Kyle huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “Do you realize how pathetic you sound right now? That something like this is a major enough source of entertainment for you that you actually took the afternoon off from work to watch it all go down?”
“Yeah, I do,” Nolan openly admitted, his grin never wavering. “Welcome back to small-town life, my friend. Trust me, this is going to be big news after today.”
The last thing Kyle wanted was to be the center of attention. But his reasons for winning the building outweighed the speculation that was bound to circulate once he purchased the property, and gossip was a small price to pay for his mother’s happiness. “Yeah, well, maybe you ought to find yourself a girlfriend and settle down so you have something more pleasurable to occupy your free time.”
“I’m working on it.” Nolan shrugged.
“Yeah?” Kyle raised a brow as he slowed for a stop sign, genuinely surprised that his friend had his eye on someone specific. “You mean you haven’t already gone through all the single ladies in town? I didn’t think there were that many left to choose from that you haven’t already dated.”
“Like Ella, who’s been single and available the past year since breaking off her engagement to Tucker Barnes?” his friend quipped, his tone sly.
Kyle jerked his gaze to Nolan, hating the way his entire body tensed at the thought of his best friend dating someone who’d been so completely and utterly his, which was ridiculous, since it had been nearly ten years since their bitter breakup. It’s not as though he had any claim to her now.
“Is that who you’re interested in?” he asked, his voice gruffer than he’d intended. “Ella?”
“Jesus. No.” Nolan shook his head. “I wouldn’t do that to you, though I do find it fascinating that you nearly bit my head off right now just because you thought I might be interested in her.” He smirked. “Still carrying a torch for your high school sweetheart?”
Nolan was clearly ribbing him, and Kyle refused to react in a way that would give his friend any more reason to provoke him. “Not even close. Trust me, that flame was snuffed out a long time ago and we’ve both moved on.”
Kyle had no illusions that, a decade later, they were different people who led completely opposite lives, and he was certain they had nothing left in common with the starry-eyed teenagers they’d once been. Kyle had royally fucked up whatever they’d once shared, and there was no erasing the pain and anger that had driven them apart.
But he’d be lying if he said he didn’t regret the abrupt way things had ended between them. Even now, he wished he hadn’t left Woodmont, and Ella, without at least apologizing for the hurtful things he’d said. But as the years rolled by, and more time lapsed without seeing her, it had become harder to make that first move and easier to just avoid her when he was visiting his mother.
“So, who’s the lucky girl you’ve set your sights on?” Kyle asked, shifting the conversation back to Nolan.
“Claire Myers.”
Kyle groaned out loud. “Ella’s best friend?” His tone was incredulous. “Are you serious? You were a bona fide jerk to her in high school and didn’t miss an opportunity to tease and torment her because she was taller than most of the guys in our class. Remember when she wore that green dress to school and you called her the Jolly Green Giant? Not cool, man.”
Nolan winced at the reminder. “God, I was such an immature asshole back then.”
“Yeah, you were,” Kyle agreed with a wholehearted chuckle.
While Kyle had been on the varsity wrestling team, which had earned him a scholarship to University of Chicago, Nolan had been the quintessential cocky quarterback who was a total partier and a player—on the field and off. In contrast, Kyle had been more focused on maintaining his grades for college and had been interested in only one girl—Ella. Back then, Nolan had the pick of any girl he’d wanted, and usually had some cute, petite, perky cheerleader at his beck and call. Claire, on the other hand, had been awkward, skinny, and gangly, and was always stumbling over her own two feet because her legs were so long, which made her a target for ridicule.
“I think you were intimidated by Claire’s height since she was a few inches taller than you. You did have a bit of a Napoleon complex before your growth spurt your senior year,” Kyle said, just to bust his friend’s chops, which earned him the flip of a middle finger. “After all this time, what put Claire on your radar for someone you’d want to date?”
“A week ago she came into the office to ask me about some tax advice regarding her grandmother’s estate, who recently passed,” Nolan told him. “She had on this green miniskirt I swear she’d worn to fucking mock me for what I’d said back in high school. I couldn’t stop staring at her gorgeous long legs and toned thighs that were distracting as hell and had me entertaining some pretty inappropriate thoughts during our meeting.”
The corner of Kyle’s mouth quirked with humor. “Karma is a bitch, isn’t it?”
“No shit.” Nolan rubbed at the back of his neck with his hand. “When Claire stood up to leave, she asked me if I still thought she looked like the Jolly Green Giant or if she’d finally grown into her long legs. She was challenging me, and I have to admit, it was such a goddamn turn-on that I told her I’d have to reserve judgment until after our first date and I had a chance to see if she could walk in heels without tripping over her feet.”
“And she actually fell for that line?” Kyle asked in disbelief.
Nolan shrugged, though there was no denying his overly confident expression. “We’re having dinner Friday night, so I’d say the answer to that is an unequivocal yes.”
Fisher’s Grocery—owned by Ella’s father, who’d passed the store’s responsibilities to his daughter after his stroke—finally came into view. Kyle pulled his truck into the small parking lot. The auction didn’t start for another ten minutes, but there was a group of about a dozen townsfolk already gathered in front of the old building next to the family market. The rumble of his engine drew everyone’s attention as he parked, then killed the engine. When he got out of the vehicle with Nolan and people started recognizing him as he approached, he heard the low chatter of gossip already starting.
“Yeah, I do,” Nolan openly admitted, his grin never wavering. “Welcome back to small-town life, my friend. Trust me, this is going to be big news after today.”
The last thing Kyle wanted was to be the center of attention. But his reasons for winning the building outweighed the speculation that was bound to circulate once he purchased the property, and gossip was a small price to pay for his mother’s happiness. “Yeah, well, maybe you ought to find yourself a girlfriend and settle down so you have something more pleasurable to occupy your free time.”
“I’m working on it.” Nolan shrugged.
“Yeah?” Kyle raised a brow as he slowed for a stop sign, genuinely surprised that his friend had his eye on someone specific. “You mean you haven’t already gone through all the single ladies in town? I didn’t think there were that many left to choose from that you haven’t already dated.”
“Like Ella, who’s been single and available the past year since breaking off her engagement to Tucker Barnes?” his friend quipped, his tone sly.
Kyle jerked his gaze to Nolan, hating the way his entire body tensed at the thought of his best friend dating someone who’d been so completely and utterly his, which was ridiculous, since it had been nearly ten years since their bitter breakup. It’s not as though he had any claim to her now.
“Is that who you’re interested in?” he asked, his voice gruffer than he’d intended. “Ella?”
“Jesus. No.” Nolan shook his head. “I wouldn’t do that to you, though I do find it fascinating that you nearly bit my head off right now just because you thought I might be interested in her.” He smirked. “Still carrying a torch for your high school sweetheart?”
Nolan was clearly ribbing him, and Kyle refused to react in a way that would give his friend any more reason to provoke him. “Not even close. Trust me, that flame was snuffed out a long time ago and we’ve both moved on.”
Kyle had no illusions that, a decade later, they were different people who led completely opposite lives, and he was certain they had nothing left in common with the starry-eyed teenagers they’d once been. Kyle had royally fucked up whatever they’d once shared, and there was no erasing the pain and anger that had driven them apart.
But he’d be lying if he said he didn’t regret the abrupt way things had ended between them. Even now, he wished he hadn’t left Woodmont, and Ella, without at least apologizing for the hurtful things he’d said. But as the years rolled by, and more time lapsed without seeing her, it had become harder to make that first move and easier to just avoid her when he was visiting his mother.
“So, who’s the lucky girl you’ve set your sights on?” Kyle asked, shifting the conversation back to Nolan.
“Claire Myers.”
Kyle groaned out loud. “Ella’s best friend?” His tone was incredulous. “Are you serious? You were a bona fide jerk to her in high school and didn’t miss an opportunity to tease and torment her because she was taller than most of the guys in our class. Remember when she wore that green dress to school and you called her the Jolly Green Giant? Not cool, man.”
Nolan winced at the reminder. “God, I was such an immature asshole back then.”
“Yeah, you were,” Kyle agreed with a wholehearted chuckle.
While Kyle had been on the varsity wrestling team, which had earned him a scholarship to University of Chicago, Nolan had been the quintessential cocky quarterback who was a total partier and a player—on the field and off. In contrast, Kyle had been more focused on maintaining his grades for college and had been interested in only one girl—Ella. Back then, Nolan had the pick of any girl he’d wanted, and usually had some cute, petite, perky cheerleader at his beck and call. Claire, on the other hand, had been awkward, skinny, and gangly, and was always stumbling over her own two feet because her legs were so long, which made her a target for ridicule.
“I think you were intimidated by Claire’s height since she was a few inches taller than you. You did have a bit of a Napoleon complex before your growth spurt your senior year,” Kyle said, just to bust his friend’s chops, which earned him the flip of a middle finger. “After all this time, what put Claire on your radar for someone you’d want to date?”
“A week ago she came into the office to ask me about some tax advice regarding her grandmother’s estate, who recently passed,” Nolan told him. “She had on this green miniskirt I swear she’d worn to fucking mock me for what I’d said back in high school. I couldn’t stop staring at her gorgeous long legs and toned thighs that were distracting as hell and had me entertaining some pretty inappropriate thoughts during our meeting.”
The corner of Kyle’s mouth quirked with humor. “Karma is a bitch, isn’t it?”
“No shit.” Nolan rubbed at the back of his neck with his hand. “When Claire stood up to leave, she asked me if I still thought she looked like the Jolly Green Giant or if she’d finally grown into her long legs. She was challenging me, and I have to admit, it was such a goddamn turn-on that I told her I’d have to reserve judgment until after our first date and I had a chance to see if she could walk in heels without tripping over her feet.”
“And she actually fell for that line?” Kyle asked in disbelief.
Nolan shrugged, though there was no denying his overly confident expression. “We’re having dinner Friday night, so I’d say the answer to that is an unequivocal yes.”
Fisher’s Grocery—owned by Ella’s father, who’d passed the store’s responsibilities to his daughter after his stroke—finally came into view. Kyle pulled his truck into the small parking lot. The auction didn’t start for another ten minutes, but there was a group of about a dozen townsfolk already gathered in front of the old building next to the family market. The rumble of his engine drew everyone’s attention as he parked, then killed the engine. When he got out of the vehicle with Nolan and people started recognizing him as he approached, he heard the low chatter of gossip already starting.
