Page 93 of An Adventure For Aster

“How long has he been in town?” she asked, frowning.

“I didn’t ask. I don’t think it was that long.”

Raine realized she hadn’t talked to many of her friends since she started to date Aster. Most of her time was spent with him or with Ivy and getting ready for the wedding in a month.

All her other time was work related. She’d never had much of a social life and now that she had one she was running more than normal.

But she enjoyed it. Just like she enjoyed all the fun she had on her vacation and at the same time found it relaxing.

“Did you tell him I was dating someone?” she asked. “Or not saying anything at all?”

“Oh, I told him you had a big strapping boyfriend that would snap him in half if he went anywhere near you.”

The smirk on her mother’s face had her bursting out laughing. “Did you really say that?”

“No. But I did say you were involved with someone. I wanted to say he better hide because Brooks and River were still in the area and if your brothers saw him he couldn’t run fast enough. Your father would be right in line chasing the prick.”

She giggled over her mother calling her ex a prick. “That’s a good thought to have. Thanks for telling me though. I’m sure nothing is going to come out of it. You told him I was dating someone and it’s not like he wanted what I did. All is good.”

But it wasn’t hours later when she was home putting her laundry away and there was a knock at her door.

Aster was working and would be late so she didn’t think it was him. It was probably some neighbor.

She opened the door and saw Colton standing there.

He hadn’t changed much in the years since she’d seen him. No, that was wrong. He was more fancy-looking in her eyes.

His hair was slicked back and to one side. His shirt and jeans were stylish with dressy sneakers on his feet. She’d say he was preppy like one of those wealthy families that kept boats at the marina her father worked at.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“It’s good to see you too,” Colton said. “Can I come in?”

“No,” she said. “I’m not sure how you found out where I live, let alone why you had to talk to my mother yesterday.”

“She told you that?” Colton asked.

“She did.”

“I was here earlier in the week and got no answer. I knew it was spring break and by the looks of your tan and hair you must have gone away. Darcy never said you were dating anyone.”

Darcy was a joint friend they’d had in school and she knew where Raine lived. She hadn’t spoken to Darcy in months and when they did talk it was more about gossip and she wanted no part of it.

The last thing she’d think Darcy would do was betray her and give her ex her current address.

“We don’t talk much anymore and even if we did, she had no right to tell you anything about me.”

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. You look really good,” Colton said.

“Thank you. I can’t say the same about you. You look different. Not in a good way. Like you’re trying to be someone you’re not.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “That’s the problem, Raine. You never wanted to change or see what didn’t fit into your ideal imagination.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that I always had big plans and they weren’t going to be in this small town with little to no opportunities. But as you can see, I found something not even an hour away. You didn’t give it a chance to explore the world and what more was out there.”

“It’s not that I didn’t give it a chance,” she said. “I wasn’t given a chance to eventhinkabout it before you said you got a job. You never discussed it with me. I think you did that because you hoped once it was a done deal I’d just follow you.”

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