Page 80 of The Gingerbread Bakery
He wanted to tell her that most of those postcards he’d sent had come from his first two months on the road. He’d spread them out to send them to her, but most of his traveling was done by March. He’d spent a lot of the year in a shitty motel not that far from Dream Harbor. Just waiting out the time, waiting to come back, bartending at bars that weren’t his father's. It had been a waste of time. It was probably why he still felt like he was lost. He’d been too embarrassed to come back sooner even though he probably should have.
It was why he hadn’t gone into the diner. Why he’d been too embarrassed to see her again, but he had to, even if it was just one more time. Even if it was just so she could tell him that she didn't want to pick up where they left off. He needed to hear it. He needed to know if the memories were real, if things between them really had been as magical as he remembered.
He blew out a long breath, watching it cloud the night air. It was now or never. He couldn't start a new year without knowing where he stood with Annie.
He walked into the house, heading to the back, following the sounds of the party. There were plenty of familiar faces, people that had stuck around in town, and some new ones. Honestly, he was surprised Annie was at this party. It didn’t seem like her kind of thing. The thought caused a little seed of doubt to plant itself in his gut. Maybe he didn't know her that well after all or maybe she had changed in the past year.
He made his way to the kitchen where the drinks were laid out. He helped himself to one of the ubiquitous red cups, scanning the party for the one person he was looking for.
His heart kicked him in the ribs. She was here.
Annie.
The girl he’d been dreaming about for a year was here looking as gorgeous as she did when he left. She was here and she was real and she was smiling, a rosy blush on her cheeks. Mac nearly swallowed his tongue at the sight of her tucked into the corner of the couch, her attention on something out of Mac’s line of sight. She looked… happy.
Mac hesitated. Maybe he should leave her alone, maybe he’d been right at the diner, and she was better off without him hanging around. But then her smile grew, her face lighting up, and the Christmas lights lit up her blonde hair just like they had that night…
He had to talk to her.
To apologize, at least.
He took a step in her direction and froze when he noticed the arm draped over her shoulder and the dude it was attached to staring at her like he’d won a prize. Who the hell was that guy and why was Annie looking at him like that?
She laughed at something the guy said, and Mac was unprepared for the immediate flash of rage coursing through his body. Why the hell was she laughing at that guy like that? Why was hetouchingher?
Mac had been wildly wrong about how this evening was going to go. He’d figured Annie would be mad at him or upset. He had never once considered the fact that she’d be here with someone else.
He needed to talk to her but before he could get two steps away from the kitchen counter it was Logan who he came face to face with.
‘What are you doing here?’ he asked gruffly as if Mac had offended him in some way.
‘I need to talk to Annie.’ Mac tried to move around Logan, but the guy moved to block him. He was bigger than Mac remembered. Apparently lifting hay bales was a great workout.
‘I don’t think you do,’ Logan said.
‘What the hell, man? Get out of my way. I need to talk to her.’
Logan stepped in front of him again, doubling down. ‘She’s clearly busy right now. You can talk to her tomorrow.’
Mac felt frantic at the suggestion. He couldn’t wait another day. He couldn’t start another year without her. ‘I need to talk to her now.’
Logan shook his head.
‘What's your problem?’ Mac asked, straining his neck to see around Logan. It had been a while since he’d been in a fight but tonight seemed like a good time to get back into it. The guy with Annie had moved even closer and her face tipped up to his. Mac wanted to scream. He knew what it felt like to be on the other side of that look. He wanted to be back there.
‘I don’t know what's going on with you two,’ Logan said, voice low, ‘but this is what I do know: Annie’s been weird all month. I’ve known her for a long time, and I know she’s been keeping something from me, and then you get back to town and she gets really sad. I don’t like it when my best friend is sad.’
Sad.Why hadn’t he considered that Annie would be sad? ‘What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything.’
Logan shrugged. ‘I didn’t say you did. All I said was you got back, and she got sad, and I don't know why. But I don’t like you being here right now, and I don’t like the way you're acting. You can text Annie tomorrow and she can decide if she wants to talk to you.’
Mac opened his mouth to argue further but stopped when he saw Annie get up. A small bit of hope sparked and then immediately died when he saw the guy was still with her, their fingers intertwined like she was leading him somewhere. No, notsomewhere.She was leading himupstairsand Mac had been to enough house parties to know what that meant.
‘Shit,’Mac whispered under his breath and Logan turned, too. Annie had stopped a few stairs up. Smiling, she leaned down and kissed that guy, her hands sliding through his hair, and it was like Mac could feel it on his own head. Could remember the taste of her tongue on his own and now this guy, thisnobody, got to have it and Machatedit. His fists curled at his sides, the urge to fight rearing back up again.
‘Looks like she already forgot about whatever was making her sad,’ Logan said as they watched Annie lead that guy up the stairs.
For a split second, Mac considered following her. He imagined pulling that guy away from her and dragging her out of here. He wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to rip his heart out and lay it out at her feet.
