Page 51 of The 7 Rules of Moving On
“Yes.”
He clicked his tongue. “I’m afraid I can’t answer that for you.”
“Thanks a lot, Ivan Drago. What are you gonna do?”
“Break you,” he said in a bad Russian accent. “Obviously.”
“Haha.”
“Truth be told, I can’t answer that for me either. Did you know Ryan, Trig, and I used to be best friends?”
“I didn’t.”
“In elementary and middle school. We were inseparable.”
“Did you know your dad is trying to buy Mystic?”
Lane sat up straighter. “What?”
“Yep.”
“How?”
“Pudge and Grandma Betty are getting older, and I guess they want to sell.”
“Wait, doesn’t Trig want it? He loves that place. He always has.”
Kissie was incredulous. “Come on, Lane. You know he can’t afford it. But he’s doing everything he can to keep Pudge and Betty from selling. He even recruited me to come up with an ad campaign to convince them he can make Mystic more profitable. He said your dad would ruin it if he bought it, turn it into something it’s not.”
Something brewed behind Lane’s ice-blue eyes, like a faraway storm. “This is all very interesting.”
“Interesting?”
Draining his coffee, he slid out of the booth and held out his hand. “Let’s go.”
“Where?” Kissie said, taking his hand and letting him pull her to her feet.
“It’s Valentine’s Day in Twin Hearts. Where else would we go but to the biggest party of the year?”
“Wait,” Kissie said, remembering her current state of affairs. “I can’t go to a party right now.”
“Why not?”
“Because my bra is stuffed in my pocket and Trig still has my underwear.”
Barking a deep, one-note laugh at the ceiling, Lane admitted, “Trig’s game is definitely improving.”
Kissie’s glare was scathing.
“There’s a restroom in the back. Go put your bra on.” His smile was so big, his eyes so blue, Kissie thought for the first time in her life she was in the presence of the kind of charming, charismatic powerhouse who could take over the world if he wanted to. “And I’m sorry about your underwear, but everyone will already be so drunk on Mother’s punch, I promise no one will notice.”
TRIG
The mug was so hot it nearly burned his hand. “Be careful with that,” he said, sliding the hot toddy to Dawn. “It’s scalding.”
“Thanks.” Pulling a tissue out of the box he’d placed on the bar for her, she blew her nose. “I can’t believe Kissie is moving. I can’t believe she didn’t tell me.”
Trig wanted to console Dawn, say something thoughtful and poignant, but he was hurting too. Thankfully, Ryan was there to take up his slack.
