Page 27 of The Light We Lost

I scoffed, pushing his hand off me. “I think we’ve outgrown that, don’t you?”

“What’s another habit I can’t break, right?” He stepped back and swept his gaze over me, not even trying to hide it. “On second thought, maybe you have outgrown making out in bathrooms—what the hell are you wearing?”

I glanced down at my black dress, the simple and loose fit falling past my knees. Admittedly, I hadn’t gone out in a while, but last I knew there was nothing wrong with wearing this to a bar. “It’s a dress?”

He made a face, having the nerve to look personally offended by it. “You look like you’re going to a funeral.”

I rolled my eyes. If Nolan thought tonight was a chance for me to let my hair down, squeeze into a pair of old shorts, and dust off my boots, he was mistaken. “Whatever. Instead of staring at me, why don’t you tell me the plan for tonight?”

The corner of his mouth ticked up. “Just try not to piss anyone off, Indy.”

Before I could stop him, he slipped into the crowd, leaving me alone in the hall. Biting my lip, I eyed the front door. What was I doing here? Growing up, I never would’ve done this. I didn’t give two cents what anyone thought of me—or at least I tried not to.

But it was that thinking that had gotten me into this mess.

Across the room and through the crowd of bodies drinking and dancing, I spotted Nolan at the pool table, and my stomach dropped when I realized who surrounded it with him. Reminding myself why I was doing this, I followed after him. “Indy,” he crooned. “Come here, angel baby.”

I ground my teeth, both at him calling meangel baby—what the hell was that?—and the fact he was beckoning me forward with a finger. Resisting the urge to snap his finger in two, I crept to his side, not protesting when he slung anarm around my shoulder. Look at me, I was a changed and respectable woman. “Guys, I’m sure you remember Miss Indy Tyler.”

I lifted my hand in an awkward wave, wanting to crawl beneath a rock when no one waved back. I glanced around the group, but before I could put a name to anyone’s face, I was yanked out of Nolan’s hold and lifted off the ground. “Indy Tyler,” a husky voice said, and I’d recognize the burly arms wrapped around me no matter how many years had passed. “What the hell are you doing here, you beautiful devil?”

Despite my nerves, I laughed as he set me on my feet. “Hi, Charlie.” My childhood friend was as large as I remembered him—if anyone didn’t know how kind and harmless his heart was, they’d try to recruit him as a linebacker.

“Guess what?” His grin was cheeky beneath his beard.

“What?”

“I married the hottest girl in school.”

I laughed, and for a moment it felt like no time had passed. “Lisa, I know.”

“Hi, Indy.” Lisa, his high school sweetheart, sunk into his side. She wore a crop top and a leather skirt, her bronze skin gleaming beneath the bar lights. “Heard you were in town.”

I fidgeted with my hands, not entirely sure where we stood. We’d run in the same group in school, but one of the last times I’d seen Lisa, I’d told her best friend I’d make her eat her words if she ever compared Nolan to his mom again. It wasn’t one of my finest moments, but I hoped she would give me the fresh start I was seeking. “It’s good to see you. Congrats on your wedding. My mom showed me a few pictures—you looked beautiful.”

She smiled, her long dark curls spilling over her shoulders. “Thanks. It’s because it was in the Bahamas. Everyone looks good on the beach.” She jabbed Charlie in the side. “Thankfully I convinced him to put on a suit.”

“I still think we should’ve gotten married naked.”

I laughed quietly as she squirmed out of his hold and gave him a shove in the direction of the pool table. “So, what brings you to town?” she asked. “It’s been a while.”

I rubbed my fingers together at my side, my palms slick. “My parents are going to Texas soon to help out when my sister has her baby, so I’ll run the diner for them while they’re away.”

“Oh.” She pursed her lips, something in her tone I couldn’t place. “It’s not permanent? You and Nolan aren’t back together?”

I was ready to tell her no, just as a familiar voice said, “There’s no way. Why would Indy settle for second string when she’s got a full roster of top league men?”

Nolan laughed, seemingly unfazed when he clapped a hand down on his old high school teammate’s shoulder. Sam’s hair was dark and cropped short, his frame long and trim. It had been years since I’d seen him, but I felt the same about him as I always had.

Sam was a dick.

Before I could stop myself, instinct took over. “You’ve got your story mixed up, Sam. Nolan’s never been second string. I’m the one who’s had to settle for less now.”

The conversation around us slowed, or at least it seemed to as everyone glanced my way. They wore confused, almost distrusting looks, but it was hard to focus on them with the way Nolan watched me. His jaw was clenched, and I thought there might’ve been frustration in his eyes, like he couldn’t believe I had the gall to stand up for him.

Guess he wasn’t the only one with bad habits he couldn’t break.

A hand touched my arm, pulling my attention away from Nolan. “You’re a sports agent, right?” Lisa asked, and I gave her a faint smile, grateful she hadn’t run off.

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