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“You sound miserable considering you invested next to nothing and it came back to you thousandfold.”
“I don’t know. Money creates bad people, and I’ve never wanted to be around it.”
“But you’re not bad,” he points out.
“Still. It’s just not what I envisioned. Champagne problems, I know.”
“I get it. You never cared about that stuff. You were always giving away all your possessions, even when we were kids.”
“Sharing is caring.” I smile at him. “How’s your love life?”
“Nonexistent. Yours?”
“Nonexistent.”
“I love that for us.”
It hits me now how much I’ve missed him. We were best friends when we were little, and I acted like a dick by just leaving and not telling him why. We text occasionally, but it’s not the same as it used to be.
After an hour of catching up, I feel hopeful. I’ve been back for a full day and nothing bad has happened––so far. Maybe my time back here won’t be so difficult after all. I just hope I don’t jinx myself with that thought.
But a few hours later, after my meeting with Darlene, I learned that I did indeed jinx myself.
Chapter 5
Robin
“It’s obviously George Clooney.” Kora slams her drink on the table and gestures for me to write the answer down on our trivia sheet.
“You sure?”
She looks at me incredulously. “Which famous ER cast member went on to win an Oscar in his career? Yes, I’m freaking sure it’s George Clooney! How do you not know?”
“I told you that I’m not good a trivia.” I reluctantly write down the answer. “It’s probably because I dropped out of college.”
Kora rolls her eyes. “Yes, a college degree would’ve really increased your pop culture knowledge.”
I stick my tongue out at her.
For the past few months, Kora has repeatedly dragged me to trivia night. And every time she’s shocked by how little I know. In front of anyone else, I’d be embarrassed. I don’t like feeling dumb. But Kora is my best friend, and I know she’s only teasing. She’s annoyingly competitive and loves to show off.
“Quick, Robin! They’re collecting the cards.” She nudges me as she waves down the young server assisting the trivia host. When he passes our table, Kora winks at him, and his face goes beet red.
“What was that?” I whisper.
“Girl, I don’t know. I don’t know who I am during trivia. It’s like I’m another person.” She puts her face in her hands.
I laugh. “No, you’re exactly you during trivia.”
“Wow. How dare you?” She looks up and narrows her eyes at me. “Should I get us another round of drinks?”
“Yes, please.”
Kora gets up and practically bounces across the busy bar. Every head turns as she passes, and I know she’s eating up the attention. Kora is not only a social butterfly, but she’s incredibly well-known in Cottondale. As the owner of the local coffee shop, Bean Me Up, she’s acquainted with practically everyone.
When I moved here and stumbled upon her coffee shop, I was sad and had no friends yet. And most importantly, I didn’t trust anyone after what happened in LA. But Kora changed all that. She insisted on showing me around town, and within a week we were inseparable. A month later, after years of trying to be someone I was not, I finally felt like myself again.
“Alright, another drink for thee, fine lady.” Kora slides another drink across the table. “So, you said you had something to tell me after trivia?”
