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Seeing Sarah Jo bothered ive her a hug, but my physical reaction to herbar, the way she looked at one hard for her instantly Just like old times I had tried to keep rown man I’d leave her the hell alone

I’d known her allup to Ryan’s treehouse She’d been an exuberant kid, alith skinned knees, and alwaysin the yard She didn’t havewith her friends She looked all grown up in a way she hadn’t a few years ago at Ryan’s wedding, the last tiht I was surprised she even spoke to me now

I hadable to think of her off at college learning more about plants and all the stuff she was s back to life A fuzzy, broken leaf froot thrown out after the holidays, and she picked it out of the trash andher up to duh school, and Ryan wouldn’t help her because he said digging through the trash was disgusting He wasn’t wrong, but that day, the way ot into the dued the way I would look at her forever

When she came up to the bar and complimented my renovation and talked to me just like we’d seen each other last week instead of three years ago, I was thrown Polite speaking acquaintances I could do, but friends? Sarah Jo and I weren’t friends, and probably never would be We had a brief and buether, but that was all She was nicer to me than I deserved, which proved my point about her loyalty I served other custo, but I had one eye on Sarah Jo the whole time

I couldn’t look away fro over her shoulders She was curvier than I remembered, but it had been three years since I’d seen her, three years since I’d had rets when it came to her, but I wasn’t sure which one was the worst Did I wish I’d never gone near her? Or did I wish I’d never let her go? Knowing my life and my friendship with Ryan, it had to be the first option, wishing I’d left her alone All I could do noas let her know that I wouldn’t be a proble toout her dad

I delivered another plate of loaded nachos to her group I was careful to greet theood of a look at her As it was, I could see her long legs crossed beneath the table, her dark skinny jeans, the curve of her ankle Part oftoward her I wanted to worship her, wanted to put o away for an hour Because that would make me feel a lot better And worse at the same ti else that cos beyond endurance

Layla asked about ood as new thanks to her repairs My gaze lingered on Sarah Jo, no matter what I did to avoid it I looked at the curve of her cheek, the set of her jaw that told me she was tired and determined I said her name

“Hey, is your dad doing all right? Really?” I asked, trying to telegraph to her that I wanted the real answer, not the pat answer she gave everyone

“He is doing okay, thanks,” she said “Ryan’s hanging out with hio out It was really nice of him to do that”

I saw her eyes flick to mine and then away I saw a split second of the real story, her tired eyes, the worry she pushed out of her voice to ot you, it’s okay But I had no right to do that Maybe her label of protector was right on about me, or perhaps this was an iood then You girls have a nice ti”