I’ve always liked April, but right now I could kiss her. She just pushed Holly into my waiting arms.

“Perfect. Do you need to go home first or are you good to go as is?” I’m hoping she’ll opt to go home first. I’d love to see where she lives and maybe convince her to spend the night in with me. I want her all to myself to find out if she still feels what I do between us.

“I’m fine like this,” she says.

“Great.” I force a smile on my face and motion for her to lead the way out of the office. She walks past April, glaring at her.

April hesitates, a smile on her face, and then she whispers to me, “You’re welcome.”

“Thank you,” I whisper back.

Holly starts for the back door but then hesitates. “Oh, how should we do this? I’m parked in the back. Do you want me to follow you, or do you want to follow me?”

It’s like she’s determined to keep space between us. “Why don’t I drive and I’ll bring you back to your car after dinner?”

She doesn’t respond right away, and I’m sure she’s trying to come up with a reason why this plan wouldn’t work. She can’t, though. “Okay, I guess.”

I start for the front door and hold it open for her. Instead of walking through it, she pauses. “Oh, I forgot my coat in my office. Just give me a second.”

“No worries,” I say, removing my jacket. “You know I’m always hot.”

She pauses at my words, and I realize how that must have sounded to her.

“I mean, I don’t get cold easily.” I force a laugh. “Remember I used to wear shorts well into December? I can’t do that anymore, but...” I’m babbling like a frickin’ idiot.

She smiles. “You still ramble when you’re nervous, huh?”

I sigh. “What can I say? You still have that effect on me.”

Her cheeks tinge pink as I drape my jacket over her shoulders. “Thank you.”

Something about seeing her with my jacket feels right. “After you.”

She walks out into the parking lot, clutching the front of the jacket closed. “I’m guessing that’s you,” she says, gesturing to my black Lexus sedan.

“It’s the only car left in the lot, so good guess,” I say, bumping my hip into hers. It’s something we always did when joking with each other. The movement was so natural for me, but she looks startled by it. “Sorry,” I say.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” she says, but the sorrow in her voice rips through my core.

I open the passenger side door for her and use the walk around the car to compose myself. I have to remember that even though all these feelings are resurfacing, we aren’t the same Nick and Holly anymore. I don’t want to make her uncomfortable.

As soon as I’m inside the car, I crank the heat, noticing Holly is shivering despite my jacket. “Give it a second to warm up.” I click the button for her heated seat as well.

“So, where do you want to eat?” she asks, making small talk.

“How about O’Malley’s?” It’s the pub we used to frequent at least once a week. It sort of became our place.

“Sure.” I detect a hint of a smile spreading across her lips. Maybe I’m not wrong. Maybe she does still feel something for me. Or maybe she’s just happy at the memory of what we had. Either way, I can work with that.

I drive the ten minutes to O’Malley’s and find a parking spot near the door. The place was always packed, so I’m shocked that parking isn’t an issue. I get out and walk around to get Holly’s door, but she’s already out of the car. I decide to be bold and offer my arm, and I’m pleasantly surprised when she takes it.

We walk inside to find the bar is hopping. Over people’s heads, I spot Liam tending bar. “I can’t believe he’s still here,” I say.

Holly follows my gaze. “He’s part owner now.”

“Good for him.” I raise my hand and wave to my old friend.

A huge smile breaks across Liam’s freckled face when he sees me, and he waves me over. “Look what the cat dragged in!” Liam pulls me in for a one-armed hug across the bar top as soon as I approach. “How the hell have you been, Nick?”

“Great. I hear you have been, too. Co-owner?”

Liam’s smile grows, and he grabs three shot glasses from behind the bar. He pours tequila into each and pushes two across the bar for us. “To old friends,” he says, raising his own.

“To old friends,” I repeat, and I glance at Holly. She was my best friend. My world. All I want is for her to be that again. I down my drink, and she does the same.

“What are you drinking tonight?” Liam asks us.

“Actually, we were hoping to get a table and have some dinner,” Holly says.

“You got it.” Liam flags down a waiter. “I need a table for two, somewhere away from the bar.” He winks at Holly, and she turns beet red. He must think this is a date, and while I’d love for it to be, I don’t think that’s how Holly views it.

“Right this way,” the waiter says to us.

“Thanks, man,” I say, clasping Liam’s hand across the bar.

He nods his head in Holly’s direction and gives me a questioning look as she follows the waiter.

“A man can dream, right?” I say before catching up to her.

We’re seated in a secluded corner in the back. Holly drapes my jacket over the back of her chair, which I pull out for her. The waiter hands us two menus, and Holly immediately begins to scan hers—I’m sure to avoid my gaze, which is trained on her. I’m still staring at her when the waiter returns moments later with water for us. Holly orders a Guinness and the French dip, and I echo her order since I haven’t so much as glanced at the menu.

“Are you leaving right after Christmas?” she asks me once the waiter leaves.

“Actually, I’m relocating to Sapphire Springs. I’m going into business for myself now.”

“As a contractor?” she asks before taking a sip of her water.

I nod. “Bergen County isn’t for me. I missed this place.” Specifically the people.

“That’s great. Congratulations.” The worry on her face doesn’t match her words.

“You sound thrilled to have me back in the area,” I say, trying to make a joke. “Am I that awful to be around?”

Her head lowers. “The opposite actually.”

I reach across the table and place my hand on top of hers. “I told you I don’t have any negative feelings for you.” I smile and repeat the words she just said to me. “The opposite actually.”

The waiter returns with our drinks, interrupting the moment, so I release Holly’s hand and sit back in my chair.

“Have you found a place to live, or will you be staying with your parents for a while?” Holly asks once we’re alone again.

“I’m sleeping in my old room for now. I’ll be house hunting right after the holidays. Depending on how long the search takes, I may end up staying at the Crystal Cavern. I love my parents, but...”

She laughs. “Yeah, I completely understand.”

“How are you’re parents doing?” I ask her as the waiter returns with our food.

“Same old.”

“Are they still arguing over what to do with your old room?” They used to bicker about that constantly. Holly’s mom wanted a yoga room, while her father wanted a man cave. Holly and I used to do our best impressions of them and stage fake arguments. It always wound up with us laughing hysterically in each other’s arms.

“It’s ridiculous. They actually split the room in half. Mom has her yoga mat and ball on one side, and Dad set up a TV and recliner on the other.” She laughs, and it nearly does me in as I attempt to dip my sandwich in the broth. I wind up spilling it on the front of my khaki pants, which only makes her laugh harder.

“Oh, you think that’s funny, do you?” I say, but I’m laughing, too.

“You haven’t changed,” she says. “You always were clumsy when it came to messy foods.”

“That and you always made me laugh when I was eating them. I was sure you did it on purpose. Now I’m thinking I was right.”

“Maybe,” she says with a smirk bordering on flirtatious.

I dip my napkin in my water glass and dab at my pants, but it’s clear they’re in desperate need of a washing. “Mom’s going to love this. It’s like old times, having to wash stains off my clothing after meals.”

“It is just like old times, isn’t it?” she says.

I pause in my efforts to clean my pants and stare at her. “You mean us? The way we seem to be the same as we were together even though we’ve both grown over the past five years?”

She nods. “Why is that?”

Because we’re meant to be together. I know that. I need her to see it, and maybe this is the first step.

“I think we’ll always be Nick and Holly.”

I can’t read her expression and have no idea what she’s thinking, so I’m completely surprised when she says, “Do you want to get this food boxed up and go to my place to clean off your pants?”

Go back to her place and remove my pants? Yes. Yes, please! “I think you’re reading my mind.”