“We could talk more often if you came home more than twice a decade.”

“I’ve come home more than that, and shouldn’t you be giving your other sister the same lecture?” I ask, meaning Farisha. “Though I think having a kid gives her a pass.”

“It does, though now that our parents have one grandchild, they won’t stop pestering me to settle down. I keep telling them I will once I’m done with school.”

“You’ve changed your major how many times now?” I cock an eyebrow.

“Five. And I’m kind of taking this semester off.”

“Oh, right. You should be at school now. You’re taking time off?” I echo. “That couldn’t have gone over well with your parents.”

“Hell, no. I had to go on three arranged dates to get them speaking to me again.”

I laugh and take another slow sip of my drink. Sahil is waved down to the other end of the bar, and I drum my fingers against the worn wooden counter, fighting the urge to turn around and glare daggers at Sam.

That traitor.

Of all the women in Silver Ridge, he has to be hooking up with Lauren fucking Wallace. Letting out a sigh, I take another sip of my drink and turn, casually looking out at the bar. My mistake. Mason catches my eye and a big smile splits his handsome face. He elbows Sam and points, waving to me.

Dammit.

Dammit.

Dammit.

I suck down another sip of my drink and pull the straw out of my mouth too soon and slobber it down my chin. Smooth, Chloe, real smooth. Confident by Demi Lovato comes on, and it’s like a sign. I quickly wipe my chin, set my drink down only to pick it back up, needing something to do with my hands.

But I’m nervous and what if I drop it? I need to get a fucking grip and have confidence. I look good tonight. I have a successful career. I’m happy. I have no reason to be nervous, even though my mortal enemy from my teen years might be going home with the only man I’ve ever really loved tonight.

Mason gets to me first, spreading his arms for a hug. I set the drink down, forgetting to be nervous for a few seconds.

“Fish-face,” he says affectionately and pulls me in for a hug.

“Fart-breath,” I say right back, remembering the stupid nicknames we made up for each other when we were kids. Mason is the youngest of the Harris brothers, and I know he had a crush on me for a few years. There were times when I wished I liked him back, but I’ve never been one to date a younger guy, and…well…he’s just not Sam.

My Sam.

“I heard you were back.” Mason gives me a tight squeeze before letting me go, taking a step back. He looks me up and down, not caring how obvious it is that he’s checking me out. “Rory might stalk you.”

I laugh. “If only all my stalkers were as sweet as her.”

“You have stalkers? For real?” The smile starts to fade, and I remember Sam telling me Mason is an FBI agent now. He probably takes stuff like this seriously.

“Kinda comes with the territory. I haven’t had anything too bad yet, though, and I’m trying hard not to take it personally. Like, aren’t I good enough for you to camp out outside my house for two weeks before you smell so bad joggers find you in a tent made from ripped bedsheets I threw away over a month ago?”

Mason laughs. “That’s oddly specific.”

“It might have happened to a friend.” I swallow hard, eyes shifting from Mason to Sam, who got held up on his way over by Lauren. He stops next to his brother, and my heart thumps like mad in my chest. The stupid thing is going to give me away.

“Chloe,” Sam says, and everything in the bar quiets. All I hear is the breath leaving my lungs and my pulse, bounding through my body. “You…you look good.”

“Now this time I believe you,” I say, shocking even myself at the ease of the words leaving my mouth. “I’m not wet this time.” Mason raises an eyebrow and looks from me to Sam and back. “I got caught in the rain,” I add quickly, unable to look away from Sam’s eyes. He looks good too, casually dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. His hair is still perfectly messy, begging for me to run my fingers through it.

I blink and get a flash of Sam, skin damp from the rain, and I feel the shock all over again. He was the last person I expected to see and seeing him all grown up was almost too much for my system to handle. He’s always been fit, but he’s filled out, far from the boy I had a crush on.

Sam is all man now, and he looks like a walking heartbreak waiting to happen.

“Who’s this?” Lauren pushes her way next to Sam and goes to rest her hand on his arm. He moves away at the last second, making me second-guess if they’re actually here together. Lauren plasters a fake smile on her overly made-up face and tips her head as she looks at me, doing a very good job of pretending not to remember me.

Mason shoots Lauren an incredulous look. “You don’t know who she is?”

Lauren keeps the smile on her face and shakes her head, blonde hair falling over her shoulder. She’s still pretty, just as she was before. I never understood how anyone could have such naturally smooth and blemish-free skin like Lauren. She has a lot of makeup on—it’s well applied, at least—but I can still tell her skin is just as perfect as before.

“It’s Chloe,” Sam says, gaze on me. Hearing him say my name sends a shiver through me, and my heart aches at the thought of what might have been.

What should have been.

“Chloe,” Lauren muses, acting like she has to think back to who I am. “Oh, now I remember you! We went to school together.”

“Yep.”

“What have you been up to?” Lauren asks, way too chipper.

Mason’s brows pinch together. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No, silly,” Lauren laughs, leaning closer to Sam. He doesn’t move away this time, and I hate the tension that fills me when I see her hand brush over his. “Why would I be kidding?”

Mason slowly looks from Lauren to me. “She’s famous.”

Lauren’s eyes go to me again, settling on my breasts for a second. “I don’t watch porn,” she says and then laughs. Once a bitch, always a bitch, determined to bring anyone else down to make herself feel better.

“I’m an author,” I retort, keeping a sweet smile on my face. “But if you’re not the reading type, you might not have heard of me.”

“Who has time to read?” Lauren laughs. “And I remember now. You have like an ebook or something, right?” She just has to get the final insult in there, and I’m not wasting my time on her. She quickly turns, hair swishing behind her, and puts her hand on Sam’s chest.

Suddenly, I’m back in the foyer of the sorority house, tears streaming down my face while Heather Hunt cackles like a madwoman with her hands all over Sam.

“Do you want to get a drink?” Sam asks me, moving Lauren’s hand from his chest.

“I, um, I…” I sputter. Getting drinks with Sam is a bad idea. I know it, and he has to know it too, which is probably why he’s asking. He might have grown up, but he’s still the same playboy who broke my heart years ago. “I already have a drink.”

“You’ll finish that one eventually.” Sam’s lips pull into a grin, and he runs his hand through his hair, making me weak in the knees. Stay strong, Chloe, stay strong!