My Heart Lingers (A Hearts of Misty Mesa Story): BWWM Interracial Romance by Brandi Boddie Page B

stock in the refrigerator. She was going to be too busy to prepare her meals from scratch every night, so shortcuts were needed. She reached for a bag of precut carrots and celery just as a shorter man stretched his hand towards the same bag.
    “Sorry. Go ahead.” He put his hand down and adjusted his glasses. “You look familiar.”
    “Hi, Ron. It’s me, Kyra. We went to high school together.”
    He blinked behind his glasses. “That’s right. We were lab partners in anatomy class. The teacher made us dissect a cat.”
    “Yeah.” Kyra made a face. “Not exactly the best memory to recall when you’re shopping for tonight’s dinner.”
    “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking.” He laughed nervously. His eyes shifted up again. “So you’re back in town?”
    She explained her purpose for returning to her old stomping grounds. “My parents wanted me to handle the last minute legal work for selling the house. That, and making sure the house is presentable to buyers.”
    Ron nodded along. She could tell he was barely listening. He shuffled on his feet in a dance of impatience. One hand held the handle of a cart brimming with snack foods, ingredients for sandwiches, and two large cases of bottled water. Maybe she was keeping him from someplace, but wasn’t he the one who initiated the conversation? “You look different,” he remarked.
    Before leaving the house, Kyra changed out of her business suit and into a pair of yoga pants, sandals, and a t-shirt she got from an R&B festival. When Ron said she looked different, did he mean covered up, as opposed to how she wore skin-revealing clothing in her teens? His eyes focused on her stomach briefly before he looked up at her face. He was recalling her condition from the last time she was in town, when she was carrying Cole’s child.
    Kyra moved to grab a bag of celery and carrots and tossed it into her cart. “I need to stop at another store before it closes.”
    Ron nodded eagerly. “I should get going, too. I’m shopping for the kids’ meals at the youth arts center. I’m one of the cooks.”
    “When did the town get a youth arts center?”
    “A little over two years ago. Cole set it up on his family’s ranch. Well, it’s his ranch now.”
    Kyra’s hands remained hovered over the handle of her cart. Her heart began beating fast. “Cole’s home from Georgia?”
    “Yep.” Ron pushed his loaded grocery cart away from the produce section. “Good luck with the house. I’ll tell Cole I saw you.” He shifted his eyes again, looking down at the space between his feet and the cart before he wheeled it away.
    Kyra stood in the produce aisle, staring after the small man as he hurried along to find a checkout clerk. Only when an elderly woman gently tapped her on the shoulder did she realize she was holding up the line to get to the carrots. She apologized and hastened to push her cart down an empty aisle.
    Her mind spun. Cole was back in Misty Mesa, too. Excitement and anxiety built within her, both battling to become the dominant emotion. She wanted to see him. What did he look like these days? Did his blue eyes still have sparks of kindness and intelligence? Did he still have that sexy, easygoing smile?
    Anxiety won out and quelled her curiosity. Even if Cole looked exactly the same, she’d never find out about it because she wasn’t going to search the town for him. There was a reason he never contacted her again after leaving to go to college. He took her hint and moved on with his life. She had her own life to think about, anyway. There was a law firm, a small but nice one-bedroom apartment, and professional colleagues in Chicago waiting for her return.
    Kyra resumed filling her cart with groceries, resolving to remain focused. She was in Misty Mesa for one purpose and one purpose only. It didn’t involve Cole. She stopped talking to him, and he released her from his life. It was futile wishful thinking to fantasize about a pleasant reunion. Kyra ruined