Page 21 of When You Left Me Speechless

“Oh, I remember, but since then, he either avoids eye contact completely or treats me like I’m just another coworker he has to work with. He has been very nice, in the most professional way, but other than that, nothing.”

“And do you still think he is hot?”

The honest answer is yes. He’s tall, dark, and handsome. His body is fit, and his hair is always a little messy from him running his hands through it. He looks like one of the characters in those romance books Lacey is always trying to convince me to read, especially when he forgoes his contacts and wears his glasses. He definitely has that hot, smart guy vibe. It sounds cliche, but it’s true.

“No,” I say, taking a big gulp of my wine. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s not bad-looking, but he is essentially my co-worker, and I can’t find my co-workers attractive. I need to focus on getting through school.”

She shakes her head. “Oh, right, your rule.” She rolls hereyes. “You’re such a rule-follower. You need to live a little. You should tell him you remember him.”

I think about this for a minute. “Look, I know it’s silly pretending like I don’t know exactly who he is, but I’m scared.” I take another sip of wine. “Scared to know the truth, for fear it will be mortifying and will make working at Pecan Grove unbearable. Not to mention Beth can’t know, and everywhere I go, she goes.”

“You should just go for it. Tell him you know who he is. Call him out on his bullshit for ignoring you.”

“I don’t know. I need to graduate. I can’t let anyone get in the way of that. Not again.”

“Oh Lord, do not tell me this is about Beau. Babe, that was almost eight years ago.”

“You are one to talk. Give me shit about my rule all you want, but don’t think I haven’t noticed no one compares to Jace.”

Lacey is quiet for a minute, and she seems to drift off to somewhere in the past. “Do you ever wonder what he’s doing?”

“Sometimes,” I answer honestly. I can see the tears form in the corners of her eyes, so I quickly try to save the conversation. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought him up. What he did was unforgivable. You’re better off without him.”

“It’s alright. I brought up Beau first.” She offers me a sad smile and takes another sip of her wine. “You’re better without Beau in your life too.” I don’t push her further, and she doesn’t question me anymore about Logan.

CHAPTER 11: THE PURPLE PICKLE EATERS

LOGAN

The pickleball courts at the local park are packed. Every court is full, and dozens of spectators line the wire fencing watching the ongoing games.

Tanner and I’s pickleball teamhas a match tonight against our league rivals and good friends:The Purple Pickle Eaters.

When I arrive at the court, Tanner is already here, and our opponents, Donovan and Enzo, are warming up on the opposite side of the court. I walk over and greet them. Donovan shakes my hand over the net and pulls me into a hug.

“Ready to lose again?” Enzo jokes. He slaps me on the back.

I let out a laugh. “Like hell, loser buys the beer. First place is on the line and is as good as ours.”

“That’s what you said last year, and I seem to remember the season ending a little differently,” Donovan says.

“Ha! I can taste the free beer already,” I yell, jogging over to meet Tanner, who is bouncing the neon ball on his paddle.

“Fifty, fifty-one, fifty—” I grab the ball midair, and he scowls at me. “Hey, I was on a roll.”

“Loser is buying the beer, so we can’t let them win again.”

“Don’t plan on it. We haven’t lost amatch yet,” he says, tilting his water bottle up and squirting a stream of water into his mouth. We take our places on the court.

The match is close, and for every point we score, they score. The neon green ball bounces back and forth over the net as we take our best shots. We are tied 9-9. Tanner throws the ball into the air and serves it over the net. Enzo immediately returns it. I swing and hit it back towards Donovan. He jumps to return it, but he misses.

“That’s 10-9-1,” I shout.

“Babe,” Enzo yells at his fiancé. “You gotta be there. That was coming right toward you.”

Donovan walks off the court, grabs his water bottle, and wipes his forehead with the bottom of his shirt. He jogs back and takes his position.

“Would hate to be the reason your engagement ends,” Tanner yells over the net. “We were really looking forward to the wedding.”

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