Nodding, I set a hand on her shoulder and leaned in so she could hear me over the chatter at my back. “Has he ever been… violent?”
Relief swept through me as PJ shook her head. “He’s a big bully, but he treats all the girls like that,” she said, her voice not much more than a whisper. “But I’ve never seen him hurt anyone. He even refused to be in football when we were in high school, because it was too violent of a sport. I just… wish he would notice me. And be nice.”
I sucked in a breath, then tried to let go of the old memories that crept up on me. My past relationships were more lovers to enemies than anything else, and keeping thoughts of the violence that had been turned upon me out of my everyday life was a chore I wasn’t capable of some days. But I didn’t want to project my fears on to my friend. I didn’t need to relive my murky history just to make sure she was safe.
“You let me know if you ever need to talk, okay?”
PJ nodded as her gaze drifted to the people behind me.
“Then there’s Mysti,” Callie said, loud enough to draw me back into their conversation. “Little Miss Insta-Love.”
I rolled my eyes, but my cheeks heated all the same. “That’s not a thing.”
Callie scoffed. “It is so a thing.”
“Is not.”
“Is so!”
“It’s l-love at f-first sight.” Everyone paused, their gazes whipping toward the man who’d sat silent across from me this entire time. Steve flinched as I looked up at him. He reached for his nearly empty glass and tried to take a sip. “Th-that’s what it’s called,” he said, putting his glass back on the table. “Wh-when you fall in love when you first meet someone.”
Skin tingling with memories of the first time I laid eyes on Trenton, I reached across the table and set my hand on Steve’s arm. I made sure he was looking right at me before I said, “Don’t you go egging them on too.”
“Speaking of.” Callie lifted her brows, looking like she was about to scold me for something I was sure I didn't do. “When’s your boyfriend coming back?”
A heavy sigh left me and I sat back in my chair. “I’m not sure. I talked to him yesterday, but he said something came up and he didn’t know when he’d be back home.”
Calvin raised one eyebrow, staring me down like he didn’t understand. “And you believed him?”
With my mind blank, I blinked, not just at Calvin, but at Junie and Callie and Corabelle too. My chest tightened and I shook my head, as if doing so could clear my confusion away. It wasn’t until Callie lifted her hand and pointed her finger at the window that realization dawned.
A squeal pulled from my chest, so loud, Steve, Evie, and Clarence jolted in their seats. But I didn’t stick around to apologize for scaring them. I was already out of my chair and rushing out the door.
And into Trenton’s arms.
He scooped me up in a strong embrace, his chest pressing to mine as he held me tight. Laughter filled the air around me as he swept me up, spinning us in circles, while my heart took flight. I clung to him, half afraid he’d let me go, half afraid I’d fly away to chase after my heart as it raced for the sunny sky.
“You’re here!” I murmured into his long, curly hair, breathing in the scent of the sea and his own unique aroma.
“I’m here, love,” he whispered back, squeezing me even tighter than before.
I edged back, just a bit. Just enough so I could see into his sea-foam eyes. “I didn’t think you were going to be home so soon.”
“I couldn’t stay away.” He set me on my feet but kept one arm wrapped around me as he swept a strand of hair off my face. “I drove all night from California just to get here. I needed to be with you.”
My lip trembled and my skin tingled as I pulled in a long breath. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Trenton’s eyes darted to the side, and his laughter rumbled through him, the vibrations floating through me and warming me up. “We have an audience, love.”
Sure enough, when I peeked to my left, I found everyone I’d just been sitting with staring out the windows at me and Trenton. I curled my fingers into the back of his shirt, holding him a little closer, a little tighter. I locked eyes with Junie, and my boss nodded before lifting her hand and shooing me away.
Go, she mouthed, her lips curling into a beautiful smile. Have fun.
“Where’s your Jeep?” I asked, lifting my gaze to Trenton’s.
He jerked his chin up the street. “Right over there.”
I grabbed his hand, not giving him a moment to get his bearings before I was tugging him toward his vehicle and climbing in. Trenton’s laughter filled the air, the deep sound almost covering the footsteps pounding on the cement. I went to turn, to look back over my shoulder, only to find Callie standing next to the open door.