"Claire Myers."
Kyle groaned out loud. "Ella's best friend?" His tone was incredulous. "Are you serious? You were a bona fide jerk to her in high school and didn't miss an opportunity to tease and torment her because she was taller than most of the guys in our class. Remember when she wore that green dress to school and you called her the Jolly Green Giant? Not cool, man."
Nolan winced at the reminder. "God, I was such an immature asshole back then."
"Yeah, you were," Kyle agreed with a wholehearted chuckle.
While Kyle had been on the varsity wrestling team, which had earned him a scholarship to University of Chicago, Nolan had been the quintessential cocky quarterback who was a total partier and a player-on the field and off. In contrast, Kyle had been more focused on maintaining his grades for college and had been interested in only one girl-Ella. Back then, Nolan had the pick of any girl he'd wanted, and usually had some cute, petite, perky cheerleader at his beck and call. Claire, on the other hand, had been awkward, skinny, and gangly, and was always stumbling over her own two feet because her legs were so long, which made her a target for ridicule.
"I think you were intimidated by Claire's height since she was a few inches taller than you. You did have a bit of a Napoleon complex before your growth spurt your senior year," Kyle said, just to bust his friend's chops, which earned him the flip of a middle finger. "After all this time, what put Claire on your radar for someone you'd want to date?"
"A week ago she came into the office to ask me about some tax advice regarding her grandmother's estate, who recently passed," Nolan told him. "She had on this green miniskirt I swear she'd worn to fucking mock me for what I'd said back in high school. I couldn't stop staring at her gorgeous long legs and toned thighs that were distracting as hell and had me entertaining some pretty inappropriate thoughts during our meeting."
The corner of Kyle's mouth quirked with humor. "Karma is a bitch, isn't it?"
"No shit." Nolan rubbed at the back of his neck with his hand. "When Claire stood up to leave, she asked me if I still thought she looked like the Jolly Green Giant or if she'd finally grown into her long legs. She was challenging me, and I have to admit, it was such a goddamn turn-on that I told her I'd have to reserve judgment until after our first date and I had a chance to see if she could walk in heels without tripping over her feet."
"And she actually fell for that line?" Kyle asked in disbelief.
Nolan shrugged, though there was no denying his overly confident expression. "We're having dinner Friday night, so I'd say the answer to that is an unequivocal yes."
Fisher's Grocery-owned by Ella's father, who'd passed the store's responsibilities to his daughter after his stroke-finally came into view. Kyle pulled his truck into the small parking lot. The auction didn't start for another ten minutes, but there was a group of about a dozen townsfolk already gathered in front of the old building next to the family market. The rumble of his engine drew everyone's attention as he parked, then killed the engine. When he got out of the vehicle with Nolan and people started recognizing him as he approached, he heard the low chatter of gossip already starting.
He'd been prepared for the shock and speculation. Nobody but Nolan knew he planned to bid on the building. Not even his own mother was aware of his intentions, because Kyle knew she would have tried to talk him out of what he saw as an investment, as well as the ability to give his hardworking mom the dream she'd always talked about that had been beyond her reach.
That was going to change after today.
As Kyle and Nolan stood in the back of the small crowd and off to the side, Kyle said a polite hello to Tom Elliott, who owned the barbershop on the corner, his well-groomed gray brows pulled together in a perplexed frown. The old man returned the greeting with a low, "Good to see you, son," though it was evident by Tom's confused expression that he was trying to figure out why Kyle was there when he hadn't attended a town function in ten years.
Kyle nodded his head cordially at Jeanette Jones, a teller at the savings and loan, and smiled amicably at the others who were casting surreptitious glances his way as they waited for the public sale to begin. The only one he didn't see in attendance was Ella, but considering Fisher's Grocery was attached to the property for sale, she still had a few minutes left before she needed to arrive. She probably believed she had no competition for the building, therefore there was no reason to show up early to size up her opposition. As for Kyle, as an experienced contractor and someone who purchased a whole lot of foreclosed properties and businesses, he'd done his due diligence and knew exactly what he was up against. Just one other interested party named Ella Fisher.