Ex in the City (Many Shades of Blu #1)

by Lillianna Blake

I curled up in my bed and tried to shut out all distractions. I had a big decision to make and I had no idea what I was going to do.

  Chapter 30

  I spent all day Monday avoiding everything. I didn’t want to confirm a date with Chase, when I wasn’t sure if I would follow through with it.

  I had to fight the urge to text AJ, and by Tuesday morning, I woke up with the weight of the world on my shoulders. As much as I didn’t like it, I knew what I had to do.

  I put on a cheerful face for the kids, but once they were off to school, my chest ached with dread.

  “Are you okay back there?” Oliver peered into the mirror at me. “You’re quiet today.”

  “I’m okay, thanks.” I smiled and asked him to drop me off at the coffee shop early. I wanted to make a call before AJ arrived.

  Once inside, I fiddled with my phone, then finally became brave enough to pull up the number.

  Chase answered on the first ring. “Hi there.” His voice was bright.

  “Hi.” I cleared my throat. “Chase, I’m sorry. I don’t know how to say this but—”

  “You don’t want to see me anymore.” His voice remained calm. “I saw this coming. It’s because of AJ, isn’t it?”

  “I think I just wasn’t ready to start dating. I’m better off alone right now.”

  Yes, I’d made my decision. It was the right thing to do.

  “Sure.” He chuckled. “Listen, I saw it that night at his bar. You’re not over him, Blu. You’re kidding yourself if you think you are. I appreciate you not stringing me along.”

  “I’m sorry, Chase, you really are a great guy.”

  “It’s alright. I’m not interested in getting in the middle of true love. Take care, Blu. Bye.”

  “True love?”

  He’d already hung up, but his words echoed through me.

  Somewhere deep down inside, it finally hit me that I hadn’t been running from AJ, I’d been running from something else. When AJ had looked into my eyes and held me in his arms—when he’d swept me off my feet, it had been exciting but it had also scared me—because it was the most powerful thing I’d ever felt.

  When I thought about my future, I pictured only him and that was scary too. But more than anything else, it was scary to think of not having him in my life, and I didn’t want to risk that. I knew that now.

  “Morning.” AJ slid into the seat across from me.

  I was a little startled by his presence.

  “Hi.” I felt my face go warm when I saw him. It was the kiss we’d shared that was immediately flashing through my mind.

  “Listen, I probably owe you an apology for that kiss and—”

  “Shh.” I smiled.

  “No. I mean, I should have respected your wishes and—”

  “Shh.” I laughed.

  “Blu, I’m serious.” He narrowed his eyes.

  I stood up from the table and reached for his hand, pulling him up next to me. Without giving him a chance to speak, I threw my arms around his neck and finally felt the relief of having his lips on mine again.

  AJ didn’t fight me in the least, but his lips parted with surprise, then sought my own with passion.

  By the time we breathlessly stepped away from one another for the briefest of seconds, I knew for certain that I wasn’t afraid anymore.

  “I love you, AJ, and when I said forever, I meant that too. I was a little lost, but you found me.”

  “I never lost sight of you.” He brushed his hand along my cheek. “I never will.”

  In that moment, I could see our future together—from marriage, to babies, to spending our retirement years having adventures and maybe even solving mysteries together again.

  There was only ever one thing I needed to lose and that was fear.

  Now I was certain that I could embrace all of me—that discovering my passions and what I’m meant to do with my life could take some time. And most importantly, that it was more than okay to be on this journey with the man of my dreams—with AJ—right there beside me.

  Please enjoy the following preview for

  “Love in the City” (Many Shades of Blu, Book 2)

  Chapter 1

  It felt like a reunion. Not since Hanna’s wedding had we all been back together again. Hanna had dubbed us her bride tribe, and the whole experience of planning and being together over the summer had bonded us in ways I’d not experienced before. We had continued to support and cheer one another on over the past months and now, despite our busy lives, we’d all come together again to celebrate a huge moment in Dawn’s life.

  When I’d first met Dawn, she’d been a bit shy and stuck in a job she hated. She’d been overweight by about one hundred pounds—her assessment, not mine—but since then had lost at least half the weight to reach her goal. She’d built up her self-confidence, seized on an opportunity to follow her passion—and now it was opening day for her bakery.

  The chatter in the kitchen was so loud that it was hard to hear the buzzers on the ovens. The scents in the air filled me with anticipation. In the middle of it all stood Dawn, with the widest smile I’d ever seen on her face. She was proud, and she had every reason to be. I was proud of her too.

  “Dawn, you did it.” I rested my hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. “You really did it.”

  “Thanks, Blu.” She hugged me, then everyone else in turn. “Thanks to all of you.”

  A shiver rippled through me as I felt the power in the room. It was more than friendship amongst us, it was a sense of womanhood that carried back through centuries—that sense that we could accomplish anything when we banded together. I felt so lucky to be included in this group of women that empowered one another with unconditional love and unrelenting encouragement.

  “I can’t believe it’s almost time.” Dawn wiped her hands on her apron and looked up at the clock. It was nearly seven. “Tomorrow I’ll open at six—I think that’s a better time, but since it’s the first day I wanted to leave some extra time for last-minute disasters.”

  “So far there’s been none of those.” Alex gave her a quick hug. “I should know…when I first opened Common Grounds, it was disaster after disaster. I thought I might not even get the doors open!”

  “Good thing you did.” Noella slung an arm around her shoulders. “Otherwise my baby sister never would have had such a great place to meet with us to plan her wedding. Common Grounds is such a special place.” She lowered her voice a little. “And also a great place to meet blind dates.”

  “Oh, really?” I grinned. “From that online group? Forty and Free? I want to hear a lot more about that.”

  Noella nodded and smiled.

  She was the oldest of our little group and was just getting back into the dating scene after her divorce.

  “All I know is that this place is going to be a great success.” Zoe placed her hands on her hips. “Trent said he did some sort of viral marketing or something like that.” She waved her hand through the air and shook her head. “I can’t keep up with all the marketing jargon, but he made it sound good, that’s for sure.”

  “Doesn’t anything Trent says sound good to you?” Hanna flitted past her as she pulled off her apron. She ducked just out of reach of Zoe’s playful swat.

  “Oh, hush! You know it’s business between us. I must say that I owe much of the success of Zoe’s World to his expertise. He’s very good at what he does.”

  “Mm-hm. I’m sure he is.” Hanna giggled and ducked out of the way of another swat.

  Zoe’s face seemed to turn at least three shades redder, which was interesting because it took a lot to make Zoe blush.

  “I mean with the website, of course.” She stammered a bit as she got the words out.

  “Alright, ladies!” Dawn clapped her hands. “Settle down or I’ll break out the icing.”

  I laughed as I recalled the icing war we’d had the night before. As a way to let off steam, we’d gone wild with the cake decorating tools. It had taken a bit of time to cl
ean up, but it had been worth it.

  The door to the kitchen swung open and Samantha poked her head in.

  “Hi, guys! Are we ready? There are people lining up outside.”

  “Lining up?” Dawn’s face went pale. “Are you serious?”

  “I am.” She grinned. “This is it, Dawn!”

  “Wait, I just need one more minute.” Dawn pressed her hand to her chest and tried to catch her breath.

  “It’s okay, sweetie.” I rubbed her back. “Just take slow deep breaths.”

  We all surrounded her with offers of support.

  Dawn calmed down, then threw her arms around Zoe. “If it wasn’t for you, this wouldn’t be happening.” She looked into Zoe’s eyes.

  I knew that Zoe had invested in the bakery so that Dawn could open it, but she had also been by Dawn’s side as she’d worked through her insecurities and decided to finally go for it.

  “If it wasn’t for all of you…” Dawn glanced around at all of us. “This isn’t just my moment—you’ve all been a big part of this. And Sammy…” She smiled at her. “If it weren’t for you, none of this would have even gotten off the ground. Your inspirational books and website have given all of us the boldness and belief in ourselves to make the big changes in our lives that we’ve been making.”

  “Yes, they have.” I smiled at Samantha.

  As we all gathered together for a group hug, I was so glad I hadn’t missed this moment. I had considered skipping the bakery opening—just for a minute—because my boyfriend AJ and I had had so little time together lately. But I’d wanted to be there for Dawn.

  And it wasn’t until I’d felt the warmth of all my friends around me that I’d realized that I was there just as much for myself. Whenever we were all together, it seemed as if there were no limits to what any of us could accomplish.

  “Alright, this is it.” Dawn wiped at her eyes, then took a deep breath.

  The kitchen door swung open again and Garrett poked his head inside. Dawn had hired him after she’d worked with him at another local bakery. They’d become quite close, and it was no secret among her friends that she had a huge crush on him.

  “Ready, Dawn?” He met her eyes as a smile spread across his lips.

  “Ready.” She nodded, then strode forward to unlock the door.

  Chapter 2

  I watched as Garrett walked a few steps behind Dawn to the front of the shop. He lingered nearby as she unlocked and then opened the door.

  “Welcome, everyone, thanks so much for coming. Please help yourselves to the complimentary samples on the counter.”

  As Dawn turned to walk back toward the counter, Garrett placed his hand briefly on the small of her back before rushing back into the kitchen. It was such an intimate show of support that it made me pause and stare at them for a moment.

  Dawn ran back and forth between the kitchen and the counter, and everyone pitched in. I was doing my best to avoid any kind of baking, as I had a tendency to burn things. Instead, I made sure that the napkins were replenished and all spills were cleaned up quickly.

  At one point, the bakery was so filled with people that Alex had to take over and delegate tasks as well as organize the customers. Once over that hump, everything had gone smoothly.

  I wished I could stay longer, but I had to catch a flight back to New York City shortly after the bakery closed.

  By the time there was a lull with the customers, everyone was already exhausted, but I could see the shine in Dawn’s eyes.

  “Wow, this is incredible! I never expected it to be this busy.”

  “That’s the viral marketing.” Zoe grinned. “Go, Trent!”

  “Please tell him thank you from me.” Dawn took a deep breath. “Alright, I’d better make some more bread and pastries for the lunch crowd.”

  “I’ll help.” Garrett tied his apron a little tighter and followed behind her into the kitchen.

  I had to bite my tongue to keep from making a comment about the way he seemed to be looking at her. Did Dawn notice? I couldn’t tell. I was still smiling when my phone began to ring.

  When I saw that it was AJ, my heart skipped a beat. Since it was quiet and the bakery was tidy, I ducked into the small back office. I pressed the button to initiate the video chat and smiled at the sight of him.

  “Hey there, AJ, what are you up to?”

  “I hope I’m not interrupting. I figured you’d let it go to voicemail if you were too busy.”

  “We had a little lull so that’s why I answered. Plus, I’ll take any chance I can get to see your handsome face.”

  “Aw.” He blushed some, but his smile faded. “I know I’ve been so busy with the bar. I know I’ve been bailing on you.”

  “It’s alright, AJ. You’re a business owner; I get it. You should have seen how crazy the bakery was when it opened this morning, and we’re sure we’re in for another round. A business takes a lot of work.”

  “So does a relationship.”

  I smiled when I saw the intense look in his eyes.

  “Please know that the last thing I want is for you to ever think I’m taking you for granted. I would love to spend every minute with you.”

  “It’s alright.” I forced my smile to get wider, but wondered if he could read my mind.

  The truth was, I’d been wondering lately if AJ had begun to lose interest.

  When we’d first gotten back together after the breakup, we’d spent nearly every free moment together. But lately? Most recently he’d canceled our coffee date right before I left for the weekend away. In fact, he hadn’t made our weekly coffee dates in almost a month. It was hard not to believe that something or someone else might have caught his eye.

  I brought my attention back to that sweet face looking back at me and let all other thoughts fall away. “What was that?”

  “I said that it’s not okay. I know it’s not. I’m going to make it up to you, hon, I swear.”

  “Well, I am looking forward to seeing you when I get home.”

  “I do need to talk to you about something. I’ve been trying to wait until we’re in person, but that just doesn’t seem to be working out.”

  “What is it?” I held my breath, as I was certain it couldn’t be anything good if he was that serious about it.

  “Blu! We need you!” Hanna yelled from outside the door.

  “Oh dear, I have to go.” I frowned. “What is it, AJ?”

  “Oh, nothing, we can talk about it when you get back. Have fun—just go have fun.”

  “AJ, is everything okay?” I searched his eyes for any hint of what he might need to talk to me about.

  “Blu! Where are you?” This time it was Noella calling, and I knew I had to go.

  “Okay, when I get home. Bye, AJ.”

  “See you tonight, love you—”

  I hung up the phone in a rush and hurried out into the seating area of the bakery.

  Needing me was an understatement. There were at least three cups of coffee spilled near the door, the napkin holders had been picked clean, and there was a line of people waiting at the counter.

  A wave of guilt washed over me for being hidden away during the rush. I ducked into the storage closet to grab a mop and another pack of napkins. Once the mess was cleaned up, I refilled all the napkins and helped deliver orders to customers that had been waiting for some time.

  Once the rush died down, Dawn made sure we all had sandwiches and drinks.

  “Thanks so much for being here, Blu. It really means a lot to me that you came. Now, if only you could stay forever!” She laughed.

  “I wish I could.” I smiled at her. It did tug at my heart to be back here with all my friends. Although I loved New York and the family I nannied for there—and of course AJ—it was hard not to feel disconnected when I lived so far away.

  After the bakery was closed for the day, Dawn passed around some celebratory champagne.

  I noticed that Garrett and Dawn shared a private toast.

  When she broke
away to check on something in the back, I followed after her.

  “Blu, we do have to get going. I’ll pull the car around.” Hanna waved to me as she headed through the door.

  “Thanks!” I ducked into the kitchen with the hope of having a second to talk to Dawn before Hanna drove me to the airport.

  “Dawn?”

  “Yes?” She glanced over at me.

  “What’s going on with you and Garrett?”

  “Why do you ask?” She blushed.

  “I knew it!” I laughed. “Don’t think I didn’t notice!” I grabbed my bag as Hanna waved from her car outside. “I want all the details, young lady!”

  “Soon, I promise!” Dawn hugged me goodbye. “Have a safe flight and thanks again for everything!”

  End of the preview.

  “Love in the City” is available for pre-order here:

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B482KFH

  An introduction to The Bride Tribe series…

  Chapter 1

  His fingers caressed mine as he grasped my hand. I watched, eyes wide, as he lowered himself to one knee. This was it. This was the moment I’d been waiting for. My heart pounded loud and steady. It pounded so loud that I couldn’t make out his words as his chocolate-brown gaze locked on mine. It pounded so loud that I couldn’t even hear my own voice as I answered a question I wasn’t sure he’d even spoken.

  “Hanna?” His voice cut through my heartbeat as he called out my name. “Hanna, are you there?”

  “I’m right here, silly.” I smiled and my heart continued to pound.

  When my eyes popped open, I realized it wasn’t my heartbeat I was hearing. It was someone knocking on the front door of my apartment.

  I jumped out of bed and barely managed to grab my robe as I ran for the door. With one arm in a sleeve and the other caught in the sash, I realized that the robe was upside down.

  “Jake, I’m here. Just a sec.”

  “I’ll just come in.”

  I heard the slide of his key in the lock and struggled to get my robe situated over my nightgown. It wasn’t really a nightgown—it was a lacy piece of cloth that barely covered my full-bodied frame.