Page 5 of Give Me Forever

In high school, both of us had barely known how to make grilled cheese sandwiches. But my friend had developed her culinary skills over the years, bringing them to an excellent level. Grilled cheese was still a staple in my diet.

"No, that’s okay. The appointments are mostly at odd hours, and I don't want you to take time off at work." She was a curator at a local gallery.

"Let me know if you change your mind. I can act as a chaperone between you and Sam.” Her devilish wink was hilarious.

I chuckled. “Oh, come on, Alana. Sam and I were together a lifetime ago." It felt that way, anyway. We'd probably grown into different people. I figured it would be the same as living with a stranger. I wondered if he was still as hot as in high school. If he was, that might complicate things atad.

"If you say so. Let me just test this theory." She took out her phone, twirling a strand of her blonde hair around her fingertip. She’d been a knockout even in high school but wasn't part of the popular gang. The two of us had our own bookish corner back then. We weren't bullied or anything, just not part of the cool club. We never cared about it either. Alana and I called ourselves The Blondes because we had the same shade of dark-blonde shoulder-length hair, though she had blue eyes, and mine were green.

People often asked us if we were sisters because we looked alike. In fact, Alana looked more like me than my real sister. My younger sister, Jamie, took after Mom: she was brunette with dark brown eyes. I missed her and my mom tremendously. I wished they hadn’t moved away from Chicago, but Jamie went to study in Maine and stayed there after graduation. Our mom moved to Miami, where she was originally from. She’d raised us on her own, fighting for everything tooth and nail. Mom deserved a great retirement, being around her childhood friends, maybe even dating a little. She was happy there, and that made my heart content. She'd always struggled in Chicago.

When we were kids, I remembered her often talking fondly about her childhood home. Once, I asked her why we didn't just move back. She said Jamie and I were at an excellent school that would set us up for the future, and that was true. We both had a scholarship at the elite private school where I met Sam and Alana. And Mom was right—it had opened a lot of doors. Jamie was a successful accountant now.

I, on the other hand, completely blew it. I took a chance on my business and on Sophia, my business partner—someone I’d considered a friend for years—and I'd made a mess of all of it. It didn't matter. I could build it all back up. I was going to find my way again. I felt it in my bones that it was a good idea to come back to Chicago. It was home to me.

“Here. Found him,” Alana exclaimed. “Hot damn!”

I sat up straight in my chair. “What?” I asked her, holding my breath.

“Okay, I didn't think it was possible, but Sam looks even hotter than in high school.”

“Impossible,” I replied immediately. In my mind, I could conjure him up just as he was, even though I hadn't seen him in sixteen years. Dark hair, baby blue eyes, muscles that went on for days because he was on the lacrosse team, and a smile that would melt glaciers. You couldn't possibly beat perfection.

She turned the phone around, and I swallowed hard.

All right. I take it all back.

Grabbing the phone, I brought it closer and zoomed in on the picture. I first looked at his face. Somehow it was even more handsome than in high school. He'd been young then, but now he was a man through and through. The lines of his cheekbones were more angular. The smile was still absolutely panty melting. His dark hair was cropped short. And those blue eyes, well, hell. I zoomed out a bit, looking at his body from a bird's-eye view. He was wearing a shirt with short sleeves.

What kind of doctor had those kinds of muscles? This was insane.

“Are you rethinking my offer of chaperoning?” Alana asked on a laugh.

I gave her back the phone quickly. “No, not at all.” My stomach was somersaulting.

“You little liar. You practically swallowed your tongue when I showed you the picture.”

“The man is annoyingly, sinfully hot,” I admitted. “I think I was just surprised because I hadn't seen him in so long.”

I'd finished my chicken, so I focused on my wine instead. He didn’t have his own picture as his profile on Facebook. I’d searched the other social sites earlier and didn’t find him anywhere. Leave it to Alana to pull it up.

“It's a good thing you've shown me the picture, though,” I told her. “Now I can brace myself.”

“Oh, I don't know,” Alana said. “If he turns up the charm, I don't think you stand a chance.”

I sat up straighter. “Alana! I'm really not at the point in my life where I can think about anything except getting my shit together.”

Her smile fell. “I'm sorry. I was just teasing you, thinking it might take your mind off everything.”

I took my phone from the pocket of my jeans, bringing up my texts.

“I'm going to send him a message that I'll go see the apartment.” I sent it quickly before I could change my mind. I couldn't lie—seeing that picture did things to me.

I didn't want to analyze thosethingstoo closely. It had been a long time, and I was sure we were different people with different priorities.

He replied right away.

Sam: Can't wait to see you, Avery.

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