Page 16 of Best Friends for Never

“Dick?”

Oddly, hearing my grandmother saydickis less jarring than when Parker said it. Probably because even though she likes to get on me about cussing and often threatens me with washing my mouth out with soap, my grandmother is just as bad about it, especially in the right setting.

Parker, though ... Well, I’ve never heard her cuss. Ever. It was always as cute as it was frustrating.

“Yes, Dick. Feels weird calling my former principalDick, doesn’t it?”

“If any of my old teachers were still kickin’ it, I’d likely call them Missus. Humans are weird.”

“Mm-hmm,” I agree.

“So what’d Dick say that upset you?” she continues.

“I wouldn’t sayupset. It was just a vibe. Like he wasn’t so happy with me leaving Emerald Grove and not coming back.”

“Well, you have been away an awfully long time, and you know how the town feels about that sort of thing.”

My shoulders deflate, that bit of guilt I always feel about leaving my grandmother behind nagging at me. “I know.”

“Now, you know I don’t mind, so don’t go doing that whole sad-sack thing. I’m glad you went off and found something you love. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you. All yourparentsever wanted for you.” She lifts her drawn-on brows pointedly. “And they’d be damn proud of you for doing it.”

I know she’s right. My parentswouldbe proud of me. I can feel it to the depths of my soul, and I wish like hell they were still around to see me now, but they died way before acting was even an idea I had for my future.

Emotion climbs up my throat just thinking about them. Sure, they’ve been on my mind over the last ten years—and they always will be—but being back here reminds me even more of what I lost.

It was a simple trip to Seattle, one they’d made several times before. It was supposed to be a night of fun. Instead, it ended in tragedy, leaving their car wrapped around a tree on the winding road leading into town and me without the two most important people in my life.

Everything changed after that. Not only did I lose my parents and have to move across town and in with my grandmother, but I alsolost a bit of my childhood too. I started to look at life—and Emerald Grove—a lot differently after that.

“So who gives a hoot what old Dick says,” Gran continues, pulling me back to the present. “They might be a little standoffish, but the people in this town still love you.”

“Not all of them.”

In a silent question, she tips her head to the side, and I sigh.

“Parker,” I explain.

And really, it’s all the explanation she needs. She’s more than aware of my history with the auburn-haired girl from down the street. We were practically attached at the hip from the moment Parker moved to town, and we kept that up until the night I left for LA.

Then ten years passed, and here we are—nothing but awkward encounters at the grocery store.

“Oh.” She says it so simply and definitively, and I’m thankful because the last thing I want to do tonight is rehash the horrible reunion from an hour ago.

Instead of pressuring me to talk, she lets it go, spinning on her heel and pulling items from various cabinets. I’ve watched her make them enough times to know she’s getting ready to make the Cornflake Cookies.

This time, no matter what she says, I am helping. It’s been too long since I’ve stood beside her in this kitchen, baking. We used to do it all the time, and I miss it far more than I realized until just now.

I rise from my seat, stepping next to her, towering over her tiny five-foot-two frame.

“All right, Gran. Put me to work.”

And that’s what we do for the next few hours—make cookies and have dinner before turning in for the night.

Maybe this trip back to Emerald Grove won’t be so bad after all.

Chapter Four

Parker

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