Not that I would bail.
I need a drink now more than ever.
For decades, Down Home Pub has been the only bar in town passed down from generation to generation. Maliki, the owner, took over after his father almost lost the bar due to financial troubles.
Down Home is crowded, and curiosity hits me as I give it a once-over.
“Did Maliki suddenly turn into an interior designer?” I ask when we sit at a table.
What had once been a dark, dreary bar has Christmas decorations with updated barstools and tables. The atmosphere is friendly—the mood you’d have when you hang out with your friends, share a drink, and watch TV.
Phoebe shakes her head. “Nope, he fell in love with an interior designer.”
“Makes more sense,” I reply.
Phoebe and I apologized to each other and hugged it out before leaving for the pub. We can never stay mad at each other.
“That’s what happens,” Spencer says, plopping down on the stool next to Phoebe and situating his cap over his blond hair. “You fall in love, and your décor changes. No more beer signs, Hooters calendars, or fun shit. Your house gets filled with Live, Laugh, Love signs.”
“Hey,” Phoebe says, playfully swatting at him for his accurate description of their house.
“On the contrary,” I input. “Phoebe has also changed her style. No more Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls posters, and she lost her love of black lights and bubble furniture.”
“I’d take all that in exchange for the sixteen Christmas trees residing in our house.”
Phoebe fake pouts. “Hey, you said you love my Christmas decorating.”
“I do. I love it so much, baby.” Spencer kisses her cheek.
“There she is!”
I glance over my shoulder to find my best friend, Lauren, and her husband, Gage, headed in our direction. When she reaches us, I hop off my stool and hug her.
Lauren was my best friend growing up, and we’ve kept in touch over the years. She’s visited me in LA a few times, and we always hang out when I’m home. She even tried to get me jobs in California since her sister-in-law is a celebrity.
Lauren and Gage join us and say hi to everyone. The waitress takes our orders, and we spend the next hour catching up.
“Holy shit,” Lauren says, lowering her voice and grabbing my arm.
I cock my head and look at her. “What?”
“Miles is here.” She points toward the other end of the bar.
Turning, I follow her vision line to find Miles at a table drinking with a group of people. He takes a sip of his beer and laughs at something someone said.
I grab my cosmo and chug it.
“Have you talked since the breakup?” Lauren asks.
“This morning was the first time. We saw each other at Lava Java.” I snort. “Imagine my surprise. It was like seeing a ghost.”
“Girl, I know your surprise.” She laughs, twirling a dark lock of hair around her manicured finger. “Remember my situation?”
“Shoot, I forgot Gage arrested you when he returned to Blue Beech.”
At least our reunion wasn’t that bad.
“No one told me Gage was back.” She frowns at the memory. “Not my parents, my friends. Everyone was so hush-hush about it, and then bam! There he was, handcuffing me, and then he practically stranded me in the middle of nowhere.”
“But you got your happily ever after.” I hold up my glass in a cheers motion.
She grabs her cosmo and cheers me.
I raise a brow and peer over at Phoebe.
Did she know Miles was home?
Since she’s now so chummy with his family?
“I think my family has been talking to his,” I whisper to Lauren. “I think they’re trying to move on from what happened, but it’s still so raw for me.”
Her face goes slack, and she squeezes my shoulder. After my breakup with Miles, she helped with my heartache and made me watch horror movies to forget about love. She took my mind off him by inviting me to everything she could, and when I told her I missed the phone calls from Miles every night, she started calling me in his place.
“Yo! Miles!” someone yells from the table over. “Long time no see, man! Come here. I need to ask you a question.”
When I spot Miles headed toward the table, I straighten in my chair. My attention slides to the table where Hodge, an old classmate, is waving him over.
Poor Miles.
Hodge can be a pain in the ass when he’s drinking.
“This is the guy I was telling you about,” Hodge tells his wife when Miles reaches them. “The one who made it big in New York.” He jerks his thumb toward his wife. “My wife, Pat, sells real estate here. Let’s just say, it’s a hard job in a small town. You have any tips for her?”
“I wish you’d done that reality show,” a woman sitting at Hodge’s table chimes in before Miles answers.
I glower when I recognize her. Kasey—the girl Miles took to homecoming after I dumped him.
“Nah,” Miles says, dragging his fingers through his thick dark hair. “Reality TV isn’t for me. I like my privacy.”
“Maybe you should move home for more privacy,” Kasey says, winking. “We’d love for you to be here.”
I want to throw my drink at her.
Miles shoots me a glance as if he’s known where I’ve been all night, and I quickly look away.
Hodge pulls out the stool next to him and smacks it with his palm. “You mind answering a few questions for her?”
Miles’s face drops. He minds. I’d mind too. He came here for a drink and to hang out with his friends, not to be a walking real estate book.
Lauren leans in and whispers, “You want to switch tables?”
I shake my head, noticing Phoebe and Spencer’s eyes on me. “No, I’m okay.”
Gage’s attention is on the TV since he doesn’t pay attention to anyone but Lauren and his kids. He isn’t one to get into drama or gossip. Even if I wanted to switch tables, it’d be impossible. The only open ones are two-seaters, and there are obviously more than two of us. I also want to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Pat blurts out question after question. It’s giving me a headache, so I can only imagine how Miles feels.
From what I gather, Miles started selling real estate when he moved to New York. He was doing well and landed a job with one of the biggest agencies in the city. A few years later, he quit after his father asked him for help. He became president of their commercial property business and expanded it to residential.
“I heard you’ve made millions, man,” Hodge says. “You a millionaire?”
Miles sighs, aggravation briefly crossing his face. “I’ve done well for myself.”
As angry as I am with him, I’m happy he found success. At least one of us did because yours truly isn’t even making ten cents at the moment. Last night, I attempted to look up jobs again, but I stopped myself. The seeds that had been planted about staying in Blue Beech have grown since I ran into Miles.
It’s stupid for me to think about him when deciding whether to move here. The man lives in New York and is probably only home for Christmas.
Hodge and his wife throw out questions for over thirty minutes while Kasey throws out one flirtatious comment after another.