it was easier to keep her in her place as the bad guy. Seeing her day in and day out in the flesh brought her humanity to the surface, forcing him to question everything, and he hated it. Life was easier when she was to blame.
Not to mention Macy Young was many things, but a damsel in distress in need of protection from some thug teenagers was not one of them. He’d read about more than one of her nights out that ended in fisticuffs or at least being kicked out of whatever bar she was drowning her sorrows in. She could handle herself with a group of students who actually sounded like they were excited to meet her. If he was being perfectly honest with himself, he never really thought she would be in any kind of danger. He was more worried about her finding yet another avenue in Sweet Ridge where she fit perfectly. Her seamless reentry into the town was hard to take.
A quick glance at the oversized clock jutting out from the wall above the navy lockers confirmed that he didn’t have time to stand around babysitting someone who didn’t need him. His late afternoon appointments would be arriving at the clinic soon. He headed for the doors at the end of the empty hall.
“Gavin?” Macy’s voice stopped him right as he reached the door.
With a hand on the door, he dropped his head. Two more seconds and he would’ve been out the door.
“Hey.”
She rushed across the linoleum to catch up. “What are you doing here? Checking up on me?” She stopped at the door, close enough that he could smell her flowery shampoo. “You were worried about me, weren’t you?”
She bumped her hip against his, reminding him so much of the days when they were friends that he took a half step away from her. They’d spent countless hours on campus together, hanging out at his house with Tori, at the library studying together and pushing each other to do better. What if he’d never let Tori convince him not to act on his crush and at least seen if Macy was interested in him, too? With any luck, she wouldn’t have felt the same, or their relationship would’ve fizzled out like most high school romances, and then he’d be done with it. No more lingering attraction clouding his judgment. And as disappointing as it was to lose out to her, everything he’d hoped to achieve after high school had still happened, so he liked to think that he would’ve eventually gotten over her betrayal.
He glanced at the numbers on the lockers, and a pit formed in his stomach when he realized they were the two that he and Tori had used their sophomore year at Sweet Ridge High. The place they met up between classes, where they made weekend plans, where he gave her advice on all the stupid guys she used to like, and where he comforted her when their family dog, Checkers, died. The momentary insanity of his protectiveness toward Macy slipped away against the backdrop of the lockers. He’d let his guard down, and who wouldn’t? He’d spent more time with Macy in the past twenty-four hours than he probably had in all the time since senior year, but the facts remained the same. “No, it’s nothing. I don’t know why I’m here.”
“You were worried about me.” She grinned, looking cute, but she was nothing but trouble. “Admit it.”
“No, I wasn’t. Really. If there’s anyone in this world that I don’t have to worry about, it’s you. I have to go. I have patients to see.” He pushed the door open. “One you hit with your car, in fact.”
Without looking back to see how his words hit her—but damn, he hoped they stung—he stepped into the sunlight. It was immature, and a low blow by any means, but she brought out the worst in him. Seeing Macy, especially at their alma mater, brought him back to the most humiliating moment of his life. He’d lost, she didn’t play fair, and there was nothing he could do about it.
• • •
Macy stood at the smudged glass door, one hand resting lightly on the metal bar. Part of her wanted to push it
Not to mention Macy Young was many things, but a damsel in distress in need of protection from some thug teenagers was not one of them. He’d read about more than one of her nights out that ended in fisticuffs or at least being kicked out of whatever bar she was drowning her sorrows in. She could handle herself with a group of students who actually sounded like they were excited to meet her. If he was being perfectly honest with himself, he never really thought she would be in any kind of danger. He was more worried about her finding yet another avenue in Sweet Ridge where she fit perfectly. Her seamless reentry into the town was hard to take.
A quick glance at the oversized clock jutting out from the wall above the navy lockers confirmed that he didn’t have time to stand around babysitting someone who didn’t need him. His late afternoon appointments would be arriving at the clinic soon. He headed for the doors at the end of the empty hall.
“Gavin?” Macy’s voice stopped him right as he reached the door.
With a hand on the door, he dropped his head. Two more seconds and he would’ve been out the door.
“Hey.”
She rushed across the linoleum to catch up. “What are you doing here? Checking up on me?” She stopped at the door, close enough that he could smell her flowery shampoo. “You were worried about me, weren’t you?”
She bumped her hip against his, reminding him so much of the days when they were friends that he took a half step away from her. They’d spent countless hours on campus together, hanging out at his house with Tori, at the library studying together and pushing each other to do better. What if he’d never let Tori convince him not to act on his crush and at least seen if Macy was interested in him, too? With any luck, she wouldn’t have felt the same, or their relationship would’ve fizzled out like most high school romances, and then he’d be done with it. No more lingering attraction clouding his judgment. And as disappointing as it was to lose out to her, everything he’d hoped to achieve after high school had still happened, so he liked to think that he would’ve eventually gotten over her betrayal.
He glanced at the numbers on the lockers, and a pit formed in his stomach when he realized they were the two that he and Tori had used their sophomore year at Sweet Ridge High. The place they met up between classes, where they made weekend plans, where he gave her advice on all the stupid guys she used to like, and where he comforted her when their family dog, Checkers, died. The momentary insanity of his protectiveness toward Macy slipped away against the backdrop of the lockers. He’d let his guard down, and who wouldn’t? He’d spent more time with Macy in the past twenty-four hours than he probably had in all the time since senior year, but the facts remained the same. “No, it’s nothing. I don’t know why I’m here.”
“You were worried about me.” She grinned, looking cute, but she was nothing but trouble. “Admit it.”
“No, I wasn’t. Really. If there’s anyone in this world that I don’t have to worry about, it’s you. I have to go. I have patients to see.” He pushed the door open. “One you hit with your car, in fact.”
Without looking back to see how his words hit her—but damn, he hoped they stung—he stepped into the sunlight. It was immature, and a low blow by any means, but she brought out the worst in him. Seeing Macy, especially at their alma mater, brought him back to the most humiliating moment of his life. He’d lost, she didn’t play fair, and there was nothing he could do about it.
• • •
Macy stood at the smudged glass door, one hand resting lightly on the metal bar. Part of her wanted to push it
Similar Books
