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shoulder and saw him. “On second thought why don’t we just eat back at the condo.”
    “Why?” Dalton followed my line of vision. He shook his head. “No. You are not allowed to let that guy dictate what you do.”
    “You guys enjoy lunch. We can meet up later.” My stomach churned as Glen came closer. He’d seen me, and he wasn’t turning around.
    “No.” Dalton put a hand on my shoulder. “Running from a problem never fixes it.”
    “You sound like my dad.”
    “And your dad’s a smart guy.”
    “Please, I’ll see you guys later.” I shrugged Dalton off.
    “Savy!” Glen called out as he got closer.
    Dalton gave me a look, and I sighed. I turned around and waited for Glen to catch up.
    He stood right in front of us. “Hey.”
    I swallowed hard. “Hi.”
    “How are you?” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “You never said goodbye.”
    Was he serious? Was that how he was going to handle this? “You said it for both of us.” I fought the tears that wanted to spill.
    “Savy. Come on. I’m sorry.”
    “Don’t call me that.”
    “Why? Your friends always call you Savy.”
    “Emphasis on friends.”
    Laney coughed.
    Glen finally looked at the others with me. “Can we please talk? I’ll buy you lunch.”
    “No thanks, I’ve got lunch plans.” At least I had an excuse.
    “We need to talk.” He reached out a hand to me.
    I stepped back. “There’s nothing to say.” Finally I decided to ask the burning question. “Since when do you work here?”
    “I’ll tell you over lunch.” He smiled. He was trying to slip back into his joking banter.
    Not going to happen. “I already told you I have plans.”
    “You haven’t introduced me to your friends.”
    “No I haven’t.” I looped my arms through Laney’s. “Let’s go.” I turned around.
    “Savy. Come on. Don’t be like this. It’s been a year,” he pleaded.
    I turned back. “Yes. It has been. It’s been a year since the most embarrassing night of my life, and I’d rather not remember it.” Too bad I remembered it constantly. I remembered the way his eyes looked me over as he rejected me.
    “Listen, I don’t know what’s going on here, but it’s obvious you’re making her uncomfortable, so I think you should back off.” Dalton put an arm around me.
    “You’re right. You don’t know what’s going on, and it’s none of your business.” Glen scowled.
    “Actually it is my business.” Wow, maybe this protective stuff wasn’t so bad.
    “Why? Are you with this guy, Savy? Because he’s too old for you.”
    I laughed dryly. “He’s younger than the guys I usually date.” I regretted the words the moment they left my mouth. Now I was going to have to explain that comment away before it got back to my dad.
    Glen’s expression hardened. “Is It really so easy for you to throw out ten years of friendship?”
    “You were the one who threw it away.”
    He gritted his teeth. “No I didn’t. I did the right thing.”
    “The right thing?”
    “Yeah. The right thing.” He lowered his voice.
    “I’ve got to go.” I turned again.
    “I’m not giving up on you. You’re here all week.”
    “You gave up on me a year ago,” I said in barely a whisper as I continued on through the village. I hoped Laney and Dalton would follow.
    ***
    “You’re going to have to tell me eventually.” Dalton watched me intently at lunch as I picked at my salad. After Laney assured me we’d leave if Glen came into the restaurant, I’d agreed to go out to eat. Still, I found myself looking over my shoulder at the entrance every so often.
    “Why should I? It’s none of your business.”
    “It is my business now.”
    “Just because my dad is dating your mom doesn’t mean you have some sort of right to intrude on my life.”
    “They’re not just dating.” Laney tied her straw wrapper into tiny knots. “They’re serious.”
    “Whatever. It still doesn’t mean he can butt into my life.” Clearly I knew that inviting the