watch out for each other. My mom and dad will check in on him, too. Come with me.” She looked like I was asking her to commit to a life sentence. Like if she agreed to this, then she was agreeing to something bigger. If I was honest with myself, she would be. She’d be committing to Raleigh, not McAdenville, but she didn’t have to know that just yet.
“Can I think about it?”
“Sure.” I hated that she didn’t jump at the idea, and it made me wonder if I was reading more into whatever was happening between us than she felt. Maybe I was nothing more to her than just a little holiday fun. I handed her my keys and opened the door to my truck for her.
*
PIPER
I drove his truck through town, seeing all the kids playing outside with their new toys from Santa. I remembered doing the same thing every Christmas as a child. Drew and I would rush to each other’s houses to compare our gifts. It was so surreal being together again, but it certainly wasn’t as carefree as those days had been. The silence between Drew and I was heavy. I figured he was upset I didn’t jump on the Raleigh idea, but he’d caught me off guard. I didn’t want this to be a holiday fling, but I couldn’t abandon my responsibilities here, either. I looked down at the charm bracelet jingling on my wrist, holding the promise of more memories, more time, more Drew. It was just my luck I’d fall for a guy who hated where I lived, and I couldn’t just leave.
“Will you not come to Raleigh because of your date with Davis?” Drew asked, looking out the window.
What? Why in the world would he be thinking about Davis? That came out of nowhere. “I told you it’s not a date.”
“I don’t like it, Piper.”
I glanced over at him. He looked so sad at the thought of me with Davis. If he only knew the truth. I didn’t want to confess the arrangement I had with Davis. We agreed to keep it between us. I knew Davis said it would be all right, but I wasn’t comfortable telling Drew. I wasn’t sure what his reaction would be.
“Stop!” Drew yelled out, making me jump slightly. I slammed on the brakes, hoping I didn’t skid off the snowy road. “Back up,” he said, turning around to look out the window.
I put the truck in reverse. “What is it?”
“Is that a for sale sign in front of the Harlow place?” he asked as I stopped.
He hopped out before I even got the truck in park. I looked out the window, watching him stare up at the house. The Harlow house was the nicest in town, at least according to Drew, and sat on a good-sized piece of property with a huge garage in the back. I put my hand on the door handle but didn’t open the truck door, something about his profile telling me he needed to be alone, his normal, flirty, sexy smile now sad. I watched him as he just stared at that house like it held all his pain and sadness. The minutes grew longer and longer as he stared, before finally turning around and getting back in the truck. I started the ignition but didn’t drive. “I won’t go with Davis, if it bothers you so much.” He forced a small smile, and I realized whatever was bothering him had nothing to do with my New Year’s plans. “You all right?”
“Fine, this town just messes with my head,” he said, staring out the window.
“There are more reasons to love this town than hate it.”
“I’ve got some big reasons to hate it.”
I was fed up with not knowing. I could ask anyone in town and probably get the scoop, but I wanted to hear it from him. “Would you like to tell me?”
“I guess I should,” he said, looking out the window into the snow. “Ellie and I used to be a thing.”
Ellie and Drew? No f’ing way! She was so not his type—prissy and catty and completely high maintenance. “When was this?”
“We started dating about a year after you moved and were together all through high school. So, from the time I was fifteen until I was nineteen.”
I felt my heart thumping in my chest. He was still
“Can I think about it?”
“Sure.” I hated that she didn’t jump at the idea, and it made me wonder if I was reading more into whatever was happening between us than she felt. Maybe I was nothing more to her than just a little holiday fun. I handed her my keys and opened the door to my truck for her.
*
PIPER
I drove his truck through town, seeing all the kids playing outside with their new toys from Santa. I remembered doing the same thing every Christmas as a child. Drew and I would rush to each other’s houses to compare our gifts. It was so surreal being together again, but it certainly wasn’t as carefree as those days had been. The silence between Drew and I was heavy. I figured he was upset I didn’t jump on the Raleigh idea, but he’d caught me off guard. I didn’t want this to be a holiday fling, but I couldn’t abandon my responsibilities here, either. I looked down at the charm bracelet jingling on my wrist, holding the promise of more memories, more time, more Drew. It was just my luck I’d fall for a guy who hated where I lived, and I couldn’t just leave.
“Will you not come to Raleigh because of your date with Davis?” Drew asked, looking out the window.
What? Why in the world would he be thinking about Davis? That came out of nowhere. “I told you it’s not a date.”
“I don’t like it, Piper.”
I glanced over at him. He looked so sad at the thought of me with Davis. If he only knew the truth. I didn’t want to confess the arrangement I had with Davis. We agreed to keep it between us. I knew Davis said it would be all right, but I wasn’t comfortable telling Drew. I wasn’t sure what his reaction would be.
“Stop!” Drew yelled out, making me jump slightly. I slammed on the brakes, hoping I didn’t skid off the snowy road. “Back up,” he said, turning around to look out the window.
I put the truck in reverse. “What is it?”
“Is that a for sale sign in front of the Harlow place?” he asked as I stopped.
He hopped out before I even got the truck in park. I looked out the window, watching him stare up at the house. The Harlow house was the nicest in town, at least according to Drew, and sat on a good-sized piece of property with a huge garage in the back. I put my hand on the door handle but didn’t open the truck door, something about his profile telling me he needed to be alone, his normal, flirty, sexy smile now sad. I watched him as he just stared at that house like it held all his pain and sadness. The minutes grew longer and longer as he stared, before finally turning around and getting back in the truck. I started the ignition but didn’t drive. “I won’t go with Davis, if it bothers you so much.” He forced a small smile, and I realized whatever was bothering him had nothing to do with my New Year’s plans. “You all right?”
“Fine, this town just messes with my head,” he said, staring out the window.
“There are more reasons to love this town than hate it.”
“I’ve got some big reasons to hate it.”
I was fed up with not knowing. I could ask anyone in town and probably get the scoop, but I wanted to hear it from him. “Would you like to tell me?”
“I guess I should,” he said, looking out the window into the snow. “Ellie and I used to be a thing.”
Ellie and Drew? No f’ing way! She was so not his type—prissy and catty and completely high maintenance. “When was this?”
“We started dating about a year after you moved and were together all through high school. So, from the time I was fifteen until I was nineteen.”
I felt my heart thumping in my chest. He was still
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