A Sweet Possibility (Archer Cove Series Book 2) (16 page)

He turned and walked out of the restaurant, into the early evening air. He told himself that he couldn't listen to Quinn. He may have been a friend once, but he hadn't been for a while. He wasn't a person who could be trusted, and he'd only said those things about Jessie to get under Nate's skin. But damn if it didn't gnaw at him all night.

He went back to his apartment and ran two loads of laundry. By the time they were dry, he told himself he was too tired to head back to Jessie's. He crawled into bed and felt his bones sink into the mattress, weary from the day.

J
essie woke up alone
. It took a moment to register. Then she sat bolt upright in bed and looked at the space beside her. Nate's part of the bed was still made. A thread of panic worked through her as she fumbled for her cell. Thank goodness — he'd sent a text: Fell asleep doing laundry.

She exhaled. No big deal.

She showered, dressed, and walked to Hedda's. The morning was overcast, but the meteorologist predicted sunshine. After a good night's sleep, Jessie felt like a new person. That morning, her affirmation was different: I am strong as hell. Because she was. She'd stood up to Quinn, and as bad as it had felt to say those things to him, it was cathartic. Her life was full of possibilities, and Quinn was no longer one of them. Life was sweeter.

Jessie whistled to herself as she baked lemon poppy seed muffins and cinnamon rolls. She hummed as she swept the floors and cleaned the glass on the display cases. She would've danced around the kitchen if Uncle Hank hadn't told her numerous times that it was a no-dance zone. Nate had fallen asleep while doing laundry. He hadn't left her.

She was at the counter when Mr. White came into the bakery, looking exactly as a loan officer should in his pale blue tie and white short-sleeved starched shirt. "Good morning, Mr. White," she said cheerfully. "What can I get for you?"

"I'm actually here to talk to you about your application," he said. "Is this a good time?"

Jessie's heart stopped in its tracks. She took a quick glance around the bakery. "We're in the morning lull, so it should be fine."

"Great. We can sit at one of these tables, and if you get busy, you can just go right back to work."

He selected a table by the window, the one Jessie thought of as the "lovers' table," because of its size and privacy. She pulled out the white wrought-iron chair and took a seat on the blue cushion. Her heart was going a mile a minute, but this had to be good, right? Loan officers didn't come to tell people their application had been rejected...did they?

Mr. White opened a brown leather briefcase and extracted a manila envelope. "I've got good news and bad news," he said. "Which would you like first?"

Jessie swallowed. "The good news. Definitely."

He paused. "I'll give you the bad news first. It makes more sense, logically."

"But I thought —"

"The bank has rejected your loan application," he said.

"Oh." Her hands covered her heart. There was that ache. "Oh." Again. It took her breath with it.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But the good news is that we
will
approve a loan for you in this amount." He slid the paperwork across the table. Then he sat back and folded his hands.

Jessie blinked. There were so many numbers. Her eyes drifted down the page, over the figures she'd supplied, her address...she saw it. A number, and a dollar sign. "This?" She pointed to it. "That's the number?"

"That's the one. And the interest rate is right there. What do you think?"

It wasn't exactly what she'd hoped for, but if she worked with Dinardo and was smart about reducing the size of the space and making renovations...A smile spread across her face. "I can do this," she whispered. "I can make it work. Oh my gosh, I'm opening my own chocolate shop!"

Mr. White smiled. "I've seen your race flyers around town. I had to stop in a few days ago to try some of your chocolates. They're delicious. You have a very bright future ahead of you."

She was beaming. She couldn't help herself. "This is wonderful news. I'm so happy!" Without a thought, she rose from her seat and flung her arms around him. "Thank you so much! You're changing my life, Mr. White!"

He laughed stiffly and patted her back. "All right. You're welcome. If this figure works, then I'll get the loan finalized and you can have a check as early as next week."

"That's incredible. I can't thank you enough. Wait!" She darted behind the display case and piled a large box with assorted chocolates. "Please take these back to the bank, with my thanks."

"Thank you, Ms. Mallory. Have a great day."

"I will."

She waited until he'd left the bakery to shriek. The customers turned to stare. "I'm opening a chocolate shop!"

Emily came running from behind the counter, and Uncle Hank came out from the kitchen. "What happened?" he asked.

Jessie ran over to embrace him. "I'm opening my own chocolate shop, Uncle Hank!"

Emily squealed and joined the hug. "That's fantastic!"

"I'm so proud of you, Jess!" Uncle Hank said. When she looked up, he had tears in his eyes. "I knew you could do it."

Jessie's head swirled with possibilities. "I'll need an awning, and I have to buy some more equipment, and maybe I'll look online for display cases..."

"This is going to be so great," Emily said. "You should be proud of yourself. This is what you've wanted for years."

And Jessie decided that she was proud. She was finally becoming herself.

T
he counters
and shelving were gone in the deli space, so Nate signed the lease by pressing the contract against the window. He got a few letters in before the ink in the pen stopped flowing. He shook the pen and laughed. "Someone's trying to stop me."

"Nope, no one's stopping you," George Dinardo said. "It's all yours."

Claire stood by, a white handbag dangling from her folded arms. "This space is absolutely perfect," she gushed. "I'm going to get my contractors in here on Monday. We'll be up and running in no time flat."

It was all happening so fast that Nate felt light-headed. When George Dinardo had called and told him that he was thinking of splitting the space in half, Nate knew he had to act or lose his chance for good. For her part, Claire was eager to invest, and she'd even managed to talk down the price significantly by offering to sign a three-year lease.

"If I can only sign my name," he said. He knelt on one knee and balanced the contract on the other. "There we go. Much better."

"Excellent." George held out his hand. "I'll get copies of this to you in a few days. It's been a pleasure."

"Same here. Thanks, Mr. Dinardo."

Claire patted him on the back. "How's it feel? You've got a space and three years to make it work."

He set his hands on his waist. "It's gonna work, partner."

He had too many ideas to count. Equipment to purchase, training programs to test. There were hundreds of possibilities, all of them great. He couldn't wait to tell Jessie.

As upset as he'd been the night before, he'd felt better in the morning. Of course he could trust Jessie. The last role he wanted to play was that of a jealous boyfriend. She deserved better than that. Quinn had only been pressing his buttons.

When he called her, it sounded like she'd had a great day, too. "I can't wait to talk to you!" she gushed.

Nate smiled. Her happiness was contagious. "Same here. See you at home at six?"

"I love that you called the cottage 'home.' See you then!"

He stopped to buy her a bouquet of pink and white sweetheart roses, feeling as shaky as a teenager on his first date. This was it. Tonight he was going to tell her how he felt, lay it all on the line. I love you. I've always loved you. He wondered if he'd be able to get the words out in the way he needed to: loud and clear, so there'd be no doubt. The last thing he wanted Jessie to feel was any doubt. She'd been hurt enough in her life. I'm yours for as long as you want me to be.

He was nearly giddy as he walked up the front path to the little blue cottage, the bouquet behind his back. Jessie swung open the front door, looking as beautiful as ever in a white dress with pink ribbon woven around the waist. He could tell she was bursting. "Hello, gorgeous." He brought out the flowers. "These are for you."

"They're beautiful! Thank you!" She kissed him on the lips and tightened a hand around his tie. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Oh, I can't even stand it!" She stepped back and announced, "I'm opening a chocolate shop! I was approved for a loan today!"

"What?" Nate shook his head. "That's unbelievable! I mean, not unbelievable. It's completely believable because you're incredible. Sweetie, congratulations!" He pulled her into his arms.

"I'm so happy, Nate! It's like my life is finally coming together!" She stepped back and smelled the roses. "I'm going to find a vase. Come inside."

He watched her as she nearly skipped around the kitchen, looking through the cabinets. She found a white vase above the refrigerator. "I had no idea all of this was going on," he said. "You know how to keep a secret."

"A surprise." She beamed. "I didn't want to say anything until it was official, but I have a space and everything." She clapped her hands together. "I thought I was going to be afraid to make this change, but it feels so perfect. I know I'm ready for it."

"You found a space?" Nate plucked a green grape from a bunch in the fruit bowl on the counter. "Whereabouts?"

"The Dinardo's Deli space! I spoke with Mr. Dinardo a few weeks ago, and he agreed to split the unit in half." She puffed her chest. "Looks like I'm quite the negotiator."

He stopped mid-chew. "Wait. What?"

Jessie unwrapped the roses from the green tissue paper and brought them to the sink. "I'm getting the Dinardo's Deli space. Nate, I can't thank you enough for showing it to me when you did. The more I thought about it, the more I thought it was perfect, and I'm going to get the side with all of the windows. It's going to be brilliant."

He swallowed the grape after two chews and felt it skim down his esophagus. He was going to be sick. "Jess. We should talk."

"That's right, you have news, don't you?" She looked over her shoulder. "And here I've been blabbing away."

Crap. He leaned one arm against the counter and told himself that they would figure it out somehow. It would be okay, but he had to tell her. She had to hear it from him first. "I'm opening a gym." It came out as a mumble.

"What?" She spun from the sink. "I'm so proud of you! This is a big day! Have you thought about financing? Because I've been through the lending process —"

"Yeah, I've thought about financing." He righted himself and waited for the courage to say what had to come next. "I've signed a lease already. Just signed it, in fact."

"Wow, Nate." She giggled uneasily. "Talk about keeping secrets. Where's the space?"

Here goes. "It's the Dinardo space, actually."

There was a stretch of silence as the news settled. Jessie's smile slowly fell from her face. "You mean you're renting the other half?"

Hopeful to the end. Nate inhaled. "No. I'm renting all of it. For three years." When he saw the look of anguish, he hated that he was the cause. "It's not my fault. I had no idea you were looking at that space. You never told me about any of this!"

"I was trying to accomplish something on my own. You knew that," she said, her voice splintering. "You knew that I wanted to open a chocolate shop, and that's the only space in town!" The rims of her eyes grew red. "How could you do that to me?"

Anger boiled in his chest. He'd been her friend when she was at her lowest. How many times had he dropped everything and come running, just because she needed him to drive her home, or try her fudge, or eat pizza with her? How dare she accuse him of intentionally hurting her? "I've always put you first. Believe it or not, I started thinking about opening a gym because I wanted you to be proud of me. I wanted you to see me for once. Me, not Quinn." He tried his best to keep his tone measured, but his chest was breaking wide open just then, and it hurt like hell. "I've always thought of you. I guess we both have."

Her eyes widened and then narrowed. "What does that mean?"

"You spend a lot of time thinking about yourself. Numbing your pain with sugar and alcohol. How about dealing with life head-on, Jess? It's not always roses. My dad died when I was thirteen years old. You think that's easy to cope with?" His fists were clenched so tightly they hurt. "Do you think I had a friend to hold my hand and take long walks with? Someone to string along while I waited for something better to come by?"

Her mouth opened. "Wait for something better to come by? What are you talking about?"

"I know you saw Quinn yesterday. I know you spent time with him, and that you didn't tell me about it. So tell me: am I just another part of your plan? Another accomplishment to make you more attractive? Drop fifteen pounds and have sex with Quinn's best friend? Is that how you get to be an Emerson & Parker wife these days?"

He knew as soon as the words flew out of his mouth that this was a low blow. Her chin shook and she looked down and away. Her hands were lying on the counter, palms up with her fingers open. He'd cut too deeply. He'd gone too far. "Jess. Wait." Nate's voice softened by a degree. "Let's talk about this —"

A tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away. "Please go." The request was barely a whisper.

"I don't want to. I don't want to leave things between us like this."

She turned her gaze to him, and he saw the anguish and the hurt. This is what happens when you know everything about a person, he thought. You know exactly how to hurt them. He'd taken a cheap shot, and he hated himself for it. "Please. Can we talk about this?"

Tears spilled from her eyes and splattered on the dark gray granite countertops. She didn't even move to wipe them. "I trusted you," she said, her voice eerily calm. "Please go, and please don't come back."

He couldn't look at her any more, knowing that he'd only see pain in her face. If leaving made her feel better, there wasn't a choice.

Nate turned without another word and headed for the door. Silently, quickly, regretfully.