Love Redone in Hidden Harbor (Island County Book 2) (19 page)

“Well, I think we’ve got a good start. We can trade emails and photos and definitely send me your spreadsheet.” I helped Aaron put the items back in the box, and my head began spinning with ideas. This wedding was going to be unique and amazing in every possible way.

“So happy I got to start talking to someone about all my ideas.”

“So am I,” Aaron laughed, squeezing her before picking up the box.

“Tori mentioned something about your old boyfriend hanging out on the island or something? Or he never left or…”

“He’s here and I have no idea how long or why,” I informed her.

“Curious,” Brandy muttered.

“Indeed,” Aaron said, walking to the door. “There must be something on the island making him stay.”

“I think at the moment, it’s his brother. He broke his leg and needs a nurse.”

“I doubt it’s his brother he’s interested in,” Aaron laughed.

“How do you know?” I teased.

“We heard through the grapevine that Cole has not-so-accidentally bumped into you and sent emails.”

“And flowers are a definite sign,” Aaron added.

They knew that too? They didn’t even live on the island.

Did I mention how fast word travels not only on this island but off it as well?

“We shall see.” I followed them to the door as Sophie came bounding down the sidewalk.

I gave a quick wave as Sophie and Brandy gabbed for a few minutes while Aaron attempted to keep the blood circulating in his arms from holding the box.

Scooping up the flowers off the counter, I trundled into the cooler, and my mind drifted to Cole. Why was I even wasting my time thinking about him?

Even if Aaron was right about the flowers, it would take more than that to get me to erase the last eight years. I sighed and stuffed the lavender into an arrangement.

But maybe he was trying to make up for the past. Or maybe he only needed someone to talk to. I honestly wasn’t sure I should be that someone.

I wandered out of the cooler and into the back room and scanned my inbox. No response from Cole. Maybe I made him nervous about the stalking charge. I chuckled to myself.

“Serves him right.”

“Serves who right?” Sophie asked as she entered, chewing on a carrot.

“Nothing.”

“Are you talking about Cole? What did you do now?”

“Me? What does that mean? Whose side are you on?”

“I’m not sure.” She took a seat on my desk and stared at me.

“Let me make it easy for you to choose. I’ve looked back over the last eight years and wondered how things could have been different.”

“What if that’s been a waste of time?”

“I think it has,” I agreed. “Which is why I don’t want to start the slow and inevitably painful process all over again with the man who has already damaged my heart so badly, I’ve never gotten over it. You repeat that and you’re dead.” I smiled and Sophie took in a deep breath.

“Natty, you know I love you more than anyone.” Sophie chewed on the last bite of carrot nervously and sat up straighter on the desk. Or maybe she moved away from me slightly. I couldn’t tell.

“But…” I prompted, glancing at my email.

“It’s hard for me to give you the sympathy you deserve. Or maybe the sympathy you’re hoping for.”

“What do you mean?”

“For eight years I’ve sat quietly on the sidelines and helped nurse your heartbreak.”

“And I thank you for that. I’ve been so wrapped up in—”

“Hear me out,” she interrupted.

I nodded and sat silently.

“And I wondered to myself, will I ever be given a gift like that?”

I nodded, completely puzzled where she was headed.

“You were fortunate enough to experience a love I’ve never even sampled. Every night, I pray that my father will be okay. I pray that my stepmom will stay strong. And I sneak in a prayer that I’ll someday, somehow get a taste of what you’ve experienced even if only for a minute. I can’t even imagine a love that runs so deep my world stops if they’re not in it.”

She glanced at Pickles, sleeping on a file cabinet.

“There are moments when I’d gladly trade places with you just so I’d know what it’s like to have loved like that and be loved like that. And frankly, I don’t understand how you can be so willing to shut out the possibility just to protect yourself again.”

I sat staring at Sophie in disbelief.

“So, basically, my friend, I’m telling you to let yourself dream of love again. Agree to meet him at his house. Agree to a bowling lesson and dinner. Let him stalk you.”

I narrowed my eyes at her and shoved my chair back slightly.

“How did you know about that?”

“I told you. I’m not sure whose side I’m on yet.”

 

The only thing sitting between Cole and me was a colossal iron gate with a large H scrolled in the center. I hadn’t been to his parents’ house since college and had no idea if it changed or had stayed the same. Really, with a gate like this, it might be considered more of an estate than a house.

The longer I waited for the gate to slide open, the more apprehension rushed through me. What was I doing? Why had I accepted an invitation to his house? I somehow skipped over all the steps in my head that I’d planned with great detail and careful thought and lunged right into the option that might not work out in my favor.

Why didn’t I start with a cup of coffee?

Or a breakfast at Norma’s?

Why was I driving to a private and somewhat secluded home where my heart might not listen to my mind and I might end up in worse shape than before? I sighed and tapped the steering wheel as the mammoth gate slowly chugged open, and I second-guessed my decision.

It was one thing to have sizzling memories of my boyfriend from college lurking in the back of my head, but I had a feeling if I even had a taste of the man he’d become, I’d be ruined for life.

When I was away from Cole, I could think clearly and knew to keep my distance. But last night…

Last night, he caught me at a weak moment, and I fully blamed yoga. It had opened my heart and mind too much, or maybe I was just too groggy from falling asleep mid-class.

I stared straight ahead and drove through the wide opening of the gate up the driveway toward the bluff overlooking Oyster Bay, and I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I did, however, hope to find out why he was still calling Fireweed his home.

The driveway meandered along the neatly landscaped property with Japanese maples dotting the raised beds, and stone patios winding toward the views this property was known for. So far everything appeared exactly as I remembered, until I pulled up to the house.

The home looked like it sat in the middle of a war zone with scattered pieces of plywood, lumber, and bricks. I found a place in between construction debris to park and turned off the car, trying not to let the panic set it.

Everything would be fine. Not to mention, Anthony was inside.

The brick steps leading to the home had been removed and refaced with large pieces of slate, and several of the windows on the lower floor had been boarded up. The brick exterior had been traded out for wide-planked cedar siding and river stone.

But there were no construction workers.

The oversized front door swung open, and Cole strolled outside, looking completely sensational in nothing more than a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. The wind tousled his hair as he bounced down the steps, and my body warmed instantly. Smiling as his eyes connected with mine, he gave a slight wave and made his way over.

Here went nothing.

I reached for my purse, which had fallen to the floor during a too wide of a turn into Cole’s drive, and felt the cold air flood into the car as he opened the driver’s door.

“I was worried you might not come,” he said, leaning on the door.

“I’m as surprised as you are,” I confided, looping my purse over my shoulder and climbing out of the car. “Kind of looks crazy around here. Your parents decided to remodel?”

“I’ll fill you in. Come inside.” He held out his hand, and I took it as he led me around the piles of old construction material and up the stairs.

A shiver ran up my spine as I thought about what Cole had revealed to me. For years, I pranced into his home—following him excitedly up the stairs or into the kitchen—never once realizing what darkness lurked behind these closed doors. My stomach turned at the thought as Anthony appeared in the foyer.

“She really did come.” Anthony smirked, leaning on a pair of crutches. “I had my doubts.”

“Makes three of us. Looks like you’ve come up in the world.” I grinned.

“You don’t realize how important two legs are until you depend on your brother to grab you a beer and make you dinner.”

“I wish that is where your requests ended,” Cole laughed, stepping closer to me as I took in the grand, circular staircase in front of us. The polished wood spindles had been replaced with iron, and the cherrywood floors had been switched to sleek ebony.

“If you need me for anything, you know where to find me,” Anthony spun around on his good foot and began clanking away.

“So this doesn’t look like I remember.” I set my purse on a cardboard box and turned to peek into what used to be the dining room.

“My brother will be glad to hear you say that.” He came behind me, and I felt the closeness of his body next to mine.

“It doesn’t seem like your parents’ taste.”

Cole slid next to me and unplugged an extension cord before turning around.

“He’ll be happy to hear that too.” His eyes fell to mine and a wave of longing slowly swam through my body.

“I’d show you around, but it’s one big construction zone.” Cole pointed down the hall. “The family room hasn’t been touched yet.”

I nodded and followed him down the narrow hallway. He tapped the wall and glanced over his shoulder. “This is coming down too.”

I wasn’t sure why I was invited here. I also couldn’t imagine Cynthia staying here like this so I imagined the renovation had been started recently.

The kitchen only had the cabinet with the sink in it, the fridge, and a stove.

“This is the next room to tackle,” Cole informed me as he led me through the kitchen and into the family room.

Now this room looked exactly as I remembered it. Two brown leather sofas and a worn Persian rug centered the room overlooking the water. A brick fireplace once matching the exterior of the house stood on the far wall. The built-in shelves were empty of all the knickknacks and books that had once anchored the room.

Cole gestured toward one of the couches and looked at me as if he almost didn’t believe I was in front of him.

“Did you want anything to drink? I’d offer you a beer, but it’s still pretty early, not that it would stop my brother.”

“I’m fine, thank you,” I replied, taking a seat and glancing out the window. I spotted the ferry chugging toward Seattle and let out a deep breath. “So your parents decided to renovate?”

Cole took a seat on the other couch, and my heart fell slightly.

“No, actually, my brother bought the house from them.”

I studied Cole’s expression and didn’t recognize the emotion running through his gaze as he propped his elbows on his knees and watched me.

“So does that mean he’ll be spending more time on the island?”

“For now. But Anthony never stays anywhere for very long.”

Even though it had nothing to do with Cole, my chest tightened. I thought the same could possibly be said for Cole.

“My brother hates everything to do with the place, and I have to admit it’s not my favorite place either.”

I couldn’t even imagine.

“Then why would he want it?” I asked.

“I asked him the same thing. He found out they were selling and I think the first thought that came to mind was to torch the place.”

A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of the lead singer of Crimson Strings holding a gasoline can and a match right before he’s handcuffed.

“But then he came to his senses, realizing he probably wouldn’t enjoy prison, so he decided to rip up the place and turn it into something that could never resemble the home we barely made it out of.”

“Well, his plan is working. It’s nothing like it used to be.”

“My parents weren’t going to put any money into it before listing it, but I think Anthony’s actually going to make a nice profit, which doesn’t hurt his feelings either. As long as he stays off ladders while drinking.”

I nodded, unable to ignore the fact that Cole had grown into such an amazing man. So much about him had stayed the same, like his strong features and ability to exude an enormous amount of confidence, but so much had changed. He’d come into his own, no doubt, but I saw something behind his gaze I never saw before. Pain. Maybe it was always there, and I never paid attention.

“Hospital bills could eat up his profits pretty quickly,” I agreed. “How about you? Why are you here?”

“I needed a break from LA. And I can work remotely on most things. I’ve got a good team in place.”

I nodded. “You’ve been through a lot.” A wave of nausea hit me suddenly. I wasn’t sure I could play this type of friend.

He shook his head. “It’s not that.”