That lightning strike his dad and brothers had felt reallyhadhappened to him…in the hallways of Gracemont High. And while he wanted to continue pretending his family’s insistence in love at first touch was bullshit, it was no longer possible.
Maverick had succumbed to that legend when he was just seventeen, falling hard and fast for his soul mate, Ella Decker.
The only problem was, she hadn’t fallen back. Instead, she’d ripped his heart out of his chest and stomped on it.
“Oh, hey,” Everett said, perking up as he glanced toward the entrance. “I didn’t know Theo and Gretchen were coming tonight.”
Jace frowned. “I thought they were having dinner at Edith’s.”
“Who’s that with them?” Everett asked. “She looks kind of familiar.”
Maverick turned his gaze toward the entrance of Whiskey Abbey, just as Everett raised his hand, calling out to their brother.
“Theo! Come join us.”
Jace blocked Maverick’s view of his brother when he hastily rose, grabbing a couple of empty chairs from a nearby table, making room for the newcomers.
Maverick was just about to offer up his seat, ready to call it an early night, when Theo, Gretchen, and…
His heart stopped beating for a full minute as he tried to decide if his mind was playing a trick on him.
Maybe his depression the last month or so had pushed him around the bend once and for all, and he’d completely lost his mind.
Or maybe this was one of thoseCandymanmoments. He’d thought Ella’s name one time too many and accidentally summoned her.
Ella was smiling as she approached the table, but it wobbled when her gaze landed on him, fading quickly, replaced by hesitance…and maybe even a bit of embarrassment.
Their eyes held for just a moment before Ella quickly looked away.
Jesus Christ. She was even more beautiful now.
Maverick had imagined this reunion way too often in the past, the scene changing no less than a hundred times, playing out each time in accordance with where he was on thatstages of grieflist.
In the early days, when he was knee-deep in the bargaining stage, he always saw himself finding some way to win her back, imagining himself as the romantic hero, who knew all the right things to say. Sometimes, when the anger coursed through his veins like poison, he ranted and raved at her, called her a heartless, cruel bitch. Other times, the depression wonout and he imagined himself simply asking her why, trying to understand what the hell he’d done wrong.
None of those things appeared now. Probably because he was concentrating too hard on remembering to breathe.
“You guys remember Ella Decker?” Theo asked, by way of introductions. “She lived here for a few years when she was in high school.”
“Ella Decker,” Everett said, snapping his fingers. “I knew you looked familiar.”
Everett was a year younger than Maverick and Ella, so he’d been just behind them in school. Not that being in different grades mattered. Gracemont High School was small enough that everyone in the entire school knew each other well.
Jace stood up and offered his hand. “I’m Jace Storm. Afraid I don’t remember you.”
Ella smiled, though it looked somewhat forced. “You were a bit young the last time I was here.”
“As I recall, Ella and Maverick were in the same grade, which means you would have been in elementary school, or maybe middle school,” Theo said to Jace. “So I doubt your paths crossed very often.”
Everett was next to shake her hand. “It’s good to see you again. I’m Everett, in case you don’t remember me.”
“I remember. You were a bit of a computer genius, always helping Mrs. Crites in the library whenever her circulation desk crashed.”
Everett grinned. “That’s me.”
“He’s still a computer geek,” Theo teased, as he, Gretchen, and Ella claimed the empty chairs. Ella was sitting opposite Maverick, in the chair farthest from him. He wondered if she’d chosen that spot on purpose, trying to keep her distance.
Regardless of her effort, it wasn’t enough, because he could smell her perfume, the same soft floral scent she favored when they were in school.