Chapter 2
RHETT
I arrived at Timbers everyone assumed it had been lost in the chaos.”
“Like I said, Bronwyn collects oddities,” he replied, but there was a strain in his voice that told me there was more to the story.
“Moses..—"
“I should get ready for the bar opening,” he interrupted, checking his watch. “People will start arriving soon.”
I recognized the deflection for what it was, but decided not to push, for now. “Sure,” I agreed, moving back to my side of the bar. “But this conversation isn’t over.”
He nodded stiffly, already turning away to begin preparations.
I watched him for a moment, noting the tension in his shoulders and the careful way he avoided my gaze.
There was more to the story of that night than what had become local legend, and I was determined to uncover the truth before this reunion week was over.
“I’ll see you later,” I said, turning to leave as the fear instantly built within me.
At the door, I paused, glancing back at him wondering why I hadn’t come up with some excuse to not do this.
I knew, though, if I hadn’t turned up then I wouldn’t see him and could I lose him forever.
“By the way, I’m going to Yellow Branch Falls tomorrow at dawn. Old times’ sake. You should come.”
I didn’t wait for his answer, letting the door swing shut behind me. Outside, I took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air, trying to steady my racing heart.
Coming back to Gomillion had been a mistake.
I’d known it from the moment I’d received the reunion invitation.
Too many memories, too much unresolved history.
But seeing Moses again, feeling that familiar pull, that electric connection that time and distance had failed to sever, made it clear that leaving had been the bigger mistake.
Twenty years ago, I’d left Gomillion heartbroken and betrayed, vowing never to return. Now, I was back, and despite everything, I still wanted answers. More dangerously, I still wanted him.
The place had been transformed for the ice breaker, string lights hanging from exposed beams and tables.
I’d arrived fashionably late, partly to make an entrance and partly to give myself time to regain my composure after the gin tasting with Moses. The room was already packed with familiar faces, older, wiser perhaps, but still recognizable as the people who had shaped my formative years.
Across the room, I spotted Moses behind the portable bar that had been set up for the event.
He moved with practiced efficiency, mixing drinks as if the tension between us earlier had never existed.
But even from a distance, I could see it in the rigid set of his shoulders, the way his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.