Welcome to Paradise

by Elle Kennedy

  Anger shot through her. Damn it, she’d promised herself she wouldn’t think about Cooper today. Or ever. The bastard didn’t deserve her. He’d never deserved her. She’d only gotten involved with him to try to forget about Gabe, but now she was even worse off. Now she had to forget two assholes instead of one.

  Focusing on Charlotte Hill and her evil plans for Nate was a better way to spend her time. And she had no doubt that Nate’s new—or old—girlfriend was up to something. Now she simply had to prove it.

  When she strode into the spacious main room of the library, she immediately spotted Charlotte sitting at one of the computer terminals lining the wall. The library was otherwise deserted, which meant that Wanda Easton’s youth club meeting had ended for the day. Perfect. She didn’t want an audience when she confronted Charlotte.

  Squaring her shoulders, Lexie made her way to the bank of computers. The sound of her heels clicking against the tiled floor made Charlotte lift her head, and she turned around, frowning when she spotted Lexie.

  “What are you doing here?” Charlotte asked with a sigh.

  Lexie peered past the redhead’s shoulder, noticing the email account up on the screen, but she couldn’t read anything from that distance. Shifting her gaze to meet Charlotte’s pale green eyes, she gave a frown of her own. “We need to talk.”

  “Do we really have to? Because I was having a really nice day until you walked in.”

  Lexie’s lips tightened. God, what a bitch. She was suddenly glad that Charlotte had snubbed all of her attempts at friendship back in the day. Lexie had tried, she’d really tried to be nice to Charlotte. She’d actually thought the other girl seemed cool. She knew better now, though.

  “I just came from Nate’s, and he told me you two are back together,” Lexie said, ignoring the jab. “So again, I have to ask, what the hell are you up to?”

  “Nothing,” Charlotte snapped, rising to her feet. “I’m just spending time with a man I care deeply about. Is that so fucking wrong, Lexie?”

  Was that a flicker of guilt in those green eyes?

  Oh yeah. Definitely.

  Lexie’s instincts hummed. There was totally something off about this entire thing. Charlotte waltzing back to town, luring Nate into bed, into a relationship…

  “There’s nothing wrong with that, if you’re being honest,” Lexie snapped back. She suddenly smiled. “Nate wants me to be nice to you, you know.”

  The redhead laughed. “Well, don’t strain yourself. I’m fine if the two of us stay far away from each other.”

  “Actually, I plan on doing the opposite.” Her tone took on a sugary-sweet note. “I’m going to be your new best friend.”

  Alarm washed across Charlotte’s face. “What?”

  “You heard me. We’re going to be best buddies. We’ll go shopping and have long lunches and maybe I’ll tag along to dinner with you and Nate sometimes.”

  “Why the hell would we do any of that?”

  Lexie’s smile widened. “So I can keep my eye on you. I don’t trust you, Charlotte, and I won’t let Nate get hurt again.”

  “You are… Christ, you’re nuts,” Charlotte muttered, her cheeks turning beet red as she took a step to the side. “We’re not going to be best friends, and for the last time, I’m not going to hurt Nate! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”

  “Heading over to Nate’s?” Lexie asked innocently. “Maybe I’ll come along.”

  “Don’t you dare. Seriously, quit antagonizing me. Sooner or later, I’m going to fight back.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Lexie murmured as she watched Charlotte stalk off.

  The other woman’s back was as rigid as a board, only confirming her suspicions. It was one thing to get angry, but Charlotte had been far too defensive when Lexie voiced her doubts. Good, let her be defensive.

  Lexie turned to leave then halted as she realized Charlotte had left her email account open. The message she’d been reading was still on the screen, and without a single twinge of remorse, Lexie jumped into the chair. She scrolled to the top of the page, read the first few words. And gasped.

  Icy rage slithered through her blood as she read the message from start to finish. Then she blinked in disbelief, her fingers trembling against the computer mouse. For a moment she was tempted to press delete but stopped herself at the last second, refusing to take her anger out on the email.

  Instead, she moved the mouse to the forward button, seething as she keyed in Nate’s address. She was about to send the email when apprehension prickled her stomach. Maybe she shouldn’t do it this way. Maybe she needed to talk to him in person, let him down gently.

  But then the fury returned, and she realized gentle wasn’t the best way to go about this. Nate needed to have some sense knocked into his thick skull—and this might be the only way to do that.

  Shoving aside a pang of guilt, she forwarded him the email then got up from the chair and marched out of the library.

  Charlotte’s entire body shook with anger as she sprinted down the street, but it wasn’t until she veered off Main Street in the direction of the B&B that the anger dissolved, replaced by the slow rush of guilt through her veins. She couldn’t even be mad at Lexie. The woman, bitchy as she was, had only been speaking her mind, standing up for someone she cared about. Charlotte might not be keen on Nate and Lexie’s friendship, but the ice princess obviously cared about Nate.

  And just because Charlotte’s motives had changed along the way didn’t mean that Lexie wasn’t right. She had been up to something when she’d returned to Paradise. She might’ve fallen for Nate again, but that didn’t excuse why she’d really come here.

  She had to tell him the truth. Screw tomorrow. With Lexie breathing down her neck, she knew she had to be honest with Nate, before the guilt ate her alive.

  She reached the bed and breakfast five minutes later and dashed inside, already grabbing her cell phone from her purse as she climbed the stairs to her suite. Nate was probably on his way to the library to pick her up, and she needed to tell him to come here instead. She keyed in half of his number—then skidded to a stop as she entered her room.

  “Nate?”

  He was sitting on the perfectly made bed, one large hand resting on his thigh, the other holding a sleek Blackberry. He lifted his head and met her eyes, his expression hard to decipher. There was something cold in his gaze, something that made her pulse kick up a notch—and not in a good way.

  “What’s going on?” she asked warily. “Why are you here?”

  “Sue let me in.” His voice lacked even a sliver of emotion.

  “I thought you were coming to the library to get me.”

  “I was.” His jaw tensed. “But I figured this was something we needed to do in private.”

  She faltered. “What are you talking about?”

  Slowly, he held up his phone, beckoning for her to take it. Battling her confusion and growing agitation, she took the Blackberry from his hand and glanced at the screen.

  Nausea circled her insides.

  There was an email up on the screen. Oh God. Her email, the one she’d gotten from Georgia earlier.

  “Why don’t you read it again, refresh your memory?”

  Nate’s tone was low and mocking. She couldn’t bring herself to look into his eyes, afraid of what she might see there.

  Instead, she read the message again.

  Hey you,

  I’m tired of getting your voice mail each time I call, so I figured, hey, maybe Charlotte will actually check her email since she doesn’t check her phone messages. Anyhoo—where’s my update? Did you get the big jerk to fall in love with you yet? Have you dumped his ass on the curb and thrown your fists in the air while yelling “Retribution!” Don’t forget, he deserves it J

  Oh, and I spoke to Eddie this morning—the tour manager added Cambridge to your schedule. And the Boston show sold out, so Eddie is thinking of adding a second date. Call me so I can let him know your thoughts.r />
  Georgia

  Drawing in a steadying breath, Charlotte finally found the courage to lift her head. When she did, she was floored by the pain swimming in Nate’s silver eyes.

  “Is it true?” he asked quietly.

  “Why… How did you get this? Who—Lexie,” she finished flatly, suddenly cursing herself for being so stupid. She must have left her email account open on the library terminal, and Lexie, being the bitch she was, had pounced on it, instantly forwarding the incriminating message to Nate.

  “Don’t be angry at her,” Nate said, ice in his voice. “She’s just looking out for me.” He paused. “So…is it true? Was this your big plan? To seduce me and humiliate me?”

  Tears stung her eyes. “Nate…”

  “Damn it, Charlotte. Is. It. True.”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He shot to his feet, his broad shoulders rigid. “Holy fuck,” he mumbled under his breath. “I really am a colossal fool, aren’t I?”

  As he stepped to the door, she intercepted him, anguish squeezing her chest. “Nate, let me explain.”

  “Explain what? How you lied about forgiving me? How you came to town with the single-handed purpose of getting revenge?”

  His body trembled with anger, and she didn’t blame him one bit. Her body was trembling too, from sorrow and shame and fear. Fear that he would leave her, that he wouldn’t hear her out. But he didn’t move, he just stood there, staring at her in disapproval and bewilderment.

  “You’re right,” she said in a choked voice. “I wasn’t over our breakup when I decided to come to the reunion. I wanted to hurt you the way you’d hurt me. But—” She sucked in a breath. “But after we slept together again, revenge wasn’t on my mind. And after we spent time together, and you told me the real reason you broke up with me, I realized how much I still love you.”

  He didn’t look convinced. “Right. You love me.”

  “I do,” she murmured. “I never stopped loving you, even after the way things ended. And I’m sorry, Nate. I’m sorry for being such a bitter idiot and thinking that revenge would give me some closure. Truth is I didn’t want closure. I wanted you. It’s always been you.”

  A laugh barked out of his throat. “Sorry, Charlie, but I don’t believe you.” He slanted his head. “You know, I never pegged you as cruel.”

  “And you weren’t cruel?” she couldn’t help but burst out. “You broke my heart, told me that you never loved me, that I was bad in bed! Did you really believe I could just get over it, that I wouldn’t still be angry?”

  “I believed it because you said it was true,” he said in a hoarse voice. “I believed it because I didn’t think you would lie to me. But you did lie, didn’t you? You fucked me, all the while biding your time, waiting to get, what was the word, oh, right, retribution.”

  Her heart cracked in two. Nate’s expression had turned feral. And he was heading to the door again, sidestepping her while making sure their arms didn’t brush, as if he couldn’t stand to touch her.

  “Nate,” she called after him. “Please don’t go like this. I love you, I’m not lying about that.”

  He halted in the doorway, turning to shoot her a look loaded with disbelief. “You know, if you’d just been upfront with me from the start, told me how hurt and angry you still were, maybe we could have overcome that, worked through it together. But instead, you lied. You fucking lied, Charlotte.” He shook his head. “I’m such a fucking moron.”

  “Nate—”

  But it was too late. He was already out the door, his heavy footsteps thudding on the wooden stairs.

  The tears spilled over, streaming down her cheeks. She wanted to run after him, beg him to forgive her, but her feet were rooted in place. What more could she say? He wouldn’t believe her anyway. Wouldn’t believe that she loved him or that she truly regretted her initial decision to hurt him.

  Her legs shook wildly as she moved to the bed, sitting down in the exact spot Nate had just occupied. His lingering heat warmed her now-freezing body, bringing a deep ache to her chest. Nate was wrong. She was the moron.

  She’d thought she could come here and destroy Nate for the way he’d treated her.

  But in the end, she’d only destroyed them both.

  Chapter Eight

  Nate had just opened a bottle of tequila—his dad’s favorite brand—when the doorbell rang, promptly interrupting him from his much-needed pity party. Almost instantly, a wave of fury swelled in his gut, and his stride was stiffer than a block of cement as he marched toward the door. If that was Charlotte coming to apologize again, to lie to him again—well, he would have no qualms about slamming the door in her pretty face.

  He still couldn’t believe what she’d done—no, what she’d set out to do. The girl he remembered, no matter how insecure or angry she’d been, would never have planned to hurt somebody.

  Fuck, he was such an idiot. Here he was, thinking himself the luckiest bastard in the world for getting a second chance, when all along she’d only come here for revenge. Talk about the ultimate ego deflation. He felt like a total fool. Only hours ago he’d defended Charlotte to Lexie, spouting about love and forever, proud that he’d gotten Charlotte’s forgiveness and found a way back into her life. That pride had flown out the window, though. He didn’t even want to know what people would say if they learned why Charlotte had really come back to town. Everyone had seen him leave the reunion with Charlotte, who they’d believed had dumped him fifteen years ago, and he didn’t doubt that people were snickering behind his back for being a stupid dope.

  Stupid dope was right. He’d actually believed that Charlotte had forgiven him.

  He was a total idiot, wasn’t he?

  The doorbell rang a second time, and he threw the door open with a scowl on his face. Fortunately, the person standing on his porch wasn’t Charlotte. It was Lexie.

  Which was just as bad.

  “Did you come here to gloat?” he snapped before she could say a word. He tipped the tequila bottle in a mock toast. “Well, come in, Lex, let’s hear it.”

  She looked stricken as she followed him into the living room. “You’re drinking. You never drink.”

  “I’m not drinking—yet.” To punctuate the comment, he lifted the bottle to his lips and took a long swallow. The alcohol burned its way down to his gut.

  “Nate,” she started, awkwardly leaning against the arm of the couch. “I’m sorry about the email. I was considering not forwarding it to you, but…I figured you needed to know.”

  Lexie was just a regular old Nancy Drew, wasn’t she? The irony of all this didn’t escape him. Six months ago, Lexie had been the one to clue him in about Evelyn, and now she’d done it again, revealing that Charlotte too had played him for a fool.

  “You’re not sorry,” he said with a harsh laugh. “This is what you wanted from the start.”

  “That’s not true—”

  “Yes, it is. You were trying to find a way to get rid of Charlotte from the second she got back to town.” He chugged some more tequila. “Well, you did it. Charlotte is gone. Me and her are through. You have me all to yourself now, baby.”

  Shock filled her delicate features. “I was just trying to look out for you,” she protested.

  “Yeah, fucking right. You were jealous that Charlotte had taken some of my attention away from you.” His fingers curled over the neck of the bottle, squeezing the glass tight. “But you know, Lex, you didn’t need to be jealous. I’m still your friend. I’ll always be your friend. And I would have stayed your friend even if I was with Charlotte.”

  “How is this about me?” she sputtered. “She’s the one who was plotting your demise.”

  The reminder made his stomach clench. “Yep, she was, and I ended it. So, yay, we’re all winners, aren’t we?”

  A strained silence stretched between them. He knew he was taking out his hurt and anger on Lexie, but a part of him blamed her for this entire mess. She’d sat there in his backyard, listening
to him lay his feelings on the line—something he never did. He’d told her how he felt about Charlotte, and instead of supporting him as a friend should, Lexie had sprinted off, looking for a way to destroy his happiness. Then again, if she hadn’t forwarded him the email, he would have never known what Charlotte was up to. Although, right about now, he kinda wished he were still in the dark. Anything beat this heart-wrenching pain assaulting every inch of his body.

  “I actually thought we had a second chance,” he found himself mumbling. Another sip of tequila, this one searing his throat. “I thought we had a future.”

  “Nate…” She moved closer and cupped his chin with her hands. “I really am sorry.”

  “Yeah, me too.” He swallowed. “I was happy again, Lex. When Charlotte left town all those years ago, she took a part of me with her. The things I said to her… Christ, you can’t imagine how badly I ended it. I just…wanted her to live her dreams, y’know? But even though I knew it was the right thing to do, I was still empty.”

  He shrugged Lexie’s hands off him and lost himself in some more tequila. When he met his friend’s eyes, he saw the sympathy and remorse flickering there. “I don’t think I’ll ever love anyone else,” he said roughly. “And now she’s gone again, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to be alone for the rest of my life. I know I can’t be with her after the way she lied to me, but I can’t live without her either. How fucked up is that?”

  Lexie didn’t say anything. Instead, she just sighed and grabbed the bottle from his hands, taking a long swallow of her own. She winced afterward then handed it back to him. “Maybe…” Her voice wobbled. “Maybe we’re just destined to be alone.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” he muttered. Biting the inside of his cheek, he met her eyes and exhaled a heavy breath. “Now, if you don’t mind, I want to get started on that. The being alone thing.”