Page 45 of Beneath the Scars
I nod, grabbing my phone from my pocket.
I’ve got calls to make.
Chapter 24
Addie
Caroline’s bawdy laugh fills The Café.
With her head thrown back, her dark hair hangs all the way down to her waist. It’s wild in a way that almost looks intentional, except I know she didn’t do a single thing to make it look that way.
My best friend is gorgeous. She’s got curves for days, and they are the bane of her existence. Developing early will do that to a girl.
I’ve missed her more than I could ever put into words. Having her by my side in one of my favorite restaurants in Sonoma has made my day better than any other day before.
To top it off, my other best friend, Zane, is here. We finally made plans for him to visit, and it just so happens that Caroline decided to come home at the same time.
“God, I wish I could’ve been there with you during your college years, Addie,” Caroline says through her laughter.
“She was a force to be reckoned with,” Zane continues. “I miss going out to the bars with her. She could hook a man in two seconds and leave him gasping for air five seconds later.”
I roll my eyes. “That’s an exaggeration. And it’s not like I was doing it on purpose.”
“No,” Zane agrees. “That’s what made it even better. Those guys were drawn to you like magnets, and you’d leave them hanging every time. It was a beautiful thing to behold.”
“That doesn’t surprise me in the least,” Caroline says. “Okay, Zane, it’s your turn. I want to know everything about Addie’s other best friend.”
Zane’s cheeks turn this cutest shade of pink. “There’s not much to tell. I grew up in Raleigh with my dad. He died when I was a teenager, and I couldn’t afford to go to college, so I decided to work in one instead. Then I met our favorite person, and the rest is history, I suppose.”
“And you live in Greensboro now?”
“Yeah. I tried to get a job in Raleigh but couldn’t really find anything. Not too many well-paying jobs want to hire a kid who barely has a high school education. Managed to find a position at a security company, and they sent me to Greensboro, so it worked out well for me in the end.”
“And me too,” I point out. “I get to have you much closer than I did before.”
Zane smiles at me. “It’s definitely one of the selling factors of living in Greensboro.”
“I’ve been trying to get him to find something to do here in Sonoma so he can be even closer, but he’s not going for it,” I tell Caroline.
“You know I would move in a heartbeat if I had a job here.”
“I knowww,” I draw out. “Stupid small towns, and their stupid limited jobs.”
Zane snorts. “Eloquent, Ads.”
I grin at him. As my best friends chat, I bask in the warmth of them connecting. I miss the hell out of Caroline when she’s gone, and I was so lucky to find Zane.But now that the two of them are finally getting to meet, they’re becoming just as good of friends as I hoped they would.
We’re going to spend time at the lake today before the season ends. When we were kids, it was this small strip of beach just big enough not to be overcrowded. As our tourist population grew, they turned the beach into what could be considered a vacation spot. There are small bungalows to rent for the weekend, boats people can hire, and even a play area specifically tailored toward children.
With a new school year right around the corner, it’s probably going to be busier than ever, but that can be fun sometimes. Zane is the best people watcher. His imagination is amazing, and he creates these stories that absolutely kill me. I’ve told him multiple times that he needs to write a book.
We’re just about finished having breakfast when the door to The Café chimes. My body breaks out in goosebumps of awareness. I don’t even have to turn to see who it is—I know that Michael just walked in the door. That’s not to say that I don’t watch him unashamedly walk into the building.
His penetrating stare has become a craving. I’ve loved being the focus of his attention since I was a kid, but now that I know the emotions behind his gaze, I’m even more affected.
“Have you seen the two of them together?”
“Not yet, but she’s told me all about it.”
