Page 5 of Watch Me

“Oh, really?”

“Just down the block actually,” Ireplied.

“Then you’ll need to visit more often.”

I grinned, and my gaze moved to her left hand, which didn’t have a ring. “Already planning on it.”

I noticed the barback stopped putting glasses away for a split second as though he were listening to us. He clearly had a thing for her, and honestly, I did too. The years had treated Reagan nicely, and my body still reacted to her as though I was a hornyteenager.

Judy’s was still humming with people, but as soon as twelve o’clock hit, Reagan came out from the back and walked straight to me. “Want to go somewhere quieter?”

My face widened with a smile. “Are you flirting with me, Ms. Hunter?”

She chuckled. “What if I were?”

I slid off the stool. “Then I’d say we should get out of here.”

A glass shattered behind the bar, and I glanced up to see that the barback had caused the noise. The closing bartender walked over and said to him, “Clean this up, and then you’re good to go home.” The barback nodded, glanced at us, and then walked to theback.

“Ready?” Iasked.

Reagan turned to me. “Yeah. Where are we going?”

“Well, I do live right down the street,” I remindedher.

“Moving a little fast, don’t you think?” she teased. At least I presumed she was teasing. Even if we did have sex tonight, it wouldn’t be our first time together. Was that moving too fast? I wouldn’t turn her down, but I also wanted to go somewhere quiet and have her all to myself for a while so I could find out what had been going on in her life since we wereteenagers.

I moved a step closer to her and whispered into her ear, “Or we can go to your car and pretend it’s like old times.”

From the first time Ethanliterallyran into me in the halls at school, he’d always made my belly feel as though it was swarming with butterflies. No man, not even my ex-husband, had ever had that effect on me.

“How far away do you live?” I asked. While making out with Ethan in the back of my car made my belly dip, I didn’t think we needed to be confined to a tin box. We weren’t kidsanymore.

“Just another block.”

When we were younger, the man walking next to me would always grab my hand when we’d walk side by side. But now, as we walked down the street, we were at least three feet apart.

Those three feet felt like threemiles.

We hadn’t seen each other in many years, but I wanted him to touch me. I wanted to remember what it felt like to be in his arms because, when I had been there before, I’d felt safe. And even though I had no reason to feel unsafe, I wanted to remember what it felt like to know that no matter what, he’d protect me. Something about Ethan instantly put me at ease.

I hated how our relationship had ended because it was all myfault.

The phone rang in my ear as I held the receiver and waited for Ethan to answer. I didn’t want him to pick up the phone, didn’t want to hear his voice, but I had to break up with him because I’d cheated on him. I’d drunk one too many beers and kissed another guy. A guy who wasn’t my boyfriend. A guy who wasn’t my first love. A guy who wasn’tEthan.

“Hello?” Ethananswered.

I took a deep breath before I replied, “Hi.”

“Hey, Buttercup.”

A tear ran down my cheek when I heard the term of endearment leave his lips. He always called me Buttercup because my favorite flower was buttercups, specifically the Persian ones that resembled roses.

“We need to break up,” Iblurted.

“What?” hequestioned.

“It’s—It’s just not working out.”