Page 130 of Only in Your Dreams

“It’s okay. I’m nervous too,” he says gently. “These past few months have been torture without you, Melly. Please say something.”

Say something, I echo.Tell him to leave. Tell him this good guy act doesn’t work anymore.

“What are you doing here?” I say instead. My voice is shaking.

His thumb runs lines up and down my hand. “You scared the living daylights out of me. Your phone goes straight to voicemail. I knew there must be something seriously wrong. You’d never leave me hanging like that.”

My heartbeat is in my ears. “How did you find me?”

He tips his head to the side, seemingly dumbfounded by the question. “We’ve been together six years, Melly. I know where you grew up.”

“We’re broken up,” I say, gaining a bit of awareness. I take my hand away, blinking around me. Somehow, we’re still at Sheffield’s. “Connor, we’re broken up. You shouldn’t be here. We’re over.”

“That’s why I’ve been trying to reach you.” He takes a long breath. “I’m here to get you back. To bring you home and get things back to normal. It’s not been the same without you. You should see the state of our plants, they might miss you even more than I do.”

He flashes me that smile I used to love. Bright, wide, so beautiful it made me feel special to receive it. Now, all I want to do is sob. I want to feel enraged at seeing him. I want to claw that manipulative smile off his face, shove him out of this diner. But I never expected this kind of ambush.

When I don’t say anything, he fingers the end of my ponytail. Invading my space. “You look so different. Your makeup—”

“I know. You like it natural. Look, Connor, you shouldn’t be here.”

“I never said that.”

I frown. “Never said what?”

“I never said I like it natural.”

“Yes, you did,” I say. I don’t even know why I’m entertaining this. It doesn’t matter what he thinks about my makeup. “You said it looks like a mask otherwise, that I don’t need to try so hard—”

“Melly, I would never say that. Why would I care what makeup you wear? You know I think you’re beautiful, regardless.”

“You did, though. You threw out all my lipstick and eyeliner and said it looked like—”

“That’s crazy. There’s no way I’d do something like that.” He shakes his head with such conviction I’m scrambling to think back to the moment I remember—IthinkI remember. “God, you’re breaking my heart, Mel. I’m so sorry you thought I did that.”

“You—you did, though. I swear, you threw it all out—”

I jump at the sound of another knock on the window acting as the backdrop to this nightmare. Parker peers into the diner, and a wave of relief crashes straight into my chest.

“You alright over there, Mel?”

At the counter, Wynn is fixed on me, frozen in the act of refilling straw dispensers. His gaze flicks to Connor, and it’s barely perceptible, but his brows pinch in distrust.

“I’m—I’m fine, Wynn.”

“Do youworkhere, Melly?” Connor seems to be taking in my attire for the first time. His eyes linger on my apron, and there’s nothing subtle about the appalled downturn to his mouth. “You should have called me if you needed help this badly. The second you come home, you’re getting your own card to my account. You can buy yourself anything you want, okay? My treat.”

I see four curious eyeballs staring at our scene over the tall back of a nearby bench seat. “Connor, maybe we should step outside—”

Parker blows into the diner with his glare glued to Connor, apparently not remotely concerned about causing a scene.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he barks at Connor.

Connor’s grin doesn’t falter. “Hey, Parker. I understand why you’re upset. I came here to make things right with your sister, but I know I owe you an apology, too. She’s had to crash with you, disrupt your routine, and if you give us a few minutes to sort this out, I’d be happy to come speak with you. Apologize for these past couple of months. Make up for you having to look after her—”

“I don’t need a thank you for looking out for my own sister, asshole.” Parker turns his unimpressed gaze on me. “Did you tell him he could show up here?” Brutally aware of Connor’s eyes on me, I shake my head. “You wanna be listening to his bullshit?”

I shake my head again and Parker charges for the diner door. He throws it open.

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