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  pushing it. They look so tempting with all the caramel oozing off the sides in thick ribbons, pooling on the tray below them, that I can’t stop myself. “Two.”

  “Can I help you?” the lady behind the counter asks, and she stares at me for a few seconds before gasping. “Evie?”

  I blink twice, wondering if I’m seeing who I think I am. “Renee?”

  “OMG!” she screeches in her annoying, high-pitched tone that nearly bursts my eardrums.

  Suddenly, the cupcakes don’t seem so appealing when putting up with her bullshit is the price I’d have to pay to sink my teeth into their deliciousness.

  Renee and I were best friends. We were almost inseparable at times. Once I began dating Jack and she hooked up with Jess, things between us were never the same.

  “You look great,” I lie because she looks like absolute shit, but I’m too nice to say it. The dark circles under her eyes are enormous.

  The girl I knew in high school is gone and has been replaced by a woman who appears a good ten years older than me. Time hasn’t been on her side. Her cheeks are fuller, the shade of her makeup doesn’t suit her skin tone at all, giving her an orange glow like she has spent too much time in the tanning bed and uses too much bronzer. The pink T-shirt embroidered with a giant cupcake does nothing to make her look any younger either.

  Renee is far removed from the slender girl I was friends with years ago. Wide hips and thick thighs have replaced her previously slim figure that she always flaunted.

  “Thanks,” she says, her cheeks turning a rosy shade of pink. “So do you.”

  Evan clears his throat as if I could forget his company so easily. The man gets attention no matter where he goes.

  “Sorry. Evan, this is Renee, my best friend from school. Renee, this is Evan, my best friend today.”

  I cringe inwardly at how bitchy that sounds, but it’s not my intent…or maybe it is. It doesn’t matter either way because I stopped caring about Renee a long time ago.

  Evan shoots her his killer smile, the one that could drop the panties of most females if he weren’t so into peen. “It’s nice to meet you, Renee.”

  Her blush deepens as his dazzling smile works its magic. Sometimes I think Evan could turn even the straightest of men with his charm and wit.

  “It’s completely my pleasure. We should do coffee,” Renee suggests with hopeful eyes as she slides on a pair of plastic gloves. “We need to catch up when I’m not working. I just landed this job this month and I barely get a day off, but I’ll make time for you.”

  That will never happen. I’m trying to think of a reply that won’t sound as harsh as, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

  “That would be great. She’d love that,” Evan answers for me.

  “But you have to come too, Evan.” Renee smiles brightly, the flush on her cheeks spreading down her neck.

  “Of course. I’ll be there, darlin’,” he coos at her, making my insides churn.

  Where his country drawl came from, I have no idea, but he nails it.

  “Oh my God. It’s going to be like old times.” She’s practically squealing with delight and clapping her plastic gloves together, making the most hideous noise.

  “Fabulous.” The bitchiness in my voice is hidden by the chatter of kids filling the shop; they are coming through the door in droves.

  I’ll get him back for this, even though he has no idea about Renee and her bullshit. She’s the last person I want to invite back into my life, yet he’s opened the door and rolled out the red carpet for her.

  “Softball practice must be over. I’d better hurry. So, what can I get you two?”

  Evan places our order and pays while I stand off to the side so the kids can ogle the cupcake display.

  Thank God for the bakery case between us or I’d have to hug her and talk longer than necessary. I’ve had too many ghosts from my past in the last few days to be forced into dealing with yet another awkward exchange.

  “Bye. I hope I will see you soon, Evan. You too, Evie.” Renee waves at us as we walk toward the door.

  Evan shoves a cupcake in his mouth as we step outside. “She seems nice.” Crumbs fall from his bottom lip as he pushes the rest inside.

  I glare at him with my hands on my hips, trying not to entirely lose my shit. He deserves a little attitude for his overly friendly display with Renee.

  “Evan,” I sigh, but I can’t be mad at him. Not when he has frosting and crumbs all over his face.

  “What?” He looks so innocent and bewildered it’s almost cute.

  “Renee isn’t a good person,” I tell him as I wipe away the messy bits of cupcake. “She’s not the kind of friend you’d want. Trust me on this. She’s bad news.”

  He makes a sour face. “Seriously? She seems really sweet.”

  “Dead. Fucking. Serious.”

  “Come on.” He nudges me playfully with his elbow, but I don’t move.

  I narrow my eyes on him instead, driving my point home. He has to know I won’t budge on this. I won’t welcome her back into my life. I can’t do it. I won’t.

  “Whatever you want. If you hate her, I’ll hate her.”

  I’ve never hated anyone before, not even Renee. I simply don’t have room for her in my life again.

  “Maybe she’s changed. We all do in time,” he says.

  I know he’s right, but sometimes change isn’t enough to make up for all the bad of the complicated past we share.

  “Who’s this?” I ask Renee as we get to the diner to meet Jess. There’s a guy with him I have never seen before.

  Jack was supposed to come with me, but he had to watch his little sister. And after the stunt she pulled the last time he brought her along, he decided they would stay home. I offered to go to his house, but my dad is already on my ass about how much time I spend with Jack.

  “I’m Kevin, Jess’s cousin,” he introduces himself and extends his hand to me to shake.

  “Nice to meet you.” I give him a weak smile. Renee didn’t say anything about Jess bringing anyone with him. Maybe she didn’t know.

  I don’t think Jack would get mad at me, but I am sure he would have liked to have known there was going to be another guy here.

  I follow them inside and slide into the booth, expecting Renee to sit next to me, but she scoots in with Jess, leaving this Kevin guy to take up the empty spot on my bench.

  I edge close to the window, as far away from him as I can, trying not to be obvious. This guy, Kevin, is draping his arm behind me on the back of the cushioned booth, and it almost makes it feel like he believes this is a double date. Which it definitely is not. I’m with Jack, and I don’t want anyone else.

  Not now.

  Not ever.

  “Do you live around here?” I ask, attempting to be friendly while we wait for the waitress to come over and take our order.

  “Just visiting. You know, Evie, was it?”

  I nod.

  “You’re even prettier than Jess said.”

  “Um, thanks, I guess.” I scowl at Renee as she giggles. “I need to go to the bathroom. Excuse me.” I can feel Kevin’s eyes raking over my body as I get up from my seat. He doesn’t give me much room, forcing me to rub against him.

  “Renee, would you come with me?” I say with a forced smile, trying to be cordial and not lose my shit.

  “I guess. Be right back, baby.” She practically shoves her tongue down Jess’s throat before following me.

  When we get into the bathroom, I corner her. “What is that?” I throw my hand toward the door.

  “What? Kevin. Pfft. He’s nice, and you have to admit he’s cute. Jack couldn’t come, so…” She shrugs indifferently as though she is innocent in all this.

  No one could ever be a stand-in for Jack. How could she do this to me?

  “You know Jack wouldn’t like this. Why would you think this is okay? Kevin thinks we are on a date.”

  Renee goes to the sink and stares at me in the mirror as she applies fresh li
p gloss after smearing the layer she was wearing all over Jess’s lips. “Calm down. You’re not married to Jack, and it isn’t like you have to do anything with Kevin. That is, if you don’t want to.” She winks.

  “I’m going home.” I start for the door when she grabs my hand.

  “I’m sorry. Don’t leave. Jess will get mad at me. Please, just eat with us, and I promise I will tell Jack you had no idea Kevin was coming.”

  “I don’t know, Renee. You know Jess would flip out if I did this to you.”

  She pouts. “Come on, Evie. It won’t be so bad. I’ll even make sure Jess pays for your food.”

  “It’s not about that, Renee. I have a boyfriend.”

  “We can take Jack a milk shake after, and you can tell him that Kevin tagged along. It’s no big deal. It’s not like you are on a date with the guy.”

  “He seems to think otherwise.”

  “So let him think it. What’s it going to hurt? His girlfriend dumped him. Jess feels bad for him. Rachel was supposed to come, and we were gonna make this a group thing. But then Jack couldn’t come, and Rachel flaked on us.”

  “It makes me uncomfortable.”

  “Seriously, Evie. I don’t get why you are making such a big deal out of this. It isn’t like you are doing anything wrong. You’re just hanging out with me.”

  I know she is right, but that doesn’t mean other people won’t think I’m on a date with this guy. What if someone tells Jack before I get the chance to?

  When we go back to the table, Jack is standing in front of the table with Myra.

  Great.

  “I changed my mind,” Jack says with a tight smile when I walk up to him.

  I grab his worn T-shirt and wrap my fingers around the soft material, pressing my body against his. “I was just about to order to-go and go home.”

  Jack pulls me into his side and kisses my forehead as he glares at Kevin. “No need to leave, Evie girl. I’m here now.” Jack’s eyes still haven’t left Kevin’s. “Mind moving so I can sit by my girl?”

  He emphasizes the word “my” with a slight growl. Kevin moves without saying a word, but it doesn’t make anything more comfortable. Kevin, Renee, and Jess sit on the other side of the table as Myra, Jack, and I settle in across from them.

  Jack places his arm around my shoulder, and it never leaves. I know he’s not mad, but we probably won’t be hanging out with Renee and Jess for a very long time.

  7

  Jack

  Around noon, I finally finish my cup of coffee and head toward the barn. I trudge through the thick, overgrown grass behind the house and wonder why Myra isn’t taking better care of the place.

  “Ma!”

  “In here,” she yells from inside.

  I push open the door to find my mother sitting in the middle of the barn on an upside-down bucket. “What are you doing?”

  Brushing a few strands of gray hair away from her face with the back of her glove-covered hand, she glances up at me. “Just a little spring cleaning.”

  I rub the back of my neck and blow out a quick breath as I peer around. This is more than spring cleaning. The barn is a mess and looks like it’s sat untouched for more than one winter.

  “Where should I start?”

  “I don’t know.” She runs her hands back and forth across her jeans and glances around before she shrugs. “Upstairs, maybe. I haven’t been up there in years.”

  I look toward the loft, the place Evie and I would sneak off to when we wanted to be alone. “I’ll clean it out, Ma. You just relax a little.”

  I test out the wooden ladder before I start to climb, making sure it can handle my weight without crumbling into a thousand pieces and taking me with it. I assume it hasn’t been used since the last time I was up here and could very easily send my ass straight to the ground.

  When I reach the landing, I shake my head in disbelief. The upstairs is worse than I ever could’ve imagined. The years of neglect are evident as I look around. “Stand clear of the center. I’m just going to throw stuff down.”

  “Be careful up there. I’m heading to the house to stay out of your way.”

  I start with the easy stuff that’s scattered around the floor, throwing it over the railing. There’s satisfaction as each forgotten item hits the dirt floor below with a loud thump.

  When I yank an old, tattered bale of hay off the top of the pile, I uncover something I haven’t seen in six years. I stand there, staring at it.

  “Jack.” Evie sits cross-legged facing the wall, drawing a red heart. “Do you promise I’ll always be yours?”

  I’m stretched out on my side with my head propped in my palm, taking in the beauty of her naked body against the stark white barn wall. “You’ll always be my girl, Evie. I’m going to marry you someday,” I promise.

  She scribbles her name over the heart, adding my name too before turning to me with a heartfelt smile. “This will always be here to remind you of that promise.”

  Pushing myself up, I take the marker from her, adding “4-EVER” underneath our names. “I don’t need a reminder to know I love you, Evie Bailey.” Throwing the pen over my shoulder, I haul her into my lap before holding her cheeks in my hands. “Nothing will ever separate us. Nothing.”

  “You promise?”

  “I promise,” I say against her lips before pressing my mouth to hers, quieting her doubt. There’s only one girl in the world for me, and it’s her.

  She wraps her legs around me, lowering her body slowly onto my hardness. I snake my arms around her waist, holding her body against mine, and we rock together in the sweetest rhythm. I bury my face in her blond hair and moan in sated bliss.

  “I love you,” I whisper into her ear.

  “Forever and ever,” she murmurs back.

  “Jack.” My mom’s voice pulls me out of the memory.

  “Yeah?”

  “You okay up there?”

  I blink a few times. I don’t know how long I’ve been transfixed by my memory of the day Evie drew on the barn wall, permanently declaring our love. The black marker I used to scratch away the drawing Evie made had faded, unlike the image underneath. I turn my back to the memento.

  “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

  “I didn’t hear you moving. Thought maybe you passed out from the heat. Want some lemonade when I head in?”

  “Sure,” I tell her before the barn goes silent again.

  I keep throwing the old shit over the railing, but my thoughts remain on the image and our past.

  “Where did you tell your parents you were sleeping tonight?” I cocoon us in a fuzzy blanket I stole from my mom’s linen closet to protect us from the hay strewn across the loft floor.

  “I told them I was staying with Cindy’s family for the night.” Her finger traces tiny hearts across my chest, leaving a thin red mark where her fingernail has pressed.

  My hand tangles in her silky hair as I weave it around my