I added some waves to my hair and dabbed on some lip gloss and a few coats of mascara. It had been a while since I’d taken the time to get ready.
Peyton and I walked the short distance to Whiskey Falls, where we were meeting up with a few friends from high school. Thankfully, it was no longer snowing outside, which made wearing this jean skirt a lot more tolerable.
“Roxy and Taylor are meeting us there,” Peyton said, handing me her pink rhinestone flask. I took a sip and coughed as the cool liquid moved down my throat.
“Is that whiskey?” I gasped at how strong it was.
“The Daily Market’s finest,” she said with a chuckle when I handed it back. “Oscar is such a grump. He carded me like he didn’t know my age. It’s so annoying.”
Oscar Daily was her dad’s best friend, and he owned the grocery store in town. The man had a way of making you feel like you were breaking the law when you bought booze, even if you were legal.
“He stopped into the coffee shop the other day when you were off, and he told me he didn’t think this town was going to buy coffee at my prices. Meanwhile, he was cashing in on his free cup and complaining about the price.”
We both laughed as she pulled the door to the bar open, and the sound of Zach Bryan’s sexy voice had us swaying our hips from the moment we stepped inside. Roxy and Taylor waved us over to a large table they were at, and I groaned because Blane, Scotty, and Brayden were sitting beside them. I dated Blane Johnson for a few months during my senior year of high school. He’d cheated on me at our senior prom when he’d gotten wasted,and I walked in on him balls-deep in Sabrina Marsh in a coat closet.
Good times.
I’d broken up with him immediately. We hadn’t been all that serious anyway, but it wasn’t exactly the way I’d planned on spending my last prom. But he’d taken the breakup hard and acted like the victim during the whole thing. He’d blamed me because I hadn’t slept with him, and apparently, he had a bad case of blue balls, so he had no choice but to bang Sabrina while I was only a few feet away at the after-party.
I can’t make this shit up. That was his defense.
After he’d chased after me, I’d kicked him in the balls and told him to lose my number.
He’d called every day for the next six months, long after I’d left for college, and I’d ignored him. He’d finally given up, but now, every time I ran into him, he acted like I’d broken his heart.
“Mr. Blue Balls is here,” Peyton whispered against my ear as the smell of whiskey wafted around me.
“Well, looky here,” Blane said as he pushed to his feet. “The girl who got away in the very flesh.” His words slurred as he wrapped his arms around me, and I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn’t see me.
“Hey, Blane. Good to see you.”
“Yeah. I’m just in town for the weekend. It’s my grandmother’s ninetieth birthday. I was going to come by the coffee shop tomorrow. I heard you’re killing it.”
“I don’t know about that, but it’s going well so far,” I said, as I pulled away and made my way around the group, giving everyone a hug and trying to put some distance between me and Blane. I sat on one of the chairs across from him and made small talk with everyone.
