Page 29 of Sunkissed Colorado

“I heard about Ayla Maxwell and Teller Landry.” Also something about a stalker attacking her, though everything had turned out all right. “But I didn’t knowCallumwas friends with a mega-famous pop star,” I said, pouring a beer for a customer while keeping an eye on my nemesis in my periphery. “I guess more has changed around here than I realized.”

“Yes and no.” Winnie hunched over, resting her arms casually on the counter. “Sometimes it feels like we’re all still stuck in high school, you know?”

I huffed a laugh. “Trust me, I know.”

“Callum is one of those guys who grew up a lot. He was in the Army for a while, like his older brothers, but then he came back home. Volunteers for the fire department. Helps out with his niece. Never dates anyone seriously. But he’s always been someone I could count on.”

Isn’t that nice, I thought bitterly. It wasn’t just my grandfather who Callum had charmed. My high school enemy was an upstanding citizen who made everyone’s day brighter.

How was I supposed to square that with how awful he’d been to me after Jessa died?

Winnie leaned in conspiratorially. “Then you’ve got your washed-up types. The guys who’ve never gotten over the fact that their glory days are behind them. Like Tommy Pickering.”

I followed her gaze to a table in a dark corner. “That’s Tommy Pickering?”

Tommy had thought he ruled our campus back in the day, along with Callum. The two of them had sat across from Jessa and me in English class.

Now, his hair was thinning, with the few remaining strands combed over in a failed attempt to hide it. Tommy’s skin was sallow. Heavy pouches lay below his eyes, and his shoulders slumped as he nursed a pint.

“Works at his dad’s used-car dealership,” Winnie murmured. “But from what I hear, Tommy hasn’t made a sale in months. Married with a couple kids at home too. He spends more time in local bars than anywhere else.”

“That’s too bad.” I’d never liked the guy, but I didn’t wish his family ill.

Tommy seemed to sense our eyes on him, because his gaze flicked to us at the bar. He squinted and frowned before returning his attention to his half-empty beer.

Of course, seeing Tommy and Callum in the same room just reminded me of Jessa and the day she died.

“Do you ever talk to Leo Mackenzie?” I asked, my voice carefully casual.

Winnie looked surprised that I’d brought him up. “Leo and I dated a few more years after high school ended, but he was already so distant. After Jessa’s death, he was—” She cut off, grimacing. “Sorry. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to talk about Jessa. Losing her hit you really hard too back then.”

A week ago, the last thing I’d wanted to do was talk about my best friend’s death. I’d frozen up when Russ mentioned her on my first day at Hearthstone. And got pissed at Callum when he did the same.

But of all people, Winnie might understand how I felt. Even if she’d never been as close to Jessa as I had.

Trivia hadn’t started yet, and business was just picking up. The glass washer had finished a load, so Winnieand I started to empty it during a lull in customers. “It’s hard to talk about Jessa,” I said, picking up the conversation. “But it’s also hardnotto. You know what I mean?”

“Sort of. You must miss her.”

“I do.” So many times, I’d wondered where Jessa would be now. If we’d still be friends the way we’d promised one another.

I liked to think so.

“Leo was really torn up about his sister,” Winnie said. “Wouldn’t talk to anyone about it, even me. By the time we reached graduation a couple years later, all he wanted to do was leave town.”

All of that sounded painfully familiar.

“I would’ve gone with him, but…” Winnie lifted and lowered one bony shoulder. “He didn’t want that.”

I reached out to rub her arm. “I’m sorry. Must’ve hurt.”

“I haven’t seen Leo in…geez, years.” She sighed, glancing away, sadness written across her features. “We weren’t meant to be.”

Glasses clinked as I set them on the shelf. “I still think about their mom. I would stop by and visit Mrs. Mackenzie after Jessa died, but it was so awkward. For both of us. After I left Silver Ridge, I tried writing to her for a while, but I got distracted. Lost touch. That was shitty of me.”

“Anybody would’ve done the same. You had your new life, you know? I try to visit her when I can, but it’s tough. I can’t imagine what Ms. Mackenzie went through. Losing Jessa and then pretty much losing Leo too.”

My hand went still, poised halfway to the shelf. “Some things are impossible to get over,” I said softly.