Middle Ground Read Free

across the room.”
    Before he could stop himself, Will’s gaze found her, laughing with two other women. Memories rushed in before he shut them off. Thinking about the past was a waste of time. But the irony that his one and only serious girlfriend showed up out of nowhere on the night he questioned relationships wasn’t lost on him.
    James leaned toward him. “Here’s your chance.”
    Just because Trisha was back didn’t mean she’d be interested in seeing him, especially since he was the one who’d broken it off. He liked Trisha. He just hadn’t loved her. And that had been a huge problem.
    “Go talk to her.”
    “Oh, hell no.”
    One of her friends noticed him and patted Trisha’s arm, then pointed his direction. Trisha’s head turned, the smile on her face falling away.
    Will’s stomach clenched. “Oh, shit.”
    “Oh shit is right,” James laughed, angling his body in his chair. “I bet you ten bucks she comes over and rips you a new one.”
    Leave it to James to find the hilarity in Will’s potential humiliation.
    She stood and walked toward them, her face expressionless.
    Steeling his shoulders, Will prepared for the worst.
    Putting a hand on her hip, she stared at him, narrowing her gaze. “What? You show up in Morgantown, Will Davenport, and you didn’t plan to say anything to me?”
    James groaned. “Calm down, Trisha. We just saw you.”
    Her attention turned to him. “What a fucking surprise. Look who’s here.  Will can’t take a shit without you waiting to pick it up.”
    Clutching his hands to his chest, James tilted his head with a grin. “Ouch, Trish. That really hurt.”
    “Shut up, asshole.”
    Grabbing his beer, James stood. “This is just like old times, so I think I’ll let you two catch up without me.” He slapped a ten-dollar bill on the table, winking at Will.
    She watched him walk toward Megan and her friends. “James is still as big a dick as ever, I see.”
    Silence seemed the best response.
    She sat in the chair that James had abandoned. “Where the hell have you been for four years, Will?”
    Will sighed. This was the last thing he needed at the moment. “I’ve been fighting for the land of the free and the brave, while trying to keep my ass from getting blown off. Where the hell do you think I’ve been, Trish?”
    She closed her eyes. “God, I’m sorry. James brings out the worst in me.”
    “Yeah, he has a way of doing that.”
    “You could have written.”
    “I didn’t see the point.” He took a long drink of his beer. “I don’t want to fight with you, Trisha, so if you have something you need to get off your chest, go ahead and do it.”
    “I don’t want to fight, either.” She took a deep breath, then a smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “Good to see you, Will.”
    Slumping back in his chair, he let his guard down a notch. “How’ve you been? You look good.”  Her dark blonde hair was shorter than it was four years ago and she had an air of self-confidence that she’d lacked before. There was no denying she was a beautiful woman and a good one, too. But she hadn’t been the problem. Will had.
    Her shoulders relaxed and she looked him over and smiled. “Thanks, you do too.”
    “I heard you’d moved to Kansas City.”
    “I did, then I moved back. Got a job teaching at an elementary school on the other side of town.”
    “No kidding. So you’re Ms. Hudson, huh? Or is it Mrs. now?”
     She laughed. “Still Ms. You’re a hard man to replace, Will Davenport.”
    Will felt a stir of nostalgia and longing but refused to act on it. He’d hurt her enough. James’s announcement and his sister’s wedding were resurfacing his insecurities.
    “So you out of the Marines or are you home on leave?”
    “Still in. I’m here for my sister’s wedding.”
    “Really? I’d heard Megan was getting married. What about you, Will? Any lucky woman in your life?”
    He shook his head and studied the bottle in his hand. “Nope.”
    She nudged