Page 29

I surprised her with the trip.

I told the boys, and we packed everyone up in a carpool and drove out without telling them where we were going.

The only instructions I gave her were to bring a bag, wear something comfortable, and trust me.

We spent three nights in the tourist trap.

It was perfect. That had been one of the last weekends I could pretend she was only mine.

I stared at the photo a second longer, then shot a few text replies back to a few teammates and peers before putting it back into my pocket.

Cade abruptly leaned around Nick. “Holy shit, we know who that is! It’s Lindsey Moore.”

Nick’s mouth dropped open, and he let out a short laugh. “Say you swear. There’s no fucking way.”

I shifted my attention toward the girl still standing outside in her red dress meant for summer instead of fall. “Are you sure?”

“I’m positive,” my brother doubled down.

This was a far cry from the awkwardly built girl I remembered with that name from high school. “So, she peaked in college then. She didn’t look like that in our senior year.”

“Hell no, she didn’t.” Cade whistled low. “You interested?”

I laughed, knowing he was fucking with me. “Only one girl has my attention, and she looks far better than that.”

“Our girls are the prettiest in Hemlock. That’s not a fair comparison,” Rook countered, exhaling a slow drag of smoke, eyes fixed on the group Lindsey was with as they wandered toward the pub entrance for the third or fourth time since we’d been sitting there.

“Sanj isn’t one of the prettiest girls in Hemlock.

She’s more than that.” My mind flashed back to the way she looked in her driveway, flushed from the cold, eyes wide from the adrenaline, lips parted like she was daring me to do something about it.

I could’ve kissed her right then, finally taken what we’d both been denying ourselves.

I knew if I had, I wouldn’t have been able to ever stop, and timing was everything.

Nick opened his mouth to say something else, but paused, his gaze catching on to someone new. “Hey, look. It’s Zoe,” he said, nodding toward a girl slipping out the pub’s side door. “I think she works here now.”

I tilted my head, watching her move between parked cars.

Her dark green hair made her stand out. There was a server apron slung low around her waist, and she moved like she didn’t want to be noticed—quiet, efficient, invisible.

“When did that happen?”

Rook shrugged, keeping his eyes on her. “Your guess is as good as ours.”

“Have her come over,” I said, already lowering my passenger window further.

“Yo, Zoe!” Nick called, his voice cutting clean through the low hum of parking lot chatter and distant music spilling from the pub.

She paused, head turning toward the truck.

For a beat, she didn’t move, just stood there, sizing us up in the shadows.

Then recognition clicked in, and she smiled, changing course to head our way.

Cade sat up a little straighter, both arms now resting on the back of my seat.

Rook exhaled another lazy plume of smoke, tracking Lindsey’s retreat into the pub, then sliding his attention to Zoe as she approached.

She leaned slightly into the open window on the passenger side, bracing herself on the frame. “Jesus,” she swore with a scrunched nose, “it stinks like straight skunk in here.”

Rook grinned, lifting the blunt toward her in offering. “You want a hit?”

Zoe gestured to the apron tied around her waist. “I’m working.”

“Even more reason to take one,” Cade prompted.

She waved the smoke away with a small laugh, then leaned in further, taking in each of us. “Why are you guys lurking out here like you’re about to jump someone?”

“We’re sightseeing. Nice necklace, by the way.” Nick gestured.

Zoe glanced down, fingers brushing against the dainty birthstone resting against her chest. “Thanks? Where’s the blonde? Bailey or…?”

“Brooke,” I corrected with a chuckle. “And it’s guys’ night.”

“On a Tuesday? How’s that going for you?”

“It’ll go a lot better if you do me a favor.”

Zoe narrowed her eyes. “What kind of favor?”

“Get Kyle Anderson outside,” I said, watching her reaction closely.

“The chess club kid?” she questioned, her expression caught between confusion and amusement.

“We all call him that?” Rook chuckled.

Zoe looked at each of us again, something sharp behind her curiosity now. I could practically see her weighing up who we were, what this might mean, and how much she cared. She sighed, turning toward the pub. “Alright, I can do that, but you guys owe me.”

Nick grinned. “We got you.”

She rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitched. “Just don’t do anything stupid. At least not in the parking lot,” she added, already walking away.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Cade called after her. I could hear the laughter in his voice.

We waited, minutes dragging by like hours. Cade went back to flipping through music. Rook was silent as usual, tracking every person who walked past the pub’s entrance.

Nick, of course, kept tossing out random commentary, observations about people’s outfits, or wild speculations about who might be secretly dating whom. When the pub door burst open with a loud slam that echoed across the lot, it summoned all of our attention.

Whatever Zoe had gone inside to do, it worked.

Kyle Anderson was practically thrown out, arms flailing and stumbling like a newborn deer. Behind him, a towering bouncer filled the doorway. An actual bouncer. I didn’t know places like this had those.

Laughter rippled through the truck.

The door opened again, and out came Deandre, followed by none other than Lindsey.

Nick rubbed his palms on his knees and sat forward. “Did I catch a contact, or is she leaving with Chess Club?”

Lindsey moved as quickly as she could in her heels and looped an arm through Kyle’s, damn near taking herself down trying to keep him on his feet.

“Maybe I should join a club,” Nick pondered.

“Worried hockey’s not enough to impress a certain redhead?” Cade joked.

That one had to hit close to home. I laughed under my breath. We all knew who he meant.

“It’s not about her. I’m keeping my options open.”

“That’s smart, because if you’re seriously interested in our redheaded man-eater, her mom is going to sharpen the knife her dad castrates you with.”

He adjusted his hoodie with a cocky smile. “I’m not worried. Parents love Nick Blackwell. How could they not?”

Rook leaned back with an amused smile. “Yeah, you’re the picture of virtue and charm.”

We watched Kyle fumble with his keys, dropping them once, then again, before muttering something and tossing them to DeAndre in frustration.

His friend caught them midair and headed to the driver’s side of the Genesis.

Kyle and Lindsey piled into the back seat, laughing at something said between them.

Not once did they look in our direction.

This was going to be too damn easy.

I started the truck, keeping my eyes trained on the sedan. DeAndre pulled out of the parking lot, and I waited a solid minute before exiting behind him, switching my lights from auto to low.

They had no idea what was coming.