That explained it. She didn’t want to be seen with him. Wonderful. “You run the bar? I thought you just—”

“… worked there as a dumb cocktail waitress?”

“I didn’t mean—”

“I’m just playing with you,” she said. “After my brother’s accident, I had to put college on hold. Ricky couldn’t take over the place when my uncle got sick. Stanford let me defer for a while, but I think that ship has sailed. The bar does pretty well, though. There’s not much to do in Adair. But, as you can see, the hours suck.”

“Stanford, wow.”

“I wanted to get as far away as possible. See how that worked out?”

“For both of us.”

“Come on,” she said, “you can walk me home.”

Matt followed her down the hill and to the worn path until they reached the large circular patch of grass and dirt everyone called the Hub. From there they took a dirt road that led to her childhood home. He was going to ask if she could still possibly live in the same house, but he thought better of it. He knew the answer and did not want to make her say it. They walked shoulder to shoulder along the narrow road.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” Jessica said.

“Why’s that?”

“Well, you haven’t exactly received a warm reception.”

Matt released a noise of agreement.

“I’m sorry about my brother,” she said. “He hasn’t been the same since the accident. He gets confused. And he doesn’t have many friends, so he shows off for those assholes who only hang out with him for the free drinks he sneaks them when I’m not looking.”

Matt nodded. “What happened to him?”

“Car wreck. Mangled more than his body. Traumatic brain injury. You wouldn’t notice the TBI at first, but if you talk to him for a while…”

Matt gave her a sympathetic look. As a girl she’d been sweet, empathetic. It was what had attracted him. And by the sound of it, putting her life on hold to care for her brother, taking over the family business, she hadn’t changed.

“So why’d you call me out here?” Matt asked, examining her profile in the pale light.

This time it was Jessica who blushed. “I don’t know.”

“Sure you do.”

“To say I’m sorry, I guess.”

“Sorry for what?”

“I wasn’t exactly a good friend after what happened with your brother.”