I tried to focus on work, but every few minutes, my mind would wander back to Kye and kissing him.

I walked around the counter, and Amber bumped into me.

“You good?” she asked, laughing as I leaned against the counter.

“Not really,” I said, quieting down as Mia, the other waitress that worked here, came around the counter.

She was sweet, a little younger than us, and hated the job with a passion. She was also a town gossip, and I think she could last all of five seconds before running to someone to spill any secrets. When Mark and I started dating, she basically ran store to store telling anyone that would listen that we were dating. The sheriff’s daughter dating the guy running for sheriff next? It was hot gossip, and she knew it. It played right into my dad’s plans, though, and by the end of that day, Mark had multiple businesses calling to say they supported him in his campaign. So whether Mia was sweet or not, she was not about to hear the confession I was going to tell Amber.

Once she went back out to the tables, I pulled Amber closer.

“I kissed Kye,” I said. Her eyes went wide, and she smiled, nearly jumping up and down in excitement.

“Yes, yes, yes. Finally! How did you last that long? It’s almost been two weeks. I wouldn’t have lasted two hours.”

“Amber,” I hissed. “It’s not a good thing. Technically, I think I’m still dating Mark.”

She rolled her eyes. “And shouldn’t be? You should have dumped that man even before Kye came around. You don’t even like him, Daisy. Do you even want to kiss him? Let alone get your hands on any other body parts? You’ve been avoiding sleeping with the man. Now Kye is back, obviously still ridiculously hot and in love with you. Why wouldn’t you dump Mark and go with Kye?”

“Because Kye is leaving in a week or two, and then what? I’m left heartbroken again?”

She was shaking her head. “Have you even talked to Kye about that? Yeah, maybe he had plans to leave, but he also told me he was only here for the week and look at that, it’s been nearly two. He didn’t come to town thinking you would be back in his life.”

“And how would you know any of this?”

She gave a cute smile, which, for a heavily tattooed and pierced dark-haired girl, somehow looked menacing. “Because I’ve wormed my way into your friend group. Did you really think my best friend was going to go out and get new best friends without me? I met Carly, and we got along, then she added me to a group chat with Kye because we like all the scary stuff. And don’t even worry, Kye is off-limits and I don’t want him,” she said, sticking out her tongue.

I only shook my head. “And you say I’m crazy.”

“I think you are crazy! You’re choosing good old Mark who doesn’t make your panties wet, instead of hot as sin Kye, who is so fucking in love with you, the man would rather die before loving someone else. Do you know what I would do to have that in my life? I don’t get that chance. Kye is back, drop what you’re doing and get him, Daisy.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, knowing how unfair it was that Lane had walked out on her with the kids. She did amazing with them, but it didn’t seem fair.

“Don’t be. I’m alright, but damn, open your eyes and see what you’re risking losing.”

“I already wanted to break up with Mark. I am now, but Kye left for six years. I’m scared it will happen again.”

“Don’t let it scare you. You said he left because of your dad. Stand the fuck up to that guy and protect Kye this time. He protected you, now protect your relationship. Not everyone is going to be happy if you’re in love and that will be true no matter who you love. Kye left, and you let him.”

My mouth dropped open. “I didn’t let him.”

“Then why didn’t you find out why he left until this week? Because you never went looking. It’s not your fault, and it’s not his. Don’t be a dick because you both fucked up.”

“You’re really direct today, aren’t you?”

She gave me another sweet smile. “Always, babe. Oh, look, speak of the bore. You make your own choices, and I love you, but like…don’t be a dumb bitch.”

She smiled at Mark and turned to shoot me a glare.

“Hey, Mark,” I said.

“Hey, honey,” he said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. I tried to stop it, but my skin crawled. I didn’t want his hands on me after Kyes were. I didn’t want him to kiss me or call me honey.

If I had any doubts before, there were zero now. It was crystal clear that I needed to break up with Mark. Amber was right, I should have done it days ago, but Kye coming back into my life, and still loving me, seemed too good to be true.

“Can we talk outside for a second?”

He nodded, and followed after me. The buzz of the diner went silent as the door closed behind us. He was still doing that half smile, and it was making it harder to meet his eye.

Breaking up with anyone, even someone I wanted to break up with, was hard as a top tier people pleaser. I didn’t want anyone mad at me. I didn’t want him hurt or upset in general, but especially not at me.

I thought back to texting Kye the other night. Him walking home with Bailey. The way I truly felt like he thought I was perfect.

The thought made me want to smile, and I almost did before I finally looked up at Mark.

“What is it?” he asked.

There was no dancing around it. There truly wasn’t enough to reflect on to tell him about our good times, and there was no lying to say how I needed to focus on my life and not a relationship because there would be no hiding from him if I did start dating Kye.

Was I about to start dating Kye?

It felt like that was an option, but now that I was standing here facing Mark, I realized I never asked for a clear answer.

My mind kept drifting to Kye and it had to stop.

“I just…We need to break up. Or end our dates?”

His eyebrows furrowed and he stepped closer to me, reaching out for my arm. “What? Why? I thought we were having a good time.”

“We were, but things have changed for me, and I’m just not sure I can keep doing this.”

His face hardened and eyes narrowed. “Does this have anything to do with Kye being back in town?”

The question caught me off guard and it shouldn’t have. Mark knew.

He knew that Kye meant something to me, and the timing was no coincidence.

“It might have a little to do with him, yeah, but this is something I had been thinking about before he got here. We kind of just started going on dates and kept going. It wasn’t like we actually agreed to start dating.”

“Yeah, Daisy, because this isn’t high school. I don’t write a little note to see if you are going to be my girlfriend or not.”

“No, I know. I meant that it never quite felt like we were actually together.”

“Well, then I guess I’m the fool here, but I have been under the impression we were.”

“I’m sorry, Mark. I really am, but it doesn’t matter if we were dating or going on dates. It has to be over.” My heart was pounding in my chest, the awful churn of my stomach making me want to take it all back and forget it happened. 

I hated how upset he looked, knowing it was my fault.