Chapter 1 Braylin
I heard my name called and jerked my head up from my phone where I had been scrolling through my social media page. I jumped up from my seat and rushed to the counter to pick up my iced coffee. I smiled at the barista in thanks, then turned to head out of the coffee shop. My lunch break was nearly up, and if I didn’t get back to the bank in time, my co-workers would be irritated at having to wait to take their own breaks. I got it, though; having the late lunch was enough to make anyone hangry.
As I started to rush to the door, I nearly ran right into one of the other waiting coffee addicts. I pasted a small smile on my face, ready to spit out a hasty apology for not looking where I was going, when the words died on my tongue, along with several brain cells in my head.
“Hey, there. So sorry for almost knocking you over. Are you okay?” The deep voice, one I hadn’t heard in four years, had tingles gliding over every inch of my body, starting from my belly and spreading outward. All I could do was nod woodenly as I stared up in shock, disbelief, and a sudden jolt of pleasure at the one person I had forced myself to forget about.
Colton was wearing a police uniform, the blue fabric of his shirt straining at the biceps where his muscles bulged. My gaze caught on a thick vein that trailed from underneath the sleeve and down to his elbow. I took in his utility belt, fascinated at all the crap that was attached to it before I realized it probably looked like I was checking out his dick.
I jerked my head back up to meet his eyes and saw he was smirking down at me. There was an odd look in his eyes as if he were attempting to figure out a puzzle. Likely, he was trying to remember where he knew me from. It was a small town, after all. The chances of us meeting at some point were pretty good. But I doubted that he’d remember the girl who stared at him for 90% of his senior year at high school.
“Sorry,” I breathed out, then blinked, trying to force myself to get it together. I stepped back, giving my head a shake, to snap myself back to the present. I forced a cheerful tone, the same one I used with my customers at the bank. “Have a good day, Officer Hammond.” I gave a short, awkward wave, then turned, rushing out of the coffee shop as fast as I could without actually running.
The entire two blocks back to the bank, I berated myself for immediately falling right back into the same headspace. I worked so hard to pack all my feelings for Colton into a tiny little box and lock them away in the far corner of my mind, only to have it burst open at the first sight of him.
After he and Katy moved away to college together, I vowed to let him go for good. I hadn’t allowed myself to look him up on social media or ask about him to anyone who might have known what he was up to. I didn’t want to hear that he had gotten married or that they had any children. I knew I would drown in misery if I knew how happy they were together, which always made me feel like a monster because all I should want for him was happiness. I did. I just wished that it was me he was happy with.
I tossed my empty cup in the trash can in front of the bank where I had been working for the last six months. My best friend, Tori, had convinced her uncle to give me a shot after we graduated high school. I wanted to go to college like most of my friends, but the thought of moving away from my parents was terrifying. I started taking courses at the nearest community college instead. My job as a bank teller was actually kind of perfect since they allowed me to work around my school schedule. The bank also had a very generous employee college tuition reimbursement program.
As soon as I pushed through the front door, Shelly made a dramatic gesture of looking at the clock. I grimaced and waved as I rushed through the swinging gate that led to the employee lounge, where our lockers were. I threw my purse into the open locker and slammed it shut, spinning the dial once, then spun around on my heel to get back to the front.
“I’m not late, am I?” I asked as I stopped in front of my station to log into the computer. I quickly typed in my employee ID number and logged into the timekeeping system. As soon as I was logged back in, I turned to Shelly, who was already logging herself out.
“It was close, but you were right on time,” she replied with a grin. “I just like to give you a hard time, you know that.”
I blew out a relieved breath as I glanced at the clock. “Okay, go enjoy your lunch break. Hopefully, I get a few customers, so I won’t die of boredom while you’re gone.”
Shelly chuckled. “Not too many, though.”
“I don’t know. I kinda like it when it’s busy. The time goes by so much quicker.”
“And the customers get crankier. See you soon.”
“Have a nice lunch, Shelly.”
I knew Shelly was right. The longer a customer had to wait, the crankier they seemed to get, but I desperately needed a distraction from my thoughts.