I had been pleasantly surprised when she met Mac and then moved in with him, even though I thought he was a total plank and completely beneath my more amazing friend. I loved that she was taking the plunge—making an effort.
Now it had all exploded in her face just as she had always been scared it would. Bastard Mac had just reinforced every horrible thing Skylar ever believed about loving someone.
I wanted to murder him.
Skylar furiously wiped her eyes. “Ugh, enough with this maudlin shit, tell me about you. That’s got to be slightly less depressing.”
“I doubt it,” I said with a sigh.
Skylar went to drink more coffee, then realized she had finished her cup. “I can’t handle this town without more coffee. Do you need some more?” she asked, getting to her feet to head to the counter.
“Nope, I’m good.” I pointed to my still full coffee cup. Skylar quickly got into line, not hiding her impatience at waiting for the woman with two toddlers in front of her to reel off a giant order.
I pulled a pen out of my purse and started doodling on the napkin to pass the time. From the looks of the haggard mother and her unruly kids, this was going to take a while.
“Still doodling my name on napkins, I see.”
I startled, dropped my pen, and watched it roll off the table and onto the floor. Adam bent down to pick it up. And then proceeded to smack his head on the table.
I laughed, and I laughed hard.
“Ouch,” he whined, rubbing the back of his head and handing me the pen.
“Maybe it’ll knock some sense into that thick head of yours,” I joked before realizing who I was talking to and that I shouldn’t be talking to him at all. I did have to peek to be sure I hadn’t unconsciously written his name on the napkin like I used to do when I was fifteen.
I hadn’t.
He was such a jerk.
I looked over at Skylar, who had out her phone again and was glaring at the screen. “What do you want?” I asked Adam, staring at a spot over his left shoulder so I wouldn’t have to look at his face.
Adam lifted his to-go coffee cup. “Getting provisions for the day ahead.”
“Mmhmm,” I responded distractedly.
Come on, Skylar.
“You just hanging out?” he asked wryly.
“I’m here with Skylar.” I indicated the tall, dark-haired girl who was now at the counter giving the intimidated barista a chewing out for something.
Adam’s face lit up. “Oh man, I haven’t seen Skylar in a while.” He chuckled. “Should we intervene? That poor kid looks like he’s about to piss himself.”
He was right. The pimply-faced guy behind the counter looked positively terrified of Skylar.
“Nah, let the girl have her fun.”
Adam took a sip of his coffee. “You look tired. Wild and crazy night after leaving Mom and Dad’s?”
“Oh, you know, the usual carousing and whoring,” I replied tartly.
“You always were quite the carouser.” Adam chuckled, and I found myself smiling.
“It was all that rummy and the pickup soccer games. I was seriously out of control,” I joked.
“It was a miracle I could rein you in. You would have led me down a very dark path if I wasn’t careful,” he whispered conspiratorially.
“I’m a total badass; don’t you forget it.” Then I actually winked at him.
What in the hell was I doing? Falling into comfortable ribbing was so natural. I found myself doing it without thinking. Even last night, when I was knee-deep in a tumult of emotions at seeing him again after so long, I still found myself reminiscing and sharing inside jokes the way we always had.
Deep down, I knew this was what I had been scared of. Why I resisted visiting Southport, and by extension, seeing him. I knew how tempting it was to be effortless with him, at remembering why he was so important to me. Being around him made it easy to forget all the ways he had hurt me.
Adam’s expression grew serious.“My parents really loved seeing you last night. Lena too,” Adam said, pulling a leather satchel up onto his shoulder. Was Adam really carrying a man bag?
I snickered. I couldn’t help it.
His eyes widened. “Are you laughing at me?”
I pointed to his bag. “You have a man bag. Have you turned metrosexual?”
Adam rolled his eyes. “I love that you get such pleasure out of ridiculing me. I guess it’s better than having you ignore me.”
I smothered my laughter, feeling a little guilty for mocking him. Only a little. “I can go back to ignoring you if that’s easier for you,” I offered with a grin.
“No.” He shook his head. “That wouldn’t make it easier for me.” It was his turn to wink, and I felt warm. Between my goddamn legs.
I was a mess.
“Anyway,” I went on, pressing my thighs together. “It was good to see your parents and Lena. It’s been a long time.”
“You haven’t been to the house since they had the kitchen and patio done, have you?” he asked.
“No. It looked great.” Was this what we were going to talk about? Seriously?
“I think the last time you came over was the weekend that bee-stung you on the lip.” He puffed out his lips for effect. “Kyle called you Big Mama for days.”
That was the weekend before Homecoming. I didn’t want to walk down that memory lane.
“Yeah…” I drew out the word. Adam, realizing his error, fidgeted restlessly.
“I liked seeing you,” he said in a rush, pushing the hair out of his eyes. He needed a haircut. With his hair in his face, he looked like he was still seventeen years old. It set off an uncomfortable pang in my chest.
Then I registered what he said.
I opened my mouth to reply, then closed it again. I didn’t know how to respond. I couldn’t exactly tell him how conflicted seeing him again made me feel. That I hated every second we shared breathing space, but that I also missed him more than I wanted to.
No way I’d ever tell him that.
“Okay…” I let the word drift off awkwardly.
Adam cleared his throat and scratched his chin absently. “So, I was going to call you—”
I cocked my head in surprise. “You were going to call me? What in the hell for?”
Adam smirked. “Can’t a guy call a girl?”
Was he flirting with me? He should know better.
“Not when the guy is you, and the girl is me, Adam.” My statement erased the sly look from his face in a wholly satisfying way.
He cleared his throat again.
“You sound like you’ve got something in your throat. You might want to take a drink of that coffee,” I suggested, enjoying the tinge of pink that colored his cheeks.
“Yeah, well, I was going to call you because I remembered Dad mentioning that you were interested in the bicentennial mural the town is commissioning.”
I crossed my arms over my chest in a defensive gesture. I couldn't help it. I felt as though I needed all my armor when dealing with Adam.
“It sounds like a great project.” What was he getting at?
He gripped his coffee cup tightly in his hand. “Yeah, well, I don’t know if Dad mentioned that I’m the president of the bicentennial committee.”