“I’ll give you this on one condition.”
“Anything,” Briana said.
“We don’t mention what happened last night with Pete. Like, ever.”
“Deal,” she said, grabbing the muffin and finding a clean corner of the couch to sit on.
Kara sat on the edge of the hope chest and began nibbling on her blueberry muffin.
“What happened to you last night?” she asked. “Kent was looking for you, but I had no idea where you went.”
“After that weird girl from my Literary Dimensions on Film class dropped her bomb on me, I kinda disappeared for the night.”
Kara sat up, looking interested. “Do tell.”
“I shouldn’t have let it get to me, but she told me that Colin is moving home for good. Or, I guess he already did, a couple days ago.”
“Get out. I noticed you were gone when I came out of my room last night.” Kara just looked at Briana. “At first I figured you were with Kent, but then he came up to me and asked where you were. I didn’t know and I didn’t see you in your room, so I told him so. He hung out for a bit and then I lost track of him. I wondered if you two had ever hooked up. Wow. So…Colin, huh?”
“Yeah. I was on the roof. I just couldn’t stand the thought of that girl watching me and waiting for me to break down or react to her news. She was so excited to tell me, you know? It just pissed me off.”
“You should have told her to get lost,” Kara said, getting angry for her. “It’s our place. She can take her gossiping ass someplace else.”
Briana laughed. Kara always made her feel better when she was down.
“Anyway, I stayed out there most of the night. I wasn’t in the mood to see Kent, especially when I was thinking so much about Colin.” Briana was starting to lose her appetite.
“Look, I know this town is small as hell, and you’re going to run into him. But, Bree, it’s been four years. You’re a grown woman with a job, and apartment, and a hot man at your beck and call. You don’t need his shit. Just ignore him.”
Kara had never met Colin. She moved to town their senior year, after he left for school, and they had been best friends ever since. She never knew Briana and Colin as a couple; she just saw how Briana was affected after he left. She wasn’t his biggest fan.
“That’s easier said than done, Kara. That girl said that he was going to be working for his daddy. That means he’ll be working right down the street and he’s gonna come in to eat all the time.” The thought made Briana’s stomach hurt even more.
“Stop, Bree. You’re not seventeen anymore. Let him eat where he wants. Don’t let him bother you. You have the upper hand here.”
“You’re right. I know you are. I’m just scared to see him. It’s been so long. What if when I see him I feel just like I did when he left? I never want to feel that way again,” Briana said softly, looking up at Kara and hating how pathetic she sounded.
“Then don’t,” Kara said sternly. “In fact, we’ve spent enough time on the topic already. Let’s finish cleaning this pigsty up so we can relax a bit before work tonight.”
“Okay.”
Once they had everything spic and span again, they threw on their bikinis and went outside to lie out. They didn’t have a pool or a yard, so they laid their towels out on the driveway and made do.
Kara brought out her iPod and Briana brought the tanning oil and the water. They relaxed, enjoying the music and the sun, until the alarm went off, signaling it was time to go in and get washed up for work.
They reluctantly headed into work, motivated by the fact that it was Thursday night, so shouldn’t be too crowded, and that they had plans to meet up with some of their friends and go to the gravel pits after work. They brought their bikinis in their bags and sported fresh tan skin to show off in the moonlight.
It looked like it was going to be a pretty good night.
Chapter Three
About two hours into her shift, Briana realized just how wrong she had been.
She’d just finished an order and was rounding the corner to tell Kara that the burger and fries were up, when she caught sight of Colin’s family coming in the front door.
Mrs. Grayson looked as sweet as ever, holding her husband’s hand and smiling up at him as they waited for the rest of their party to come through the door. He bent over to say something to her, then they both looked over towards the entrance.
Briana had been swept up watching them, remembering a million different conversations that she’d had with the Grayson’s, so she didn’t immediately follow their gaze. When she did, her breath caught in her throat. She froze.
Kara came up beside her to check on the order. She started waving her hands in front of Briana’s face when she saw how still Briana was.
“Hello? Earth to Bree. Is my order up?” Kara chuckled lightly, then turned to see what had caught her attention. “Who’s that?”
Briana squeaked, so overcome by emotion that she couldn’t form a thought. Then Colin looked up, catching her stare, and she was released. She took off in a flurry of movement, anxious to get back to the safety of the kitchen.
Once behind the swinging door, she braced herself against the stainless steel table and hung her head, breathing in and out.
“Was that him?” Kara asked, scrambling in after her. “Colin?”
“Yup,” she managed.
“Crap. I have to take out this order, Kara added a side of ketchup and mustard to the plate before picking it up. “I’ll be back, though. Maybe I’ll tell Nicole to seat them in my section.”
“No,” Briana said loudly. “Don’t make a scene, please.”
Kara tried her best to look innocent. “Who, me?” Then she walked out with a smile on her lips and a swing to her hips.
“Oh, God.” Briana held her head in her hands for a moment. “Pull it together, Bree. It’s been a long time,” she whispered. She stepped back from the table and shook her head, as if to shake the memories out.
She busied herself with the incoming orders, and was just starting to breath normally again, when Kara came back into the kitchen.
“So, Nicole did sit him in my section, but I swear I didn’t ask her to,” Kara said. “Holy crap, Bree, he is freakin’ HOT.”
“Shut up, Kara.”.
“No, seriously… tall, dark, and freakishly handsome! I mean, those dimples… I just want to lick him,” Kara said dreamily.
“Jesus, Kara,” Briana snapped, “Are you kidding me right now?”
Kara laughed wickedly. “Not about the fact that he’s crazy hot, but yes, I’m kidding about wanting to lick him. You know I’d never poach.”
“Ugh, I know.” Briana closed her eyes. “She really sat them in your section?”
“Yup, all twelve of them. Can you say, ‘Big tip?’” Kara said, doing a little booty shake around the kitchen.
“Did they see me? Did they say anything?” Briana asked, hoping the answer was no.
“Well…” Kara began, finally standing still and twirling her finger around a lock of her blonde hair. “I did hear Colin mention that he saw you, and that you looked good.”
“He did not.”
“Uh, yeah, he did.”
“Oh, my gosh. Is that all he said?”
“So far,” Kara replied. “I just put in their order, and I have to get back to my other customers. But I’ll come back with updates.”
Kara sauntered back out into the dining room, leaving Briana momentarily distracted by what she’d just told her. Briana knew that she didn’t want to see Colin or talk to him, but she couldn’t help but feel some satisfaction upon hearing that he thought she looked good.
Good. Maybe he’d regret breaking her heart.
Briana went back to filling orders and waited for the next update from Kara. The word must have spread, because as the other servers came in to pick up their orders and grab condiments, they couldn’t help but make comments to Briana about Colin being in the other room.
“Damn, B
ree, you used to date him?”
“That man is fine, Bree. If you don’t want him, I’d like to take him out for a spin.”
“Colin is lookin’ good, Bree. You sure you don’t want to relive the high school days?”
Briana was starting to lose it when Pete walked in.
“Don’t say it, Pete. I swear to God, I’ll kill you if you say anything about Colin,” she said.
Pete put his hands up, as if he were under arrest. “I wasn’t going to, I promise,” he answered. “Kara is over there with them now. Rich just walked in and joined them.”
Rich and Colin had been best friends growing up. Briana got to know Rich pretty well when she dated Colin, and they both went to Texas A & M together. Rich was one of the only people she’d known when she got to college, so they were pretty close during her short stint there.
Pete went to high school with all of them, too, but he hadn’t run with the same crowd they did, so they’d never hung out. But he knew Colin and Rich.
“Oh, yeah?” Briana asked. “I haven’t seen Rich in ages. I didn’t know he was back in town.”
“I overheard him telling Mrs. Grayson that he was home for the summer. He only has one year left at A & M.”
Briana paused for a minute, trying to ignore the ache in her chest when she realized that she would also be that close to finishing college if she’d stayed.
“Anyway, I didn’t come back to talk about Colin and Rich, although I should have realized you were back here freaking out,” Pete said.
“I’m not freaking out,” she tried to play it off. “What’s up?”
“Um…I wanted to ask about Kara,” Pete said, his skin starting to match the shade of his hair. “You know, um, if she said anything to you about last night.”
“Not really, Pete. You know Kara. She doesn’t take that stuff seriously.” Briana said. “She’s not a relationship kind of girl.”
Pete looked over her head and nodded. “Yeah, that’s kinda what I figured.”
He walked back out.
“Pete,” Briana called, but he didn’t turn back.
She hoped he didn’t end up getting hurt. Kara made sure that the guys she was with new the score before they did anything, but Briana knew that Pete was different from the guys that Kara usually hung out with.
Pete was one of the good ones.
Kara came in a few minutes later. “Okay, Mr. Hot Stuff has an equally gorgeous friend. This is his order. Can you make it up now so it goes out with the rest of the orders?”
“Sure,” Briana replied. “Mr. Gorgeous is Rich. We were all friends in high school. He and I went to A & M together, actually.”
“Wait. A. Minute,” Kara stated, pulling Briana so that they faced each other. “Is Mr. Gorgeous the A & M guy that you told me about?” she asked, eyes wide.
“Yes, “Briana admitted. “But you have to keep that to yourself. Seriously, no one else knows about that.”
“Wow.”
Briana shushed Kara when a couple of servers walked in to pick up their orders. She looked over as Bert came in from the back to join her for the night shift.
“So happy you could make it, Bert,” she said sarcastically, watching Kara as she backed out of the room.
“What?” Bert asked, stoned as usual.
“You were supposed to be here two hours ago. I’ve been slammed.”
“Whoa…chill, Bree. I just walked in and you’re going all ‘Nagging Mom’ on me,” Bert countered, holding up his hands.
What was with the guys at work today?
“Okay, well, since you’re here now, I’m going to take a quick break,” she said, trying to decide if she should go out the back door, or stop being a chicken and go through the dining room.
She held her head up and walked out the swinging door into the dining room. She tried to look straight ahead, but could hear the sound of Colin’s dad’s laugh and had to smile. She turned her head slightly and caught Rich’s eye.
Shit.
He put his hand up as if to wave, then stood and pushed away from the table. He said something to Colin, causing him to look over at her. He kept looking at Briana as Rich walked up to her, but she focused on Rich.
“Hey, Bree,” Rich said as he got closer, opening his arms to pull her into a hug.
She let herself be enveloped by his arms, her head barely coming to the middle of his chest. She smiled as she smelled his familiar cologne and was surprised by how happy she was to see him.
“Hi, Richie,” She said as she pulled back and smiled up at him.
“Girl, you’re the only one who can call me that and live,” he said, returning her smile.
He really was hot, she thought, studying his shaggy brown hair, hazel eyes, and the sweet little cleft in his chin. He put his finger under her chin, holding her face up so she kept looking at him.
“You doin’ good, Bree?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
“I miss you at school,” he admitted dropping his hand and putting both hands in his pockets as he rocked back on his heels.
“I’ve missed you, too.” She looked at him for another moment, then said, “I only have a couple minutes left on my break, so I’ve gotta run. But we need to catch up while you’re home.”
“Sounds good. See ya, Bree,” he said, grinning as he walked backwards towards his table.
Briana grinned back, then looked over and saw that Colin still watched her. Her grin vanished. She walked out the front door, hoping to get some air before going back into the kitchen.
Luckily the rest of the night was uneventful, and after dealing with a hangover that morning and the craziness of her shift, Briana opted to go home rather than go out.
Chapter Four
“So, what was all of that last night with Bree?” Colin asked Rich, who was pulling himself up into Colin’s truck.
Rich looked over at him and shrugged. “Nothin’ much. I just haven’t seen her in a while. She left A & M pretty abruptly and I haven’t been home a lot since then, so I wanted to see how she’s been doing. Why?”
Colin looked at him thoughtfully, then back out at the road as he pulled away from Rich’s folk’s house. “I don’t know. You guys seemed pretty tight is all,” he said. “I’ve never seen you hug her like that.”
“It was no big deal, man. Just sayin’ hi.” Rich shrugged again and propped his boots up on the dashboard.
Colin knew that he should just let it go. He’d lost any claim he had on Bree four years ago, but he couldn’t help but feel like there was more to the story.
“Okay. Did she say she was doing all right?” he asked. Despite his vow to leave her alone now that he was back home for good, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Seeing her at the restaurant last night had brought back all sorts of memories, and he couldn’t help but notice how good she’d looked. He also couldn’t forget the sick feeling he got in the pit of his stomach every time he thought about the way he’d ended it between them.
“Yeah, she’s cool,” Rich responded. “We’re supposed to hook up before I head back to school.” When Colin looked sharply at him, he amended his statement. “I just meant that we’re going to hang out.”
Colin didn’t know how he felt about Briana and Rich being buddy-buddy. Rich was a good guy, but a real player. He didn’t want Briana getting tangled up with him.
“When?” he asked, trying to keep his tone light.
“She invited me to go to a party at the gravel pits on Saturday. You know, to catch up and stuff. Some of the people she works with and guys from school will be there. No big deal. You should come,” Rich said, as laid-back as usual.
“Yeah, right,” Colin said with a laugh. “I don’t think Bree would be too happy about that.”
“Dude, you guys broke up like a million years ago. I doubt she’ll be upset if you show up at the same party as her.”
“I’ll think about it,” Colin answered, as they pulled into the parking lot of his dad’s store. “You sure y
ou want to work here for the summer? I thought you’d be looking forward to a summer of parties and girls.”
“Oh, I am, brother, don’t you worry.” Rich said with his signature grin. “There will be plenty of parties and girls, but I need to have some extra cash. When your dad brought it up last night, I figured, why not?”
Colin turned off his truck and opened the door, ready to start the job that he’d always told himself, he’d never do. He’d always dreamed about leaving this town and making it big, whether it was in football or doing something else. He hadn’t cared, as long as it wasn’t this.
The General Store had been in this town since it was first settled, and it had always been run by Grayson’s. When he was little, he used to think it was wonderful to come in and help his dad stock the shelves and clean the store, but when he got old enough to work there every day after school, the store lost its appeal.
Colin tried to appease himself by saying that working there was only temporary, but everyone knew the truth. He was back now, His father could retire in a few years, and Colin was going to end up behind that counter for the rest of his life.
“Come on, man. You look like you’re going to a funeral,” Rich said, waiting for him at the entrance to the store. “We’re gonna have a great time.”
Colin looked up at the building he had loved as a child, then down the street at the Bar & Grill. Well, at least he’d have an excuse to see Briana, since he’d be right down the street.
With one last sigh, he followed Rich into the store, ready to begin his sentence.
“Howdy, boys,” Colin’s father boomed. “It’s been pretty slow this morning, so why don’t you show Rich the ropes, Colin? We’ll have him running the soda fountain so he can talk up the customers. With his pretty face behind the counter, I see sales a-risin’.”
Mr. Grayson let out a big laugh and then turned back to the counter as Colin ushered Rich into the back room to show him around.
“This is pretty cool, dude. I mean, I’ve been in the store a million times, but this time I’ll be serving the kids at the counter, just like Ol’e Roberta used to serve me.” Rich looked tickled at the thought and Colin just shook his head. He wished he could be as excited as Rich about being there, but he couldn’t help but think of all of the possibilities that were lost to him now.