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Since real estate prices had soared, it was the only place I could afford to live. Even the average rent in New Burlington was almost twice my mortgage payment. Everything for sale was astronomical too. So, I stayed, and ordered another drink, this time alongside a hummus platter. There was no pita bread though—just carrots, celery, and sliced cucumbers.
I was halfway through the first bite of dinner when I nearly choked.
Oh my God.
There he was. Robert Kilgore. Sauntering into the place like he’d been here a thousand times before, wearing a pair of dark jeans, a light gray button-down shirt with a pair of aviator sunglasses hooked onto the open part of the collar, and black loafers.
There was no way Iwouldn’trecognize him. I’d spent the last three days finding out everything I could about him—combing the public posts of his social media accounts for tidbits, googling his name, running a search on why Robert had left NYC. Maybe Morgan was right. Maybe itwasa little excessive and obsessive, but I had to know my competition. Knowing everything about him would give me an advantage.
But it also meant reality could not be denied.
Robert Kilgore was hot.Reallyhot. Alluring in that masculine, confident, all-too-annoying way, the kind of man who came with something you could never quite put your finger on but kept you always coming back for more. Despite it being years since I last saw him in person, I recognized him. He hadn’t peaked in high school, back when he was captain of the soccer team and a finalist for homecoming king. Oh no, not Robert Kilgore. He’d only grown sexier during the time he’d spent in New York City making all that money on Wall Street at a fancy-named hedge fund.
I couldn’t say time had beenaskind to me. My skin didn’t exactlyglow—given I spent most of my days inside—a pudgy stomach was determined to stay despite various diets, and dark circles thought it imperative to take up real estate under my eyes.At least they were still a bright blue.Aging sucked.
But...not for everyone, it seemed.Men sucked too.
Robert slid into an open seat at the bar on the opposite end of the main dining room.
Kevin Richards was behind it, glass in hand, and they slipped into a familiar and affable conversation. I sat too far away to hear what he wanted, but I guessed it was one of the many beers Kevin kept on tap, all sourced from craft breweries around the Midwest. Kevin was good at his job and meticulous about details. That sort of attention kept Front Street Bar going, making it something of a destination, with people coming from all over for the authenticity and hominess they wouldn’t find at one of the chain restaurants closer to I-275.
After a few minutes, Robert took out his phone and started combing through it, seeming engrossed in whatever awaited him on the screen. I watched him for a while, going back and forth on my thoughts. Should I approach him? Reintroduce myself? Congratulate him on his move back to New Burlington and the new business venture?
Those would be the kind, proper things a small-town woman would do. A few hellos, some comments about how happy I was to see him, and it would be done. The ice would be broken.
That was what my mother would expect me to do—how she’d raised me.Always be courteous and kind, even to people you weren’t sure deserved it. But Mom passed away three years ago. She didn’t have a hold on me anymore.
So, instead of saying something to the man I was sure was about to ruin my life, I paid my bill, finished my drink, ate a few more tasteless bites of hummus, and left.
CHAPTER FOUR
ROBERT
During the first month after closing on the new commercial venture, I spent a lot of time at Home Depot. More than I had expected. I was probably the customer keeping them in business that quarter, and a few weeks into my visits, the staff knew me by name. Javier, the contractor I hired, had plenty of great ideas about layout and design, but there were still so many trivial things to consider—tile for the bar, light fixtures, paint, grout, and finishes.
The kinds of things you had to see “in person” before deciding.
