Cole & Jamie

"Ma'am, would you like to place your order?"

"No thank you. I'm waiting for someone."

The waiter gave me a pitying smile as he looked down at me sitting alone in the booth. He thinks I got stood up and I can't blame him. This is the third time he's circled back to me and I still had no date in sight. "More wine, then?"

"No, this is enough for now." If I'm still alone in twenty minutes I might ask him to bring the whole bottle. "Thanks for asking."

"No problem."

He left me alone in my corner booth. It would only be a matter of time before he was back to ask me again, and I hoped my guest would be here by then. It was only the middle of the week, but the upscale steakhouse was packed. I hated waiting, but people-watching was always fun. In the forty-five minutes I've been waiting here I've seen a couple get in an argument, a family ignoring each other over a table of food that I'm sure is worth half my mortgage, and a beautiful birthday dinner.

Cole always had a habit of being late. Nice to see that hasn't changed over the years.

I took a slow sip from my emptying wine glass trying to ease the nerves in my chest. I'm still shocked that he invited me to dinner tonight, or that he contacted me at all. We haven't spoken in ten years. Once upon a time, we were best friends but it's been ten years since we last spoke. Now it's crazy to even think that I ever knew Grammy award-winning, millionaire playboy Cole Walters at all. Times were so simple then; he was just Cole and I was just Jamie.

I thought he would have forgotten all about me by now. Cole's superstardom was always a no-brainer for me. He was always talented, misguided, but talented. When our friendship fell apart all those years ago I was devastated. It was like losing a piece of my heart. From the day we met to the last day we saw each other, Cole and I were inseparable. There wasn't a day from the age of ten to eighteen that we didn't spend together. Yes, we had fights here and there, but if you would have told me that we would go ten years without speaking I never would have believed you.

And now he's standing me up.

I sighed, setting down my glass. My heeled foot tapped restlessly against the hardwood floor. Okay, maybe I shouldn't jump to conclusions, he's a very busy man I'm sure there's a reason why he's late. I flipped my phone over and checked the time; eight p.m. on the dot. I'll give him ten more minutes then I'm leaving.

Five minutes passed and I was waving down my waiter to take him up on that second glass of wine when I spotted him.

Standing at six-three, the scrawny kid I left behind at seventeen no longer existed. I'd seen recent pictures of him, of course, but this was a lot different than seeing a picture of him on my phone screen. Dressed in a white button-down that hugged his chest just right and a pair of black dress pants, Cole glided across the room like he owned the place. I mean he could if he wanted to. Our eyes locked as he approached and suddenly I was unable to move. All the nerves that have been building since he called me Monday afternoon suddenly fired in my chest and I sat frozen.

It wasn't until he reached the table that I was able to snap myself out of it.

"I'm so sorry for running late," he apologized, pulling me into a hug. "There was a massive wreck on the highway."

"I thought you had stood me up for a minute." I tried to laugh it off but the words were true. "Then I remembered how late you used to be and I decided that you hadn't grown out of it."

He laughed. The deep and familiar sound stirred something in my stomach. "As shocking as it may sound I do make it on time to most things now."

Cole and I slid into the booth. I tried my best not to stare but I couldn't help it. His hair was the same, blonde that was on its way to brown but never quite made it, but now he had a neatly trimmed beard to match. The Cole I knew could barely grow a mustache. Small earrings, diamonds, danced in his ears.

"Have you ordered yet?" he asked as he looked over the menu.

"No, not yet." My stomach had protested the entire time. I had so much to do this morning that I skipped breakfast, and my lunch was just as sad, a large coke and a handful of peanut M&M's that I stole from one of the girls at work. "I was waiting for you to get here."

He closed his menu quickly pushing it to the side. "Let's order then; I remember how you get when you're hungry."

"You just got here." And he's barely even looked at the menu. I've waited this long, a few more minutes won't hurt. "I don't mind waiting until you decide what you want."

"I already know what I want, no need to make you wait any longer."

"Cole, you really don--" I protested, but the waiter had already arrived.

It was my same waiter from earlier but he now sported a very noticeable trail of sweat along his forehead and his posture was as stiff as a board. "How may I help you today, Mr. Walters?" he asked, kindly.

Mr. Walters, how official.

"I would like the sirloin steak..." Cole continued with his order completely unaware of the effect he was having on the poor boy.

"Would you like to try any of our house wines tonight?" the boy asked, his voice cracking. I cringed. He was fine earlier.

"No, just water."

"And what can I get for you, ma'am?"

I rattled off my order, taking in his shaking hands as he wrote it down. It was hard to believe anyone would be able to read it once he was done.

"I'll have that right out for you." He quickly gathered our menus and practically ran across the restaurant. I felt a pang of sympathy for him as I watched him disappear. The poor guy is probably losing his shit.

None the wiser, Cole stretched his arm out across the booth. "How was your day?"

"Oh, it was fantastic, Mr. Walters. How was yours?" I couldn't help but tease him after what I had just seen. People must react this way to him all the time.

Cole narrowed his warm green eyes at me. "Please don't call me that."

I giggled, sipping my water. "Whatever you say, superstar."

This made him roll his eyes. "I'm still a regular person, you know."

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. "The waiter almost wet himself while he was taking our order, and it wasn't because of me."

"I don't know. You do look very beautiful in that dress," he teased.

"Thanks," I said playfully. The girls at my store had helped me pick it out. It was off the shoulder and skin-tight, I told them I was having dinner with an old friend and they still took that as a date. I'm not complaining, I love this dress. "But don't change the subject."

"He seemed fine to me."

"You're blind."

He smiled. "You're exactly the same."

"Is that good?" I asked skeptically.

He nodded. "Of course." Cole ran a hand across his chin. "I have to admit I was afraid you wouldn't answer when I called."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "It's been so long I didn't think you would want to hear from me. When Trish gave me your number I was too nervous to call so I waited until I finally got the nerve."

"Trish gave you my number," I asked dumbfounded. I was fully aware that my best friend, Trish, and Cole had kept in contact over the years. And I was fine with it. Just because we weren't friends didn't mean they couldn't be, but she hadn't mentioned anything about running into him in the last few weeks.

"Yes, she gave it to me a few weeks ago. Didn't she tell you?"

"She didn't tell me." But we will be talking about it, that's for damn sure.

"Oh," Cole exhaled, realizing his mistake. "Maybe it slipped her mind. She looked like she had her hands full. Her daughter seemed to be giving her a hard time."

I smiled at the mention of my goddaughter, Michelle. "She can be a handful sometimes." But I adore her all the same. At four years old she's already proven to be a little hell-raiser in the making and it drives her mother nuts. That alone makes it all worth it in my eyes. With all the havoc Trish used to cause her poor mother, karma was bound to come back to bite her in the ass.

"If she's anything like Trish I have no doubts about that," he replied.

"They're twins," I told him. Tracing the condensation on the outside of my glass, I said, "I'm glad you called me. I have to admit I was shocked. I thought you would have forgotten about me."

His smile fell. "I could never." He turned his eyes not quite meeting mine. "I didn't think you would want to hear from me after all this time. I thought..." Cole chuckled a bit to himself, "Well I thought you'd hate me."

I gasped, "No, of course not. Why would you think that?" I couldn't even if I wanted to, and for a long time I did, but I could never bring myself to actually do it. Cole was my best friend and even though sometimes it hurt to think about how he wasn't in my life anymore I always cherished that.

"After everything I said," he shook his head. "I was such an asshole to you."

"We were kids then." I put my hand on top of his on the table taking in how smooth it was underneath my fingers. "We both said things that we didn't mean. Obviously, I didn't hold it against you, or I wouldn't be here."

He folded his hand over mine, locking it in. "I'm happy you're here."

"Mom almost fell out of her seat when I told her I was seeing you tonight," I told him. If only he knew the joy he had caused her when she found out that we had spoken. She always thought of him as the son she never had and even if she never admitted it I think it broke her heart that he didn't come around anymore.

This made him laugh. "How bad was it?"

"Oh, Harriet was called immediately." Harriet and my mom are thick as thieves and have been since before I was born. Harriet owns a diner in town and makes some of the best milkshakes I've ever had. Cole worked there while we were in high school. "They've missed you."

"I haven't been the best at keeping in touch," he sighed. "I'm hoping the move will help me change that."

"Move?" I asked, my ears perking up. "Where are you moving to?"

"Here," he replied, casually. "The contractors just finished up today. They say I can start moving in tomorrow."

"You're moving here?" I asked dumbfounded. "Why?" My hand flew to my mouth. "I'm sorry I didn't mean that. I meant to say I'm happy for you." Happy, but slightly confused. Mckenzie, Michigan isn't exactly a big city, sure we have some stuff but I can't imagine it has everything he needs to do his work. The closest thing we have to a recording studio is the local high school's band room and even their acoustics are shit.

Cole laughed, "It's okay, I understand why you would ask me that but to answer your question, I needed a change of pace. And I've been homesick for a while so I thought what a good time to come back home."

"Well, as I said, I'm glad you're home. If you need any help decorating you should give Trish a call. She helped me get my house in order when I moved and she was amazing." And also very expensive, but if anyone can afford her it's him.

"If you don't mind me asking what made you move from New York. I know that was your dream."

"I think I just..." It's been almost a year since I moved back home and I still struggled to put why I left into words. Most people assume it was because of my breakup, but if I'm being honest with myself, I wanted to leave before Tony and I split up. Leaving wasn't an easy decision for me. I had truly built a life there. I had a job that I liked well enough, a decent apartment, and a group of amazing friends but it wasn't enough to keep me. There are certain things I miss about it but I don't regret my decision to leave.

"I think I grew out of it. And my dream was to open my own clothing store. It didn't matter where it was."

"I think Trish mentioned something about that. It's in town, right?"

"It is. We opened back in April." It had taken me months to find a space that I liked and could actually afford. Eventually, something had become available in the town square, it was perfect, not far from the movie theater and Harriet's Diner was only a five-minute walk. With some help from Trish and her husband, Joe, the renovations came along quickly, and before I could blink we were ready to open our doors. "Mom loves that she has a place to get free clothes." I use the term "free," loosely because I still have to pay for them.

"So she's doing well?"

"Oh, she's great," I replied, "She retired last year you would think she'd want to take a break and relax for once, but she's been going nonstop since her retirement party. I mean every time I turn around she's joining some type of club or committee. Who knew my mother was such a busy body?"

He raised his full brows. "Sounds familiar."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what they say; the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

When I was in high school I was more involved in my fair share of clubs. Drama, Spanish, debate, math, student government, and I tutored on the side. I still didn't know where I got the energy. "Well, she's got me beat by a long shot. I can't even keep up with her busy schedule."

The waiter brought out our food and I had to stop the moan that threatened to escape once I took my first bite. This place is too fancy for me to ask for a to-go box but don't think I didn't think about it. "How's your dad doing?" I asked, wiping tomato sauce from my lips.

"He's doing well. He and his girlfriend just moved to Arizona."

"The desert, that's different." Cole's dad was a man of few words, but I always liked Thomas. Raising Cole on his own, he had to deal with a lot and their move here wasn't easy at first but he was always there for his son and that was something I always respected about him. "I'm glad he's found, someone."

Unlike me, my mom has plenty of men begging for attention. She won't give them the time of day though, saying she's too set in her ways to be with anyone at this phase of her life. But I think she just likes to play the field and who could blame her.

"Are you seeing anyone?" Cole asked, catching me off guard.

"No. I'm not seeing anyone." I'm as single as they come. A little too single if you ask around.

"Oh..."

"Does that disappoint you?"

He shook his head. "No, just shocked is all."

"You and everyone else." I'm at the age where my lack of a husband is a constant topic of conversation. Who cares if you have a successful business if you don't have a man, right? "I was in a long-term relationship before I left New York, but things didn't work out." And by things I mean me.

He ran a hand through his thick blonde hair. I'd seen it go through many phases as we were growing up, long, buzzed, the horrible home haircut that led to the buzzcut, but I think this was the perfect style and length for him. Short on the sides and just long enough on the top so it looked good slicked back. "Can I ask why?"

"We wanted different things." Things between Tony and I had been going downhill for a while, throwing in a declined proposal and an unexpected move; it was bound to go up in flames. And that's exactly what happened. Once I told him I was moving back home it was over. There was no reason in prolonging the inevitable, so I let him go. It was heartbreaking but it was what was best for both of us.

"How about you?"

He cut into his steak, playing coy, "Me?"

"Yes, you," I said, trying to drag the attention away from my sad love life. "Are you seeing anyone?"

"I am not," he answered, quickly.

"Are you sure?" It seems like every time I open my Instagram I see him pictured with a new supermodel or influencer. "Is anyone seeing you?"

"No," he said carefully. "Not that I know of."

I shrugged. "Are you sure? I've seen some things that say otherwise..."

His glare turned into a knowing smirk. "Jamie, have you been keeping tabs on me?"

"Not on purpose." Sometimes on purpose, but only when I've been drinking...okay, sometimes I'm sober--most times, I'm sober. It always starts off innocent, Trish and I will be going down memory lane and his name will come up, then I'll begin to wonder what he's doing, and the next thing I know it's two a.m. and I've made it to the bottom of the Cole Walters subreddit. "You're a very popular guy online."

This made his face flush. "I hope you don't believe any of that garbage. People just write anything nowadays."

"You're telling me none of it's true?"

"None of it."

"Not even you streaking through a hotel lobby after the Grammys?" Most of the rumors I didn't believe but that one always stuck with me because of how absurd it was. Imagine my surprise when a crimson blush began to creep up his neck. I gasped. "You didn't."

"I'm not proud of it," he answered, carefully. "I was young, and the drinks were free. Don't ask me why I took my clothes off because I don't remember and Julian won't tell me."

I burst into a fit of laughter that he did not appreciate. Cole shot me a glare that would have turned anyone else to stone. "I'm sorry," I apologized, as I tried to control myself, "It's just too funny not to laugh."

"I'm glad you think so," he said sarcastically.

I was still giggling behind my hands when the waiter came to clear our plates.

"Will the checks be together or separate?"

Before I could even open my mouth Cole's card was in his hand. If I thought he ran fast before, the waiter all but disappeared once Cole's black Amex was in his hand. "You could have at least pretended like you were going to let me pay." I wasn't stupid enough to think he would actually let me but I was gearing up to at least argue a little.

"I don't usually invite people to dinner and then make them pay."

"Not your style, huh?"

"Not at all." Sometime during the dinner, he'd rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows showing off his strong forearms. To my surprise, they were both completely void of any ink.

Gently, I ran my fingers over the place where a cluster of red roses used to be. "Your roses are gone." He'd gotten them right when he turned eighteen. They were all he could talk about for weeks, and being the great friend I was, I let him drag me to his ex-girlfriend's garage to watch him get it. It wasn't bad for being done with a cheap tattoo gun on an old weight bench, but now it is gone.

He cleared his throat. "I got it removed a few years ago. It didn't hold up well. I guess if I would have listened to you I would have known that."

"When did you ever listen to me?"

"Even when I didn't take the advice, I was always listening."

The restaurant was much less busy than it was earlier but Cole's presence still commanded attention. The whispers and stares weren't lost on me as we rose from our table. He didn't seem bothered but all the attention was strange to me. I felt like I was a zoo animal.

Before we left our table, I watched Cole set several large bills underneath his empty glass. "Big tipper, aren't we?"

"It's the least I can do for making him nervous or whatever you said."

If I would have known he was giving out hundreds for making people nervous I would have fainted on the spot. "You did make him nervous, and I'm sure he will appreciate the tip."

He linked his arm through mine leading me outside. Summer was just beginning and the days and nights were still enjoyable. It had stormed earlier in the day so the air still smelled like rain.

"I had fun tonight," I said as we waited for the valet to bring our cars around. Being here with him made me feel seventeen again. It was almost like no time had passed at all and the last ten years were all just a long vacation from one another.

Looking down at me, Cole agreed, "Me too. We should do this again sometime."

"What are you doing on Sunday?"

"Probably shopping for furniture, why?"

"Come to my mom's for dinner. I go every Sunday and I know she would love for you to join us." Quickly, I added, "Don't feel like you have to though. I understand if you're busy."

"Jamie, I would love to come."

"Really!"

My sudden excitement made him chuckle. "Absolutely."

"She's going to be so happy to see you." I can almost hear her screams now. "It's going to be the best surprise."

"You hate surprises."

"I hate being surprised. I like surprising others. There's a big difference you see." Being caught off guard by anything was not something I ever personally enjoyed. "You still remember the address right?"

"Third house on Cardinal Lane, green door?"

"That's the one."

"I could get there with my eyes closed," he assured me. "I'll be there...on time."

"Great, dinner starts at seven."

The valet approached with my keys in hand. "Here you are, Ms. Anderson. Have a great rest of your night."

"Thank you."

Cole whistled behind me. "Nice ride."

The brand new SUV was the product of a few very well-made investments I sold before I left New York. I thought if I was going to make a fresh start I should do it right. "Thanks, it was a gift to me from me."

"You sure know how to treat yourself."

Shopping has always been one of my hobbies. Makes sense that it's practically my job now.

Cole held my door open for me. Helping me in the car, he said, "I'll see you soon."

"Sunday, seven o'clock. Don't forget."

"I won't."

"Promise," I said jokingly.

He grabbed my hand and wrapped his pinky around mine. "Pinky promise."

I looked down at our entwined fingers. "You know that means you can't take it back, right?" When we were kids a pinky promise was as binding as a contract. There were so many secrets shared between us that were bound by a single pinky promise.

"I remember. You have my word."

I slipped my hand back into the car. "Goodnight, Cole."

"Goodnight, Jamie."