Page 7 of The Second Deal

Ididn’t seethat extra specialNewYear’sBallconcert coming.

Zakwasn’t supposed to stop the show, or pull me to center stage.Hewasn’t supposed to drop down on one knee; the entire crowd wasn’t supposed to hoot and holler in excitement.

Thenagain,Iwasn’t supposed to betray the love of my life, either.

Afterleaving town the wayIdid, after hooking up with someone else,Iprobably shouldn’t care anymore about the heartbreak that appeared onZak’sface whenIchose to run out of his life.

Butwhen he comes to a halt and realization sets in, the wound is ripped open, gushing with fresh, feverous blood that makes me choke.

Runningaway didn’t do a goddamn thing.

“Zak!”

Momscrambles and rushes over, giving him a big mom hug only she can give. “Weweren’t too sure if you were gonna come by.”

Shepats his bearded cheek, finally making him break our stare down as he focuses on her face through oversized gold frame glasses.

Whenhe smiles,Ihave to look away.

Momshoos him on to make himself a plate before coming back to my side and reaching for my hand.

Isnatch it away, glaring at her before averting my gaze to my mostly-empty plate.

Itsuddenly disappears, andBrandygrabs my hand.

“C’mon,Steph,” she starts, rising from the table. “Let’sgo make some drinks.Youwant one,Mom?”

Onceshe pulls me inside the house and into the kitchen,Itake a deep breath before letting it loose.

“Whatthefuckis he doing here?”Stealinga peep through the window and eyeballing his head illuminated by dim string lights,Imutter, “Andwhat the fuck is up with those douchebag glasses?Goddamnhipster.”

Brandysnorts as she grabs ingredients for margaritas. “Idon’t think he expected you to be here.”

Ithrow my hands in the air. “He’smy ex.Whythe hell would he show up here, anyway?”

Shelines up glasses on the counter. “MomandDadare the only parents the twins have.And, hell,Zakstill goes with them toOurLadyeverySunday.SameMass, every single week.”

Grunting,Icross my arms and lean against the counter. “Stilldoesn’t make things any less weird.”

“Eitherway, he’s here.Youdon’t have to acknowledge him.”Brandypoints at the window behind me overlooking the backyard. “Mom’sgot that cozy little corner we can sequester ourselves to.”

“I’mgonna need, like, two pitchers to get through this.Andwhat about the guys?”

“Shannonput on his dad hat and told ‘em all to be on their best behavior.Thinkthey’ll be fine the rest of the night, anyway.Somethingabout fistfighting gets it outta their system for a little while.”

“So, about a month?”Isay incredulously.

“Funny, isn’t it, thatTimelessdidn’t have problems until after you quit,” she responds with a flat tone before dumping tequila into a pitcher.

Theurge to scrub a hand over my face is intense as tequilaglug glug glugs, butIball up my hand to save my makeup. “Idid everyone a favor.”

Thebottle clanks against the counter asBrandyturns to glare at me.Upsetflares in her eyes. “Byleaving town and cutting everyone out when you decided you were too chicken shit to commit to your boyfriend?Brilliantplan.Tenoutta ten—nothin’ else could’ve done better.”

Crossingmy arms,Ilean back against a cabinet and watch her stir ingredients.Aftera moment,Ifinally say, “I’msorry.”

Shetuts. “Right.”

Iscoff back at her. “Hey, you know,I’vebeen talkin’ to you this entire time—”

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