by Olivia Miles
Gabby nodded. “But Ryan’s back now. I think for good.”
Brooke idly wondered how that would work out. Kyle and Ryan had always butted heads growing up, even if Ryan was an all-around nice guy.
Like his brother. Kyle was a fundamentally nice guy. Hometown guy. Small-town guy. The only guy she’d ever known when she married him.
“Ryan’s helping at the pub?” She blinked rapidly, thinking of the irony of it all. She finally returned to Blue Harbor, just when Kyle might be free to leave it?
“That’s what I hear…” Gabby shrugged to show that she didn’t have any more information to share.
“You’re frowning,” Jenna noted.
Brooke perked up, forcing a smile. “Just tired is all.”
Gabby nodded in understanding. “It’s a long trip. And all that traveling today!”
Brooke shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She was eager to get back to the conversation about Kyle and Ryan. “Ryan never showed an interest in the pub before.”
“I hear he’s looking to make some improvements,” Gabby said.
“Not if your husband has his way—” Jenna started and then stopped. She winced. “Sorry, I meant ex-husband.”
Brooke waved a hand dismissively through the air, showing no offense. Because the truth of the matter was that Jenna hadn’t said anything wrong. She’d actually been right.
Kyle was still her husband, in the legal sense of the word.
And that was something no one else needed to know.
3
The cousins had all decided to meet up on Saturday night, something that Gabby had organized, not that Brooke was complaining. They were meeting at the Carriage House Inn Pub—not only because it had always been one of their favorite spots in town but also, Brooke knew, because the chances of seeing Kyle there were remote.
Still, as she entered the cozy restaurant, flanked by Jenna and Gabby who had met her at her new apartment, deemed it had potential, and then insisted that she change from the black sundress to something more “appropriate,” Brooke darted her eyes over the room nervously, only feeling her shoulders relax when she didn’t immediately spot Kyle anywhere.
And why should she? He ran the local watering hole. He would be working. Tucked away behind another set of doors, probably pouring beers and calling out orders over the raucous near the pool table. Nothing for her to worry about. This was going to be a girls’ night, a long time coming, and a perk to being back in town that she intended to enjoy.
“Were you this uptight in New York?” Gabby gave her a funny smile as they slid into a table near the big windows that were pulled open to let the breeze pass. It was a warm night for spring, but it was the kind of night that Brooke had longed for in the city, where the city noises and smells had made her crave the fresh air that she could feel all the way into her lungs when she breathed. Quiet nights, where she could hear the water lapping at the shore, or the crickets chirping. Or, on the clearest of them all, a glimpse of the Northern Lights, turning the canvas of the night sky into a beautiful work of art.
“Who said I’m uptight?” Brooke remarked. It was true, though, that she wasn’t the same carefree young girl, and she didn’t just have her time in the city to blame for it. The life she’d planned on had gone awry, and now, she took extra care in being as prepared as possible for anything that could come her way.
“Ever since we left your apartment you’ve looked like you’re waiting for someone to jump out of the bushes!” Gabby laughed. “Relax! This isn’t Manhattan.”
It was nowhere near Manhattan, and Brooke didn’t feel like pointing out that she’d feel less twitchy walking through the city streets alone than down Main Street in Blue Harbor. Here, everyone knew her story. Or at least, most of it. And back in New York, the only person who gave her anxiety was her boss.
Another person who hadn’t believed in her enough to commit to the long haul.
“I am relaxed,” she insisted, giving them both a forced smile.
A burst of deep, gravelly laughter made her stiffen, and her eyes roamed to the bar, unable to part with thoughts of Kyle against her better judgment. But it was Jackson Bradford. Handsome as ever. And a crowd of people she half recognized from growing up and the rest probably falling under the tourist category. “I’m back in my element. Honestly, it feels like I never left.”
That statement held far too much truth. Ever since running into Kyle, she couldn’t completely shake him from her head. All those memories she had tried to push away were fighting to come back. When she left town, she’d been his wife. She’d loved him. She’d…
She’d been broken-hearted, she reminded herself.
“You tried to wear a little black dress out for drinks tonight,” Jenna said gently.
“You can never go wrong with a little black dress,” Brooke told her. But then, you couldn’t go wrong with great jeans and a black top like she had worn instead, either.
Gabby raised an eyebrow and pulled the drinks menu closer. “You can in Blue Harbor. This is a resort town. It’s casual. It’s slow-paced.” She gave her a mock stern look across the table. “Clearly, you’ve been gone too long.”
“Well, I’m back now,” Brooke said. But Gabby was right. There was no use for half of her wardrobe here in her hometown, where jeans and tees, or capris and tanks, or cotton sundresses paired with flip-flops would do. A little black dress might come in handy for a date.
Not that she’d be having one of those anytime soon.
“So,” she said, after glancing at the cocktail list and deciding on a glass of white wine—the family brand, of course. Like many establishments in town, locals supported each other, and the Bradfords and Conways went way back. “Tell me everything I’ve missed.” Last night their conversation had been somewhat suppressed by their parents, centering on safe topics like the weather, her parents’ future trips, and her Uncle Dennis’s upcoming wedding.
The juicy topics had been shelved, and even though she talked with her sisters regularly, she wanted to be sure she was caught up on everything once her cousins arrived.
“Well, you know that Robbie and Britt are back together,” Gabby said. No doubt that Robbie Bradford would eventually marry Britt, too, finally uniting the two families officially.
“And Amelia and Matt,” Jenna added. Another Bradford, seeing as Matt was Robbie’s cousin.
“And Maddie is now dating Cole McCarthy,” Gabby said, widening her eyes. “The biggest surprise of them all.”
“Nope.” Jenna shook her head. “The biggest surprise is Cora. She’s very close with a man who just moved here over the winter. He’s a single father. Very handsome.”
“And his daughter is adorable,” Gabby said with a sigh. “That leaves the three of us. Single.”
Single. Brooke let that word fall on silence. While she had considered herself single since the day she’d left Kyle and this town, and she assumed that Kyle did, too, she was legally anything but single.
“Well, and all our other cousins are still single, too?” Brooke gave her a smile of encouragement. She knew that Gabby’s love life was a disappointment to her. It came from delivering one too many arrangements on Valentine’s Day and not receiving enough for herself over the years.
“Yep!” Jenna brightened and waved over her shoulder. “And here comes one right now. Over here, Bella!”
Brooke stood up to greet her cousin, pulling her into a long hug, chatting excitedly about the new shop and all of her plans for it. Isabella owned the bookstore in town, and before they had even sat down, she had insisted that Brooke attend the next book club meeting.
“I won’t take no for an answer,” Bella said. “Besides, it will be a good opportunity for you to spread the word about your new business. Everyone must know someone who is getting married.”
Gabby nodded. “I’m happy to keep a stack of your cards on my counter. Most brides-to-be at least come through to get a quote from me when it comes to their bouquets and centerpi
eces.”
“You’re being modest,” Bella chided. “We all know that you are the most popular florist in the county for weddings.”
Gabby blushed but didn’t argue.
“And I occasionally play at weddings,” Jenna offered. Like Gabby, she was playing down her musical talents, as well as her demand. Brooke knew full well that being asked to lead the Christmas Choir was a major accomplishment, but that Jenna was just happy to be doing something she loved.
Brooke could relate to that.
“There’s always someone who catches the bouquet, next in line. I can hand them your card along with mine.”
“I still need to get those made,” Brooke thought, now wishing that she’d brought a tote bag large enough to hold her planner, even though her cross-body purse looked so much better with her outfit.
She could hear her boss now. How could someone so creative be so rigid?
For many reasons, Brooke thought.
“When is your opening?” Bella wanted to know.
“The moving company arrives Monday, and I’m hoping to have everything set up by Wednesday. It will be a soft opening, no big party or announcement or anything.” The last thing she needed was to draw more attention to herself. She’d gotten used to a private life in Manhattan. She’d gotten used to being alone.
“Well, between you and Gabby, you’ll have the market covered just in time for wedding season!” Jenna was clearly happy for her, and Brooke was grateful for it. Still, her nerves fluttered when she thought of all that she still had to do…and what she had done. That she was here. That she was going to open her own shop. And hope that someone would actually buy something.
Tempering expectations, she said, “Oh, most spring brides have probably already picked out their gowns by now, but some summer weddings, maybe.”
“Wedding season.” Gabby looked wistful. “Is it crazy to think that I’m always the one making the bouquets and never the one catching them?”
Brooke patted her hand. “Eventually the odds will be in your favor.”
“What’s this I hear about weddings?” Britt and Cora appeared at the table, both happy to bend down and greet Brooke with a hug.
“I hear you’re back together with Robbie,” Brooke said to Britt once everyone had settled into chairs. “Any wedding bells in the future?”
Britt’s lips thinned. “The only bells I’ve been hearing are the ringing in my ears when Candy starts practicing the song she wants to sing for my dad at their reception.”
The entire table laughed. Even though Brooke had never met the woman who was going to be marrying her Uncle Dennis, she’d heard enough about her to form a vivid picture. Slightly younger, eager to please, and a personality that couldn’t be topped.
“Where are Amelia and Maddie?” she asked, eager to see the other two Conway sisters.
“They’ll be here once Amelia closes up the café,” Britt said.
“Heidi and Natalie should be here any minute too,” Bella chimed in. Like the others, she kept tabs on her sisters, remaining as close with them in her adult years as they’d been as children. She motioned to the bar, where Jackson was pouring drinks, just as he was doing the last time Brooke was here, years ago. “I’ll get this round.”
Happily, they all told her their orders, most of which consisted of white wine.
“Look at us,” Brooke said with a sigh. “All out on a Saturday night. All grown up.”
“Not that much has changed,” Gabby said. “None of us are married. Yet,” she added, flashing a look in Britt’s direction.
Brooke saw her cousin’s cheeks turn pink, but it was Cora whose eyes widened in horror. “Well, Brooke was married,” she corrected Gabby gently.
Gabby gave Brooke a guilty smile. “I’m sorry, hon. It was so long ago, and we’re used to seeing Kyle around as…”
“A single guy?” Brooke didn’t know why the thought of it caused a knot to form in her stomach. After all, she’d dated a bit in New York.
Her heart sped up as she waited for one of the women to answer that question because she wasn’t so sure that she wanted to hear what they had to say.
They’d been each other’s first loves. Too young for anything more serious beforehand, too content to think about ever taking a break and testing the waters. But now they’d been apart, hadn’t even spoken, living separate lives. Single lives.
She swallowed hard, pushing back the urge to inquire about Kyle’s romantic status, and brightened when Bella reappeared at the table, juggling three glasses of wine in two hands, and the topic was forgotten.
“Jackson’s right behind me with the rest,” Bella said, just as he appeared.
He grinned at them all, his gaze landing on Brooke. “Well, I’ll be. Brooke Conway. I thought I saw you sitting over here. What brings you back to town after all this time?”
“I moved back,” she replied, again surprised that news hadn’t traveled by now. Her family didn’t tend to gossip, but considering that she’d rented space from Patsy, she had half expected welcoming signs to parade her into town.
“Whoa. Does Kyle know?” Jackson was older than Kyle by a few years, but they’d always been friendly, and Brooke assumed more so as they’d aged, even if they did technically run competing operations. The nice thing about Blue Harbor was that tourism was such a big draw that the pubs were rarely in need of business, and on the off season, the locals were loyal patrons. There weren’t many places to hunker down in the brutal winter months when the snow hit and stayed and the lake effect wind made you want to stay inside and never leave.
The pub of the Carriage House Inn had been around for generations, and so had the smaller establishment owned by the Harrisons, though theirs was solely a restaurant and bar, not one of the many white wood framed inns that lined Main Street.
Gabby swatted Jackson painfully.
“It’s okay,” Brooke assured them. Everyone had a past. “And yes, he does know. I bumped into him yesterday.”
The amusement in Jackson’s eyes told her that he was eager to ask how that went exactly, but one death stare from Gabby turned his attention, and he handed out the drinks before telling them the next round was on the house.
“Still cute,” Brooke said with a sigh as they watched him walk away.
“Still a player,” Bella said with an even heavier sigh.
“I think he’s just waiting for the right girl to come along,” Gabby said. They all looked at her until her cheeks flamed. “What? Don’t go saying I read too many romance novels again!”
“I didn’t say a word,” Jenna said, raising her chin a notch.
The girls were still laughing when Amelia and Maddie appeared with Heidi and Natalie at their side, all eager to catch up and share their news. Maddie was especially proud of her new bakery, and maybe even more excited about her newfound romance if the flush in her cheeks gave anything away. It was like old times, the ten of them together again. Even though Brooke’s cousins on either side weren’t related to each other, they had all hung out together on holidays as children, and there was no escaping the fact that here in Blue Harbor you knew just about everyone.
Bumped into them too. Brooke’s eyes shifted to the bar, where Kyle was now leaning an elbow into the wood, laughing with Jackson.
Her heart began to race, and she swallowed hard as her mind spun. What was Kyle doing here? Shouldn’t he be down at Harrison’s, working?
Jackson must have called him over. But no, she was flattering herself. Even if Jackson had tipped him off, why would Kyle care enough to stop by? He hadn’t cared enough in their short-lived marriage to make concessions for her.
And she was best to remember that, wasn’t she?
“I’ll grab your drinks,” she offered to the cousins who had just arrived.
“You sure?” Amelia asked. Ever the mother hen, Brooke thought, loving that about her cousin. Even as a teen, she was always wise and mature, and a patient listener. She had been one of the few people other th
an her sisters and parents that Brooke had confided in when she and Kyle had broken up. The rest didn’t know the details, or wouldn’t understand them. It was perhaps why they couldn’t accept that after dating since high school and going through with the wedding, Brooke was ending it.
“Yep,” Brooke said firmly, which she covered with what she hoped was a breezy smile.
She took a large sip from her glass and strode to the bar purposefully. Now that she was back in town, she wasn’t going to dodge Kyle every chance she had. They’d have to learn to coexist, share space. Something that they hadn’t done very well the first time around, had they?
Jackson saw her coming and quickly excused himself to wash some glasses. Kyle took a long pull on his beer and turned, surprise flickering through his gaze when she sauntered up to where he stood.
“Well, this is a surprise,” he said.
“The surprise is on me,” she said, using his words. “Shouldn’t you be down at Harrison’s right now?”
It was a sore spot between them, and especially for her, even now, if she were to judge it off the tightness in her chest.
“Ryan’s covering things tonight,” Kyle said with a shrug.
“I heard he was back,” Brooke said, and then, catching the flash in his gaze, felt her cheeks heat. “My family mentioned it last night at dinner.”
She didn’t know why she should care that he knew they had discussed him. Of course they had discussed him! He was once her husband.
Still was.
“So, he’s helping out at the pub, huh?” She could hear the bitter sting to her tone.
He shrugged. “Help might not be the best word.”
Brooke resisted the old habit to ask what was going on, to listen, give advice, or just roll her eyes. She knew the history better than anyone, but it wasn’t her place anymore. Kyle had made his choice, years ago, to take over the pub and let his brother pursue his career as planned.
He’d made his choice, she reminded herself. And it wasn’t to be with her.
Instead of bothering with old wounds, she decided to focus on the future. “I was hoping that we could talk soon.”
