Chapter 20 Brynn
Chapter twenty
Brynn
“Iswear, if one more man tells me that I’m ‘too intimidating,’ I’m going to start punching people in the face,” Kate snaps.
Kinsey lifts her sunglasses and smirks. “You kind of are intimidating. You’re a single mom, you’ve got boss energy. Like, you can run a company and then sue your ex energy.”
Kate points at her with her fork. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing,” Kinsey says, sipping her hibiscus iced tea like a saint. “I said it’s why you’re single.”
“So what? You’re just as single as I am.” Kate fires back.
“I’m single by choice,” Kinsey says. “Some of us are enjoying our freedom. I get to sleep starfish and not share my fries. It’s glorious.”
Kate groans. “I miss sharing fries. And sex. But mostly fries.”
I snort into my hot chocolate. “Well, that’s definitely going in your future wedding vows.”
Evie, sitting between Kate and me with a juice box in one hand and a marker in the other, lifts her head. “What’s sex?”
Kate chokes on her water and grabs a napkin. “That’s—um, that’s when two people really like each other and want to…help each other…have fun. We’ll talk later.”
Kinsey is wheezing.
I grin, shaking my head. “Evie, how about we color?”
Evie holds up her napkin masterpiece, all swirls and stick figures. “This is you, Brynn, and you have sparkles!”
“Obviously,” I say, heart melting. “I do tend to sparkle.”
Kate leans back in her chair and sighs. “God, can we all just agree that dating in Cedar Falls is a nightmare?”
“Agreed,” Kinsey says. “Even if I don’t want to date, I still feel judged when I’m the only single one at a baby shower.”
Kate turns to me. “What about you? You’ve been back for, what, a few weeks? Any eligible bachelors fallen at your feet?”
I shake my head. “Just a squirrel that almost gave me a heart attack.”
Kinsey perks up, casually tossing it out: “Well, my mom said Mrs. Dalton’s been asking around. Seeing if any of her friends with single daughters would be interested in Knox.”
The words land like a glass tipping in slow motion. I feel it happen. My smile sticks in place, but my stomach drops clean through the floor.
“What?” I say.
“Yeah,” Kinsey says, completely unaware she just detonated a bomb. “She said he asked her to set him up this time. Like, actually wants to date. For real.”
Kate’s eyebrows shoot up. “Seriously?”
Kinsey shrugs. “Guess he’s ready.”
I bite into a chip too fast and almost choke. “Huh. That’s…good for him.”
Kate eyes me like she’s scanning for smoke. “Uh-huh.”
I keep chewing. I force myself to smile. Swallow down the burn like I’m not suddenly nauseous.
“Cool,” I say, picking up Evie’s juice box to keep my hands busy. “Totally cool. He should date.”
“He’s hot,” Kinsey says. “He should definitely date.”
Evie hands me her drawing again. “I gave you more sparkles and big hair.”
I blink. “Thanks, Evie. That’s very accurate.”
Kate narrows her eyes. “You’re being weird.”
“I’m not,” I say brightly. “I’m enjoying my hot chocolate. And coloring. With sparkles.”
But the truth is, I can feel the twist in my chest. The slow, quiet ache that’s building beneath the casual words.
Knox dating someone else? Someone with no history, no baggage, no messy breakup in the rearview?
It’s fine. I shouldn’t have the privilege of being upset. I was the one who left. I was the one who said goodbye.
Evie leans her head on my arm. “Are you sad now?”
My heart stutters.
“No,” I whisper. “I’m just…allergic to pickles.”
Kinsey laughs. Kate raises a brow. I keep my smile in place and my heart locked tight.
Because if Knox Dalton is really ready to move on…I’m not sure what that makes me.
Gordy’s is different in the light of day, when I’m not testing my throwing arm and just stopping by for lunch.
I can see the faded booths, laminated menus, and half the town crammed inside like it’s a citywide meeting.
It’s peak lunch hour, and it’s just as busy as I remember it.
I’ve barely made it through the door before I’m dodging a stroller, two retirees debating corn prices, and a teenager trying to balance three milkshakes on a tray.
This wasn’t supposed to be an ordeal. I just wanted a burger.
Something quick, quiet, and greasy enough to power me through an afternoon of reviewing HR files.
No socializing. No small talk. Definitely no run-ins with anyone I used to know.
“Hey, Brynn,” Gordy calls from behind the counter, apron stained and face flushed. “It’ll be a couple minutes on that cheeseburger. Do you want the usual toppings?”
“Do I ever change?” I ask.
He laughs. “Nope. Predictable as ever.”
I lean against the wall near the pickup window, phone in hand, mind nowhere useful.
“Guess I should start ordering what you’re getting.”
I glance up, and the man beside me is…attractive. Tall, clean-cut, probably early thirties. He’s got a nice smile, just enough charm to be intriguing, but not so much that it feels like he’s trying too hard.
“Oh?” I ask, lips quirking. “Planning to copy me?”
He shrugs. “You look like you’ve got good taste. I’m new in town. Trying to get the lay of the land. Burgers and otherwise.”
He doesn’t wink, but it’s in his tone.
Brynn Marlow, historically, would shut this down. Politely. With a smile and an internal eye-roll.
But Brynn Marlow, who found out Knox Dalton is letting his mom play matchmaker with the entire county?
She decides maybe she’s allowed to flirt, too.
“Lay of the land, huh?” I say, glancing at him sideways. “Cedar Falls isn’t exactly wild terrain.”
He chuckles. “Still, a guy needs a good guide.”
I tilt my head. “You always hit on women in burger joints, or is this a special occasion?”
He grins. “Just when I see one worth hitting on.”
It feels good. Wrong. But good. Not like Knox. Nothing like him. But maybe that’s the point.
Gordy calls out, “Alright, Brynn. Cheeseburger with extra pickles!”
I grab the bag and nod at the man by my side. “Well, good luck on your Cedar Falls expedition.”
“Wait,” he says, stepping forward. “Can I—take you out sometime?”
I pause. One beat. Two.
Everything in me itches. The guilt, the ache, the part that still hopes Knox knocks on my door with that same wounded expression he wore when he brought me that stupid bunny and a heating pad.
But he’s dating. He’s moving on. So maybe I should too. I lift my chin and smile. “Sure. Why not?”
His eyes brighten. “Yeah?”
I nod. “One date. And I pick the place.”