Chapter 13

By noon, Gary called his daughter to find out where she had been all morning. Aubrey gave him a brief rundown of how she’d spent her morning and assured him that she would be back home later in the evening. She finally took her leave of the Black’s residence as Summer and her gang of friends returned from school and ran into the house screaming like little banshees. Dione had given her a package containing some cookies for her dad, and Aubrey was very thankful for the woman’s hospitality.

Back on the street, Aubrey wondered if she should call her dad to ask if Eric was still in the house or not, but she decided against it because such a question might raise her dad’s suspicion about her reason for rushing out of home this morning. Aubrey felt lost for a moment. She didn’t have any high school friends to visit to while away the time, and she couldn’t just stand by the road like a homeless person. What would she do now? Walk around the town in circles until the sun sets or what?

This is so messed up, she thought miserably. I can’t just stand here all day! Where else can I go?

“Aubrey? Aubrey Silver?” Someone said near her.

She turned to look at the speaker and her eyes rounded in surprise when she saw who it was. Barry Thompson, her high school crush who had skipped town after graduation and never looked back. His dad, Luke Thompson, was a scientist who spent more time in his makeshift laboratory in the basement of his house than anywhere else. His mother, Betty Thompson, divorced his dad a year after Barry left home. According to Betty, she was tired of being in a three-way marriage involving her, her husband, and his beloved lab. A few years after, there were rumors that some government officials had come looking for Luke Thompson, but nobody could say for sure if this information was true or not. However, the reclusive scientist seemed to disappear from town without a trace. Their house was eventually repossessed by the landlord who said he got a letter from Luke, stating that he and his family would no longer be needing the property.

And now, nearly two decades later, Barry Thompson was back in Fairbanks, looking impossibly handsome with his fiery hair, forest green eyes and an overnight stubble that added to his overall sexiness. His lean frame was encased in a finely grey tailored suit that screamed class. He looked like he’d just stepped out of Wall Street to grab a Starbucks or whatever expensive beverage that rich guys liked to indulge in on a sunny afternoon.

“Remember me?” He asked with a dashing smile when Aubrey simply stood there and stared at him like a deer caught in headlights.

“Yes, of course,” she said, flustered. “Barry Thompson.”

“Yeah, that’s me,” he grinned. “It’s good to see you again, although you look prettier than I remember.”

His compliment made her blush. “Thank you. And uh, welcome back to Fairbanks.”

“Thanks. Although I’m only here for a short visit. More like a business visit.”

“Really? Sounds exciting.”

“It is. I’m buying the Pearson property. Part of it, I mean.”

“Oh, you’re the buyer?”

“Yeah. How do you know about the sale?”

“My dad is their legal adviser, so he mentioned to me that the Pearsons were planning to sell a portion of their land to someone.”

“And the someone is me,” Barry said with a dazzling smile.

“Wow, congratulations,” Aubrey said, impressed.

“Thank you.”

She smiled and nodded, not knowing what else to say. Aubrey would have given anything in the world to be able to talk freely with Barry like this, back when they were in high school, but then she’d been painfully shy and socially awkward. A lot of people in school had misinterpreted her aloofness as snobbery and had nicknamed her Ice Princess. Only Sierra Black had bothered to get close to her in those days, but sadly, Aubrey had ‘dumped’ their fragile friendship after graduation and left Fairbanks just like Barry did.

“I was on my way to grab a bite at Freddy’s,” he announced. “Care to join me?”

“Um, thanks but no,” Aubrey declined. “I was just at the Blacks’ house and to say that I’m stuffed right now would be the understatement of the year.”

“How about a drink then?” He asked, hopefully.

Aubrey hesitated. Barry looked like someone who was desperate for company and having been gone so long from the town where he spent his childhood, it was understandable that he might feel a bit out of place at first. Perhaps that was why he wanted to hang out with her so badly. Besides, she too needed an excuse to stay away from home until she was sure that Eric wasn’t there anymore.

“Ok,” she said finally. “It’s still too early for a drink, so I’ll have water and watch you eat.”

Barry laughed. “Aren’t I a lucky dude then? I get to eat under the watchful gaze of a beautiful woman…very sexy.”

Aubrey chuckled. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

He led her to his shiny new-looking Chevrolet SUV that was parked a few feet away. Like a perfect gentleman, he opened the front door for her and helped her settle in before getting into the car and sitting behind the steering wheel.

“This looks like a very expensive vehicle,” Aubrey commented cautiously.

“It is,” he said with pride.

“I don’t mean to pry, but what do you do for a living?”

“Investment banking, real estate brokerage and I also own a small Fintech startup. Anything that fetches good money always catches my attention,” he said magnanimously.

“Wow, that’s a lot. How are you able to do all that and still make out time to come here to inspect a property? Why didn’t you just send an assistant to do it?”

“Yeah, that’s the thing about me. I’m a very hands-on guy, I like to see to everything my money goes into personally because that’s how you know for sure if you are truly getting your money’s worth. Plus, assistants aren’t always very reliable. I’m speaking from experience.”

“You’ve really done well for yourself, Barry. I’m impressed.”

“Thanks. And you are not doing bad yourself, from what I hear. Your fashion brand seems to be competing with a number of famous brands across the country, and that’s no small feat.”

“Thank you,” she said graciously. “Does that mean you’ve been keeping up with us Fairbanks folks all this while?”

He chuckled. “You have no idea. I know about everything that happens here even though I haven’t been in town for years. I like to keep my ears to the ground, so to speak.”

“Aren’t you something else. I don’t think anyone around here knows anything about you, though.”

“And we’re going to change that today. Let’s head over to Freddy’s and catch up on old times, shall we?”

Aubrey smiled and nodded. “Sure.”