Page 93 of Hero for the Holidays

He wanted to prove that he wasn’t a dumb kid anymore. Though hell, last night he’d felt like one.

Kissing wasn’t like that with anybody but her.

It couldn’t be. Not ever.

She was something else altogether, and their attraction was something new. Even though it was something old.

That didn’t make a whole hell of a lot of sense, but he found that sense wasn’t really in his wheelhouse when it came to Fia Sullivan.

Their eyes met when she turned around after filling up her cup of coffee, and he felt a streak of heat go through him.

She smiled, but it was a tense smile. One that became more natural when her path intersected with Lila, and they sat down with him at the table.

“You excited to head back home, kid?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said.

“Are you still feeling good about being stuck with us?” Fia asked.

“Yes,” said Lila. “And it wasn’t as bad coming back here as I thought it would be.”

“We can come back and visit,” said Fia. “Personally, I think Landry is a big fan of the zoo.”

“Oh, hell yeah,” said Landry. “Naked mole rats all the way.”

“Naked Mole Rats All the Way is my new punk rock band,” said Fia.

He laughed, but it wasn’t even just that. It was something deeper. Because there was something nice about connecting with her this way. Reminding himself that it wasn’t all sex and screaming back then. They had actually liked each other. Gotten along as friends in some ways. Ways like that.

“Excellent,” he said. “It can open for my band, Economical Basilisk.”

That was a deep cut from back in their teenage days. Someone had mentioned not being able to afford a dragon, because it wasn’t in the budget. And Fia had responded by saying they could maybe swing an economical basilisk. Which Landry had replied it was his new band.

It was strange that he could remember that now, when all those years, he hadn’t.

“Wow. Sounds like a lame show,” said Lila.

“I guess you’re not punk rock,” said Fia.

“Absolutely not,” said Lila. “I’m a Swiftie.”

“Who isn’t?” Landry asked.

“That’s a good question, Landry,” said Fia.

It was good to be on this kind of footing with her. They’d kissed, and they were fine.

They got in the car to drive back to Four Corners, and Fia put Taylor Swift on, as they had all established that they were fans, and some of the lyrics scraped a little bit too close to his bone. Because there were some deep, wrenching truths about breakups. And he knew that while he had been in a lot of pain as a result of theirs, he had caused a lot of it too.

But then thankfully they moved away from some of the breakup-era songs and gotten into something a little bit lighter.

His brother texted him to ask them an ETA, and he gave it when they were about an hour away.

About forty-five minutes later, his brother texted with instructions to meet them at the town hall meeting barn.

“They’re planning something,” said Landry, reading the text to Fia.

“That sounds ominous.”

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