Page 55 of Checking It Twice
“Hey,” he says, his breath warm against my neck. “Jess mentioned that bar thing earlier—Murphy’s. You want to go out for a drink? Meet some of my high school friends?”
I turn to look at him, caught off guard by the invitation. “Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude on your reunion.”
“You wouldn’t be intruding.” His thumb traces across my knuckles. “Besides, they’ll want to interrogate my girlfriend properly. Fair warning.”
The way he says “girlfriend” sends a little thrill through me that I definitely shouldn’t be feeling.
“Okay,” I say. “Sure. Sounds fun.”
His smile widens, genuine and pleased. “Good. Just don’t believe anything they tell you about me in high school.”
“Now I’m definitely going.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Territory
Clare
Murphy’s Bar looks like every small-town watering hole ever featured in a romantic comedy—exposed brick walls, string lights, and enough neon beer signs to power a small aircraft. The crowd is exactly what I expected: people who’ve known each other since kindergarten, gathered around high-top tables that have seen decades of celebrations, commiserations, and probably more than a few fights.
Mitch’s hand finds the small of my back as we navigate through the crowd, and I try not to think about how natural the gesture feels.
“There they are!” Jess’s voice cuts through the space, and I spot her waving frantically from a corner booth that’s already packed with people I don’t recognize but who all seem to recognize Mitch.
The introductions blur together—Sarah from high school who works at the bank now, Jake who took over his dad’s hardware store, Tommy who’s apparently some kind of local legend for reasons that aren’t immediately clear. They all greet Mitch with the easy familiarity of shared history, and friendships that pick up exactly where they left off no matter how much time passes.
“Clare!” Jess practically launches herself at me, pulling me into a hug that smells like expensive perfume and enthusiasm. “I’m so glad you could make it! Come sit, tell us everything about Dallas, about work, about how you two met—”
“Jess,” Mitch warns, sliding into the booth beside me. “Let her breathe.”
“I’m just excited! We never get to meet anyone new around here, and definitely not anyone who managed to tame our Mitchell.”
There’s that word again. Tame. Like he’s some wild animal that needed breaking in.
“I’m not sure anyone could tame him,” I say, accepting the beer someone slides across the table. “I just learned to work around his more... challenging personality traits.”
“Challenging?” Mitchell raises an eyebrow at me. “I’m delightful.”
“You’re something,” I agree, and the table erupts in laughter.
The conversation flows easily around topics I can’t contribute to—high school teachers who are still terrorizing students, local gossip about who’s dating whom, updates on classmates who moved away and came back. I should feel excluded, but instead, I find myself fascinated by this glimpse into Mitch’s past.
“Remember when Mitchell tried to ask Jenny Sheridan to prom by having flowers delivered during chemistry class?” Sarah says, grinning wickedly.
“The flowers caught fire,” Jake adds helpfully.
“They did not catch fire,” Mitch protests. “There was a small incident with the Bunsen burner—”
“Small incident?” Tommy laughs. “You set off the fire alarm. The whole school had to evacuate.”
“Did she say yes?” I ask, genuinely curious.
“Eventually,” Mitch says. “After the fire department left.”
I can picture it perfectly—teenage Mitchell, all earnest determination and terrible timing, trying to be romantic and accidentally creating chaos instead. It’s endearing in a way that makes my chest feel tight.
“What about you, Clare?” Jess asks, leaning forward with predatory interest. “Any embarrassing high school stories we should know about?”
