Reckless Hearts (Oak Harbor #2)(53)

“It’s not like that. They were engaged, Lottie,” I add, my voice catching. “He asked her to marry him. They were going to spend the rest of their lives together, and I never even knew she existed.”

She exhales. There’s no arguing with that. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Who is he?” I ask again, feeling hopeless. “Because it turns out I don’t know him at all.”

We sit for a moment in silence, then her phone buzzes. Lottie glances down. “Damn, it’s Eva.”

I remember all our plans. “Oh god, is she here?”

“Just got in. We were going to meet her at Dixie’s . . .” Lottie looks over at me. “You should come.”

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.” She straightens up, determined now. “You need to get drunk and eat cheesy fries, and be with people who love you. Besides, you want to see Eva, don’t you? You said it yourself, you’re not a girl who wallows over a guy. So, we’re going out.”



I let Lottie dress me up in a cute summer dress and paint lipstick on my mouth, and then we head over to Dixie’s. I try to act like I can do this: go wild and party Will right out of my mind, but inside, I’m still a wreck. I want to be curled up in bed watching sappy movies as an excuse to cry my eyes out, not walking into a crowded bar on a Friday night, full of happy people having the time of their lives.

I want to be with him.

“Dee!” Eva’s shriek cuts through even the noise of the bar. I barely have time to look around before she’s attacked: smothering me in a massive hug. “Oh my god, I’ve missed you!”

“I’ve missed you too!” I hug back, getting emotional again. It’s been months since I’ve seen her, and even though we text and call all the time, it’s just not the same. I pull back to take a good look at her. “You got bangs?!”

“Surprise!” Eva beams, her dark blonde hair cut in a new, lawyered style. She looks great, more confident and relaxed than I could imagine. “What about you? Where’s this hot new guy I’ve been hearing so much about . . .” She trails off as Lottie makes frantic cut-throat gestures. “Oh no, what did I say? What happened?”

“You tell her,” I say to Lottie. “I’ll go get us some drinks.”

I slip through the crowd, leaving Lottie to explain the whole terrible mess. Just saying the words out loud again would have made me fall apart, and I’m not going to do that again, not tonight.

Screw Will, I try to tell myself, gesturing for Dixie at the bar. Screw his lies and broken promises. Screw believing in a future with a guy. You had it right the first time around.

Dixie doesn’t even ask what I want, she just sets three shot glasses on the bar, and grabs a bottle of her best tequila. News travels fast around here.

“Angel,” I tell her gratefully, and down the first shot in one. She refills, and I knock that one back too, letting the burn of alcohol seep through my system.

“One more for luck.” She gives me a rueful smile, and tops me off again. I reach for my wallet, but she waves it away. “On the house, love.” She sets a tray with the shots and three beers. “Tell Eva to come say hello.”

“Will do.” I balance our tray back across to where Eva and Lottie have taken up residence in a corner booth. Their heads are bent together, sisters catching up, but they both look up as I approach, fixing me with matching expressions of sympathy and concern.

“Oh, no.” I slip into the booth. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Are you OK?” Eva reaches across the table to squeeze my hand. “Babe, I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”

“Then don’t.” I muster a bright smile. “Please, I don’t want to talk about it right now. I’ve cried enough today, I don’t want to wind up drunk and weeping in public too.” I slide their drinks over. “Let’s have a toast, to your amazing new life in New York!”

Eva doesn’t look convinced, but she does as I command. We raise our glasses, and clink them together in celebration. “It’s good to be back,” Eva says, sipping her tequila and looking around the room. “I love the city, it’s a whole new adventure, but there’s nothing like home. I want all the gossip. What have I missed? Besides the obvious,” she adds with an apologetic smile.

“There’s been scandal at every turn,” I announce, refusing to get sucked under the tide of misery again. I fill her in on all the small-town fights, rumors, and affairs, and soon we’re all laughing together again, and it’s like she’s never been gone. “What about you?” I demand finally. “Is it everything you wanted? Is Finn behaving himself?”

“Hey!” Eva protests, her cheeks flushed. “That’s my fiancé you’re talking about.”

I try not to flinch at the word. Will was someone’s fiancé once. Did they make wedding plans? I wonder. Pick out invitations and sit around feeding each other cake?

I feel sick again, and look around for some distraction. Sawyer is shooting pool in the back room, and I leap up. “Look who’s here,” I point, and Eva turns.

“Oh great, I was meaning to drop by and say hi to him. He’s keeping the animal rescue afloat single-handedly.”