Love Redone in Hidden Harbor (Island County Book 2) (5 page)

“Well, okay. Nick, are you free?”

“Absolutely. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Nick fully draped his arm around my shoulders and Cynthia’s smile widened.

I glanced at Sophie.

“I actually can’t make it. My shift starts soon, but you four have fun catching up.”

“Are you sure?” Cynthia asked.

Sophie nodded. “Maybe another time.”

 “Well, hopefully these two can give me enough dirt on Cole to last a lifetime,” Cynthia laughed, glancing at Nick and me. “So how long has it been since you’ve seen one another?”

“Eight years,” Cole answered, his gaze focusing on mine. “Eight long years.”

 

“It clearly tore you apart,” Sophie said softly, reaching for my hand.

“You can tell? Do you think they saw it?” I whispered.

“There’s no way Cynthia saw the meltdown you almost had, but I have no idea about Cole. He might have. He’s impossible to read. Well, not completely impossible.” She flicked an odd look to Nick.

“What do you mean?” I pulled a chair closer to Sophie.

“Nothing.”

I glanced at Nick, who shrugged his shoulders.

“Come on. What is it you want to say about him?”

She twisted her lips and let out a sigh.

“He certainly didn’t like seeing Nick get so close.”

“Oh, please.” I rolled my eyes.

Nick stayed silent.

“I doubt he cared.” I pressed my lips together. What if he did anyway? Why would he? It didn’t matter. Cole was getting married in a couple months.

To keep myself busy, I hopped up and began placing the arrangements into the cooler for the next morning. It was late afternoon, and no more wire orders had come in for the day so I thought it was safe to clean up. And at the moment, any task was a welcome distraction.

“Well, I’m just gonna say it. I can’t believe that’s who Cole is marrying. She is the exact opposite of anything I would’ve guessed,” Sophie said, helping to organize the carnations by color.

“What do you think she does for a living?” I opened the cooler door and slid the buckets inside.

“If that’s her idea of an outfit for a day off, I have no idea. Maybe she’s an executive,” Sophie offered.

“Or maybe she’s an attorney.” I shoved a bucket of ferns inside next.

“Why not just look her up?” Nick finally asked.

“I don’t want to feel like I’m stalking her or him.” I shook my head.

“And you think mindless hypothesizing is any better?” His brow arched.

“If we weren’t going out to dinner with them tonight, I might just do it. But with my luck, whatever I find out about her might slip out during conversation and then they’d know I did my research. No way. No how.”

“The marriage isn’t going to last,” Nick said, out of nowhere.

I spun around and my eyes locked on him.

“What do you mean by that?” I crossed my arms.

“She’s not faithful.” His mouth parted to say more, but he quickly shut it.

“You can’t tell that,” Sophie argued.

“Yes, I can. I’ve lived it and I know the type. Andrea may be a lot things, but she’s not a cheater, and I’ve encountered enough of them to know the signs.”

“Funny. I’d think just the opposite about Andrea.” I walked over to him and hopped on the counter. “I’d say if she had Anthony Hill in front of her, she just might.”

“Andrea is all talk. She wouldn’t do it. But I know the look when someone would, and Cynthia had it written all over her face.”

“So you’re saying that Cynthia wants to bang you?” I asked, crossing my one leg under the other. This wasn’t a side of Nick I recognized.

“You know…I could see it. Now that you mention it, Cynthia did seem pretty enamored with you.” Sophie came over to us and took a seat next to Nick.

“Oh, please.”

“Well, she doesn’t really seem to care about wedding flowers,” Sophie said smiling, knowing that would get under my skin.

“Her wedding is only a couple months away. Her to-do list is probably off the charts.”

Sophie and Nick traded glances, which worried me.

“What?” I asked.

“I really don’t see this working out well for Cole.” Nick stretched in the chair.

“Since when do I care about Cole’s feelings? Listen, I love you both, but I think you’re only seeing what you think I want to see. What I saw today was a man, who I happened to date long ago, introduce me to the woman he’s in love with and planning on marrying. My only goal for dinner is to figure out a way to get them to take Pickles with them.”

“I told you that damn cat was a traitor,” Sophie chuckled, glancing at the clock. “I’ve got to get going, but fill me in on everything. I want details.”

Sophie trundled out of the flower shop, leaving Nick and I alone to discuss the plans for the night.

“I still need to get some details about their wedding. I was so out of it, I didn’t even find out if I was providing flowers for their cake or not.” Nick’s gaze caught mine, and I knew he was up to something.

“I’ll be sure to keep you on track.” He patted my knee and I laughed.

“Just keep me away from the alcohol, and I should be just fine.”

He was quiet for a few seconds.

“I broke up with Andrea.”

“You did not.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

Just in case he decided to get back with her, I bit my tongue. I’d learned that lesson the hard way.

“Well, besides the fact that we had nothing in common, and she basically disliked who I was as a human being, it was doomed from the beginning. She didn’t like you and she didn’t like Sophie. After we left that night, she bad-mouthed you both and that was it. I’d been prolonging the inevitable.”

“What in the world did she say about us?” I asked, completely indignant. I’d been nothing but nice to her. I’d even give her free lattes for crying out loud.

“You don’t want to know.”

“Well, since you brought it up. I kind of do.”

“She thought you were stuck in the past.”

“That might not be completely inaccurate,” I muttered.

Nick squeezed my knee. “It was
how
she said it. But really, we all know it wouldn’t have worked out. I honestly don’t think she liked me. She just liked the idea of dating an artist. Not to mention I’m good at sex.” He wriggled his brows.

I swatted his hand and laughed. “I wouldn’t know, and I plan on keeping it that way.”

Nick grinned and shook his head. “Your loss.”

“You wouldn’t be able to handle this.” I ran my hands along my legs, smiling.

“In all fairness, could anyone?” His eyes danced with mischief, and I was grateful he’d be with me tonight. He always added much needed levity. “So should we pretend to be something more than friends tonight or play our dull, normal selves?”

“I take offense.”

He chuckled. “I say we play something more.”

“I’m not very good at acting.”

“Well, you did a great job of looking like you weren’t interested in Cole today.”

“Really?”

“I doubt he thinks you’ve ever given him a second thought,” Nick confirmed.

“Except that when I came out of the cooler, believing I was Wonder Woman, I didn’t know he was already in the shop, and I proclaimed to Sophie how I was finally over Cole Hill.”

“Ooh.” Nick rubbed his temple and glanced around the room. “On second thought…”

I grabbed a rag and began wiping down the counters across the room. The smell of my shop from today’s selection of roses, stock, and lavender filled the air. This was my happy place. I’d found a passion in life and went for it. I didn’t need to be bogged down in this unpredictable slog of second-guessing. I knew what I liked and I knew what I wanted. I liked my life and wanted to keep it that way.

“The dinner can’t go too late. I have to catch the early ferry in the morning to go to the flower wholesaler. My special order is coming in for the wedding on Sunday, and they are only open in the morning on Saturdays.”

“So does that mean you won’t be coming home with me after dinner?” Nick’s devilish grin made me chuckle.

“Have I ever?” I teased.

“No, but I can hope.”

“You said yourself, you wouldn’t know how to handle me.”

Nick stood up and held his palm over his heart just as my phone rang, and I saw my sister’s name flash on the screen. I’d told her about the situation, and she was, no doubt, calling to see how things went.

“Are you gonna answer it?” he asked.

“I guess,” I grumbled, sliding the phone onto speaker. “Hey, Jewels. You’re on speaker and Nick’s here.”

“Hey, sweetie. Did you survive?” she asked. “And hi, Nick.”

“She did so well surviving, we’re now going out to dinner with Cole and his fiancée,” Nick hollered from across the room.

“Are you serious?” she asked.

“Yup.” I circled my fingers on the counter and breathed out a sigh.

Jewels lived in Colorado and it was times like these, I missed her smiling face. She’d moved away two years ago with her husband, and I still hadn’t even managed to visit.

“Are you sure you’re up for it?” she asked.

“I can’t cancel. That would just look weird. Not to mention, this might be the one and only chance to find a home for Pickles.”

“Since when do you want to give away Pickles?” Jewels had watched Pickles while I was at college and she’d grown somewhat attached.

“Since she fell in love with Cole’s fiancée.”

“Yikes.” She stayed quiet for a second or two. “So what does Cole look like?”

I glanced at Nick, and he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“He looks like I remember,” I informed her before lowering my voice. “Only better.”

“I’m trying to convince your sister to let him think we’re together,” Nick said, walking over to me.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Jewels agreed. “Then you won’t feel like a third wheel.”

“I won’t feel like a third wheel and who cares if I do? This is Cole and Cynthia’s time to shine.”

Nick grinned and grabbed the cell from me.

“This is the lowdown, Jewels. I think Cynthia’s a cheater, and I think Cole regrets his decision about ever leaving Natty.”

“Is that so?”

“That is not so,” I corrected, pulling the phone back from Nick.

“I have a sixth sense about these things,” Nick continued. “I’m sure I could prove it. In fact, I’d be willing to make a little wager.”

“But you won’t because we’re all adults,” I interrupted. “Anyway, I’ll just be happy when April comes and goes.”

“What’s in April?” Jewels asked.

“Their wedding.”

An email flashed up on my screen and Nick caught the sender.

“Speak of the devil,” Nick said.

“What?” Jewels asked. I knew she hated to be missing out.

“Nothing. Cole just emailed something over, probably for the wedding.”

“Not according to the subject line,” Nick said.

“What’s it say?” Jewels questioned.

I pressed my palm over Nick’s lips and begged him to stay silent.

 

“Hey, girl. How are you doing?” Tori asked, wrapping her arms around my neck, almost bringing me down in the process.

These were my people. Cole was coming back onto my turf so why in the world was I letting him make me feel like the oddball?

Getting the email from him didn’t help either.

“Absolutely incredible,” I said dryly, as she released her clutches. I’d gone to school with Tori Aickens, and she’d recently moved back to the island. Her boyfriend, Mason, came right up behind her. It was a nice surprise to see these two familiar faces while waiting for the bride and groom-to-be to show up to the restaurant.

“In case you couldn’t tell by the exuberance in her voice, she’s lying,” Nick said, sliding a shot of icy vodka in front of me.

Tori bit her lip and glanced at Nick. “Does it have to do with Cole Hill being back in town?”

I let out a sigh, dropped my head, and chuckled. Word traveled fast.

Oh, and did I mention the lack of privacy when living on the island?

“So I guess that answers that,” Tori said, scooting a stool next to mine.

Nick rubbed my shoulders to get me back in the game.

“Do you know how long he’s going to be on Fireweed?” Tori asked. “Is he moving back?”