Her eyes widen, and for a long beat, I don’t think she’s going to speak, but then she clears her throat and the corner of her lips tilts up. “That was my sophomore year. How do you even remember his name?”
I’ve never forgotten what she said in the letters she sent me, even years later. It’s something I thought a lot about when I was behind bars. When Liam offered to pack my apartment, I made sure he grabbed them so I didn’t lose them.
“Because I remember that little prick made you cry.”
“Well, I’m a big girl now. And he’s married to Maggie. She owns the salon.”
“Wait.” I hold my hands above my head to imitate big hair. “The girl who looked like she used a can of hairspray every day?”
Gemma laughs, then nods. “Yep.”
“Wow. Guess I have some catching up to do.”
“A lot has changed.” Her gaze locks on mine, and neither of us blinks. The intensity is thick between us. “I’m engaged,” she blurts out, then immediately blushes. “I mean, so you don’t have to go laying anyone out.”
I narrow my eyes at her, wondering if she’s always this socially awkward or if it’s just with me. “I heard.”
“Right. Of course, you did. I’m sure Everleigh told you.”
“She did. Congrats.” I shove my hands into my pockets.
“Thank you. We finally set a date, so I’m in major planning mode now.”
“That’s great. I’m really happy for you, Gemma. You deserve the wedding of your dreams.”
She stares at me as if there’s something on the tip of her tongue. “I waited.”
“What?”
Gemma inhales a sharp breath and looks away before locking her green eyes back on mine. “After you left, I waited.Years, actually.”
I wasn’t expecting her to say that. My throat goes dry, unsure how I should respond, and all I can muster is an apology. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Well, how would you? I never heard from you again.”
Fuck.
The hurt in her tone is undeniable, and this is the last place I expected us to have this conversation.
“Gemma…” I step closer.
“No.” She shakes her head. “I shouldn’t have said anything. It doesn’t matter. I’m over it.”
The bitterness of her tone has me halting. She never got closure. Neither did I, but honestly, it was my own stupid fault.
“We—”
The phone rings and interrupts us before I can tell her that we should talk in private, but she holds up a finger.
“Don’t worry about it. I gotta take this.”
I purse my lips and give her a curt nod. “Alright. See you Monday then.”
She gives a slight wave as she answers the call with a sweet greeting. I make my way out of the shop and blink hard, avoiding the sun.
Fuck. That conversation didn’t go as planned. I hope working there isn’t the worst fucking idea I’ve ever had. If it all backfires on me, things will end worse than they did the last time I left, and I’ll shatter more than just her heart.
Instead of going home, I stop at Everleigh’s boutique.