Page 15 of Keep My Heart (The Haydon Falls #1)

Nick

Lyndsay looks absolutely gorgeous. Her hair is pulled back in a loose ponytail and she has just a touch of makeup on her face.

She’s wearing a sundress in a yellow floral print with thin straps at the top and white sandals.

She’s got that small-town, girl-next-door look that I love.

It’s not a look I see in New York. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until now.

Damn, she’s beautiful. How could Chris give her up? According to what Lyndsay told me last night, Chris didn’t even try to save their marriage. She asked him to go to counseling and he refused. I can’t believe she stayed with him as long as she did.

‘I got us a table,’ I tell her. ‘It’s really busy in there and I didn’t want us having to wait.’

‘Yeah, I don’t have much time. My mom needs the car.’

‘Oh. I was hoping we could go do something after this, but if you need to get home, I’ll go hang out with my brothers. They’re all going over to Sawyer’s place before the party.’

‘I could do something. I just need to drop off the car. I don’t need to stay there.’

‘You’ re trying to get all the dating practice you can before I leave, aren’t you?’ I smile and take her hand.

‘Believe me, I need it,’ she says as we walk to the door.

When I took her home this morning, I started feeling guilty for suggesting I tutor her in dating, knowing part of my offer was self-serving.

I don’t want to lose contact with her after this weekend.

Last night was too great to just end it when we leave here.

I could’ve just told her I want to stay in touch, but when I’ve said that to friends before, we get busy, time passes, and we never connect again.

I didn’t want that to happen with Lyndsay.

With the tutoring sessions, we’ll have a reason to talk, upping the chances of it actually happening.

As we sit down at the table, I feel like the whole restaurant’s staring at us, wondering why the oldest Kanfield boy is back in town and why he’s with Lyndsay Davis.

I knew this would happen, but I really don’t care if people gossip about us.

I don’t live here anymore. And when the rumors start, my mom will set everyone straight.

She doesn’t put up with people saying things about her family that aren’t true.

‘Everyone’s staring,’ Lyndsay whispers as she looks over her menu.

‘Should we give them a show?’ I smile at her.

‘What do you mean?’

I reach over and hold her hand, keeping our hands on the table where everyone can see.

‘Nick!’ she whispers, glancing at our hands.

‘What? I can’t hold your hand?’

‘Everyone’s watching. They’re going to think we’re together.’

‘We are. We’re having breakfast together.’

‘You know what I mean.’

‘Yeah? So let them talk. This town could use some new gossip. ’

She smiles a little, then glances at the table next to us. An older couple is there, watching us like they’re watching a TV show.

‘Can I get you something to drink?’ the waitress asks, appearing at our table.

‘I’ll just have water,’ Lyndsay says.

‘I’ll have orange juice,’ I say.

‘Nick?’ The waitress smiles at me. ‘Nick Kanfield?’

‘Yeah,’ I say, trying to figure out how she knows me.

‘It’s Lori.’ She points to her name tag. ‘We were partners in chem lab.’

Lori from high school? She looks totally different. Her long blonde hair is now short and dyed red, she’s put on about 50 pounds, and she has tats running down both sides of her neck.

‘Lori. Sorry, I didn’t recognize you.’ I get up and hug her, then sit back down. ‘How have you been?’

‘Okay. How about you?’

‘I’m good.’ I look over at Lyndsay. ‘You remember Lyndsay?’

Lori’s face lights up. ‘Lyndsay Davis? I haven’t seen you in forever!’

Lyndsay smiles. ‘It’s been awhile. I don’t get home much.’

‘I didn’t know it was you with the darker hair.’

‘I’ve been coloring it for a few years now.’

I don’t know why she colors her hair. Her natural blonde color was beautiful and looked great with her light skin and blue eyes.

‘I thought you moved to Texas,’ Lyndsay says to Lori.

‘I did, but it was too hot for me so I moved back. So how’s Chris?’

‘Um, he’s fine. He’s not here. He was busy with work.’

She doesn’t want to tell Lori about the divorce.

I don’t know why she’s hiding it. I’m guessing half the town knows by now.

Chris still has friends here, who I’m sure have told people about the divorce.

And anyone who saw Lyndsay at the bar last night could’ve figured it out.

Lyndsay wasn’t wearing her ring and we were acting like a couple, talking close, touching, slow dancing.

Thinking about it now, I probably took the fake date thing too far, but I had a few beers in me and was with the girl who appeared in most every one of my teen fantasies. I couldn’t help but kiss her.

It was a damn good kiss. Too good. I was feeling things I shouldn’t be feeling for someone I’m fake dating.

I thought it might feel awkward, kissing a girl who’s only ever been a friend, but it wasn’t awkward at all.

The moment our lips touched, I instantly felt something between us, something I’d been feeling all night but was trying to ignore.

We definitely have a strong attraction to each other, but we also have something else that I can’t put into words.

It’s whatever’s been missing from all my other relationships, the reason they haven’t gone anywhere.

‘You and Chris were such a cute couple in high school,’ Lori says to Lyndsay. ‘Everyone was so jealous of you guys.’

I glance at Lyndsay, noticing how uncomfortable she looks.

‘I’d love to talk more,’ Lyndsay says, ‘but I’m kind of in a hurry.’

‘Yeah, of course, go ahead.’ Lori gets her order pad out.

After she takes our order, she leaves, then comes back with our drinks. ‘You guys will be at the reunion next weekend, right?’

‘I won’t be here,’ I say. ‘I’m leaving on Monday.’

‘And I made plans to do something else,’ Lyndsay says.

‘Come on. You have to come. It’s 15 years.’

‘Maybe some other year,’ I tell her.

‘I really think you should come. People would love seeing you guys, especially you and Chris,’ Lori says to Lyndsay. ‘Maybe you could talk him into coming back for it. ’

Lyndsay clears her throat. ‘Um, Chris and I aren’t together anymore.’

Lori gasps. ‘You’re separated?’

‘Divorced,’ Lyndsay says. ‘Just this week, actually.’

‘Did something happen or you just didn’t get along?’

Lyndsay looks at me to help her out.

‘Maybe you could give us a minute,’ I say to Lori.

‘Sure! I’ll go check on your order,’ she says, taking off.

‘Thank you,’ Lyndsay says quietly to me.

‘Of course. You okay staying here?’

‘Yeah,’ she says with a sigh. ‘I just wish people would stop assuming Chris and I are still a couple. A lot can happen in 15 years, and everyone knows high school relationships don’t have the greatest success rate.’

‘Lori didn’t mean to upset you. She’s just someone who asks a lot of questions.’

‘I know, and I’m not mad at her. I just didn’t know what to say.’ She pauses. ‘I actually do want to go to the reunion, but I can’t, not now. All night people will be asking me about Chris. I won’t be able to just go and have fun.’

‘Kanfield,’ a guy says, coming toward me, a big grin on his face.

‘Kurt,’ I say, getting up from the table to shake his hand. ‘Good to see you.’

We went to high school together and were both on the debate team. He was a lawyer for a few years, but didn’t like it and decided to open a gym with his wife. They live in Chicago now.

‘You back for the reunion?’ he asks.

‘No, I’m just here to see my family. I’m heading out on Monday.’

‘I’m trying to talk him into staying,’ Lyndsay says, giving me a flirty smile. I can’t tell what’s going on with her. She’s almost acting like she doesn’t want our fake dating to be fake, like she’s interested in me for real.

‘Lyndsay Davis?’ Kurt smiles at her. ‘I didn’t recognize you. Your hair’s different.’

She laughs. ‘I didn’t realize I looked that different with brown hair. Lori just said the same thing.’

‘Lori’s here?’ he asks.

‘She’s our waitress,’ I tell him.

Just then, she returns to our table. She sees Kurt and her face lights up. ‘Kurt!’ She lunges at him, barely getting her arms around him because he’s so big. He’s really bulked up since high school. He’s probably added 30 pounds of muscle.

‘I didn’t know you moved back,’ Kurt says to her.

‘A few months ago,’ she says, letting him go. She looks him up and down, checking him out. ‘You look good.’

‘Thanks. I own a gym so I work out every day.’

‘You own a gym?’ Lori asks, sounding impressed.

‘It’s nothing fancy. It’s one of those 24 hour places in a strip mall.’

‘How’s that going?’ I ask. ‘You like owning a gym?’

‘It’s better than being a lawyer,’ he says, then quickly backtracks. ‘I mean, nothing against being a lawyer. It just wasn’t for me.’

‘I get that. Some days I don’t like it either. It’s a lot of hours, a lot of stress.’

‘You still working in New York?’

‘Yeah. Hoping to make partner soon.’

‘I need to check on my tables,’ Lori says, taking off.

‘Why don’t you join us?’ Lyndsay says to Kurt.

‘I would, but I already ate. I was just heading out. The wife’s waiting for me at her mom’s house. ’

‘You didn’t bring her with?’ I ask, thinking it’s odd he’d eat here by himself.

‘She wanted to sleep in,’ he says, glancing around the restaurant. He seems uncomfortable, like he doesn’t want to talk about her. Maybe they’re having problems. ‘Anyway, I should get going.’ He looks at Lyndsay. ‘Hey, I heard about you and Chris. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.’

She smiles a little. ‘Thanks.’

‘Who told you about it?’ I ask him.

‘The guys over at Loon’s. I went there last night for a drink. Ted and Fink were there.’ He laughs. ‘Those idiots haven’t changed. Fink even had on that shirt he always wore in high school, the black one with the skull on it that he thought got him girls.’