Page 66 of Beneath the Stands (Sugarlake 2)

“Yeah, I’m good. Just weird to be back.”

She grins, her teeth blinding, matching the sparkle of her eyes. “Exciting, right?”

“Super.” I draw out the word, my brows rising, and she smacks my chest with a giggle.

Once we’re inside, Pops goes straight to the fridge, cracking open two Budweisers and handing me one. He quirks a brow, pointing the neck of his bottle toward Sarah. “You want one, lil’ lady?”

She sits at the table, shaking her head no and asking for a water instead. I sit next to her, the heaviness of my heart making my legs too weak to stand. If I look hard enough, I swear I can see Ma baking her banana bread. I half expect Pops to sneak up behind her to press kisses on her neck. Tension pulls tight across my chest and I gulp down my beer, focusing on the cold as it slips down my throat. “Where’s Lee, Pops?”

He lifts his shoulder, sinking into the seat across from me and tapping his fingers on the worn oak of the table. “Who knows where that girl is.”

My forehead scrunches, his answer surprising me. Pops has always been extremely protective when it comes to Lee. Probably too protective, not wanting to see his little girl grow up before his eyes. His cold, detached demeanor makes my stomach sour.

The front door opens and shuts before I can respond, and my gut churns, the carbonation of the beer threatening to burn my throat on its way back up.

That must be her.

While seeing Pops was hard, I’m more nervous to come face to face with the baby sister who’s hated me for most of my adult life. But it isn’t her who walks into the kitchen.

My lungs expand as I suck in a deep breath of relief, but I can’t deny the slight disappointment.

“Mr. Carson, I’ve got stuff to make fajitas tonight, hope you’re hungry.” The man’s voice is deep and there’s something about him that’s familiar. He drops the grocery bags on the counter, spinning around and freezing in place, his hand halfway to his tousled dark hair. His eyes widen as they lock on me.

“Holy fuck, Eli?”

My brows furrow as I try to place him.

His posture is tense, his eyes scanning my face. “You have no clue who I am, do you?”

“Should I?”

“Depends. Do you normally forget the boy who grew up three houses down and dated your sister for years?”

I suck in a breath. “Chase?”

“The one and only.” He smirks, his hands rising to his sides.

I know him, of course. His little sister and him were both attached to Lee’s hip since they were kids. But he does not look like the gangly boy I remember. It makes me wonder what Lee looks like now, and if I saw her on the street, would I even know to

stop? The thought clamps around my heart, spreading a deep ache through my chest.

“Does Goldi know you’re here?” Chase asks, his face growing serious.

“Who’s Goldi?” Sarah blurts. “I’m Sarah, by the way. Eli’s fiancée.”

“Hi,” Chase responds, his eyes still locked on mine. “Does she? Or is she about to be blindsided when she walks in?”

“She knows,” Pops grumbles. “She’s been knowin’ he was comin’ home. No one invited you over though, boy.”

Chase smirks, patting him on the shoulder before walking to the stove and getting out pots and pans like he’s lived here his whole life. Hell, maybe he has. How would I know?

Pops grabs another beer for us both, and I accept it on autopilot, still foggy from the cocktail of emotions that have taken over since arriving back in town. It’s barely a passing thought that while I’m just finishing my first drink, Pops is about to be on his fourth.

“So, Sarah…” Pops begins. “How’d Eli land a gal like you? He woo you by relivin’ the good ol’ days when he was king of this town?”

My stomach whips into my throat at his words because I knew he would bring this up. It’s just like him. He’s never been able to help himself from reliving the glory days. Used to be his own, now it’s always mine. But there is nothing I want to talk about less than how things used to be.

Still, I force out a laugh like his words aren’t a heated blade searing old wounds.

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