Page 17 of My Return to the Walter Boys (My Life with the Walter Boys #2)

The layout of this café wasn’t the same, but it reminded me so much of the Caffeinated Pursuit back home that my hands started to shake.

It had the same industrial style—exposed brick and Edison pendant lights—made homey with an abundance of potted plants, handwoven rugs, and squishy armchairs, which I imagined to be just as comfy as the ones Lucy loved to camp out in.

There was an entire wall dedicated to shelving all the board games customers were allowed to use, along with large wooden tables for groups to play at.

The mosaic floor made up of game pieces was my favorite part—an unusual but creative amalgamation of Rummikub tiles, dominos, and colorful mandala stones.

What brought tears to my eyes, however, was when I spotted my go-to order on the menu—the Caramel Kerplunk, a dark mocha frappé doused in caramel.

It was silly, crying over something as trivial as an iced coffee drink, but finding comfort in familiarity so far from home was shocking in the best way possible.

“Excuse me, miss?” The man behind the register—a silver fox type with glasses and a goatee—was watching me, his brow creased with a frown. “Are you okay? Is there anything you’d like to order?”

I laughed and wiped my eyes. “Don’t worry about me. I’m being ridiculous. It’s just, this café—it reminds me of another one that means a lot to me,” I said, stepping up to the counter. “I’d love a grande Caramel Kerplunk. Whole milk, please.”

“Oh, you’re talking about our place on the Upper West Side?” He pointed to a picture on the wall of a storefront I could draw from memory. How many times had I sat on that exact orange bench while waiting for Lucy to arrive?

“Yes!” I said, bouncing on my toes. “I don’t know if you’ve been there before, but I practically grew up in the booth next to the kitchen. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but my sister carved our initials into the tabletop.”

“So you know Jenny, then?” he asked as he poured ingredients into a blender.

Jennifer Clive, owner and operator of Caffeinated Pursuit, was a barista extraordinaire, game board enthusiast, and powerhouse of a woman distilled down into five energetic feet.

Over the years, she’d become an important person in Lucy’s and my life, a fun aunt who taught me how to play chess and always plied us with whatever pastries she had on hand.

“Since I was six,” I confirmed. “She closed down the café and drove me to the hospital when my appendix burst.”

The man paused, then looked up at me with wide, assessing eyes. “I’m Garrett, Jenny’s cousin. I’m sorry if this is too personal, but are you Jackie?”

“You know who I am?”

Garrett’s lips curved up. “You and your sister were Jenny’s favorite regulars.” The smile faded, and he added, “She was devastated when she heard of your family’s passing.”

Ignoring the stab of pain his comment caused, I racked my brain for memories of a handsome, older man related to Jenny but came up empty-handed. “I’m sorry if I don’t remember, but have we met before?”

“No, but you know how Jenny is. She can talk anybody’s ear off, so I heard all about you.” Garrett turned on the blender on, then raised his voice so I could hear him over the noise. “I was the head engineer for a NASCAR team for most of my career, so I spent my time on the road, not in the city.”

That seemed like the kind of job Cole would find fascinating. Maybe I could pick Garrett’s brain about it some other time, but I needed to hurry if I wanted to swing by the print shop and make it back to school before fifth period.

“Copper Valley is a long way from New York,” I said once he finished blending. “How’d you end up out here, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“This is where my wife grew up.” Garrett poured my frappé into a to-go cup, then drenched the top with caramel and whipped cream.

“She wanted to move home once I retired, and I needed something to keep me busy, so Jenny suggested a franchise. Small town life takes some getting used to, but you can’t beat the scenery. ”

In that moment, the world had never seemed smaller.

“I understand that feeling exactly,” I replied, pulling out my wallet as he slid my drink across the counter. “How much do I owe you?”

Garrett refused my outstretched card. “This one’s on the house. It was nice to meet you, Jackie. You’re welcome back anytime.”

***

The truck was missing from the parking lot when school let out Wednesday afternoon. At first, I thought the boys left me behind, but then Alex turned up quickly, followed by Lee and Nathan. Isaac was the only no-show.

“Have you heard from your brother?” Alex asked Lee.

“No, why?”

Alex gestured as the empty spot where we parked this morning. “I thought it was obvious, but the truck is gone.”

Lee frowned. “Did you give him the keys?”

Since Danny left and Cole had his own car, the keys to the truck were passed down to the next Walter in line, which was Isaac. For the past week and a half, however, Alex had been driving us to and from school because Katherine revoked Isaac’s driving privileges as part of his punishment.

Alex flushed and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, at lunch, but he said he’d be back before fifth period. I didn’t think he’d dip and leave us stranded.”

“Seriously, Alex?” Lee snapped. “You’re such a moron.”

“I’m sorry, okay? He wanted some Taco Bell. Who am I to stand between a man and his Crunchwrap Supreme?”

While Alex and Lee continued trading insults, Nathan pulled out his phone. “I’ll call Cole. Tony’s isn’t far.”

Ten minutes later, the Buick tore into the parking lot, windows rolled down and music blaring.

“Hurry up, kiddies,” Cole said in way of greeting. He was wearing his work coveralls, and there was a smear of grease on his forehead. “I’m burning my break for this.”

Not wanting to get stuck up front with him, I scrambled in behind Nathan when he put down the passenger seat and climbed into the back.

Once I buckled my seat belt and got comfortable, I looked up, caught Cole’s gaze in the rearview mirror, and realized my mistake.

While sitting in the back put distance between us, it also placed Cole at the forefront of my field of view.

As if he doesn’t already live in the front of my mind rent-free.

The other boys settled into their seats as I silently cursed Isaac Walter.

Despite his demand that we be quick, Cole seemed at ease as he hummed along with the radio, his fingers drumming the rhythm of an unfamiliar song against the steering wheel.

His sleeves were rolled up, and although I tried hard to resist, my gaze kept returning to his exposed forearms. He must have felt me watching, because his eyes found mine in the rearview mirror again.

My breath hitched. For the first time in over a week, Cole was regarding me with a look that could be considered something other than cold disdain.

I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a positive expression—guarded was a better description—but there was a smug quality to the way his lips twitched.

The tension in my shoulders loosened in relief; I could handle an arrogant Cole Walter.

It was his factory setting, something I’d been dealing with from day one.

The drive was quiet by Walter standards, and I couldn’t tell if that was a factor in the building tension between Cole and myself as we stole glances at each other through the mirror.

From beside me, Alex cleared his throat. “Turn up the radio, will you?” he asked his older brother.

As soon as Cole complied, Alex nudged me in the side. His gaze moved from me to the driver’s seat, his eyebrows raised in question.

“Everything okay?” His unspoken words were clear— Everything okay with you two?

I gave him a reassuring nod. While everything was definitely not okay, I couldn’t talk about it now, not when Cole was trapped in the car with us. Alex looked like he wanted to push the topic further, so I pointedly avoided his gaze. Thankfully, he took the hint.

The car fell silent again save for the radio, and I spent the rest of the drive resisting the urge to look at Cole.

He was watching me, I could tell. Would he be wearing that smug look, or had his expression turned sour again?

I only allowed myself to glance up once the house came into view; if there was a scowl aimed in my direction, I could run away the moment we arrived.

But Cole wasn’t glaring. His expression wasn’t smug either.

I couldn’t quite decipher the look behind his eyes, but it was enough to make my stomach flip.

“Jesus, let me outta here,” Lee demanded before the Buick was even in park. “All this sexual tension is suffocating. Can’t you two bang it out already? It’s getting old.”

My entire body froze as mortification washed over me.

Everyone quickly vacated the car—Nathan even climbed over me in an effort to escape when I didn’t move—until only Cole and I remained.

After a long moment, Cole got out and pushed down his seat.

Then, in a gesture I wasn’t expecting, he held out his hand.

Despite my embarrassment, I placed my hand in his and let him pull me from the car.

When I finally looked up to meet his gaze, he smiled at me.

It was small and tight, but there was no arrogance behind it.

“Come on. I’ll walk you to the door,” he said, nodding toward the house as if I didn’t know the way.

The gesture felt like a peace offering, so I fell into step beside him.

Neither of us spoke, the silence highlighted by the crunch of gravel under our feet as we made our way up the front walk.

I debated potential conversation topics in my head, but was too afraid of saying the wrong thing.

In the end, I waited for Cole to speak first.

“How’s being back at school?”

“Good,” I said, letting out a relieved breath. This was safe subject matter, easy even. I might bore Cole to death, but I could talk about classes, homework, and studying until I was blue in the face. “I joined student council.”

He snorted. “No surprise there, Little Miss Overachiever.”

“Erin’s running for president, and I’m her campaign manager,” I shot back. How’s that for surprising?

Cole fumbled with his car keys, which he’d been twirling around his finger. “You and Erin ?”

I nodded. “The election is this Friday.”

“Well,” he said after a moment, “all I can say about that is I’m glad I graduated. You two are going to terrorize the school.”

“Excuse me?” I stopped on the bottom porch step and turned to face him. Even with the added elevation, Cole was still taller than me.

“I bet there’ll be a no-talking-in-the-hallway rule by the end of the month to prevent bullying and create an environment conducive to learning,” Cole replied, his eyes sparkling as he held in his laughter. “Endless fundraisers, a new dress code, and heath initiatives or some other bullshit.”

“Health initiatives?”

“Yeah, like mandatory Pilates or replacing soda in vending machines with vitamin water.”

I wrinkled my nose. “You’re ridiculous.”

He pushed his bangs out of his face and grinned at me. “I have to get back to work. See you later, New York.”

Momentarily dazzled by the sight of a real Cole Walter smile—eyes crinkled at the corners, singular dimple on display—I watched him walk away without offering a parting response.

My brain didn’t reboot until he was halfway down the walk, so I kept my mouth shut instead of calling out a dumb goodbye ten seconds too late.

The past five minutes felt like a vivid dream or a brief window into an alternate reality where Cole and I were still on speaking terms, because there was no way the two of us had a real conversation.

It was hard enough to believe Cole had been a gentleman by helping me out of the car and walking me to the door, but him speaking actual English words to me? Impossible.

Hell, the two of us bantered .

It was wildly jarring after all his angry silence, but when I considered the past few days, I realized Cole’s attitude toward me had shifted slightly.

While not friendly by any means, he’d been significantly less cold when we ran into each other around the house, and he even passed me the ketchup bottle at dinner last night.

The timing of Cole’s change didn’t go unnoticed; it lined up with the conversation I had with his twin too well to be a coincidence, but in the grand scheme of things, did it really matter if Danny was responsible?

If it meant I could finally stop walking on eggshells around Cole, I was grateful.