One Summer Night
Page 29
Only…none of those women could hold a candle to Connie.
Connie, who he would see in just a few hours, thanks to his brother. Owen had finally decided to fight for Maggie Sinclair, but Jonathan hadn’t anticipated that Owen’s courtship would result in him having to be involved with Connie again.
Smart and beautiful Connie, he thought with a sigh and a shake of his head.
He’d managed to avoid her for the last seven years. Sure, he’d seen her occasionally from afar when Maggie and her friends had come down to Sea Kiss. Or every now and then when he’d gone to some business event in the city.
He’d tried to tell himself he didn’t like the sleek professional woman she’d become. That she wasn’t prettier than ever. He tried not to imagine peeling off those elegant business suits to reveal the real woman beneath. But he was lying to himself.
He had never really gotten over Connie Reyes and doubted he ever would. You never forgot your first and only love.
* * *
Connie Reyes splayed her hand across the nervous butterflies in her stomach that were beating their wings so violently, she felt like throwing up. She was tempted to beg off from dinner with the Pierce boys, only Maggie needed her moral support and Connie never disappointed a friend. Especially Maggie, who was like a sister.
“You feeling okay?” asked Emma Grant, her other BFF, as they followed Maggie onto the patio and to the long row of tall privet hedges that separated the two Jersey Shore mansions.
“Just fine,” she lied, but it was clear from Emma’s meaningful stare that her friend suspected something was up.
She tamed the flutters much as she did when arguing a case before a judge and trudged along behind Maggie as they eased through the hedges and approached the entrance to the Pierce mansion. They had barely reached the front porch when Owen threw open the door, a big, friendly smile on his handsome face.
He welcomed them warmly, but Connie couldn’t resist mumbling to Emma, “Said the spider to the fly.” She still wasn’t sure this thing between her friend and Owen was a good idea.
Emma jabbed her in the ribs, and luckily, it seemed as if Owen either hadn’t heard her comment or, if he had, was choosing to ignore it. She gave him props if it was the latter, since it indicated he was truly trying to be nice for Maggie’s sake.
They quickly walked through the foyer and living room and back to the dining area. Thanks to the open-concept renovation someone had done to the Victorian mansion, she could see Jonathan was in the kitchen, an apron over his jeans and T-shirt. The T-shirt hugged his broad, muscled chest and laid bare the powerful muscles of his arms. His light-brown hair still had the kiss of the sun and was tied back from his face, revealing the sharp lines of his features.
He looked older, but still so handsome. It was impossible to forget the way he’d held her in his arms, a dimpled smile on his lips, his sea-blue eyes bright with humor and love. With that memory, the flutters in her stomach were replaced by an ache in the region of her heart.
As they walked into the kitchen area, Jonathan looked up and smiled. He sauntered from beyond the island, over to Maggie, and hugged her. “Nice to see you again, Maggie.”
He embraced Emma next, playfully teasing her like he might a kid sister. “How’s the world’s best wedding planner doing?”
Emma grinned back, totally at ease. “Busy making the world less safe for confirmed bachelors like you.”
When it came time to greet Connie, his demeanor changed drastically. He kept his distance and provided her with only a quick nod and a forced smile. “Connie.”
He might as well have dug a knife into her gut, the pain of his actions so sharp, so hurtful, that she lost control and responded out of anger, something she rarely did.
“Jonathan. I almost didn’t recognize you. It’s been so long since I’ve seen your face in the tabloids.” Her friends’ muffled gasps chased her words.
Order Caridad Pineiro’s next book
in the At the Shore series
What Happens in Summer
On sale June 2018
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Caridad Pineiro is the author of more than fifty novels and novellas and has sold more than one million books worldwide. Caridad writes romantic suspense, military romance, contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and vampire suspense. Caridad is also a Jersey girl who loves to travel, cook, and spend time with family and friends.
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