Page 34 of Perfect Chemistry

“Thanks. I appreciate you all coming tonight. I hope that you will come back here when we open.”

Bradley stood and pulled him into a hug, “Congrats. When is the big day? When do you open?”

Alex blushed a bit. “Two years.”

“Two years? Why so long, if you don’t mind my asking.”

“I need time to finish the green houses, and converting the not so sanitary barn into a fine dining fixture is going to take some time. I applied to have the barn put on the historical registry and it was approved. So, now I have extra funds to ensure the building is preserved for the foreseeable future,” he explained.

“That’s a lot of work. When did you start all of this?” I asked.

Alex laughed, “Actually, after senior year. I went to culinary school out west, but I missed the east coast fare. I am a homebody. I love cooking, but I want to be home. You know what I mean?”

We nodded. We understood. It was why I chose to attend a local university instead of traveling further from home. This was where our roots were deepest.

“Then I ran into Katie and she suggested I just open my own place.”

My heart stopped in my throat. Bradley didn’t even think before continuing the questions.

“No shit? When did she get back in town? I haven’t seen her since graduation.”

Alex laughed, and looked over at me. “I ran into her when I was out in California. Katie hasn’t been back here since she left. She’s doing great though. I heard she deployed in August, but should be back stateside sometime in May or June.”

This time Amy joined in my torture. “She’s in the military? Which service?”

“Marines.” Bradley, Alex and I answered at the same time.

“That is so cool. What does she do?” Amy asked.

Alex looked unsure now. “Honestly, I’m not really sure. I know that she got promoted to Sergeant last month, but they had her training to work with females overseas. That’s all I know. Her sister didn’t really give me a lot of details when I spoke to her.”

“When did you talk to her?” Bradley seemed curious now.

“Oh, we talked back in the spring. I called to ask how Katie was doing and her sister kind of gave me a run down. Well, I need to get around to a few more people. It was great seeing you all again. Thank you for coming tonight,” Alex shook our hands and walked off.

I knew I had no right to feel anything for Katie. I really didn’t any more. She was my high school sweetheart, and I was the idiot who let her get away.

Bradley looked at me as if to judge whether I was going to spiral out of control again. I smiled and reassured him, “I’m good. Just took me by surprise.”

I left shortly after that. Although I did not agree to meet with Amy’s blind date, I did have plans with my other wingman, Lacy. Lacy and I were in the same science classes together. She was totally hot, and we had the same tastes in women. The benefit was that she had a better radar for keeping crazies away than Amy did.

Tonight, we were going to a new bar that had opened in Southend. I had no hope of finding anyone but Lacy seemed convinced that between her and her new girlfriend Val, they would find someone for me.

By the time I got to the bar, it was packed. I had no idea where Lacy or Val were, and they weren’t answering their phones. I waded through the crowd of people and ordered a coke from the bar. I had a designated driver bracelet on, so it let me have free nonalcoholic drinks at any bar in the state.

If I got caught drinking while wearing it, the state would pull my license. I didn’t think it was a bad program, to be honest. The law passed last year, and had already made a significant impact on the number of incidents involving alcohol. Suddenly, our state had one of the lowest indices for drunk driving in the country.

I was taking a sip of my drink when two arms wrapped around me. I turned expecting to see Lacy, but instead looked into a pair of brown eyes framed with long blonde hair.

The stranger smiled up at me and kissed me on the cheek. “I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend, so the creepy guy at the end of the bar will stop following me,” she whispered in my ear.

I nodded and pulled her into my arms. “What’s your name, fake girlfriend?” I asked, pretending to nuzzle her ear.

She laughed, “Jenny. You?”

“Kai.”

“Do you want to dance?” Jenny asked.

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