Return to Me (Blue Harbor Book 5)

by Olivia Miles

  And… “Candy!” The door had barely closed behind her and already she was being pulled in for a long hug.

  “Oh, I heard you were coming tonight! I swear, that sister of yours has been eyeing the door for the last ten minutes waiting for you.”

  Brooke glanced at Gabby over Candy’s shoulder and gave her a conspiratorial wink. Gabby took a long slug of wine and refilled her glass.

  “I was just telling Gabby that I have a new idea for my flowers,” Candy exclaimed, releasing her.

  Brooke raised an eyebrow, but her sister didn’t catch her eye. She wasn’t surprised. A woman with as many ideas as Candy was bound to change her mind many times before her big day, and it was one reason why she hadn’t committed too much time to her sketches just yet.

  “And I was wondering,” Candy said, looking suddenly very serious. “What do you think of a mermaid-style dress?”

  Brooke blinked several times. Beside her, she heard Gabby’s wine bubble. No doubt her sister was trying to smother a laugh in her glass.

  Brooke managed not to sigh and tilted her head politely. “I thought we left off at a full ballgown.” There were many, many other ideas when it came to fabric and the bodice and the sleeve-length, but the actual cut of the dress was something that Brooke had nailed down on Wednesday. Or so she’d thought.

  Candy pressed a finger to her mouth. “Mmm. Yes. But then I thought…these curves.” She ran her hands over her hips and gave a little eyebrow wiggle. “Why not accentuate them?”

  Now Gabby had to walk away, all pink in the cheeks and shoulders shaking, while Brooke was left to deal with Candy on her own.

  She paused, trying to be tactful. “Let’s think about it, Candy. We have time.”

  Not much if she was left with a redesign at the final hour, but Brooke was confident that once she designed something that Candy loved, there would be no second-guessing. “I always think that you shouldn’t compete with the gown. That the bride should still be the focal point.”

  Candy stared at her in wonder. “I knew that you would be the best designer for my dress. Oh, I can’t wait to see what you come up with!” She squealed, before noticing someone over Brooke’s shoulder and wiggling her fingers. “Oh, it’s Helena! I need to talk to her about my late charge at the library again.”

  Brooke looked over her shoulder at her former classmate, who was now the strictest librarian the town had known in three generations, or so her sisters told her. Brooke wondered if she had loosened up over the years, but judging from her stern expression as Candy seemed to plead with words like “enraptured” and “couldn’t part with it when it was due back,” Helena hadn’t changed one bit.

  But then, what did she expect? This was Blue Harbor, and much of the town, and its residents, were exactly as she’d left them.

  Including Kyle.

  “I have a confession,” she said to Gabby when she joined her at the back of the room.

  “Let me guess? You’re regretting having a part in Candy’s wedding day? Join the club.”

  Brooke laughed. Candy was probably a good test. There would be many other indecisive or picky brides to contend with down the road.

  “No,” she said, helping herself to a glass of wine from the tray that was set up on the table. “Something else.”

  “Oh?” The excitement that flashed in Gabby’s eyes was a foreshadowing of how her sister would react if she were to ever find out Brooke’s real secret, and it was confirmation that it was best never to reveal it. Besides, in a matter of weeks, there would be nothing to tell. Papers would be signed. The marriage would officially be over.

  Brooke didn’t know why that filled her with a sense of sadness. The relationship had been over for years.

  “Something juicy?” Gabby’s eyes downright twinkled. She loved drama too much for her own good, and the fiction she devoured was no doubt partly to blame.

  “Sorry to disappoint you,” Brooke said wryly. She dropped her voice to a whisper. “I didn’t have time to read the book. I just…skimmed the first chapter.”

  Gabby looked slightly disappointed but waved her hand through the air. “I’m probably the only person who read the book, other than Bella, of course. We might discuss it for a few minutes, and seeing as it’s your first meeting and you did just open a business, you have a free pass to be a wallflower. But…I have a feeling the real topic of conversation tonight will be your return!”

  Gabby was right about that, as several former classmates turned to spot her and immediately cross the room. Brooke greeted them all warmly—it was nice to be back with people who knew her—except for the part of her life that she’d rather not remember.

  Turning the conversation off herself, she motioned to Sadie Henderick’s baby bump, and said, “I can’t even believe you’re going to be a mother!”

  “Number two,” Sadie said with a casual smile.

  Two? Brooke realized that this could have been her life, if she’d stayed behind, living with Kyle, going about the routine of married life. And what would that have been like? Would she have worked for Patsy, selling other people’s clothes, maybe dabbling in a few designs of her own, while Kyle tended bar at Harrison’s and eventually gave up on the custom furniture that he had once put such pride and effort into creating?

  “And what about you, Brooke?” another classmate from school asked. Brooke couldn’t help but notice the rings on her left hand as she sipped her white wine. “Did you find love in the big city?”

  Brooke gave a wan smile. “I dated here and there, but…” But I’m still legally married. She bit her lip to hide her smile. Wouldn’t that put an end to this conversation, and fast?

  She composed herself and said, “But work kept me busy.”

  “And why give it all up?” Sadie wanted to know.

  Brooke could see there was no malice in the question, only idle curiosity. She’d prepared herself for this, knowing how Blue Harbor could be, small enough to be overly familiar, especially when you wanted to guard some information.

  She gave a bigger smile and rehearsed her excuse: “I missed my family, and when the opportunity came about to open my own boutique, it was too good to pass up.”

  It was true in many ways, she thought, her shoulders sagging in relief as Gabby refilled her wine glass without having to be asked. She didn’t have to ask her sister the blend—they only bought and drank the Conway brand out of loyalty.

  And it was that exact loyalty that prompted Gabby to give her a subtle wink and then say, “You won’t mind if I whisk my sister away, ladies. Bella’s friend had some questions about wedding gowns. And have you seen Brooke’s designs? Stunning! I’m recommending her to anyone who comes into my shop asking about flowers.”

  “It’s almost a shame we’re already married!” The women laughed.

  Gabby’s lids hooded as she led Brooke across the small room to a circle of chairs that Bella had set up in the children’s area.

  “Thank you,” Brooke whispered gratefully.

  “If you thought that was rough, I have to write out the cards their husbands send them every Valentine’s Day.” Gabby sighed. “Honestly, why haven’t I found true love yet?”

  Brooke looked at her sister squarely. “You want the real answer or the one that you tell yourself?”

  Gabby pinched her lips. She knew that Brooke had a point.

  “You’re too picky,” Brooke summarized, and it was true. Gabby was a beauty, but she was also funny, quick, and passionate about her opinions and her career. And she was entirely too discriminating when it came to men, especially in a town without much selection.

  Not that this excuse could hold for much longer. As Gabby had pointed out, all these other women were finding love. And there were plenty of handsome men in town, too.

  Her mind drifted to Kyle and she quickly pulled it back again.

  Gabby sighed. “Can I help it if I’m selective? Besides, name someone. Name a single guy other than Jackson that might be a good match for me.
”

  “I haven’t been back in a while. What about…Richard—”

  Before she could even finish, Gabby cut her off. “Moved away about three years ago. Name another.”

  Brooke sipped her wine and tried to think. “What about Chri—”

  Again, Gabby shook her head. “Engaged to someone from Chicago.”

  Brooke was getting exasperated. Gabby was trying to prove a point. “Well, there’s Ryan—”

  Gabby stared at her in shock. “Ryan Harrison? But he’s Kyle’s brother!”

  Of course. Loyalty and all that. Brooke gave her sister a smile of encouragement. “Not every guy is like the hero in those books you read. They’re human, with flaws, just like you and me. Nothing will ever be perfect and you’ll be alone a long time if you’re waiting for it to be. Relationships take hard work and compromise.”

  Gabby arched a brow and gave her a knowing look. “No offense, Brooke, but isn’t that the same advice that Mom gave you right before you moved to New York?”

  Shoot. It was. And Brooke hadn’t heeded it, had she?

  She frowned. “That was different. Kyle and I had a plan and he changed course at the last minute.”

  Gabby nodded. She knew the story, of course. Knew it well. It was comforting that Brooke didn’t need to explain anything to her. Still, she could tell by the way Gabby was squinting her eyes as she sipped her wine that this subject wasn’t dropped just yet.

  “Do you ever wonder if you’d have been happy if you hadn’t moved, though?” When Brooke started to object, Gabby held up a hand. “Hear me out. You’re back now. You have that lovely boutique, sure. But maybe you still could have ended up right there, in that storefront, with your beautiful creations, without…”

  “Without ruining my marriage?” Brooke felt her defenses flare up along with the heat in her cheeks.

  Gabby winced. “I wouldn’t have worded it that way, but…you were so in love.”

  “We were,” Brooke said crisply. She drank back a long sip of her wine, followed by another. “But Kyle made a choice, Gabby. He could have come with me, and instead, he let me go.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Gabby sighed as she sauntered away to raid the buffet of snacks, but the look in her eyes when she turned back told Brooke that she didn’t mean a word of that, and Brooke wasn’t in the mood to argue.

  Or think about Kyle. Instead, she forced herself to look around the room, at the display tables of new releases, to the stacked shelves organized by category, to the cozy armchairs and brass reading lamps and sconces that made the room feel well lit but not overly bright, like the kind of place you might want to stay for a while.

  It was quintessential Blue Harbor—inviting and warm, and quaint. It was everything the city hadn’t been and never would be.

  And it was filled with people who knew her.

  A little too well in some cases, she thought, eyeing her sister across the room.

  “Penny for your thoughts.” Bella sidled up to her. “And you cannot get away with standing here all by yourself when so many people here want to see you.”

  Brooke suddenly felt very tired. “Long week,” she said with a weak smile. And a more emotionally draining one than she’d even feared.

  She glanced around the room at the familiar faces. She didn’t want to talk about New York anymore, or why she’d moved back, because no matter how much she spun the story that she wanted to open her own boutique, and despite the pride she did feel, another part of her was overwhelmed with doubt.

  “Well, don’t worry. I’m about to gather everyone into the circle anyway. I have a feeling if I don’t, Candy will make the rounds and I might lose a few guests before the discussion starts.” She laughed in a non-menacing way. It seemed that everyone understood that Candy had a strong personality.

  “She’s only here because tonight’s pick was a romance,” Gabby said, joining them.

  “Then you have nothing to complain about!” Brooke knew that romance was Gabby’s favorite genre.

  Gabby gave a little shrug. “Other than the fact that the only romance I seem to find is in the pages of my books, or on the cards I write for my flower deliveries…to other people.”

  Brooke sympathized, even if she wasn’t looking for love herself. It wasn’t always easy to see other people find it. And keep it.

  Gabby jutted her chin. “Uh-oh. Looks like Helena is getting worked up. You know she’s this close to banning Candy from checking out any more books.”

  Bella grinned. “Good. More business for me.” She looked over her shoulder and blew out a breath. “Yikes. I see what you mean. Okay, we’ll start early tonight.”

  Brooke was happy when Bella asked everyone to take their seats. She took a chair near the back, hoping to slip out as soon as the discussion ended. She needed a good night’s sleep because she had a feeling that until her next five meet-ups with Kyle were over and done with, she wouldn’t be finding much rest at all.

  *

  Brooke stepped out onto the sidewalk, feeling the first few drops of rain land on her head. She looked up at the sky; it was overcast, the sidewalks empty, the only light coming from the warmly lit windows of the small inns that lined Main Street and the lampposts that glowed high above.

  She knew enough about the weather patterns to quicken her step as the rain began to fall stronger. Her apartment wasn’t far, and she shivered in her sweater as the rain soaked her skin. A hot cup of tea and some warm pajamas were moments away. She just had to hop over that puddle, and—

  “Those aren’t the most weather appropriate shoes, are they?” A deep voice cut through her thoughts.

  Brooke turned to see Kyle grinning back at her, under the comfortable shield of a large umbrella.

  Brooke didn’t need to look at her feet to know what he was referring to, but she did it anyway, as an excuse to break his stare. The butterflies remained in her stomach even still, fluttering away as she considered her next words.

  Was this so easy for him, or was he…

  No. She shook that thought away immediately. There was no way that Kyle Harrison was flirting with her. If he still had feelings for her, he’d had a long time to make them known.

  To her dismay, her cognac leather wedges were getting soaked, and she cursed herself for not checking the weather forecast earlier.

  “I should hurry,” she said, seizing the opportunity.

  But she was too late. Kyle had closed the distance between them, and now his umbrella was over her head, his arm pressing against her back in an overly familiar way. Under the shield of the fabric, she could feel the heat of his body, smell the musk of his skin and the faint scent of spice from his cologne. The same one he always wore. How many nights had she curled next to him in bed, her head on his chest, breathing in this smell, lulled by the beating of his heart?

  The rain was falling harder now, making it impossible to break away. Damn it.

  “I’m happy I ran into you,” he said, and she could hear the grin in his voice, even though she refused to look up at him. It was bad enough that he practically had his arm around her as they walked toward her shop. “I didn’t like the way we left things.”

  “Me either,” she admitted after a pause. Feeling the need to explain, she pressed, “I don’t want us to hurt anymore. I don’t want to be upset by the past. I…just want to move on.”

  He nodded, kept walking, slowly. Too slowly. He was setting the pace.

  “I’m surprised you aren’t at the pub,” she said, trying to steer the conversation away from their relationship.

  He didn’t say anything for a beat, and they approached the corner, checked for cars. As luck would have it, a few were approaching, their headlights strong, making it impossible to gauge their distance or speed, because if she had it her way, she’d make a run for it. Anything to get away from Kyle, his arm, his body…

  “Is Ryan planning to stay on?” She hadn’t considered such a thing before, but who was she to assume otherwise? People
changed. Relationships did too. She should know.

  “Ryan moved back because he had a break-up, and I think he needs to sort some stuff out, personally. Unfortunately, that means he has time on his hands and he’s decided to stick his nose into my business. Well, the family business. Ryan and I…Well, you know.”

  Yes. She did. They’d always been opposites. One creative, one analytical. Both stubborn to a fault, not that she’d be saying that. She wasn’t in the mood to argue tonight and talking about the past stirred up feelings she’d rather forget.

  Still, a part of her softened as they finally made their way across the intersection. “I’m sure your father would be pleased to see both his sons working together at the family business.”

  This time, she felt his body stiffen behind her, and she wondered if she’d hit a nerve. She looked up to see his jaw locked, his eyes focused straight ahead, and she realized that she had.

  “I know your feelings about the pub if that’s what you’re getting at,” he said.

  “I didn’t mean it that way,” she said honestly. “I meant…I know how much that pub meant to your father. And I know how much you did, too.”

  She held her breath, waiting for a defensive retort, wondering why she was even bothering to bring up these old conversations. Because they weren’t finished, she concluded, as they neared her front door. Because everything that had been said all those years ago had been said in hurt and anger and now, after all this time, some of it was still there.

  Kyle’s father did love that pub. But he loved Kyle more. And she knew that this wasn’t what he would have wanted, even if that was what Kyle had always thought.

  Maybe for the best, Kyle didn’t let the topic go any further. “He was a good man,” was all he said.

  Brooke nodded. “How’s your mother?”

  “Good,” he replied, his voice more relaxed. “She stays busy with her charity groups and volunteer activity.”

  Mrs. Harrison had always been welcoming to Brooke, saying she was the first daughter she’d ever had. How was that for guilt? But she had also encouraged Kyle to pursue his dreams, to live his life, as planned.