Through A Magnolia Filter

“And there was that other idiot. You built his website—for free.”

“He wasn’t an idiot.” Dolley had been the idiot. “He was an attorney. Gordon.”

“A cheap one—who didn’t pay for the work you did.”

“They all wanted to stay friends,” Dolley said.

“So they could use you again.” Anne snorted.

“Robert’s not like that. I volunteered to help him.”

Anne leaned forward. “Has he called you since you helped him?”

“No.” Dolley chewed her lip. “But he had tests to grade.”

“Right. He teaches at SCAD.” Anne sipped her drink. “Too bad we didn’t have teachers that cute when we went to school.”

She and Anne had met while attending Savannah College of Art and Design. “You might have studied harder.”

Their food arrived, and they dug in, keeping the conversation light.

“Dolley?” a male voice called.

She turned and spotted a familiar face. “Connor?”

Connor’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her out of her chair. “I haven’t seen you in years.”

She hugged him back. “How are you?”

“Good. Great.” Connor pulled away and tugged on her hair. “You look the same. I would have known your mop of red curls anywhere.”

She brushed an offending hank of hair off her face. “Was that a compliment?”

“Absolutely.” He slung an arm around her shoulder and turned to face their table.

“I haven’t seen you before.” Anne set down her drink and smiled. “Are you an old friend of Dolley’s?”

Connor rubbed his knuckles on the top of her head. “We endured high school Advanced Chemistry together. If she hadn’t helped me with my homework, I might have blown my scholarship chances.”

“We got each other through the course.” She elbowed him so he’d stop rubbing her head. “We were the only juniors in the class. The seniors refused to talk to us.”

“The guys always talked to you. You had the textbook memorized.”

Dolley winced. She had a great memory. “What are you doing back in town?” she asked.

“Home for my mom’s birthday weekend. I’m meeting my brother for a beer.” He glanced around. “As usual, he’s late.”

“Do you want to join us until he comes?” Anne smiled.

“Sure.” Connor gave Dolley’s shoulders a squeeze.

Anne kicked Dolley under the table and tilted her head toward Connor.

Dolley shook her head. Connor wasn’t right for Anne. Besides, she’d had a massive crush on him in high school.

All he’d wanted was help in chemistry.

Connor talked about his job while Anne hung on every word.

“You really stayed with chemistry?” Dolley asked.

“Biochemistry. I work up in the triangle.”

Anne frowned. “The Bermuda triangle?”

Connor leaned in to Anne, laughing. “The Research Triangle Park in North Carolina. I live in Raleigh.”

Anne still looked puzzled, so he explained, leaning even closer.

Her friend wasn’t stupid. Dolley expected Anne had heard about the biotech park. Maybe she should leave them alone. “I’ll be right back.”

Heading to the bathroom, she greeted a couple of the locals, waving and smiling.

She spotted a blond at the indoor bar. Her heart picked up a couple of beats. Robert was here.

Hurrying over, she wrapped a hand around his waist. “Hey, handsome.”

Robert whipped around. His eyes widened. “Dolley?”

“I had fun last weekend.” She gave his belly a little poke. “You must have gotten all the tests graded by now.”

His face went blank. “What tests?”

Her shoulders tightened. “You said you had tests to grade.”

“Right. Yes. Lots of tests.” His gaze darted around the room. “I’m taking a break.”

“So you had time to stop in for a drink—” she let out a deep breath “—but didn’t call me?”

“Like I said before—it’s the tests.” His eyes avoided her gaze. “I needed to get grades in.”

Dread settled like a weight on her shoulders. “Did you even give a test this week?”

He finally looked her in the eye. He held up his hands and then let them fall to his thighs with a slap. “A short quiz.”

“A quiz.” The appetizers she’d eaten churned in her stomach.

Based on the way Robert shifted back and forth, she wasn’t dating him again. “Got it.” She turned to go. “I...”