Page 142 of Your Place or Mine

She headed to the kitchen and popped the bottle open with the opener she had bought me as a housewarming gift—one shaped like a flamingo wearing sunglasses, naturally.

As she poured, I leaned against the counter and watched her carefully.

“So,” I said casually, “you still haven’t told me why you’rereallystill in town.”

She shrugged, the corner of her mouth twitching. “Maybe I just like it here.”

“You hate small towns.”

“Not all of them. This one’s got potential. Cute shops. Charming locals. Tall, rugged bartenders with biceps that defy science…”

I groaned. “Oh no. You’re staying for Drew.”

She waggled her eyebrows. “I plead the fifth.”

I laughed, cheeks warming. “You’re incorrigible.”

“And you’re in denial.”

“About what?”

She handed me a glass of wine. “About how gone you are foryourtall, rugged bartender.”

I rolled my eyes but didn’t deny it.

Not this time.

I heard the engine before I saw it.

A deep, throaty rumble, obnoxious in a way that said,look at me, echoed off the brick buildings of Main Street like we were suddenly in the middle of a high school parking lot instead of a quiet mountain town.

Melanie looked up from her wine glass and squinted toward the window. “Is someone drag racing outside your building?”

I frowned and crossed the room, curiosity already turning sour in my gut. I pushed the curtain aside and looked down at the street.

Then I gasped.

“No.”

Melanie was right behind me in an instant. “What? Who is it?”

I pointed, mouth hanging open as I watched a familiar black Dodge Challenger roll to a stop directly in front of the building. “That’s Trevor.”

Melanie blinked. “Trevor Trevor? The startup bro with the emotional maturity of a baked potato?”

“Unfortunately,” I muttered.

And there he was, climbing out of the driver’s seat in head-to-toe black, aviators, smug grin, and the same leather jacket he’d been wearing when he broke up with me, like he was offering me a golden opportunity to be free.

Melanie crossed her arms. “Why is he here? And more importantly, why is he herelike that?”

“I have no idea.” My voice was tight. “But I think we’re about to find out.”

We went downstairs, Melanie muttering battle strategies under her breath like she was ready to go full Secret Service if things got weird.

Trevor spotted me immediately and smiled like we were long-lost lovers instead of a bad decision I barely survived.

“Hey, babe,” he said, stepping away from the car like he expected me to leap into his arms.

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