Page 5 of Dump and Chase

He nodded and chuckled. “I do. So she’s decided to ghost me.”

“Don’t hold it against her.”

“I won’t.” His face softened and my heart melted a little. “And how are you doing? Matt mentioned that you finished school.”

They’d talked about me? “I did. I’m working part-time right now, and I’m hoping to get a full-time job as soon as I can. I’m trying to find something more permanent so I can move out of my parents’ house.”

“That sounds crowded. Have you tried applying with any of the sports teams in town?”

“Yeah, but they all want more experience. So I’m biding my time until I have that. How about you? How’s Vancouver?”

“Good. The same. Still the traffic you hate.”

I sipped my wine and as I glanced around, I was sure everyone was glued to us. What were they expecting? A brawl?

Ethan must have noticed too, because he said, “You want to go outside? It’s a beautiful day and we won’t be on full display there.”

“I love that idea.”

I followed him out one of the side hall doors, fully aware that Wolseley and Jill were watching my every move as they ate their cake and cookies. Add Ava to that as well. Whatever they were thinking, they could unthink it. My plan was to settle things with Ethan and move on from this. Maybe in the end, we really could be friends.

We found a shady spot outside where a few tables and chairs had been set up for another event. Neither of us said anything for a while until a memory popped into my head.

“Do you remember that camping trip to Bunker Hill? The one where my mom would only let me go if I brought Leah along.”

Ethan covered his face with his hands and laughed. “How could I forget?”

“That third night was pitch black and I couldn’t find my mini flashlight. I was sure I had the right tent, but imagine you’re dad’s surprise when I tried to crawl into his sleeping bag with him.”

“He watched us like a hawk those last few days. And when we got home, I got this long lecture about responsibility and that he and mom would pay for condoms, and that they were too young to be grandparents.”

I gasped. “You’ve never told me that before.”

He shook his head and groaned. “I was mortified.”

“Youwere mortified! I tried to cuddle with your dad!”

“He didn’t hold it against you.”

“And he didn’t tell my parents, so that was a real bonus.”

“Because he loved you. You were the only one willing to play chess with him. I don’t know how many times he tried to teach me how to play. I wasn’t interested and neither was Ava. But when you wanted to learn, it made his day.”

“You dad and I had a lot of fun together. Especially on all those road trips to watch you play on weekends. I’ll miss him.”

“Me too.”

I sipped my wine and contemplated what to say next. I had no idea when I’d see Ethan again, so there was no better time to get the past out of the way. “About what happened…”

He looked at me with sad brown eyes. I hadn’t noticed the dark circles under them till now.

“I was an asshole,” he said. “I’m sorry for the way things ended. I didn’t want it to end, but looking back, I understand where you were coming from. I should have been more considerate.”

“It’s been a long time. We should both move on from it. I hate that Ava walks around on eggshells when your name comes up. I just want it to be natural. And that if you’re in town, we can say hi and it won’t be awkward.”

He cracked a smile, almost like he was relieved. “I’d like that too. And I have an idea to get past this awkwardness. How about we go for burgers at the North Star? Let’s even spring for chocolate milkshakes.”

I got excited at the prospect before reality set in. “What now?”

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