Page 53 of Back To You

“I haven’t seen you since the night before we all left for college. How’ve you been?” He stands up from his chair at the bar as I walk over to him, taking his held-out hand and letting him pull me in to slap his hand on my back.

“I’m good, man. It’s nice to see you.” The last I heard of Grant, he was going to college with three of our friends on the team a few hours north of here. All fourmoving on from their hockey careers and all four reluctantly being followed by their high school girlfriends—the girls Annie used to be friends with.

I didn’t keep up with many people from high school, quickly finding a new group of friends in college and then law school. Plus, I had the Lenny’s crew. I didn’t really need anyone else.

And seeing Grant makes me feel like my mind is reverting back to high school and like the past seven years didn’t happen, and I’m not a fan of the feeling.

“You still with Devin?” I ask him, not having thought about her since that night she whisked Annie away and then I didn’t see her for four months.

Grant shrugs his shoulders. “We’ve been on and off over the years, but we just moved in together not too far from where we went to college.”

I nod my head, not really caring for this small talk, but I don’t want to be rude. “What brought you back?” Lenny’s is across town from where I grew up, so it’s not too crazy to see people I knew in high school out this way every so often. It’s just not at all often they come here, seeing as though it’s a small dive bar in the midst of more trendy, popular places.

And for people like Grant and Devin, I would expect them to flock back to our hometown if they’re ever out visiting this way—I wouldn’t put it past them to be the kind of people stuck in that high school mindset.

“We’re in town for the week. You remember Penelope? Devin’s friend? She’s getting married at some place in downtown Milwaukee, and you’ll never guess who she’s with now,” he answers, and I really hope my face doesn’t show how much I don’t care about this.

It must not because, when I don’t say anything, Grant continues like he never really wanted my response anyway.

“Alek’sbrother. Remember him? He was two years older than us. She dumped Alek a week after we all moved into our dorms, and then ended up with his brother.” He shakes his head.

I have a vague memory of Penelope and Alek dating, her following him to college, but it’s really none of my business what happened between all of them, especially after we drifted.

“Crazy stuff, man,” Grant says, taking a sip of his beer. “Anyway, what brings you here?”

“Oh, I work here,” I answer.

Grant’s eyebrows raise. “You’re a bartender?Here?” He lines the word “here” with disbelief and borderline disgust, as if he can’t believe I would work here, and I cross my arms.

“I do. I’m running the place while the owner is out on paternity leave.” I want to ask him why he seems to have a problem with that, seeing as though his face makes it seem like I just told him I kick puppies and push over toddlers for a living, but he voices his confusion before I can.

“Damn, I’m surprised. When I heard you were giving up playing hockey to be a lawyer, I just figured you’d be one by now.”

I resist the urge to pull an Annie and roll my eyes. My skin is prickled with annoyance, and I want nothing more than to tell him I’m done with this conversation. “That was the plan.”

“My dad saw yours not too long ago, told me you were still planning on going to work with him.”

“Things changed,” I answer, and that’s all I’m giving him. I’m ready to give him a goodbye, but he stops me in my tracks.

“Whatever happened with Viv—I mean, Annie?”

Grant is literally the last person I want to talk about Annie with, seeing as though no one from our high school would believe me if I told them Annie isn’t the shy theater kid she was back then.

“She’s good,” is all I say, quickly adding that I got to go and pretending to agree that we should get together sometime.

I never make it back to Emmett’s office because I head out the front door and drive straight home. I’m not going to sit and listen to someone, who I know doesn’t deserve to know the amazing person she grew into, ask about Annie.

Chapter 21

Annie

By the time Luke got home after the mysterious errand he had to run, I already had two different brownies almost ready for dinner tomorrow. I would’ve had three, but I don’t work as fast without my stand mixer, and I only have old-fashioned mixing bowls and wooden spoons at Luke’s place.

I made us both dinner, and I didn’t let myself dwell on how natural it felt to have such a domesticated evening with Luke.

Of course, because it’s us, we bickered. He flirted; I tried to shut it down. I told him that he was being stupid, and he teased me about being a brat.

Asnormalas a night can be for us.

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