Page 30 of Something Like Sunflowers

Of course, they’ve all moved on.

It’s just…why Lemon? I whine internally, thanking God that at least in my own thoughts, I’m allowed to be mopey about it without anyone knowing. I’ll have to apologize to them both if I want to be the better person I claim I’m trying to be, though.

Just as I’m thinking about closing my tab and finding Lemon and Shana again, someone taps my shoulder. I’m feeling pretty good from just the one drink…was it one?

And someone smells pretty good too, as I turn around to face him.

Hi,” I beam. Hmm, I think I’m beaming, I might be tipsy. But he’s beaming.

A man, five years or so older than me, I don’t know…maybe more—tipsy age is questionable—anyway, he’s right here in front of me.

“Hey, there, lood-gooking,” I say. And then I face-palm. “Ohmygosh, I mean good-looking.”

His eyes crinkle at the edges when he laughs at my joke. I bite my lip, embarrassed by my slip-up, but also taken aback by how handsome this man is. He smells nice too, like fresh linen and mint. He holds his hand out to shake. There’s something familiar about him.

“You’re lood-gooking, too, Devyn Campbell.”

I offer him my hand, but instead of shaking it, my body heats all over when he presses my skin to his hot lips. Things are a bit wobbly as several thoughts rush into my head in one single stream.

Have I had too much to drink?

Wait, how did he know my name?

Maybe I should leave and find—

“There you are!” I hear from beside me. And like some sort of magic, Lemon Perkins is perched on the stool beside me, smiling at Mr. Someone, but I don’t think it’s sincere.

“Isssnot sincere, is it Lemon?”

“Excuse me,” she says to the stranger who might know me, “I have some personal business to discuss with my associate here. Will you please leave us?” She bats her long eyelashes at him.

She’s so pretty. And I feel really bad about earlier, so I just have to tell her.

“You’re really pretty. I didn’t drink lemonade when we were kids because I hated you so much, but I actually love lemons. They’re yellow and bright, like your haaaaair! Ooh! Is that why they named you Lemon?”

“Oh, my God, Jeremy!” she shouts, climbing over the bar like she owns the place. Maybe she does? “How much did you give her to drink? Jesus, she’s drunk as a skunk!”

“I am not! I had one whiskey.”

“Three,” Jeremy interjects. Lemon and I shoot him a glare, probably for different reasons, but he just shrugs and sips his water through the straw.

Lemon huffs and throws her hands in the air. “Well, there ya go!”

“I jusss don’ drink much.” I shrug, searching the room for the handsome man in plaid who Lemon just scared off. He did look familiar, but doesn’t everyone here?

“She’s a lightweight. It makes sense now,” Jeremy says, giving Lemon another reason to swat his shoulder.

“Ow! It’s not my fault. She asked for something strong.”

Lemon sighs and turns to me, rubbing her temples. “This was probably my fault. She never did get to order any food before I ran her off.”

“What did you want to say to me?” Now that I’ve had a moment, I’m feeling a lot more lucid. I take the water she shoves my way and sip it. “Can I have some French fries, Jer?”

“Cheese?” he asks me with a sympathetic smile, and I nod. He’s a good man. There are good people here I forgot about. And that makes me sad again.

“Look,” Lemon says, twirling a straw in her own water glass from across the bar. I remind myself to ask her if she does, in fact, work here later. “I’m sorry we bombarded you. Shana was afraid you’d hate that we’ve become close, but I told her we were just kids back then. It was a stupid pageant rivalry. I don’t even do pageants anymore. I mean, I know you did for a while there and all. Congrats on the whole Miss American Rodeo thing, by the way. And Devyn?” she says, biting the edge of her lip and looking away. “I’m sorry I shared your secret with everyone way back when. It was wrong of me to use that against you for the pageant. Blaming it on being a bratty teenager feels like a cop-out, but I hope you’ll give me a chance to show you I’m not that girl anymore.”

I look up at her from under my bangs and see she’s genuinely smiling.

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