Then There Was You

by Miranda Liasson

  “Here. Have the rest,” Colton said, handing the container over to Rafe.

  He was done with the pie. He was going to move on. Starting tonight.

  * * *

  “I want cotton candy,” Sara’s five-year-old niece Julia said as they walked across the green in the middle of downtown, where everyone was setting up chairs and spreading blankets for the Fourth of July fireworks. It was nine thirty, the horizon still glowing with a rim of deep indigo where the sun had just set. “Can we get some, Aunt Sara? Please?”

  “Of course we can,” Sara said, eager to finally get the opportunity to spoil Julia and her three-year-old brother Michael. Gabby, minus Malcolm, who was working, was holding Michael’s hand as they walked across the grass. Kaitlyn brought up the back of their little group, carrying a giant waterproof blanket. She’d decided at the last minute to tag along instead of staying home and fretting about her breakup, which Sara thought was a positive thing. Sara was hoping to find some time to really talk to her about it, because so far she’d been avoiding the topic.

  “How about here, ladies? And boy,” Sara said, bending to plant a kiss on the top of her nephew’s sweet blond head. She’d found an empty space in the middle of the green, which was dotted with a veritable patchwork quilt of multicolored blankets, each occupied by a little cluster of family or friends.

  She loved the town’s Fourth of July celebrations. The parade, the picnics, the fireworks—yet today she couldn’t help but feel that something—someone—was missing. Every dark-haired, broad-shouldered guy who walked with a noticeably confident stride made her think of Colton.

  She hadn’t heard from him since last night, which was hardly cause for alarm, but she knew deep down that he wasn’t going to call or text her. She’d given him a message, and he’d gotten it, loud and clear.

  In her mind she kept seeing the expression on his face when she’d handed him that pie. He’d seemed truly touched.

  She’d be out of her mind to even consider getting involved with him. As far as she knew, he’d never had a girlfriend for longer than a lunar cycle. It would be crazy to think that someone like her, Sara Jane the Brain, could break that streak.

  He’d always been the cocky, too-handsome boy who was completely out of her league. Yet she didn’t feel like that nerdy high school girl around him anymore. When he looked at her, she felt the absolute heat of his gaze. The way his eyes lingered on her told her he wanted her. The way he’d kissed her, so suddenly and unexpectedly, had taken her completely by surprise, but the way they’d fit together, and the heat of their kisses, wild and unrestrained, told her a lot more could’ve happened between them if she hadn’t put on the brakes.

  Not that she’d kissed a lot of guys, but she knew what it was like to have a kiss travel south so fast it made your toes curl. And heat up other places along the way.

  “Here come Colton and Rafe,” Gabby said, and Sara almost choked on the lemonade she was sipping.

  Sure enough, the two guys were walking toward them, both of them out of uniform. Colton was wearing a black short-sleeved polo and gray shorts. He looked tanned and lean, his biceps flexing under his shirt. It was disconcerting to see him dressed like a normal person. And to find he looked just as hot out of uniform as in it.

  Rafe said hi to Kaitlyn and tossed his niece and nephew up in the air, his usual riling-up activity that would leave them totally wired for at least the next half hour.

  “Hi,” Sara said, avoiding Colton’s gaze. He wore a dark expression, his brows knit down low, adding to his sexy vibe but also disconcerting her even more. She had to steel herself not to look at him because…muscles. Serious ones. And really nice legs. He was wearing athletic flip-flops and even his toes were really nice. Geez. She needed help.

  “Excuse me a second,” Colton said before Sara could get her head back on straight. He called after a boy of around ten who was running past with another boy. Curious, Sara watched Colton out of the corner of her eye while Gabby and Kaitlyn made small talk with Rafe. Colton reached for his wallet and handed a bill to one of the boys. “Go to the concessions and grab a hot dog, OK?” she heard him say.

  “Their dad’s sick and their mom’s working two jobs,” Rafe said quietly to Sara. “Colton tries to make sure they get to do something fun once in a while.”

  Sara looked up at her brother and blushed. Not so much because he’d caught her eavesdropping as because she’d just witnessed another example of Colton’s proving that she’d been completely wrong about him.

  “Want to join us?” she asked Rafe casually as Colton jogged back to the group. There went those fine, fine muscles again.

  “We can’t,” he said. “I’ve got to get to work soon and Colty here has a date.” He gave Colton a playful slap on the back.

  “A date?” Sara echoed. Her gaze wandered over to Colton, who suddenly seemed to find the grass really fascinating.

  Just then a pretty blonde walked up, threw her arms around him, and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. “There you are,” she said. “It’s so crowded I was afraid I’d never find you.”

  Well, Colton certainly hadn’t wasted any time fretting over Sara’s rejection, had he? She recognized the woman as Everly Peterson, from their high school class. She’d moved to New York to become an actress. Evie had told her she’d returned last year divorced from her plastic surgeon husband, but with boobs three times their previous size. Sara didn’t like to make judgments about anybody, especially since high school had been a long time ago. Everly had come back to run the town’s little nonprofit theater. Maybe she’d changed and wasn’t the attention-seeking drama queen she’d been back then.

  “Oh, cute kids!” Everly said, tugging down her already low-cut T-shirt so it showcased her boobs. She checked out Julia and Michael, who were currently running around Rafe’s legs as he pretended to be a monster, growling and moaning and tickling them as they passed. “They yours, Sara?”

  “My sister’s. I promised them cotton candy before the fireworks start.” With that she turned to Kaitlyn and Gabby. “Want anything from the concessions?”

  “Oh, I’d love some cotton candy!” Everly said.

  “No problem,” Colton said. “Sara, I’m happy to get your stuff too.”

  “No thanks,” she said. She could get the kids their cotton candy herself, thank you very much. He went off, and she grabbed her purse from the blanket.

  “Hurry up,” Gabby said. “Fireworks are going to start any minute.”

  Of course she ended up in the line right behind Colton. She tapped her foot anxiously against the grass. There was no reason to be angry. She was going to be calm and dignified about this. Everly was beautiful in a way Sara would never be. More importantly, Everly was Colton’s type of woman—beautiful and buxom. She even had this giddy little laugh. Clearly she was fun.

  In line, three separate people said hi to Colton. An elderly woman thanked him for hauling her Christmas tree down from the attic for her Christmas-in-July celebration, a father thanked him for talking to his son after he’d gotten caught spray painting graffiti under the bridge, and Mr. Langotti, who owned one of the cafés downtown, thanked him for keeping an eye on his house when he’d been on vacation the week before.

  It appeared everyone in the entire town was in love with him. Finally the last person left. Sara poked Colton in the back.

  “Nice night for a date,” Sara said. She knew full well she sounded catty but couldn’t seem to help herself.

  “It is,” he replied, though he didn’t turn around.

  “Leave it to you to date the prettiest girl in town.” Again with the catty. She needed to just keep her mouth shut.

  “Not only is she pretty, she knows how to have fun too.”

  Ouch. “My pie must’ve not been very tasty, because it only took you twenty-four hours to get over it.” Why couldn’t she stop?

  Finally he turned to look at her, and his gaze was steely. “A pie is just a pie, sweetheart.”

&nb
sp; And with that he turned back to the concession counter and handed her a Coke and two cotton candies. She took them, mollified and confused. His expression was business as usual. “Thank you,” she said. “You didn’t have to—”

  “I wanted to.”

  Why did he always have to do something nice? She wanted—no, needed—to stay pissed at him. She tasted the Coke. Diet. “How did you know I drink diet?”

  He shrugged. “Good guess.” His gaze seared through her, leaving a burning trail of heat in its path. It burned through her insides and bloomed on her face in a crimson blush. “I’ve got to get back to Everly,” Colton said. “Enjoy the fireworks.”

  He turned to walk back to his date, leaving her alone. The brief walk back to the blanket didn’t improve her mood. She gave the kids a couple pulls of the cotton candy, even ate a bite herself, but she couldn’t relax. The excitement she’d felt about bringing the kids here had faded.

  “What’s wrong?” Gabby asked her while Kaitlyn entertained the kids.

  “Nothing’s wrong. I’m just waiting for the fireworks to start.” She sneaked a glance over at Colton and Everly, who of course had chosen to sit about ten feet away. She could see them chatting and Everly playfully pushing his shoulder. A time or two she heard his laugh, deep and sonorous. Everly must be very clever to get him to laugh like that. Sara didn’t think anyone had ever laughed that way with her. And she wondered if anyone ever would. “Just that Everly’s acting like the Eveready sex bunny.”

  “Sara! That’s not like you.”

  “Well, maybe I’m not feeling like myself tonight. Am I fun?”

  “Right now you’re not, but you can be. You’ve got feelings for Colton, don’t you?”

  “No! Of course not. Why would I have feelings for him?”

  “Because he’s a nice guy. And because he might have feelings for you too.”

  “Colton doesn’t do relationships. I’d be humiliated all over again, and the whole town would start gossiping. I could never subject myself to that again, believe me.”

  “You’re scared!” Gabby wagged her index finger at Sara. “That’s why you’re running from your feelings.”

  “I made him a pie and he kissed me. But then I shut him down. And that was just last night and look who he’s with today. End of story.”

  “You probably hurt his feelings.”

  She snorted. “I doubt it. If I did, he certainly recovered quickly.”

  The fireworks had begun, lighting up the sky with bursts of white light and loud rat-a-tatting noises that Sara felt reverberate clear through her chest. It had always been a fantasy of hers to watch fireworks with someone who kissed her as the boom-boom-boom of the explosions filled the night sky. Tagg had hated fireworks, so they’d rarely gone, plus he hated showing affection in public. Oh well, guess she was going to have to wait for another Fourth for a man who could make her see stars. Because she’d totally blown it this year.

  She tried to take joy in her niece and nephew, but Michael was a little frightened and kept holding his hands over his ears. Sara tried to hold his ears for him and make a joke, but he wasn’t buying it.

  “I haveta pee,” he said. Evie had warned her that he meant what he said. But where was she going to take him? The public bathroom was quite a hike away.

  “Auntie Sara,” he said more urgently. “I haveta pee now.”

  “C’mon, I’ll take you,” she said, scooping him up and heading to the back of the crowd. A patch of woods surrounded the baseball field, and in high school kids used to go in there to make out and smoke weed. She just hoped no one was in there now doing that or other worse things she didn’t want to see. She walked about a foot into the woods and said, “Pee on that big rock.”

  He lifted his little face. “Outside?”

  “Yeah. Um, Spider-Man pees outside when he has to, and this is an emergency.” He liked Spider-Man as well as Barbies, didn’t he?

  “A ’mergency,” he said, grinning. Then pulled down his pants and got the deed done.

  “That was awesome!” she said as she carried him back to the field. “Don’t tell your mom, though, OK?”

  “I’m telling,” he said, grinning and wrapping his little hand around her neck. His mother’s son all the way.

  On the way back to the blanket, Sara couldn’t help but notice Colton and Everly again, but this time she did a double take because Everly was leaning over on the blanket, cleavage in plain view, feeding him cotton candy.

  “Aunt Sara, why did you stop?” Michael asked.

  Sara shook her head. “Oh, sorry, Mikey,” she murmured. The intensity of her unkind, murderous feelings for Everly shocked her so much she’d stopped walking. And those same feelings bubbled up for Colton. How could he let Everly feed him cotton candy when yesterday he’d eaten Sara’s pie?

  She became aware Michael was tugging on her shorts. “What is it, sweetie?” she asked.

  “You stopped again.”

  She scooped Michael up and kissed him and carried him through the crowd back to their blanket, forcing herself to stay in the moment. But in the back of her brain, something niggled. The overt jealousy she felt at seeing Colton with another woman appeared to be above and beyond what she’d feel for someone she was merely attracted to. She couldn’t possibly have real feelings for Colton.

  Or could she?

  Chapter 13

  Well, Sara had certainly acted jealous about Colton’s date. And he had to admit that made him really…happy. He’d enjoyed sticking it to her too, and had taken a perverse pleasure in seeing her all riled up. Could it be possible she was interested in him, even after that just-friends speech?

  “Colt, why are you chuckling to yourself?” Everly asked, scooting up close to him on their blanket. Instinctively, he leaned away from her overpowering perfume. He’d gone along with her feeding him cotton candy because he’d seen Sara walking toward them with Michael, and dammit, he wanted to make her jealous, but now that the fireworks were almost over he just wanted to go home.

  He shook his head, as if it were easy to shake thoughts of Sara out of it. “I’m just thinking what a nice evening it is.” He was spending way too much time thinking about Sara. Maybe he was losing it, because since when did he prefer someone who’d rejected him over a beautiful woman who was right next to him? Everly was close and getting closer. He could tell from the looks she was telegraphing him, from the way she kept showing him her cleavage, from her subtle little touches, that she’d be more than delighted to join him in bed tonight. Trouble was, he just couldn’t work up the excitement for it—for her.

  Geez. Ruined by a smart, pretty type A woman who’d turned him on by baking him a birthday pie. Maybe he really was losing it.

  Everly linked her arm through his. Fireworks lit up the sky, booming and bursting.

  But Colton barely noticed—the fireworks or Everly. He was thinking of how cute Sara looked in shorts and a T-shirt, her hair up in a ponytail. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her holding her nephew and pointing up at the sky. The little boy was leaning back against her and watching the display with a look of awe, and Sara was laughing.

  His eyes wandered in her direction, only to find she was looking right back at him. So she was staring at him. Interesting. Maybe she was running scared. She’d spent a lot of years with Tagg and had been through a lot this past year. Maybe she was a little nervous about jumping into something.

  “It is a beautiful night,” Everly said after the fireworks ended. “And it doesn’t have to end.” She gave him a pointed look meant to telegraph her meaning.

  “Gee, thanks, Everly, it’s been a lot of fun, but I’ve got to get home. Early day tomorrow, you know?”

  Colton drove Everly home, then parked his cruiser at the station and walked the short distance downtown. The shops were lit up. One or two people walked their dog, and there were a few stragglers from the fireworks, but the place was pretty dead. He kept walking to the bridge.

  The angel st
atue greeted him as it had every day since he’d moved here.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” he said to the angels. “She told me to get lost. Well, not in those words, but she friend-zoned me.” He leaned over the bridge to look at the falls cascading over the rocks. The green was mostly deserted now.

  “I’m the one that friend-zones people,” he mumbled. “I’m the one who likes to date around. This is a good thing.” Except even though Everly was beautiful and willing, he had no desire to go out with her. There was no challenge there. What was wrong with him?

  Sara was able to raise his blood pressure like no other woman, that was for sure. And admittedly, he did sometimes take a perverse pleasure in baiting her, in watching her outrage rise in a pretty blush up her face. “I don’t know why I do it,” he told the angels. “In fact, I don’t know why I’m attracted to someone I can’t help sparring with half the time.”

  He had to let this go. But as he stood there on the bridge, the memory of that early spring evening came to him, with the blossoms blowing across the bridge, their sweet scent intoxicating and heady. He’d shared one hell of a kiss with Sara that evening. A kiss so full of promise that he could barely sleep the entire week.

  That attraction was still there, regardless of her years with Tagg, regardless of the fact that their date had never happened. It buzzed between them like bugs around a flame, and there was no denying it. Until he saw it through, he would always have questions that nagged at him. That kiss hadn’t been the end of something. It had been a beginning.