Just barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes at Kelly’s continual hunt for gossip, she replied, “I’m an artist, too. I paint portraits as well as landscapes. I’ve had a couple of showings at a gallery, too. It brings in plenty to pay the bills. I work at the homeless shelter because I want to help, not to make money.”
“Oh, that’s right. Helen mentioned that before. I guess it slipped my mind.” Reaching out, she patted Piper’s hand again. “Helping out sounds so much like the Piper I knew from high school. I’m glad the changes on the outside weren’t changes on the inside as well.”
Piper gave a half-smile. Kelly was exactly as she’d been in high school. Gossipy and a lover of drama, but with a heart of gold inside. People had often taken her the wrong way, but Piper always knew how good her friend was, down inside. She was just opening her mouth to reply when Kelly’s eyes widened at something behind Piper.
Leaning forward, Kelly said, “I’m sure you must be over him, especially since you moved on and married. But I don’t want you to be taken off guard by seeing him for the first time in eight years. Jax just walked in with the other fighters.”
Before Kelly even spoke, Piper knew he was here. Like it had always been. His presence was like a sixth sense, her whole being focused and awake when he was around, and like all the air had been sucked from the room.
Keeping her voice even, she asked, “Fighters?”
“Your grandmother never told you?” Kelly asked in surprise.
“We never talked about Jax,” she replied with a shake of her head.
“Are you still hung up on him?” Kelly asked suspiciously.
“What? No,” Piper insist
ed, ignoring the voice inside her that said she’d lied. “More like I never cared enough to want to know.”
Kelly nodded, eyes clearing of questions. “That makes sense. Anyway, Jax left not long after you two broke up, but you knew that part. He met up with Ian Gallagher, you remember him? He was a grade ahead of us. At some point, they learned how to fight, and roamed the country, fighting matches wherever they went. They fight MMA style. So hot,” she said dreamily.
“Do you have a thing for Ian Gallagher, Kelly?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink to hide her smile.
“Ian?” Kelly asked, genuine surprise in her voice. “No, not at all. Although, I have to admit, he’s pretty hot. All big and muscled up. Still, no, I don’t.”
Piper nodded, wondering whether that was true or not, despite the surprise in Kelly’s tone. “I guess they don’t fight anymore if they’re settled back in Eagle Creek. Not much opportunity to fight around here.”
“No, they still do. There are fights held almost every Saturday night at the Anderson ranch.”
“Really? This is the last town I’d expect see stuff like that happen.”
“Not much else to do around here,” Kelly said with a shrug, laughter in her voice.
Piper checked her phone and raised her eyebrows when she saw the time. They’d been chatting for well over an hour, but the time had flown by. The evening was still fairly young, but she was going to grab at the excuse to split, now that Jax was there.
“Kelly, I’ve had a great time, but I need to be getting back to the house. I need to let my dog outside soon.”
Disappointment flitted across Kelly’s face. “Oh, I didn’t know you had a dog. I wish you could stay longer, but I understand. How long will you be in town?”
“I have a lot to do, what with going through Grandma’s things, and getting everything ready to sell, so I gave myself a month here. I’m hoping to have it done sooner, though.”
“Oh, a whole month with my bestie! That would be great. I hope you stay for the whole month. I’d love to spend more time with you.”
“We can definitely do that,” Piper replied, fishing some cash from her pocket and putting it on the table before standing. Grabbing a napkin, she asked, “Do you have a pen?”
Kelly took one out of her purse and handed it to her, and she quickly scribbled down her cell number. Handing the napkin and pen to Kelly, she said, “Call me, and we’ll hang out some more. I’ll see you soon.”
Turning, she made her way to the entrance, studiously avoiding looking in Jax’s direction. She knew instinctively, as she always seemed to when he was in a room with her, where he was. And she could practically feel his eyes burning into her skin as she made her casual and unhurried escape.
Walking outside, she paused for a moment, taking a calming breath of night air. Head slowly clearing, she walked through the gravel to her car, pausing at the door when the sound of footsteps hit her ears. She knew without looking that it was Jax, and if she could have jumped in her car and sped off without it looking like she was fleeing him, she would have.
As it was, she steeled her spine and turned around, arching an eyebrow at him. “What do you want, St. James?”
“Did you leave because I came in?” he asked, looking delicious in the moonlight as he came in closer than she was comfortable with.
Refusing to back up or show any other sign of weakness, she asked, “And what makes you think I base any decision off of you? What makes you think I think about you at all when you’re not right in front of me, shoving yourself down my throat?”