by Niecey Roy
Jaden wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Let’s just keep the blog thing between us. The whole town doesn’t need to know I’m walking around and taking pictures that I might post on my website.”
She’d tried so hard to be invisible when she lived here, and now she was offering to walk around with a flashing camera, drawing attention. Only for Mia.
Mia squinted, her lips pursed—Jaden knew that plotting look, and was wary.
“You know, I won’t be able to take much time off of work with the festival going on, and I have a wedding tomorrow. The bride is a nervous wreck times ten. She’s a mess. Every small thing makes her cry, and since I’m the event planner, she clings to my arms and leaves bruises.”
With a laugh, Jaden rounded the breakfast bar to the kitchen sink. “I can entertain myself.” She turned on the water and washed her hands. “I’d like to track Hillary down, too.”
“She’d love that. I didn’t call her yet. You should surprise her.”
Drying her hands on the hand towel beside the sink, she turned. “How’s she doing?”
“Great. She opened her own bakery, and I think she’s busier than she expected. Turns out in kolache country, everyone would rather buy them than bake them.” Mia laughed and stepped around Jaden to the sink to wash her hands. “She grumbles a lot. She never was a morning person, but she loves every minute of it. She finally hired someone to man the cash register, but she could use more help in the kitchen. You think I’m a control freak—she gets anxiety at the thought of someone else kneading the dough.”
“I bet.” Jaden laughed, and pictured their friend, always jotting down recipe ideas on scraps of paper in class.
Mia hung the hand towel on the hook next to the sink. “You know what we need? A spa date. Massages, champagne, pedicures, the works.”
“That sounds amazing. Honestly, I could use some downtime like that.” The last few weeks had been filled with meetings, scripts, travel plans, and not a lot of relaxation. She was ready to host a second season of The Road to Bliss, but along with that would come a loss of personal time and not much freedom to unwind. And she loved every minute of it.
“Good. And next week while I’m neck deep with the festival, you can do some blogging.” She leaned back against the sink, a thoughtful tilt to her chin. “I just think maybe we should let a few businesses know you’ll be around with your camera.”
Jaden raised her brows. “Like how many is a few?”
Mia shrugged with a toothy smile. “A couple. I mean, there are some really great places in River Bend. Like Antonio’s, and this place up on Pike’s Ridge. It would be great for the town to have that little boost of endorsement by someone famous.” Mia added a touch of puppy dog to a blinking stare.
“Okay. A few. That’s it. But not—”
“Great!” Mia’s expression beamed with delight. “I’ll just share the news with a few people. No big deal.”
Except sharing anything with a few people in a town this small was more like sharing with the whole town. She’d forgotten a lot of things about River Bend, like the view, but she hadn’t forgotten how small town gossip worked. Jaden fidgeted with the watch on her wrist. “Just make sure you tell whoever it is you think you need to tell that I might write a few posts. Might. Meaning, if I have time.”
“Oh, you!” Mia pulled Jaden into a tight hug, trapping her arms between them. “You and that blog are attached at the hip. Of course you’ll have time.”
Jaden sucked in a strained breath. “Mia, you’re squeezing the life out of me.”
“Oh, sorry.” She let Jaden go and eased back. “I am so, so, so happy you’re here.”
“Me too.” Jaden shook her arms loose so that she could wrap them around Mia and return the bear hug.
“I’ll get you the itinerary for the week.” Mia stuck her hand inside a pink tote on the counter and pulled out a binder from inside. She handed Jaden a tri-fold flyer from the inside pocket. “We have lots of fun stuff going on: a few rides, some games, the firemen’s fundraiser, hot dog eating contest.” She wrinkled her nose up. “That’s a little disgusting to watch, but I swear, I can’t look away.”
Jaden sympathized. She’d once watched a contest in San Francisco where a tiny woman out-ate every man on stage with her. There were people who trained for that sort of thing, but she couldn’t imagine what that kind of training did to a person’s stomach lining.
“There’s a live band Thursday night,” Mia continued. “A karaoke contest on Friday night. Oh, and there’s the Fourth of July parade and then fireworks. Then the last day is the car show.” As she ticked off events, Jaden struggled to keep up by following the itinerary on the flyer. “The kolache contest is in there somewhere—” Mia tapped the flyer, and Jaden lost her place on the itinerary. “Make sure to make it up to Pike’s Ridge. That place will amaze you. It’s a bed and breakfast and a culinary retreat.” Jaden glanced up from the paper. “River Bend has a culinary retreat?”
Mia nodded. “Guests can take a cooking class while they’re there. The owner, Samantha, she’s from Cedar Ridge, that little town about fifteen minutes from here. Remember that hot farmer Hillary dated in high school? That’s where he was from. Anyway, this Samantha started renovating that place up on the ridge last year. No one knew what she was up to until about two months before she opened. She asked me to help her plan the ribbon cutting ceremony and we had a nice party up there—she blew everyone away.”
“I’ll definitely check that out.” Jaden trailed her finger down the page until she found Pike’s Ridge Escape. “We featured a culinary retreat last season on the show and it was so much fun. Have you been there yet?”
“It’s really so much more. People can take the cooking classes, or they can stay to relax and enjoy the meals. Her dining room is only open to non-guests twice a week, and that’s if she’s not booked—and she’s always booked. Reservations only. I can get you a table.” She stuffed the binder back inside the tote. “Samantha’s an amazing chef. Like, orgasmic sauces. She’s trained all over—New York, Chicago, Italy.” She tapped mauve painted fingernails on the counter. “Some other places, but I’m drawing a blank right now. You can ask her when you see her.”
“Call and see if she can fit me in one of these nights, I’ve got to see this place before I leave. It sounds fantastic.”
“I will. That’s how River Bend got Antonio.” Mia started for the doorway and gestured for Jaden to follow.
“Antonio with the panty-dropping eyes?” Jaden’s lips quirked into a smile. “I can’t wait to try his... pizza.”
Mia glanced over her shoulder; her eyes flashed amusement. “Oh, to be young and single.”
“You’re still young.” Jaden laughed, and caught up with her at the doorway.
“Did you find the guest room?” Mia headed up the stairs.
“No, I went straight to the shower.” Exhaustion hit as she climbed the stairs behind Mia. It’d been a long day. “So what’s the story with this Antonio guy? Did he follow her here?”
“Yeah, he was here helping her get set up before the grand opening.”
“Is there a tragic romance behind this story?”
“I don’t think so?” She cocked her head, as if she were running through details she’d cataloged in her mind. “Someone said they’re really close friends; they went to culinary school together. Italy. Anyway, he came to help her for a couple of months, then left.” She paused at the landing and waited for Jaden to join her. “Not sure what that was all about, but he showed up with a moving van a few months later. Bought the old furniture store.”
“Lynch’s Furniture? Thought that place would never sell.” Alfred Lynch was a grumpy old man, who had sold mostly “gently used” furniture at outrageous prices. When he closed shop, he refused to sell or lease. Back when she waitressed at Pam’s Diner, he’d been the topic of frustrated conversation for members of the community who needed business space. In a town the size of River Bend, real estate was a big de
al.
“He gutted the place and did a full remodel. The upstairs that was always closed is now a loft. I haven’t seen it, but I hear it’s amazing up there.”
Jaden raised her brows. “You sure know a lot about this Antonio guy.”
“You know how little towns are; it’s impossible not to hear something.”
Jaden sniffed and said, “I remember.” She followed Mia down to the end of the hallway. “This mysterious Antonio sounds intriguing.” She waggled her eyebrows, and Mia laughed.
Mia opened the door and waved for Jaden to enter first. “Not sure what made him pack his bags for River Bend. Not that it matters. He could be an ex-mob boss, and the single women in this town wouldn’t care. You know, single, gorgeous, and he can cook. That man’s customers are eighty percent women.”
“And the plot thickens.” Jaden stepped into a room decorated in rich browns and blue. The furnishings were tasteful, the décor stylish and homey, and very Mia.
“I just go for the pizza. You know it’s my weakness.” Mia plopped down onto the bed and patted the mattress. “Sit. You must be exhausted.”
“Very.” Jaden crawled onto the bed and sprawled out on her back. Sinking into the soft mattress, she sighed. “This feels like heaven.” She flipped a hand in gesture around the room. “Your house is beautiful, by the way.”
“I love it.” Mia’s gaze roamed the details of the guest room. “David wasn’t thrilled about the location. His parents’ house is clear across town.”
Jaden couldn’t help but roll her eyes skyward. “Seriously? ‘Clear across town’ is a gross overstatement, since it only takes fifteen minutes to get across town. Maybe less.”
“Less.” She glanced to Jaden’s lime green plaid shorts and ribbed blue tank top. “That all you have?”
“I always carry pajamas in my carryon, but I didn’t have room for much else with my laptop and camera.”
“You can borrow some clothes tomorrow.” Mia scooted to the other side of the bed and lay down.
“I can’t fit in your clothes.” Jaden wrinkled her nose, her gaze on the ceiling. “You’re a size three.”
“You can squeeze those curves into a summer dress.”
“Squeeze and suck in will be the only way, and your dresses will look like hooker-wear on me.” Groggy, she closed her eyes.
“Oh, knock it off. You’re not bigger, you’re just taller.”
Jaden smiled and poked Mia in the side. “Right. Any dress of yours will ride my crotch.”
“I have a really long skirt that doesn’t fit. You can wear that.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll squeeze into your skirt. Maybe I can get by until my luggage arrives. They promised it’ll be here Monday.” She rolled over to face Mia, and propped a hand under her head, leaning into it. “Where is David? I figured he’d be here to greet me with a bear hug.”
It was no secret that David and Jaden didn’t get along. It hadn’t always been that way, but he’d earned Jaden’s aversion over the years.
“He left this morning for an insurance conference.” She blew out a sigh aimed at the ceiling. “He travels a lot these days.”
“He’s still doing insurance? That’s great.”
“Yes. It’s perfect for him.” Mia didn’t sound so certain. David didn’t have a great track record with jobs, and hadn’t since college.
“Is it?” Jaden couldn’t help but notice the strain in Mia’s voice. “Perfect for him?”
“He seems to really like it.” She glanced to Jaden, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. Usually, when Mia smiled, her entire face smiled. Something was off.
“That’s good.” She waited for Mia to unload, but she didn’t.
In high school, David and Mia were named cutest couple, most likely to get married, have a ton of kids, and a boat-load of money. David was a football star with an all-American smile and baby blue eyes, and Mia had been the perky cheerleading captain on his arm. Then David injured his knee and lost his chance at going pro, quashing that dream. There’d been so many ups and downs in their relationship since then.
“So, that was nice of Cole to come and get you,” Mia said, shutting the door on the subject of David.
The insinuation in her voice made Jaden’s eyes cross.
“What were you thinking, sending him? He asked me to dinner.” Jaden gave her a disapproving squint. “It’s not cool.”
“What? Why not?” Mia blinked. “That’s great!”
Jaden balked. “Are you nuts?”
“You should have him take you up to Pike’s Ridge! Have the prime rib. She makes a garlic butter sauce that’s to die for.”
Jaden tilted her head in censure. “Mia, he’s married.”
Mia’s eyes widened and she pressed her lips together. Then she burst out laughing. “Oh my god, you should see your face.”
“Is this some kind of best friend prank or something?” Jaden asked with narrowed eyes. “Not funny, you jerk.”
Mia shook her head, pressed her hand into her side, and curled on the bed with laughter.
Jaden sat up and crossed her legs. Glaring down at Mia, who had clearly lost her mind, she said, “And now I feel like I should find a new best friend.”
Mia wiped at her eyes. “No. It’s just—I thought I told you. I swear I told you. I don’t know how I could have left that huge detail out. Cole’s getting divorced. They’ve been separated for almost six months.”
“It’s not something I would have forgotten.” Jaden replayed the entire scene with Cole through her mind. Did she even look at his ring finger? She hadn’t thought to; why would she? But it all made sense—she was so surprised his blatant flirting.
“I’m sorry, I’ve been scatter-brained these last few months. I’ve been so busy, and things have been crazy. I don’t know how I could have forgotten to mention it.”
“It’s fine, it’s not really my business anyway.” She plopped back down on the bed. “But, oh my God. I was such a bitch to him.” She groaned and pinched her eyes shut. “I thought he was married and I was pissed.”
Most of the annoyance was for herself, because as wrong as it was, she still felt the pull of attraction.
“I bet that made for an interesting car ride.” Mia stuffed a pillow under her head and turned to Jaden. “I swear, I thought I told you about it.”
“Um, no. That’s not something I would’ve forgotten.” It would have been on replay in her head for at least a week or two. Or longer, if she was honest with herself.
“Ah-ha! You still like him.”
“No, I do not.” Was that the truth? Not entirely, but she also didn’t spend much time thinking about Cole, if she could help it. Those thoughts were all fleeting. A memory she allowed to simmer for a few moments before she brushed it aside. A lot of time had passed, and rehashing a relationship that would never be was a waste of time.
But now...
She shook the astounding idea from her head before it could formulate. His separation didn’t matter. The last time she let her heart get wrapped up so completely in Cole Brooks, she got burned. Divorces were messy, and the complication didn’t interest her. She had a friend at the television network who fell in love with a man separated from his wife. When he went back to her, Jaden’s friend was left heartbroken. Jaden talked her down from some very stalkerish ideas—calling in the middle of the night and breathing heavy into the phone was never a good plan.
No. She let the word echo in her mind. Their worlds were light years apart, and her dreams resided elsewhere. Six years ago, when she was a wanderer, bartending to pay her way around the world to any place she wanted, the idea of pursuing a childhood love—no, a childhood crush—was conceivable. Now, she was a woman with a career, a purpose, and an almost-home in Seattle. She hadn’t yet settled into her new apartment. The place still lacked a personal touch, and the décor had more of a hotel feel to it. It was hers, though, and thousands of miles from this town, and Cole.
Still, she couldn’t help b
ut wonder...
“When is his divorce?” She gave a mental groan.
“Next month is the final hearing.
“Oh.” What she needed was a nap. Or maybe she’d sleep until tomorrow and pretend the awkward car ride with Cole never happened.
“Oh, as in you like him. You want to marry him,” Mia sing-songed and nudged Jaden in the side.
Jaden closed her eyes and smiled. “Knock it off. You sound like a ten-year-old.”
“Cole isn’t seeing anyone at all. He hasn’t dated since Kensie left.”
There were so many more questions she wanted to ask, like why Kensie left, and was Cole still in love with her. Not your business! She needed to write it on a sticky note and superglue it to her forehead.
“Are you trying to set us up?” It was a pointless question, because she already knew the answer, and it was a very Mia thing to do.
“Yes, I think I am.”
She peeked an eye open. “I just came to check on you, not hook up with your brother.” Then she closed her eye and added. “Which will never happen, by the way.”
“Anything is possible if you just believe.”
Jaden laughed. “Okay, Tinkerbell.”
“I’m just saying, I wouldn’t mind if my two favorite people in the world hooked up, got married, and made a million babies.”
Jaden sniffed. “Have you been doing drugs since the last time I saw you?”
“Not drugs, but I’ve been binge watching romantic comedies.”
Jaden nudged Mia’s ankle with her toe. “Those are bad for your health. I’m going to take a nap and when I wake up, we’re not going to discuss you pushing me at your brother. Got it?”
Mia rolled out of the bed and walked to the door. With a hand on the knob, she said, “I make no promises. See you when you wake up, Jay.”
When Mia shut the door behind her, Jaden rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling. Whether she planned to avoid him for the rest of her visit or not, she owed Cole an apology.