Chapter 1

1

Noah knew he hadn’t been gone long enough to see any real changes, but he was still surprised when he drove into town and everything was exactly the same. The Welcome to Mountain View sign was slightly more faded, and the light board advertising that night’s football game seemed to be half burnt-out, but those were the only things he noticed right away. The streets were mostly empty, the sidewalks covered in a light dusting of snow. The gray afternoon light reflected off the storefronts and into his eyes, forcing him to slow down.

He knew that if he cruised over to the high school, the small lot would be full of battered pick-ups, the football team would be practicing on the muddy, slushy field, and the drive-in next door would be packed with kids buying shakes and chicken baskets. Noah did not find this knowledge comforting. If anything, it unnerved him. Life wasn’t meant to be this static. Every time he heard somebody waxing nostalgic about the “good old days,” he had to suppress a shudder. What was so great about never moving forward?

That question had been on his mind a lot since his father called. He was holding on to that damned house and that twice-damned store so hard he was bleeding. It was killing him. And why couldn’t he just walk away?

Noah shook his head and made a left turn. It took only three minutes to drive from the center of town to the outskirts where the monstrosity he used to call “home” was located. He passed it without slowing. His father’s old Scout wasn’t in the driveway, and he didn’t have a key anymore. Or any desire to wait in that musty place by himself.

Another left, and then a right brought him to Center Street. The Mountain Diner was just where he remembered it, with the same green-tinted windows, and the same blue Jeep parked in the driveway. Noah couldn’t wait to get the fuck out of there. He parked beside it and took a moment to straighten his tie before exiting his car.

A teenage girl was sitting at the counter, a pencil behind her ear, and a notebook in front of her. Noah looked around the empty restaurant, but didn’t see anybody else. The apron made him think she was the waitress, but maybe kids were wearing aprons these days. He supposed any weird thing was possible in Mountain View. She didn’t even look up as he took a seat.

There was a menu on the table—maybe abandoned there by somebody who wasn’t so patient about being ignored. Noah shrugged and began looking it over. He had some time to kill, and he wasn’t very hungry. He didn’t look up again until the young lady sat a glass of water next to his hand and smacked her gum.

“Can I get you something?”

“What’s your special?” Noah asked, without looking up.

“Hey, Luke! What’re the specials?”

Noah’s head snapped up.

“Chicken fried steak,” a familiar voice shouted back.

Noah closed his eyes. He knew he was going to see Lucas Wesson sooner or later, but he had no idea it would be sosoon. He needed a few more days in town, a few more days to readjust to the life he had happily abandoned. And what was Lucas doing there anyway? Had he made a drastic career change and discovered his dream was to be short-order cook?

The girl arched her eyebrow. “Well?”

“That sounds great,” Noah said quickly, looking down again.

“What about a drink?”

“Water’s fine. Thanks.”

He forced himself to take a deep breath as she walked away. So what if Lucas was there? That didn’t mean he had to see him. And even if they did run into each other, what did he think was going to happen? Luke would no doubt be happy to see him, and Noah would more than welcome a familiar face. A familiar face he didn’t despise. His heart thudded in his ears, but he took a sip of water and pretended everything was fine. Normal. Nothing to panic about.

Noah busied himself with studying the gold pattern on the marble table top, tracing its intricacies and carefully keeping his head down. That was normal. He was in no way panicking about seeing his best friend.

The best friend he hadn’t talked to in over five years.

Life’s crazy. He probably understands

But that wasn’t why Noah had avoided contacting him, and they probably both knew it.

“Maggie said she thought she recognized you,” Lucas said from behind him. “The girl was only eleven the last time she saw you, but I guess she’s got a good eye.”

Noah lifted his head slowly, his smile firmly in place by the time he looked up to meet Lucas’s gaze. “Maggie? Maggie Frank?”

Lucas nodded.