Page 17 of Only Fate

But I won’t share that with her.

Terrance straightens the napkin on his lap. “Essie is a nice young lady. Very smart.”

“Hmm,” my mother hums again.

The moment Essie leaves her table, I slide off my stool.

“Be right back,” I hurriedly say before strolling in her direction. I keep my eyes glued on her while weaving through the crowd.

And that’s how Iconvenientlyrun into Essie.

“Whoa,” I say with a little too much dramatics when my shoulderaccidentallybrushes hers.

I pretend to be headed in the opposite direction, and she cut me off.

She steps back, and, damn, do I wish there was better lighting so I could see more of her face. I inhale her sweet perfume, a mix of mandarins and flowers. It’s what she wore in college.

“Adrian,” she says with more hatefulness than I’d like. “Why are you here?” Her voice grows more agitated. “This ismytown.”

I hoped she’d be in less of anI hate Adrianmood since she’s celebrating a new milestone in her career. Apparently, she’s still on theownership of Blue Beechmentality.

“I wasn’t aware this was Essie Beech.” I shove my hands into my pockets and lean back on my heels. “The sign at the town limits states otherwise.”

Sometimes—and it’s probably not a good idea—I enjoy pushing her buttons. Especially when she attempts to force herself to forget all the feelings she had for me years ago.

She crosses her arms. “You knew I lived here. So, yes, it’s my town.”

“How would I know youstilllived here?” I slide closer as the band plays louder. “Is this how you treat all the new Blue Beech residents?”

“Only the unwelcome ones who come here to mess with me.”

“I’m not here to mess with you.”

“Then, why are you here?”

“I told you, for my abuela and to try something new.”

“I have an idea if you want to try something new. I hear they need a salesperson for World Series tickets. Rumor is, you’re good with getting rid of those.”

I smirk. “Nah, I’m not a baseball fan, which is why I gave the tickets away. I’d rather try somewhere new, like a small town.”

“Are you moving here for good?”

“When I find a place, yes.”

We shuffle a few feet away from the bar as it grows busier.

Essie blows out a long breath. “Why are you doing this, Adrian? You can start a firm anywhere. Why where I call home?”

Because wherever you are feels like home to me, is what I want to say, but I hold myself back.

Instead, I say, “What if I want to call it home as well?”

“Too bad. I called dibs here when I was in the womb.”

I decide to go with a different angle. “It’s not like I woke up one morning and said,Gee, I think I’ll move to Blue Beech. My abuela lives here, and now, I work here. No matter what, I’d be here, even if you weren’t.”

I hate that I’m lying to her.

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