Three days later, I stood discussing Nebraska football with RJ at the counter of Rosie’s. He was under the impression that this was our season, a return to the glory days of the 90s. I had been thus far unimpressed with our uniforms and therefore convinced it was going to be another disappointing season.

Uniforms was about as much as I knew about football. I had never been the kind to get into team sports. Or group activities in general.

“I just don’t want your heart to get broken,” I told him gently. “Again.”

His thin lips trembled with the hint of a smile beneath his bushy white mustache. “And I just don’t think you know anything about football is all.”

I shot him a conspiratorial grin. “You might have me there.”

“The Thunder Rolls” by Garth Brooks filled the dining room of Rosie’s. I glanced outside to see how apropos that was in light of the thunderstorm brewing outside. The fickle Nebraska weather had not been on our side this season. And while I appreciated the real autumn weather we were having, temps in the sixties and crisp fall breezes that required sweaters and boots, I did not love the rain.

Growing up in a double wide did something to a girl whenever a storm rolled through. I had childhood trauma from the recorded radio warnings whenever there was a possibility of a tornado or bad storm. The crackling voice would always decry “inevitable destruction” for those living in mobile homes.

And that was me. I was the one living in the mobile home.

Luckily, a twister had never gotten close enough to rip our home to shreds, but the threat was there. If Mother Nature wanted to, she could chew us up and spit us out without really trying.

I was happy Max was at school today. At least he wouldn’t have to listen to the pounding of rain on our thin roof or hear the thunder as it roared overhead.

A couple locals hustled through the door, shaking out umbrellas and stomping their feet on the mat. I waved at them and told them to sit wherever they’d like.

“It’s supposed to stop after lunch,” RJ murmured around a bite of hash browns.

My gaze cut to him across the smooth counter I’d spent all morning keeping clean. “What’s supposed to stop?”

He focused harder on his food. “The rain. It’s going to quit this afternoon and then it’ll get nice and humid.”

Tapping my fingers on the Formica, I tried to decide if he knew my secret. I made a sound in the back of my throat. “I shouldn’t have tried to straighten my hair this morning then. What a waste.”

He lifted his face and grinned at me. “Seems like a waste of time no matter the weather. That hair of yours don’t want to be straight.”

I scowled at him and turned back to the coffee pot. He was right about that, but I couldn’t let him know that. He already thought he knew everything.

But my hair truly didn’t want to be straight, no matter how hard I worked at it with a flat iron. It had been difficult to handle my entire life, but after I got pregnant with Max, forget about it. It was impossible now.

Still, I tried. Not all the time. But there were some days I just wanted to look like I had my life together. And I had been in a funk ever since Saturday night, when I ran into Levi and his mom at Supper in the Square.

After wallowing in self-pity and the mess that was my life for a solid two days, I thought I’d crawl my way back to adjusted contentment, meaning the whole straight, glossy hair thing.

It had lasted all the way from my bathroom to the small deck outside our front door when heavy rain drops erased all my hard work.

“I got other customers besides you,” I told RJ as I carried the pot of coffee and two clean mugs toward the table that I watched get seated out of the corner of my eye.

“I’m sure you do,” he muttered at his eggs.

“Coffee?” I asked the new couple as they pulled menus from between the salt and pepper shakers. It was the Cooks. Lord, help us all.

They were good friends with Levi’s parents. Rich Cole and Dennis Cook had been running in the same circles since they were kids. Now the two of them practically owned this town. Not in the proper ways, mind you. They weren’t elected officials or anything. They just had all the money and influence to get whatever they wanted.

The Cooks were most recently responsible for the latest Clark City High School jumbotron, making them practically small-town saints.

“Please,” Dennis mumbled.

“Do you have creamer?” Carol Cook asked sweetly.

I filled up their mugs and pointed to the dish already on the table. “We just have what’s in front of you already, ma’am.”

Her nose wrinkled in disgust. “How about milk or half and half? Surely you have real half and half?”

I swallowed down a tart reply. “I’m happy to check for you.”

“Do that,” she answered. “And when you get back, we’ll be ready to order.”

I smiled, but it was paper thin. “Be right back.”

Turning around, I heard Carol Cook drop her voice and whisper to her husband, “That’s the daughter of that stripper. The one with the kid.”

“Hmph,” was his reply. “At least she’s found more suitable work.”

“That we know about,” Carol sighed.

Biting my tongue, I just managed to keep from turning around and clarifying. “Manager,” I wanted to say. “She’s a strip club manager. She hasn’t taken her clothes off for money in twenty years.”

I blinked at the hot plate where I returned the half-full coffee pot. “Now she does it for free,” I whispered.

The bells on the door jingled again and I escaped into the kitchen before I had to greet another judgmental shrew. I didn’t care who it was at this point. They were all the same.

How exactly did they think a strip club existed so close to Clark City anyway? Who did they think frequented the establishment? It wasn’t like a hot spot for tourism.

Besides, it wasn’t even completely nude. That wasn’t allowed in Nebraska. Technically, they had to keep some clothing on—or at least that’s what local law enforcement said.

But I was sure Dennis Cook knew more about that than I did.

“What are you looking for?” Reggie demanded as I rummaged through the cooler.

“Half and half? Do we have any?

“Half and half? Why?”

I turned around, so he could see the look on my face and know not to mess with me. “One of our patrons demands half and half for her coffee. I’m not asking you to solve world hunger. I’m just trying not to piss people off this morning, Reg. Please tell me we have some.”

He made a sound in the back of his throat. “Maybe it’s time you start pissing people off, Rube. Might do those wrinkles in your forehead some good.”

“Did you want to die today?” I asked him calmly. Thunder boomed outside, mimicking my mood. “Better call the wife and tell her you love her because I swear I will put you in the ground if you talk about my forehead wrinkles one more time.”

The kitchen staff snickered at my threat, but Reggie just rolled his eyes. He was roughly twice my size and had arm muscles bigger than my head. Yeah, I was probably not going to be able to take him out today.

Or any day.

“The half and half is on the top shelf. The saucer is in the—”

“I know where the saucer is. Thank you.”

He made another humming noise. “You’re welcome.” When I left the kitchen I heard him say, “Woman’s on the rampage today. Damn.”

I let out a slow breath as I walked toward the Cooks—barely noting the newcomers who’d taken up the booth directly next to them. Maybe I was a little higher strung than usual. Maybe I should let my frustration go. Maybe it wasn’t Carol Cook’s fault she was such a snob.

“I found some half and half for you.” I set it down with a little flourish of my hand.

Her nose wrinkled again. “I hope you didn’t just find it anywhere back in that filthy kitchen.”

“It’s fresh,” I rushed to say, my cheeks heating with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to say—”

“We’re ready to order,” she cut me off crisply. “Dennis, we’re ready to order.”

Dennis turned around on command and I realized I wasn’t alone on this level of dismissiveness from Carol. She treated her husband just as poorly.

Now his frequent trips to Misty’s made more sense.

I instantly felt bad for thinking that. No matter what kind of wife you were, you didn’t deserve an unfaithful man.

That wasn’t to say Carol could act however she wanted without consequence. But Dennis should deal with his wife before slinking off to establishments of ill repute.

However, these were thoughts I would keep to myself. Unlike the Cooks and the Coles and all the other families in this town whose shit didn’t stink, I didn’t spread these rumors around town for everyone to hear. I kept them bottled up tightly. I was a locked vault.

I would never let anyone else, no matter how awful they were, suffer the same kind of ridicule I had to face.

Dennis said something to the man behind him, a man I was only just recognizing, and both gentlemen laughed. Levi Cole had half turned around so that his long arm stretched along the length of the booth. His dimple had appeared as he laughed and smiled at Dennis. The two of them eventually said their goodbyes for now and Dennis ordered biscuits and gravy, and for his wife, a raspberry muffin and cup of fruit.

“Coming right up,” I chirped. Standing there for a few awkward seconds, I decided what to do next and how to find someone else to handle my job for me while I found the courage to be a grownup. I eventually left the Cooks to face a table full of bad high school memories.

Not only was Levi tucked into the corner with his arms sprawled across the booth behind him, but his best friends had joined him this morning. Jeremiah Finch and Jackson Mercer, or more commonly known as, Finch and Mercer, were with him. The two of them had stuck around Clark City, unlike their fearless leader, and had settled down for the most part.

Finch had some kind of carpentry business that was taking off. And Mercer had followed the family business of selling farm equipment—New Holland and John Deere and what not. They also sold a large number of ATVs and four-wheelers.

I didn’t have to deal with them often, but once a month they’d grab breakfast together at Rosie’s and I would be forced to wait on them. They hadn’t changed since high school. For all their success, they were still the goofy meatheads they’d always been.

“Morning, gentlemen,” I said to them upon approach. “Can I start you off with some coffee?”

Three sets of eyes turned to face me at the same time. I felt the curiosity in the air from Finch and Mercer immediately. It was always there with them. We had graduated together, and they’d known me from when we were kids.

Life had not gone as planned for me. That much was obvious to anyone that knew me from childhood. It was a strange thing to watch people grow up in their entirety, without the benefit of secrecy from time apart. There was more judgment there, higher expectations. Not just from them, but from me too. I didn’t understand why Finch had never married his high school girlfriend, Sadie. And I had never understood why Mercer stayed at his family business, when I knew he’d always wanted to travel.

I could feel their unanswered questions about me circling the air, but I was thankful both of them had enough sense not to ask them. Instead, we watched each other the way we always had, from a distance, with our opinions to ourselves. I didn’t really like the two of them, but I didn’t hate them either. In high school they’d been as indifferent to me as they were now. And in my Clark City experience, that was the nicest way I had ever been received.

But Levi was an entirely different creature. I felt his gaze boring into me, demanding answers to those same questions I knew he would be more than happy to ask if given half an opportunity.

“Morning, Ruby,” Levi murmured in that low, hoarse voice of his.

Avoiding his gaze and ignoring his direct greeting, I turned to Finch. “What do you think? Coffee?”

Finch wrinkled his brow and glanced quickly at his prodigal friend before nodding. “Yeah, for me. Please.”

“For me too,” Mercer added.

The trio fell quiet, waiting for Levi’s answer. When he didn’t give one, I was forced to look at him. His green gaze captured mine immediately, hot and cold all at once, like the thunderstorm rolling through town behind him. Icy rain drops in the middle of sizzling streaks of lightning.

“I’d like a cup too, please,” he said softly.

Breathless for absolutely no reason, I nodded at the menus stored at the end of the table and tried to collect myself. “I’ll go grab the pot then,” I told them, hoping they didn’t notice the tremor in my voice. “Y’all can check out the menus. Although I highly recommend our special today. It’s corned beef and hash made with Reggie’s’ homemade sauerkraut. We serve two fried eggs over the top and throw in the cinnamon coffee cake short stack and two pieces of bacon to sweeten the deal. Sounds weird, I know, but I promise you’ll thank me for it.”

It was the pitch I’d been giving tables all morning and I said it more out of habit than politeness, but I was anxious to get away from this table and I hadn’t really meant to prolong my stay.

“Throw in an extra piece of bacon and I might consider it,” Levi answered.

I was forced to look at him and while I should have been better prepared for his face and those eyes and his aggressive aura, I wasn’t. Looking at him was like a punch in the face. I missed the boy I couldn’t stand seven years ago. I missed the softer edges to his jawline and the smaller biceps, that could throw a football wherever it needed to go, but didn’t have the sharp, cut edges they did now.

“Don’t you think you’re overdoing it on the bacon? That shit is going to mess with your heart.” The words fell out of my mouth, a product of being totally unnerved by this man and completely irritated with him all at once.

His head tilted to the side, his glowing green eyes not letting me get away with anything. “Are you telling me you care, Ruby? I had no idea you were so thoughtful when it came to my heart.” There was a bite to his words, a razor-sharp edge intended to cut me.

But I wasn’t that easy to wound anymore. And besides, he could be mad I turned him down for dinner all he wanted. I was doing this as a favor to him, whether he knew it or not.

“Just sayin’,” I shot back. “I don’t want you to drop dead from a heart attack or anything. It’s bad for business.”

He pushed back against the seat, flexing his arms and struggling to maintain his reposed position. “Right.”

I smiled at him, feeling more confident than I had in a long time. It shouldn’t feel this good to win a round against Levi Cole. I should be over our rivalry. I definitely shouldn’t want to antagonize the man—especially when I was so afraid he’d start digging around, trying to figure out who Max’s dad was. And yet, it had been a long time since I’d gotten a win. Against Levi or anybody. I couldn’t help but gloat just a little.

“I’ll be back with your coffee, gentlemen. Let me know if you have any questions about the menu.”

My ego swelling from the small round of verbal victory, I sashayed away from the table and found it easier to go back and give them the promised caffeine. At first, they didn’t even acknowledge my presence. They were stuck in the memories of old football games and girls they used to chase. Mercer and Levi were giving Finch a hard time about Sadie and why he had never been good enough for her.

“Sorry to interrupt,” I told them after their mugs were steaming and full. “But I’ll get your order in and then leave y’all alone.”

“Settle a bet for us first.” Mercer grinned at me. “Who was that guy you used to date in high school? None of us can remember his name.”

They had the look of puppy dogs. All three of them. Total wide-eyed innocence and gentleness. But I would have seen their trap a mile away. They were waiting for my answer so they could bite at my heels and chew up my favorite pair of shoes.

I kept my tone even, ignoring the way all of my insides seemed to tremble at their curiosity, and said, “I didn’t have a boyfriend in high school.”

“Yeah, sure, of course,” Mercer agreed placatingly. “But there was a guy, yeah? He took you to senior prom?”

“Ye,” I said simply, naming the foreign exchange student we’d had that year. Ye-Jun was from South Korea and had been one of the nicest people I’d ever known. He’d taken me to homecoming and senior prom that year and I probably could have fallen in love with him if I hadn’t already thought I was in love with Logan Cole.

Also, he went back to South Korea, so there had never been a real connection between us.

Finch turned to Levi. “I forgot about Ye.”

Levi shrugged. Apparently, he had not.

“There was another guy though, wasn’t there?” Mercer pushed. “Didn’t you hang out with someone else?”

“I don’t know,” I sighed patiently. “I wasn’t totally antisocial. I hung out with a lot of guys.”

“No, not like that,” Mercer said. “Like hung out with. You know, dated.”

They were playing the Guess Ruby’s Baby Daddy game. This was not the first time I’d had to dodge these kinds of questions. And as fun as it was, I was officially done with this conversation.

“Oh yeah, now I remember.” I set the coffee carafe down in the middle of the table and took a step back. “You mean the guy I banged right before graduation?” Mercer nodded, rapt with attention. I snapped my fingers and confessed, “It was your dad.” Before they could pick their jaws up off the table, I added, “Let me know when you’re ready to order.”

When I got back to the counter, RJ was snickering. I knew he wasn’t the only one eavesdropping either by the look of horror on Carol Cook’s face. But enough was enough already.

The thing was, Max’s dad was almost old news by this point. Sure, there was the occasional whispered conspiracy theory, but for the most part the town had moved on. There had been at least a dozen unplanned pregnancies since mine, plus a handful of affairs, bankruptcies and one very scandalous student-teacher misconduct between forty-three-year-old Mrs. Bishop and fifteen-year-old Tobias Patterson, who was from my neighborhood. I was old news.

Until Levi Cole walked back into town, reigniting a match that had been blown out years ago. I could feel his curiosity burning bright through the restaurant. I could see it in his narrowed gaze and ticking jaw. He wanted to know the answer to this unanswered question. And he wasn’t going to stop until he had it.

I ignored their table completely until Finch flagged me down to take their order. They didn’t let up teasing me, but at least nobody asked any more questions about my nonexistent high school dating life. I managed to wait on them in relative peace. They hung out for a while and I had the arduous duty of refilling their coffee pot one more time, but mostly they left me alone in favor of reliving the glory days.

Eventually, they’d exhausted all topics of conversation and left. I took the fifty-dollar tip they left on the table as reparations for the emotional damage of their presence over the last two hours and felt mildly appeased.

Although, the feeling didn’t last when I realized they would be back. And knowing Levi, the questions wouldn’t stop until he discovered the answer.

Nobody in the entire town, not even my own mother, cared enough about my life to dig up the truth. Nobody except Levi Cole—the one man who could not find out.