Connor had come to the same conclusion over the past exhausting hour and a half. “You’re right. Just put it out there.”
Lamont gave him a long, searching look. “She’s getting to you, huh?”
“Like nobody’s business.” He just hoped he hadn’t already lost her. He gave Lamont a chagrined look and held out his hand. “Thanks for letting me blow off some steam.”
Lamont grasped his hand. “Hey, man. What are friends for?”
Chapter 27
Maddy let loose a soul-deep sigh as Nick pulled from her drive. She had not expected that. Her mind was spinning with all he’d said, the words swarming around her brain like a dozen bees, refusing to settle anywhere.
To further confuse the matter, she wasn’t sure what to believe—if things had happened with Evangeline the way he’d said. If Allison had really sabotaged her promotion.
She decided to put that on the back burner. Did it really matter at this point? And then there was the whole “I miss you” thing. He’d never circled back around to that. But she could see the interest in his eyes, in the way he’d found excuses to touch her as they walked along the shore.
She wanted none of that. It was the only thing she was sure of right now. She couldn’t be with a man she didn’t trust. And she no longer felt toward Nick the way she once had. That had been made crystal clear by his visit. She was glad he’d come, for that reason alone. It had offered such clarity.
She checked her watch. Connor had been off work for over half an hour, but his car wasn’t yet in his drive. She’d been trying to rush Nick along, not wanting an awkward confrontation between the two men.
Movement caught her eye, a car. It wasn’t Connor’s, but the Mercedes. Nora pulled into the drive and came to a stop. Maddy went to help her sisters with the groceries.
“Who was that?” Emma nodded toward Nick’s Mustang, only now just disappearing from view. They must’ve seen him pulling from the drive.
Maddy lifted the trunk and grabbed a handful of bags. “That was Nick.”
Emma did a double take. “Nick Nick?”
“The very one.”
“Don’t tell me he’s come crawling back,” Nora said.
“I hope you told him to go jump off a bridge.”
Maddy hadn’t yet confessed to losing her job, and this didn’t seem like the time to bring it up. “I’m not interested in picking up where we left off, and I think I got that message across loud and clear.”
Emma nodded in approval. “Good for you.”
“I hope you got to slug him,” Nora said.
“Tempting,” Maddy said. “But he did apologize, and I’ve decided to give forgiveness a try.” She kind of liked the peace that came with it.
“Bear in mind,” Emma said as they walked through the house, “granting forgiveness doesn’t mean granting trust. One is given, and the other is earned.”
Tension sprouted between the sisters as they set their groceries on the counter. The subject of betrayal had once again resurrected unresolved feelings. The tension lingered in the air as they put away groceries. Emma was probably dealing with her residual anger, Nora with guilt that had also morphed into anger over time. What a mess it all was.
Maddy sensed their truce was on shaky ground, and she was afraid to say anything for fear of causing the stress fracture that would make everything collapse.
When the groceries had been put away, Maddy grabbed the burnished bronze cabinet pulls they’d selected from the hardware store. “I like these. They’ll freshen these old cabinets right up.”
“I thought they’d look good with the new faucet,” Nora said in a perky tone, obviously relieved for the tension breaker. “I’ll put them on tonight.”
“Where’s Connor?” Emma asked. “He’s usually here by now.”
“I’m not sure. He never really said he was coming over, so maybe he has other plans tonight.” Maddy checked her phone and saw she’d missed a call from him while Nick was here. “Oh, he tried to call earlier.”
She wandered to the back door as she returned his call. But a moment later his voicemail kicked on.
“Hey, it’s Maddy,” she said when prompted to leave a message. “I guess I missed your call earlier. We never really talked about tonight, so I’m not sure what your plans are, but would you mind coming over when you get home? If it’s not too late, I’d like to talk. Okay, well, I guess I’ll see you later.”
* * *
Connor stepped from the shower—his third of the day—and pushed the damp towel on the floor out of the way. His muscles quivered from overuse on the court. He’d grabbed a bite to eat with Lamont, and they’d gone back to his apartment and watched part of the Braves game. They’d been down 5–2 in the fifth inning when Connor left.
He couldn’t seem to care about his favorite team tonight. He had Maddy on his brain.
He cleared the fog from his mirror and rubbed down his hair with a dry towel. He hadn’t bothered shaving this morning, or yesterday for that matter. He suspected Maddy liked the scruffy look, though she hadn’t said so. He’d caught her looking at his jawline, however, and thought he saw a flicker of approval in her eyes.
He went to his room and grabbed some clothes that were lying across his dresser. When he collected his phone he saw Maddy had left a voicemail. He touched the screen, filled with equal parts hope and dread, and listened to her message. Her tone gave nothing away. But she wanted him to come over, wanted to talk. That didn’t sound good. His stomach was in knots by the time the message ended.
It was going on ten o’clock, but unlike her sisters, Maddy usually went to bed after eleven. Rather than text her that he was coming over, he decided to just show up at her door.
His legs weren’t as steady as he would’ve liked as he covered the uneven ground between their houses. He told himself his muscles were fatigued from his workout. But the dread roiling in his stomach told a different story. He was a wreck over this.
They’d only had one date, he reminded himself. They sure hadn’t gotten into serious territory yet. They weren’t in love. They weren’t even a couple. They’d only known each other five weeks and had spent half of that time disliking each other.
Yet even with all these marks in the easy come, easy go column, the one item in the heartbreak ahead column outweighed them all.
“I like her,” he said out loud. “I really like her.”
More than seemed possible given all the items in the first column. But that didn’t change the fact that it was true. These things didn’t always make sense on paper.
If she was calling it quits it was going to hurt. Heck, it hurt just thinking about it. He felt as though he were on his way to the gallows as he entered her yard and looked up at the kitchen window, a lone light spilling through it and onto the deck.
The warm wind tousled his damp hair as he took the steps up the deck and spotted her sitting at the table, a mug of something cupped between her hands. The stove light cast a golden glow over her face, softening her features.
Did she look like a woman who’d just stood strong against her ex-boyfriend or a woman who was about to break another man’s heart?
Before he could decide which it was, she caught sight of him, and he forced his lips upward.
Her instant smile gave him a jolt of hope. She rushed to the door and opened it. “Hey there.”
“Hey. Got your message.”
She wore a paint-stained T-shirt and a pair of shorts. No makeup that he could see, and the freckles on her nose were making an appearance. In short, she was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. His heart stuttered at the thought he might lose her.
“Let’s go outside,” Maddy said. “It’s finally cooled off a bit. Do you want something to drink? Or eat? Emma made some lemon poppy seed muffins that are to die for.”
“No thanks. I just ate.”
He followed her across the deck, where she lowered herself onto the steps leading down to the beach. He sank down beside her, l
eaving a gap between them.
The crash of the surf was distant, the tide going out. Moonlight glimmered on the water, a blue cone widening toward the shore. Overhead the sky was like black velvet, twinkling with a million stars.
His gaze fell to Maddy. The shadowy night revealed little of her expression, making him wish they’d stayed inside.
“So what did you do tonight?” Her question was casual. “Anything fun?”
“I shot hoops with Lamont, grabbed a bite to eat, watched the game at his place.”
“That’s nice. That’s great you have a close friend.”
“He’s been by my side a long time. Been through some tough stuff together.”
“Those are the best kind. I don’t know what I’d do without Holly. I miss her. Texting and phone calls just aren’t the same.”
“Yeah, I get that. Did you get much done on the house?”
“Not as much as I would’ve liked.”
No doubt. He could tell she was stalling for time, trying to find a way to bring up Nick’s visit. Maybe he should just put her out of her misery. But before he could open his mouth, she spoke.
“So listen, Connor. I wanted to tell you about . . . Well, Nick came to see me this afternoon—my ex-boyfriend.”
Connor dug the toe of his sandal through the sandy soil, making a deep horizontal line. “That so? What did he want?”
“Well . . . I guess mainly he wanted to apologize for his behavior.”
Apologize for cheating on her? For stealing her promotion? For manipulating her emotions? How did one go about such a feat?
“And how’d that go over?”
She breathed a laugh, ducked her head. “It was good to hear, I’ll admit, after waiting all these weeks. Not that I’d been holding my breath, mind you. But I’m working on the forgiveness part, and knowing he’s sorry helps. I’ll get there eventually.”
He searched her face, desperate to know what was going on in her head. He had a feeling there’d been a whole lot more to their conversation.
“Is that all he wanted?”
With her toes she extended the line he was drawing in the sand. “No. Actually, it wasn’t.”
He braced himself. Drew another line parallel to the one he’d drawn before.
“He said he knows of a job opportunity for me.”
He slanted a look her way, unable to stop himself from saying, “Didn’t he steal your last one?”
She helped him with his line, their toes touching for a brief instant. “A friend of his is opening a restaurant in Charlotte. The chef’s well known, and it seems like a promising opportunity. It’s the GM position—same one I was trying to get at Pirouette.”
“A friend of Nick’s? That doesn’t concern you?” He couldn’t keep the disbelief from his voice.
“I’d have to meet the man and judge for myself if he’s someone I’d want to work for, of course.”
He scratched his neck.
“I have to consider this, Connor. I don’t have another offer yet, and my savings are dwindling.”
He clamped his lips together and dug a vertical line with more force than necessary. He didn’t want to think about her having a connection to that dirtbag, even a professional one. And he couldn’t help but think this job opportunity was just Nick’s way of trying to manipulate his way back into her life.
“Is that all he wanted?” Connor squeezed the words past the ache in his throat. Part of him wished he could call back the question. Especially when a lengthy pause ensued.
Maddy finished the line in the sand. They’d made a tic-tac-toe grid.
“He said he misses me. But that was about the extent of that conversation.”
His heart skipped a beat as he stared off to the darkened horizon. He forced a casual tone. As if her answer wouldn’t break his heart a little. “And you, Maddy? Do you miss him?”
She turned toward Connor. He could feel the heat of her gaze on the side of his face. He surrendered to it, turning to meet her eyes. The breeze tousled her hair, teased him with her sweet scent. She made his heart ache.
“No. I don’t miss him.” Her lips turned up a little, searching his eyes. “I don’t miss him at all.”
His breath left his body in a quiet whoosh. That was all he needed to hear. What he’d longed to hear all night, ever since he’d seen her and Nick on the beach.
She looked down at the sand and drew a circle in one of the corner spaces.
He smiled at her action, feeling almost giddy inside. He didn’t want to play games. They were on the same team. He drew a circle in the opposite corner.
She gave him a look of surprise, then her eyes twinkled in the darkness. She drew a circle in the center square.
He dragged a straight line through the circles and met her gaze.
“We win,” she said softly.
He hoped they would. “Listen, Maddy, I have to be honest about something . . .”
She tilted her head, her smile falling at the gravity in his voice. That crease formed between her brows, and he hated that he’d put it there.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to tell you I came home this afternoon. I left work early and was planning to come over and help with the house. But then I saw you and Nick together on the beach and . . .”
“Oh.”
“I’ve been fretting ever since, and when I got your message a few minutes ago, I thought you were going to tell me the two of you were back together.”
Her eyes widened. “What? No. Absolutely not.”
Her vehement denial made hope rise to the surface like a submerged buoy. “I know we only just started going out, and I don’t want to freak you out, Maddy, but . . . I really don’t want to lose you.”
He braced himself, hoping he hadn’t said too much. She’d just barely agreed to go out on a date. He hadn’t meant for things to get heavy so quickly.
But her eyes softened as a gentle smile blossomed on her face. “Well. If that isn’t just about the nicest thing I’ve heard all day.”
His muscles weakened as a heavy weight lifted from his shoulders. Dare he hope she was feeling the same as he?
“That was very honest of you.” Her eyes pierced his. “You didn’t have to tell me that.”
“I don’t want there to be any games between us, Maddy. Trust is important in a relationship—nobody knows that better than you.”
She gave him a long, searching look. “I couldn’t have been more wrong about you, Connor Sullivan—and that’s a good thing.”
He smiled at the memory of her first impression. “Are you ever going to let me live that down?”
“More to the point . . .” She gave him a saucy look. “Are you ever going to kiss me again?”
His breath fell from his lungs. His eyes fell to her lips, sweetly curved. He couldn’t think of anything he’d like more.
“Far be it from me to keep a lady waiting,” he said softly as he lowered his lips to hers. He brushed them gently. She tasted of sea air and woman. Addicting. He palmed her cheek. So soft. He could do this all night.
Her hand came to rest on his neck, her fingers toying with his hair. He deepened the kiss and pulled her closer, needing to feel her softness against him. What she did to him . . . He’d lost all hope of ever feeling this way again.
His heart was racing in his chest, his lungs aching for oxygen. But he needed her more than he needed his next breath. He couldn’t believe that was already true . . . but it was.
God, he prayed. I’m falling for her. Falling hard and fast.
He felt full to bursting inside, so many thoughts and emotions swirling through him, all of them good. His hand slid up from her neck, cupping her jaw reverently. She was a treasure, meant to be adored. And he did, he realized. Could she tell how he felt? Did he want her to know? Did she feel the same way?
It would seem so.
He drew back, enough to nuzzle her jaw with his nose. She smelled so good. He could
n’t get enough. If he’d thought their first kiss had been a fluke, he’d been proven wrong. So wrong.
The feel of her fingers threading through his hair made every cell come to attention.
“Is it just me,” he whispered, “or does it feel like we’ve done this a lot more than twice?”
“Not just you,” she said on a soft breath, drawing back to look at him beneath hooded lids.
“Still . . . ,” he said. “We could always use more practice.”
“I am a bit of a perfectionist.”
“It’s important we get it just right.”
“Very important,” she whispered.
He looked into her eyes as he lowered his lips to hers, feeling an unrelenting hope he hadn’t felt in a long time. And it felt good. It felt right.
It felt as if everything he’d been waiting for—everything he never thought he’d have again—was right here in his arms.
Chapter 28
August 4, twenty years ago
Maddy treaded barefoot across the damp, hard-packed sand. Shells, many of them whole, were strewn across the beach as far as the eye could see, along with seagrass and driftwood. It always amazed her to see the treasures low tide turned up.
Daylight was fading fast, but if she waited till morning, all the good shells would be washed away. Besides, there was nothing else to do tonight. Everyone was busy.
Gram had gone to Bald Head Island with her friends for the weekend. Emma was in the kitchen, baking cinnamon rolls. Mama and Daddy were in their bedroom, door closed. Jonathan was working late at the coffee shop, and Nora had gone off who-knew-where. Maddy suspected she was with Jonathan again, and her stomach knotted at the thought.
It had been over a week since she’d caught them kissing on the beach. She’d watched them when the family was together, and they seemed perfectly fine. Perfectly friendly. Sometimes Maddy thought she must’ve imagined what she’d seen.
But she knew in her heart she hadn’t. It was true. Nora and Jonathan were betraying Emma. How could they do such a horrible thing? She had no idea love could go so very wrong.
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