The sound of muffled laughter makes me go still. When my eyes fly up to the officer’s face, I’m shocked to see it’s a familiar one — my former Exeter Academy classmate Chris Tomlinson is grinning down at me, his eyes crinkled up with mirth. With the beginnings of a beard dotting his jawline, he looks older than the last time I saw him. More mature. Or maybe that’s just a side-effect of the well-starched navy blue MBTS Police Department uniform he’s wearing.
“God, Valentine, you should see your face!” He laughs hysterically. “I really had you going there, didn’t I?”
“Just about gave me a heart attack,” I confirm. “Thanks for that.”
“Sorry. I couldn’t resist.” He plants a hand on his hip, above his gun holster. “You can put your license away, I’m not arresting you. Unless you’d like to head back to my place and test out my new cuffs…” His eyebrows waggle suggestively.
“Does that line ever work on the ladies, Chris?”
“You’d be surprised! There’s something irresistible about a man in uniform. If you only knew how the women of this town swoon when I step up to their windows…”
“They’re just trying to flirt their way out of a ticket.”
“Don’t ruin the fantasy, Valentine.”
I tilt my head, contemplating him. “I didn’t know you planned on joining the force after graduation.”
“Dad’s the Chief.” He shrugs. “Police academy attendance was basically a birthright.”
“Right. I forgot.” My lips twist into a smile. “You always threw the rowdiest parties back in high school, but the cops mysteriously never busted them. I wonder why?”
He grins wider. “Those were the good old days. Been ages since I threw a good old fashioned Tomlinson rager. Speaking of — I’m planning a big BBQ and bonfire for the Fourth next weekend…” His eyes twinkle in the sunshine as he stares down at me. “You should come!”
“Oh. Um… I’m not sure I’ll still be in town. But thanks.”
“You never were big into the party scene, even back in our Exeter days. Haven’t changed a bit, I see.” He leans forward, still grinning. “I take that back. You’re even prettier now.”
“Are you flirting with me, Tomlinson?”
“Do you want me to?”
“No.”
“Then of course I’m not flirting with you, Valentine. Gosh, can’t a man do his job without being treated like a piece of meat?”
I roll my eyes. “My apologies, officer.”
“Anyway, how the hell are you? Last I’d heard you were over in Europe somewhere, ruling the world with your folks at their nonprofit.”
“I don’t know about the ruling the world part.” I scoff. “But you heard right, I’ve been living in Geneva since last summer. Glad to know the Manchester rumor mill is still running at top speed.”
“You know the drill, Valentine. Everyone talks. Town this small, it’s shocking I didn’t catch wind of it the minute your plane touched down.”
“You’re actually the first person I’ve bumped into.”
“Well, in that case, let me be the first to welcome you home.”
“Thanks.”
“Must be weird to come back after so long away.”
“Sort of.” I drum the steering wheel lightly with my fingertips. “Nothing’s the same.”
His brows lift. “Seriously? Figured it’d be the opposite. Far as I can tell, nothing in this place has changed since the colonists came over on the freakin’ Mayflower.”
He’s right.
The town itself isn’t different.
It’s me that’s changed.
“So, what brought you back?” Chris asks, curiosity plain in his voice.
“Would you believe me if I told you I just missed driving this car?”
“Actually, I might.” His eyes are crinkled in good humor. “Downright criminal to let her rot in a dusty garage. Though in my new, official capacity as an officer of the law, it’s my duty to suggest you drive her at a slightly more reasonable speed from now on.”
I salute him sharply. “Sir, yes, sir.”
“Where were you speeding to so fast, anyway? I think I’ve got a right to know if I’m going to let you off without a ticket.” He pauses. “Though if you say you have a hot date, I might have to reconsider…”
A laugh tumbles from my lips. “Nothing nearly so exciting. I’m heading down to Providence. I have a meeting with my academic advisor at Brown. They want me to decide whether I’m attending in the fall or deferring my acceptance again.”
“And?”
“Honestly? I have no idea what I’m going to do.”
“Miss Josephine Valentine, Exeter Academy of Excellence Class Valedictorian, doesn’t know what to do? I find that slightly alarming. You always seemed like you had your whole life figured out.”
“Guess I fooled you then. I’m just as much of a mess as anyone, I assure you. Probably more of a mess, in fact. Everyone else in our graduating class is out there chasing their dreams, making names for themselves… and here I am, right back where I started, unsure of everything.” A note of bitterness creeps into my tone as Archer’s face flashes behind my eyes. “But I guess we can’t all be star pitchers who skyrocket off into the sunset, huh?”
Chris doesn’t respond to my — I must admit — rather cheap shot. That shouldn’t surprise me. He and Archer were always friendly during their days on the varsity baseball team. For all I know, they’re still friendly.
Just because Archer Reyes left me in the dust when he blew out of this town, doesn’t necessarily mean he did the same to everyone else.
The silence between Chris and me drags on, broken only when he coughs uncomfortably. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, suddenly he can’t quite meet my eyes. I struggle to interpret the look on his face — a mix of skepticism and… Could it be sadness? Perhaps I was wrong about them keeping in touch.
“Look, Valentine,” Chris says haltingly. “About Reyes—”
“I don’t want to know.”
His brows lift. “What?”
“I don’t want to know how he’s doing, Chris. I don’t want to hear how great his life is, or which MLB teams are recruiting him, or how high his star has risen. I don’t want to hear any of it. I can’t.” My words come out in a choked voice that sounds nothing like my own. Behind my eyes, the pressure of impending tears is growing stronger by the second. I take a deep breath, desperately trying to keep it together. “Frankly, after last summer… let’s just say, Archer made it crystal clear he doesn’t consider me privy to the intimate details of his life. I think we should keep it that way.”
Chris’ eyes are rounder than the buggy headlights on the Porsche. His face has gone pale beneath the blazing midday sun.
Great job, Jo. You’ve gone and made the boy uncomfortable with your emotional meltdown.
“So, you…” The Adam’s apple bobs in Chris’ throat as he swallows sharply. His wide eyes are riveted on my face. “You don’t know, then. About—”