“Hello, beautiful ladies.” Sarah barged into the store as if she owned the place, then she stopped dead in her tracks. “Oh, my God, I love it here.”
Kayla had an urge to jump up and down, but she restrained herself. Unlike Lauren, Sarah rarely visited Kayla here. The last time was probably over a year ago.
“You do?” Kayla asked.
“Yes, but you need to add snowflakes.”
“It’s summer, Sarah. Where am I going to get snowflakes?”
Sarah dropped her pink purse on the counter and then turned all the way around, taking in the store. “I don’t mean real snowflakes, silly. Fake ones.”
“Why would customers want to see fake snowflakes in the summertime?” Kayla asked as she walked to the counter and placed Sarah’s purse in a drawer.
“Because winter in Bella Cove is beautiful. And it’ll remind everyone they need to buy toys for the upcoming holiday season.”
“She has a point,” Lauren chimed in.
Winter in Bella Cove was especially beautiful. Snow covered Main Street, making the small shops stand out. During the holiday season, white and colored lights were everywhere. Unlike in the summer, there were no boats on the bay, which brought an even more peaceful feel to the town.
“I think you’re right,” Kayla said.
Both of her sisters had the biggest smiles on their faces. But now it was time to put her plan into action.
“So, I have an idea.”
“What is it?” Lauren asked.
“Come and sit on the floor with me.” Kayla motioned for them to sit. As children, they would always sit on the floor and talk. Those were the times when they spoke from their heart.
“I knew there was a reason you called us both down here,” Sarah blurted out.
Kayla responded honestly. “You’re right.”
“What’s wrong?” Lauren asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m relieved you two love the store.”
They both nodded.
“We really do,” Sarah said excitedly.
Kayla smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. You see, I’m kind of stressed. When Melody owned this place, I worked for her. With me around, she had time to look for different toys to buy and time for all the accounting that goes into running your own store. But now I need that, too. I need help.” Kayla looked at both of her sisters, hoping they would understand what she was saying. She wasn’t being completely honest, as she could run the store easily, but she thought this was the perfect solution to help her sisters. If Lauren worked here, she would be happier than she was working at the real estate firm. She wouldn’t have the pressure of maybe meeting the one every day. And if Sarah worked here, maybe it would teach her to hold onto a job. It would become more of a family business. She flitted from job to job, but she wouldn’t do that to Kayla.
“I’d love to work here, but I have a habit of leaving every job I have,” Sarah said, playing with the holes in her jeans.
“Maybe you wouldn’t leave here. I thought if I brought you both in, it’d be fun.”
“What about my real estate job?” Lauren asked.
Kayla placed her hand on Lauren’s arm and squeezed. “Are you happy there?”
Lauren sighed. “I hate it, but I thought by working there, I might meet my future husband.”
“And has that worked out for you?”
Lauren shook her head. “No.”
Kayla smiled softly. “You seem happy here.”
“I love the idea of working in a toy store, and I know I have to quit the real estate firm. It’s not working for me the way I thought it would,” said Lauren. “Besides, it’d be fun, and if we all work together, it’d be incredible.” Lauren paused. “What do you think, Sarah?”
“I’m already thinking of different ways to make the store even more successful, but I’m scared I may want to leave anyway.”
“You might,” Kayla acknowledged. “Or you may love it so much you’ll want to stay. Why don’t you try it?”
“Okay,” she said and sighed dramatically. “I’m in. Lauren?”
“I’m going to give my two weeks notice to the real estate firm, but I think they’ll let me leave right away. Once an employee wants to quit, they usually make them leave on the spot.”
Kayla clapped her hands. “Woohoo! Group hug.”
Her sisters hugged her and laughed. Nana would be proud. But Kayla’s good mood only lasted a few moments. She already missed Gabe, and he had only left four hours ago.
“Hey, guys? There’s something else I need to tell you.”
“Is it something we still need to be sitting on the floor for?” Sarah asked.
Kayla bit her bottom lip—a bad habit when she was anxious, she knew. “Yes.”
“Uh-oh,” Lauren said.
Kayla sighed. “I don’t even know how to say this.”
“Okay, now you’re making me nervous,” Sarah said, sitting forward.
“No, it’s not bad.” Kayla briefly closed her eyes. “It’s just strange saying it out loud.”
“What is it? You can tell us anything,” Lauren said, putting her arm around Kayla’s shoulders.
Kayla smiled softly. “I know, and I always have. Which is why I’m telling you this now.”
Sarah grabbed her hand. “Josh drank again. Didn’t he?”
“What? No. I mean, I’m sure he will, but today he’s sober.”
Sarah and Lauren both sighed.
“Gabe is here. In Bella Cove,” Kayla admitted.
“Gabe?” Lauren asked.
“Yes, you know, my ex.”
“Gabe Wademan?” Sarah shouted. “You mean the guy we never met because we were shitty sisters and never visited you at school?”
Kayla laughed. “Yes, that Gabe. The love of my life.” She paused. “I think about him every day. He’s constantly in my head. I just haven’t said anything to you guys because with everything the family’s been through, I try not to burden you with my issues.”
“We know, Kayla,” Lauren chimed in.
“Yeah, we may not say anything, but we know you miss him.” Sarah squeezed Kayla’s hand. “So…tell us about Gabe. Why is he here? Does he want you back?”
“Did he come to sweep you off your feet and tell you how he can’t live without you?” Lauren added, giggling.
Kayla wished that was the case. “No, those days are done,” she said. “He’s here as my new landlord.”
“Get out,” Sarah said, sitting up on her knees. “He’s the new landlord here?”
Kayla nodded. “It gets worse. You know that piece of land next to our house?”
“Yes, it’s part of our yard now.”
“It’s not.” Kayla paused. “Gabe’s grandfather, my old landlord, died. Apparently, he had bought the land next to ours, and now it belongs to Gabe.”
“No way,” Sarah exclaimed.
Both Sarah and Lauren sat with their mouths hanging open.
“So he’s not only my landlord, he’s also going to be our neighbor once his house is built.”
“Holy crap, Kayla. You either have really bad karma or this is the most beautiful love story I’ve ever heard.” Lauren hugged her sister.
“It’s not a love story. Gabe wasn’t even happy to see me.”
“He’s just shocked…unless he knew you were here?” Lauren speculated.
“He knew I lived in Bella Cove, but he had no idea I owned this place or even worked here.”
“So what are you going to tell Mom and Dad?” Sarah asked.
Kayla groaned. “I can’t tell them about Gabe now. I never told them about him at school. I should have. I know I should have.”
Lauren shook her head. “No way should you have told them. They both are always super-judgmental toward the guys we date.”
“And Mom would have freaked when you told her he’s from California. She wanted you to move back to Bella Cove the second you left.”
Kayla closed her eyes again.
“And I never told Josh or Matt either.”
“But Josh is all screwed up, even though he’s trying, and Matt will only want to interrogate Gabe.”
Kayla opened her eyes and looked at the floor that needed to be swept again. She’d just swept it this morning. This place accumulated so much dust. “I can’t tell any of them now. Mom is finally getting better, and I don’t want Dad to worry about this.”
“I agree,” Sarah said.
Lauren nodded. “Let’s just keep it between us for the time being.”
“Is that what Nana would have done?” Kayla asked.
“Nana was married when she was eighteen. She didn’t have problems like we do.”
Kayla smiled softly. Her sisters always made her feel better. “Thanks, guys.”
“For what? You’re always here for us. Let us at least keep your secret for you.” Lauren kissed Kayla on the cheek.
“We better meet him this time,” Sarah joked.
“Since he’s my new landlord and our soon-to-be neighbor, I’m sure you will,” Kayla said, already dreading that moment. It wasn’t as if she didn’t want her sisters to meet him. But he used to be her almost fiancé, and now he wasn’t. How would she introduce him? “Lauren and Sarah, this is the man I planned to spend the rest of my life with”? Talk about awkward! Well, there was nothing she could do about the situation. Sooner or later, Gabe and her sisters would run into each other. Her parents were her real issue.
“Come here.” Kayla pulled Lauren and Sarah close and hugged them tightly. Talking to her sisters made her feel much better. Knowing they had her back helped her believe everything would be okay. And as long as she kept her distance from Gabe, it would be.
* * *
Once her sisters left, Kayla logged onto her computer and wrote out her to-do list for the next day. First thing, she would go over her accounting and figure out a way to pay her sisters fairly. The only way she could think of was to give herself a lesser salary, but that was okay. Nana provided enough that she didn’t need extra money.
Her sisters had left feeling so excited about the store. Sarah had great ideas to draw in more customers, and Lauren wanted to rearrange some of the toys to highlight ones that were more popular.
Kayla sighed. Today had been an especially long day. Not only was it her first day as the owner of the toy store, but she had also seen Gabe. She couldn’t believe it. The entire situation felt surreal. After leaving graduate school early, she’d thought she’d never see him again. She’d wanted to…desperately…but she’d known the odds were against her.
And he was angry. She would never forget the look on his face when he came home from class that day, and she told him she was leaving the next morning and didn’t know when she’d return. He’d already been looking for a ring, and they’d been planning to meet each other’s families when the time was right. But for her, the time had never been right.
On the phone one night, not that much later, she wasn’t surprised when he asked her to return to him either now or never. In his eyes, she broke up with him. But she had to be honest with Gabe; she owed him that much. From the cold way he had looked at her earlier, it was obvious he hadn’t forgiven her. And she hadn’t forgiven herself either.
Kayla stared at the empty space where the dinosaur stuffed animals sat, where Gabe had been looking earlier. Suddenly, she remembered…she’d seen another stuffed dinosaur in the storage room earlier, one just like the toy he’d been looking at so warmly. Immediately, she ran back there and found the dinosaur in one of the newly opened boxes. She held it to her chest. This stuffed animal would soon be in the arms of Gabe, which was where she wished she was…where she would have been if the circumstances were different.
She walked into her office and grabbed a piece of stationary that read Magical Toys, plus an envelope and a pen. On the envelope, she wrote:
Alice,
Please give this to Mr. Wademan.
Thank you so much,
Kayla
Inside the card, she wrote:
Gabe,
A peace offering.
Kayla
She wanted to write Love, Kayla, but that seemed wrong.
Besides, she hoped she was doing the right thing by even sending him the darn thing. But she had to do something. Anything to lighten the tension. After all, he was her new landlord and her soon-to-be neighbor.
Kayla sighed. She was lying to herself. That wasn’t the real reason she was sending him the dinosaur. She missed him, and she hated how he’d looked at her, as if she was someone he didn’t know. Someone he had never been intimate with. Someone who hadn’t made love to every inch of his body.
Kayla would ask Sarah to drop the package off to Alice tomorrow. She was sure her sister would love to finally meet Gabe. Tonight, she needed to get home, take a long bath, and somehow, prepare herself for Gabe Wademan living in her town and maybe being back in her life.
Chapter Four
The next morning, Kayla arrived at work bright and early. The bath last night had done wonders. She gave the dinosaur stuffed animal to Sarah to give to Alice. Her sister should have been back at the shop thirty minutes ago, so Kayla hoped everything had gone okay. It would have been smarter to ask Lauren to do it, but the real estate firm had wanted her to work one more day. Whether Lauren realized it or not, she was ending one chapter in her life and starting another.
Kayla knew that feeling well. She missed her dream of becoming a top psychologist. Was Gabe working as a psychologist? She wished she had asked him yesterday. Obviously, he had taken over his grandfather’s properties and responsibilities, but he would have made an amazing therapist. In school, he had told her that after graduating, he planned to work for his dad and then eventually open his own private practice like his dad had. By now, that dream might have been a reality. She wondered if his name was Dr. Gabe Wademan. If that was the case, she had addressed the envelope to Alice incorrectly.
Her main concern was Alice finding out about her and Gabe’s past and telling everyone. Even though their office was in East Hampton, word spread quickly around here. She also imagined Alice would be attracted to Gabe. Alice was older, but she was attractive. And he was gorgeous, after all. Thinking along those lines, though, wasn’t helping Kayla’s mental state. It would be smarter not to imagine things like that at all.
In the bath last night, she’d contemplated telling her parents about their soon-to-be new neighbor, but she thought it would be best if they ran into Gabe on their own. What was the point in telling them, anyway, when there was nothing to tell? She had no future with Gabe. He’d made that pretty clear yesterday. Nana always taught Kayla there was no point in living in the past, as it would only bring you down. Her grandmother had been right, of course. Nana was always right.
“Hi, beautiful, I’m here,” Sarah called as she ran into the store.
“Did you have any problem finding the office?” Kayla asked, relieved to see her sister.
Sarah ran to Kayla and gave her a huge hug.
“Whoa, what was that for?” Kayla laughed.
“Because I love my new job already.” She was beaming.
“I’m so glad, but why?”
“Because I just met our sexy new landlord who used to date my beautiful sister.” Sarah giggled.
Kayla made herself busy by dusting the books and restacking them. Cleaning always made her feel better. “You met Gabe? Or maybe I should call him Mr. Wademan since he’s my landlord?”
Her sister went behind the cash register counter and sat on the stool.
“You can call him Gabe. He let me call him by his first name. Besides, he may be your landlord, but he was once your boyfriend,” Sarah said. “Oh my God, Kayla. You sent me pictures of him when you were at school, but they did not do him justice. He’s fucking gorgeous. Major eye candy. I introduced myself and told him I’d be working here, in case he wanted to pop by for a visit.” Sarah giggled again.
Kayla’s heart clenched. “Remember
, Sarah, you said it yourself: he’s our new landlord and my ex. He’s still upset with me for the way I left. We don’t want him to raise our rent.”
As Kayla dusted the books, she noticed her hands were shaking. If her back wasn’t facing Sarah, her sister would have definitely noticed. Having Gabe in town was too much, especially since there was no way Kayla could avoid him.
“I know. You don’t have to tell me that. And I didn’t tell him that I know you guys dated.”
Kayla briefly turned toward her sister and smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“Anyway, there were boxes all over the office, and Alice was running around packing everything up. He told me he’s moving offices. Do you want to know where he’s moving to?”
Kayla’s heartbeat faster. “Where?”
“Across the street. Right next to the art supply store. So there’ll be no need for him to pop by and see us. We could randomly leave the store at the same time he’s leaving his office.”
Sarah giggled again, which was getting on Kayla’s nerves.
“Please don’t,” she said sternly.
Sarah stopped laughing. “What?”
“You know. Flirt with Gabe. You can flirt with anyone in the entire world, but please don’t flirt with him.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows. “Do you want to get back together with him?”
“I only saw him one time. I can’t make that decision, especially since he wasn’t being warm. But I do want him to respect us.” Kayla didn’t want Gabe to think badly of her sister. She loved Sarah, but she tended to flirt shamelessly with anyone and everyone in Bella Cove. Unfortunately, she had that reputation.
“Are you mad at me?”
“No.”
“Are you telling me the truth? Because I promise, I’d never go for Gabe. He was your boyfriend. I hope you don’t think I’m that kind of girl.”
Tears welled up in Sarah’s eyes. She had worked at the store only an hour, and already, Kayla was messing things up.
“Of course I know you wouldn’t.” Kayla exhaled. “I’m sorry. Gabe being here is really messing with my head. Plus, I’m stressed about taking over this place. You know, all the new responsibilities.” She tried to smile.
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