Page 20 of Forever To Me

“Hey, glad you could make it!” Poppy says.

“Thanks, me too,” I say as Cash brings over a tray of lemon drops and slides them onto the table.

“For the ladies,” he says as he smiles at Maggie who gives him a thumbs up.

We all toast to girls’ night and take our shots. I decline because I’m not a big lemon drop fan, more of an every now and then whiskey girl, but it feels good to be a part of girls’ night with all of them. Maggie was right. I needed to get out and meet some new people.

I glance over at the bar a few times to try to see if he’s here, and he’s not. Maggie notices and leans over and says, “He’s probably in the back.”

I look at her and say innocently as I sip my water. “Who?”

She smirks at me. “You know who.”

“Anyone seen Walker?” Cami asks from across the table as she glances around.

“Who?” I ask again, as I sip my drink and look around at the table, hoping I’m playing it cool. But who am I kidding, I’m not even close to being cool when it comes to him.

“Walker?” Cami says. “Have you met him? Mack’s dad.”

Maggie tilts her head and gives Cami a look, and Cami closes her mouth as if she suddenly remembers something and says, “Never mind.”

So, he’s a dad. Holy shit. To a kid who Maggie talked about being in high school. He said he wasn’t married, but he didn’t mention having a kid. Interesting. I look at Maggie, and she stares straight ahead as if she doesn’t want to make eye contact with me. She and Walker must be very close friends if she’s keeping him private like this. Even with me.

Cami turns as the door opens, and her eyes narrow when she sees a man walk in. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she seethes.

Two younger guys come in, and one of them comes up and puts his arm around Cami and gives her a hug. “Hey, sis.”

That one must be Ollie.

Ollie looks like the kind of man who belongs on the cover of a firefighter charity calendar. He has the effortless rugged look of a man who spends his days hauling heavy hoses, scaling ladders, and running straight into danger without hesitation. His dark hair, thick and just a little unruly, looks like it’s been messed up with his fingers. The ends curl slightly at his neck, giving him an almost boyish charm. He seems like a big flirt.

So far, the men of Bridger Falls are in a spectacular league of their own.But there’s only one I still have my eye on.

“Hi, Ollie,” she grumps. “Why’d you have to bringhimhere?”

“Don’t be rude, is that any way to treat your neighbor?” Ollie scoffs as he takes a sip of Poppy’s soda. Poppy makes room on her seat, and he leans in, sitting with her.

“He’s not my neighbor, he’s Satan reincarnated,” she says with disdain as she looks at the man standing next to her brother grinning. He must be the one they were talking about who came back to run his family’s ranch.

“Cami, you are looking beautiful as ever,” Jack, the man she apparently despises, says as he smiles at Cami, goading her.

Cami glares back at him, taking a sip of her cocktail, “Die, Jessop.”

I snort at their banter.

“Where’s your boyfriend tonight, Cami?” Jack asks as he gives her a sarcastic smile.

“In my trunk. Want to join him?” she clips.

Jack snorts and shakes his head laughing. “Jesus, Cami.”

Jack and Ollie pull up chairs and join us even though Cami shoots daggers at him across the table.

Music plays on the jukebox, and drinks are being poured, and I’m having a great time with all of them. I’m glad I came out for girls’ night which seems to have turned into a fun night for a lot of the locals.

Poppy and I play a game of darts, which I’m terrible at. She kicks my butt twice and then plays with Ollie while I make my way back to the table.

The conversation turns to astrology, and Maggie reads everyone their horoscope for the evening from her phone, and we laugh about the results when they line up just right for each of us.

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