Page 2 of Fastlander Fighter

“Is the mud pie good?”

“It’s even better than our banana pudding, and that stuff wins awards.”

“Can I have two?” she whispered, her hand still in her purse feeling around for the dang sunglasses.

“I’ve got you,” the cashier said low. She told Sloane the total, and she fumbled shoving her credit card in the machine.

“Here you go,” a gruff, growly voice said from behind the cashier, and there he was. The man who had revisited her memories every time she thought about her high-school years.

Captain Walker, all-American shifter football team, honor roll, knew everyone, friend to a million, Mr. Popular, oozing confidence always, and the very first boy who ever took her out on a date.

He set two containers of mud pie on the counter beside the cashier and nodded his head cooly to Sloane, then turned and went back to work.

Captain Walker, who absolutely hadn’t recognized her.

Strike. Freaking. Four.

Sloane straightened her spine and watched him disappear around the corner again. It was the cashier that interrupted her thoughts. “You don’t have to feel bad at whatever happened.”

“Huh?” Sloane asked.

The cashier—Hallie, her name tag read—gave her a pitying smile. “He’s a mess with women. Whatever it was, it was his fault, not yours.”

She didn’t know why that meant so much to her. Perhaps it was because of what she’d been going through with her ex, or maybe it was the move and all of the overwhelming memories that came along with moving back to a small town after so many years away. Or maybe it was just not feeling validated in her feelings for so long, but Hallie saying something…anything…wasn’t her fault felt so damn important.

She tried to smile, but her lip trembled. “Thank you,” she forced out.

Hallie canted her head, and her eyes were so full of understanding. “Don’t let his presence chase you off. You should eat here. Absorb all the good mojo of this place. If you sit outside, you won’t even see his dumb ass again.”

Sloane nodded. “I’ll sit outside then. Thanks.”

“Attagirl,” Hallie said as the other workers were filling a red tray with her order. Hallie reached under the counter, pulled up a beer, and popped the top with a red, metal beer bottle opener with a bear paw cutout in it. “This one is on me, as an apology for whatever dumb shit that man did to you.”

“You know him well?” she asked.

“I’m his Crewmate,” Hallie said.

And when she admitted that, Sloane put it together. The too-bright eyes and the ease with which she gave her back to that massive grizzly shifter behind her. Hallie was a shifter too.

Sloane smiled and lifted the frosty beer bottle up in a cheers. “I haven’t had one of these in a while. Thank you for it.”

“Sure thing,” Hallie said with a wink. “And don’t worry. You’ll move on to someone better than Captain. He sets the bar real low.”

Sloane huffed a laugh and nodded. Hallie was easy to chat with, and if they were better friends, she would explain she had actually somehow downgraded after she’d moved away from here. An easy smiler like Hallie would probably be able to see the humor in her journey.

She didn’t know her though, and they weren’t friends, so she thanked her again and told her to, “Have a nice day.” Sloane made her way straight outside and around the corner to an empty picnic table to eat out of view of the man she’d had such a huge crush on once upon a time. And now he didn’t even recognize her? It stung, and was a little embarrassing, but you know? She wasn’t the girl she used to be.

Hell, some days, she didn’t even recognize herself.

It made sense that he didn’t either.

Perhaps the edge of Damon’s Mountains would be where she would find herself again.

Chapter Two

“You’re a dick,” Hallie gritted out behind him.

Captain stopped chopping brisket and slowly turned to see who Hallie was talking to. If it was Shane, he was going to pop at him. Shane had been slacking all day.

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