works out for you.” His slapped the eggs and bacon on a chipped plate and slid it to me. “Just remember, family is people who have to take you back when your dreams fall apart. Something tells me you’re going to need to remember that.”
His jab wasn’t lost on me. “I’ll remember. But I’m never coming back here. As soon as I graduate high school, I’m heading to college and never looking back. Mark my words, Shadow Hills will just be a place I visit every five years or so.”
Grandpa snorted, disdain on full display. “Adulthood rarely turns out the way you think it will.”
“Oh, I’m going to make it happen. I promise. This is not going to be my life. You have my word.”
“Good luck with that. You’re going to need it.”
One
Present Day
“Stormy, you have three orders stacked. Get a move on.”
My uncle Brad peered through the window between the order wheel and spice rack and caught my gaze.
“Did you hear me?” he pressed when I didn’t immediately respond. “All of these are your orders.”
I glanced at the jumble of plates and sighed. They claim you never forget how to waitress; it’s like riding a bike. They’re right. I remembered all of my shortcuts from when I was a teenager. Unfortunately, I was severely lacking in the speed department, and it was beginning to show. Apparently that was going to take some dedicated concentration.
“I’m on it.” I transferred the first two orders to the same tray and shifted it to carry with my left arm. “I’ll be back for the other order in a second.”
“Hurry up.” Brad’s gaze was serious as he regarded me. “It’s not even the lunch rush yet. You need to get it together.”
“I said I was on it,” I snapped, agitation coming out to play. It was my first day on the job — er, well, it was my first day back on the job — and I was still bitter about the turn my life had taken. That wasn’t my uncle’s fault, of course. That didn’t mean I wasn’t keen to lash out at someone, though, and turning my frustration inward was no longer an option because I was already bruised and battered from all the internal loathing I’d unleashed on myself. “I’ll be right back.”
I swung through the double doors that led to the cafe side of the restaurant and headed to my table. Two women, both in their thirties and with sleeping babies in car seats propped up next to them on booth benches, stopped talking as I approached. It was obvious they’d been gossiping and didn’t want me to overhear. I was fine with that. There’s little I hated more than gossip.
Okay, that’s a lie. I love gossip. Still, I didn’t recognize the women, and it’s only fun to gossip if you know who is being talked about behind his or her back.
“Grilled chicken salad, no croutons, and ranch on the side,” I announced, delivering the first plate. “Toasted tuna on rye, two extra pickles on the side,” I said to the other woman as I slid the plate in front of her.” I kept my smile in place, even though it was a chore, and glanced between the women. “Do you need anything else right now?”
“I think we’re good,” the brunette replied as she unfolded her napkin. She was slim, had the sort of glossy hair I always dreamed about, and cast me a cursory dose of side eye. “You look familiar. Do I know you?”
“I don’t know.” I’d been dreading this part of my day. When people started realizing who I was, the questions were bound to start flying fast and furious. “Who are you?”
“Sarah Bollinger, but that’s my married name. I used to be Sarah Harris.”
I did a double-take. “Seriously?” She didn’t look even remotely the same as when I’d left. She’d been four years ahead of me in high school, which meant we didn’t hang out or even really know each other. She’d been popular, though, a cheerleader, and everybody knew her. “I thought you were living in East Lansing these days.”
Sarah’s nose wrinkled as she looked me up and down. “That’s where I went to school.”
Right, on a volleyball scholarship. Shadow Hills wasn’t known for producing world-class athletes, but Sarah was one of the few who managed to parlay meager talent above the net into a full education. She was essentially the epitome of the standard Shadow Hills teenage dream. That didn’t explain what she was