Lindsey looked so drawn. Even when she smiled, it looked like it never reached her eyes. The girl I had grown up with was bubbly if a little slow. She didn’t get into college, and so she stayed home to find work in Ridgewood. It was hard to stay friends, and eventually we just drifted apart. That happened with most of my friends from those days.
I frowned. I hated how that had happened. I hated that I was the kind of person that let friendships die. But the truth was, that just naturally happened sometimes.
People changed. They grew into something else. You couldn’t stop that, even if it was sad.
As I munched on fries and sipped coffee, I sensed someone sit down on the stool next to me.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
My gaze snapped up. Reid sat on the stool next to me, grinning.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him.
“Getting lunch. That a crime?”
“No, I mean, I just didn’t expect you.”
“I didn’t expect you, either, but here we are.”
The waitress walked over. “What can I get you, Climber?” she asked him.
“Hi, Marci. Coffee and a tuna salad sandwich, please.”
“Okay, coming right up.” She walked way.
“Marci?” I asked him.
“I’m a known entity in these parts.”
He grinned at me and I felt my head go a little dizzy. His tight T-shirt showed off his muscles and his hair was messed up from whatever he had been doing. I wanted to reach out and fix it, but he looked so damn cute the way it was.
Plus, it would have been totally weird and inappropriate. Stepsisters didn’t touch their stepbrothers like that, right?
“Looks like the breakfast of champions,” he said, nodding at my fries.
“Comfort food. I haven’t had these in a long time.”
“They as good as you remember?”
“Not really.”
He laughed as Marci returned with his coffee and then walked away. He picked it up and sipped it.
“Your ass is dirty,” he said.
“Excuse me?”
“Your ass.” He leaned back and looked at it. “There are mud specks on your ass.”
I blushed. “Oh, right. I rode my bike here.”
“What did you think I meant?”
“Nothing.”
He leaned close to me. “Listen, sis, if I wanted to tell you that your ass looked great, I’d just say it.”
“Cut it out.”
He leaned back and looked at it again. “Does look good though.”
“Reid, don’t be gross.”
“Just paying you a compliment. I’d love to see you bent over my bed sometime.”
I gaped at him. “Okay, that’s enough.”
He laughed at me and sipped his coffee again. I hated how much he loved to tease me. He never failed to go too far and make me blush.
“So how does it feel, being back?”
“Weird. Also like I never left.”
“Ridgewood is funny that way. No matter how much the people change, the town stays the same.”
I nodded. “It’s like we’re in a little time warp out in the woods.”
“Living our lives backward.”
I laughed. “Soon it’ll be the stone age.”
“Perfect. That way I can just grab you and haul you off to my cave. Have my way with you.”
“Oh please. I’d fight you off.”
“Fight me off? I’m twice your size. I could throw you around.”
“Fortunately it’s not the stone age then.”
“Please. You’d kill to get just an hour in a cave with me.”
“Yeah, right. I think I’d rather get eaten by a T-Rex.”
He laughed and I smiled. “Hey, where’d you go this morning, by the way?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Nowhere special.”
“Typical Reid, avoiding the subject.”
“Typical Becca, pretending like she doesn’t want me to ravish her in the bathroom.”
“How about you ravish yourself?”
Before he could respond, Marci the waitress returned and put his sandwich down in front of him. “Need anything else, Climber?”
“Nah, I’m good. Thanks, Marci.”
She smiled at me. “Anything for you?”
“No, thanks.”
I watched as she walked away and wondered how often Reid came into the Blue if the waitresses knew to call him Climber.
“Do I know her?” I asked him.
“I don’t think so.”
“I guess you’re a regular here, then.”
“Like I said, I’m a known entity.”
He picked up his sandwich and took a huge bite out of it. I made a face.
“Gross. You even eat like a caveman.”
He chewed and swallowed. “I don’t believe in wasting time on manners.”