Page 8 of Ignite My Heart

I give her a hopeful smile. "Don't suppose you have a brother?"

She chuckles. "I do. Andrew Riggs is my older brother."

"Oh, shit. The movie star? I didn't even realize that was your last name."

Audrey snorts. "Well, he's not the movie star. His ass is. But yeah, that's him."

"He was ahead of me in school, but I remember him being a decent guy."

Jared snorts but says nothing as he returns his focus to the display of gum like it holds the secrets of the universe.

“Will it do me any good to encourage you to give Garrett a chance?” Audrey asks.

I shake my head. “No, but I do thank you for trying to help. Garrett and I have a not-so-friendly past, and I’d prefer not to dig up old skeletons my first week back in Saddle Creek.”

Audrey rubs her hands together. “Ooh! Skeletons? That sounds interesting.”

“Trust me. It’s not. Just an ordinary tale of a girl with a crush on her best friend’s boyfriend. It was a classic girl-likes-boy, boy-is-too-nice-and-unwittingly-leads-her-on story.”

Beside me, Jared gives a huff.

I ignore him because Jared is always huffing about something.

But Audrey elbows him in the side. “What?”

He looks up at me, scowling. “That’s not how I remember it, is all.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure my memories are more vivid. Seeing how it was my life.”

He snorts. “It didn’t happen the way you think it did.”

I prop a hand on my hip. “Oh, so you think you know something I don’t?”

Jared shrugs.

“Okay, fine, oh, wise and all-knowing Jared, tell me what really happened.”

He pins me with a look. “You talk to Garrett about this yet?”

“No.”

“Well, you need to.” Before I can protest, Jared holds up his hands in a sign of surrender. “I’m not meddling in this mess until you’ve talked to him.”

"Hey, gorgeous. Fancy meeting you out here on the street," Garrett says.

I roll my eyes while simultaneously fighting a stupid grin.

Don't do it, Felicity. Don't fall for his easy charm again. Last time, you had to leave town with your heart in pieces.

"Do people still say 'fancy' in that way?" I quip.

"Oh, I do. I'm also a fan of 'dig it' and 'groovy' if you're looking for other phrases to toss about for fun."

This time, I do laugh because I just can't help it. "Why are you like this?"

I find myself walking side-by-side with him down Main Street in our hometown.

"So, tell me more about your boyfriend," he says.