Bottom Dollar 2: Homecoming

7| Big reveal

The next morning at breakfast, we received a flyer through the door. I scooped it up and took it to the breakfast table, scanning its contents. Barney's diner was being taken over by new management and everyone in town was officially invited to the reveal tonight.

I raised my eyebrows and looked at my mother, who was busy making googley eyes at Dave. "There's a party tonight celebrating the new owner of  Barney's," I said. "The whole town is invited."

"Oh, we know," my mother said. "It's been in the works for a few weeks now. Everyone's going."

"Oh," I said, pushing the flyer aside. "Who is it? The new owner, I mean."

"Nobody knows," Dave said giddily. "I guess they want the party to be the big reveal."

I picked up my fork and picked at my breakfast: a hearty meal of eggs and bacon, courtesy of Dave. It was nice in a way, not having to lift a finger; Dave was there to do it all. I was barely even needed at all.

"Whoever it is has got to be better than Roy," I said finally. "Maybe I'll see if I can get back to working at Barney's. As much as I like it at Taylor's, it's not worth everyone hating me over."

"Mmm, good idea," my mother said, playing footsy with Dave. I tried not to vomit in my eggs.

I spent the evening getting ready for the party. This type of thing had been a regular occurrence for me back in Barcelona: getting ready, having fun–things I could never do here in Pinewood. Not before, anyway. It was another reminder of just how much my life in Pinewood had changed. I no longer needed to look after my mother or worry about her bills. I didn't need to focus on good grades and pleasing the girls on the cheerleading squad. I could enjoy the summer the way I wanted to.

And I couldn't wait.

I raided my closet, settling on a floaty white dress that I'd bought from a beach hut in Spain. It was casual yet sexy, cinching in at the waist and flowing out at the hips, accentuating all the right places. I accompanied it with some light make up and bronzed cheeks, settling on a nude lip.
I hated to admit it, but a part of me just wanted to show Nate what he was missing.

At seven on the dot, Dave drove us to Barney's and parked in the parking lot. I scanned my surroundings the way I always did, still anxious since the incident with Bernie. Some part of me still pictured him lurking somewhere, ready to jump from the shadows.

"You okay, Meg?" my mother asked.

I shot her an anxious smile. "I'm fine. Ready?"

We clambered out of the car and made our way into Barney's. It had gone through some significant transformations since my visit yesterday. The place looked as though it had gone through a deep clean: a fresh lick of paint had been added to the walls, and the tables and counters seemed to shine with polish. Fancy balloons were neatly tied to the chairs, and a large banner hung across the ceiling: Welcome to Barney's.

I scanned the other guests, desperate to catch a glimpse of who the new owner might be, but no one in particular stood out.

"Dave and I are going to go and grab one of those fancy canopies," my mother said, and off they went toward the buffet.

I stood awkwardly amidst the crowd, swaying slightly in time with the music. At one point, the people in this room had felt like my friends. I could see our neighbors in the corner, chatting and laughing away. Lacy and Meg 2.0 were over by the buffet, giggling at something. Even my father looked happy as he chatted to Nate. I was surrounded by people I'd spent my whole life with; so why did I feel so alone?

As though he could feel me staring, Nate's eyes locked on mine. He looked ridiculously good tonight; he was wearing a tight black tee and faded blue jeans, as well as the black leather motorcycle jacket he'd been wearing when we first met.

Slowly, his eyes took in my dress before flitting back to my face. My father was saying something to him, and Nate nodded briefly, though I could tell he wasn't listening.

I smiled at him, and after a brief moment, he flashed a boyish grin back. For a second, it felt like we were the only two people in the room. Everything dulled, quietened, and all that remained was the sound of my own thumping heart. He quickly turned to my father and said something before making his way over.

"Hey," he said, smiling slightly. "Almost didn't recognize you out of your Taylor's uniform."

I smiled back, unable to help myself. "Is that your attempt at a compliment?"

His gaze turned mischievous. "I know better than to compliment you. It always goes to your head."

"Try me," I said.

His eyes brightened; he rose to the challenge. "Fine. You look beautiful tonight, Meg."

I gave him my coyest smile. "Thank you. See? No bigheadedness over here. So, I guess someone's finally managed to get rid of Roy. You know who's taking over?"

"Not yet," Nate said, scanning the room. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

I scanned the room, too, and when I looked back at Nate, he was leaning in closer, his eyes searching mine. God, how I missed the way he looked at me. It was the kind of look that only came around once in a while, but the kind you remembered forever.

"I remember that dress."

I turned slightly. Jack stood before me, a smile on his face as he fingered the material of my dress. I glanced at Nate, whose easy smile had melted right off his lips. He raised an eyebrow at Jack before looking at me.

"You should get yourself a drink," he said, nodding toward the bar. "I reckon they're going to make the announcement soon. See you around, Meg."

He disappeared into the crowd before I could say another word. I turned back to Jack and smiled brightly, relieved at least to see a familiar face.

"You don't know how glad I am to see you," I said, bringing him into a hug. "When did you get back from Barcelona?"

"Yesterday," he said, pulling away to look at me. "Heard Barney's was having a big reveal and couldn't resist."

I grimaced slightly, spotting Lacy staring at me. "Is it bad that I wish the program had never ended? Things were so much simpler last year."

"Tell me about it," he said with a sigh. "I actually have to figure out what I want to do with my life now."

I smiled. "I have to figure out how to survive a whole summer in this place. Wanna trade?"

He thought for a minute. "Nah, I'm good."

Some rustling came from the front of the diner, and suddenly the music stopped. A microphone was moved to the middle of the room and the lights dimmed slightly.

A quiet hush fell across the room. I had to admit, I was excited to see who'd be in charge of Barney's now that Roy was gone; there was nothing that would have made me happier two years ago than to see the back of Roy.

My father ascended the makeshift stage and tapped on the microphone. "Hello everyone, thanks for coming tonight. We're glad to see such a huge turnout and thank you all for your continuous support. It's been a trying time since that millionaire decided to set up shop in Pinewood, but we're confident that with our new owner, Barney's will continue to thrive. Without further delay, I'd like everyone to meet Barney's brand new owner."

Everyone clapped as a figure moved through the crowd and stepped up to the microphone, turning to face us. And there, with that familiar, easy smile on his face, stood none other than Nate.

A/N
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