Memory of You (A Misty Cove Love Story) Page 6

  “I wonder what Bryce would think if he heard you say something like that.”

  “He won’t be surprised. I told him the same thing I just told you, and that I think this time he’ll be the one making a mistake. He was pissed, of course. But only because I think he knows I’m right. But hey, I’m the best man. I have to respect his decision.”

  I nodded and bit my lip. Instead of making me feel better, Luke’s words hurt my heart because I knew that no matter what Bryce felt about me, he would still marry someone else. “Thanks for your honesty. It’s so nice to see you again, Luke.”

  “Same here.” Luke kissed me on the cheek. “See you around.”

  I watched Luke approach a group of men at the far end of the bar, my heart feeling like lead. I knew then that the information he had given me would haunt me for the rest of the night.

  Bryce was walking into a mistake, like I had. And there was nothing I could do about it. I wanted him to be happy, I really did. If he married for love, my heart would still break, but after all the pain, I would at least be comforted by the thought that he would be happy.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Erin and I strolled arm in arm past stalls of mouth-watering baked goods. The Pastry Sale was an event most people in Misty Cove looked forward to every year. All the proceeds were donated to the Misty Cove Homeless Shelter. Like every year, the setting was the church yard of Trinity Chapel.

  I used to come here with Gran every year. The day before, we would spend hours baking and storing our wares in the fridge, ready for sale.

  Today, I came empty handed, and both excited and apprehensive. If it weren’t for Erin practically dragging me out the door, I would not have come at all. I wasn’t in the mood for all the stares and gossip that would be following me around. Although, being here now, I was actually glad I came, drawn by the feeling of familiarity.

  As they stared and pointed, not so discreetly, I tightened my fists and flashed a fake smile. Through it all the familiar aromas of melted butter, sugar, and crusty bread comforted me.

  In an attempt to trick my emotions and give me another dose of confidence, I had worn my feel-good summer dress—a lemon yellow sheath number with piping on the waistline. Even though I had lost a lot of weight in the past months, it still fit like a second skin. After we got married, Milton had often made fleeting remarks targeted at my weight, which had brought down my self-esteem quite a bit. Before I met him, I had always felt comfortable with my curves. Bryce, on the other hand, had called my size just right: I was neither thin nor fat, the in-between kind of woman. Without Milton, I had the chance to fall in love with my body again.

  “What happened to Old Ray?” I asked Erin as we walked past a stall that always used to be occupied by Raymond, a bushy-haired, recluse of a man. Now a younger man with slicked-back hair sat there with a willowy woman on his lap.

  “Well,” Erin laughed. “That’s him. Old Raymond wasn’t so old after all. He shaved off his shaggy beard two years ago and immediately found himself a bride.”

  “Are you kidding?” I twisted my neck to stare at the man who was now kissing the woman on the side of the neck. “That’s him?”

  “Cleans up good, doesn’t he?”

  “He does.” I hurried off to another stall. “Ooh, Sally’s Tarts.” My favorites. I had always stocked up on those lemon tarts when I came here. My mouth was already melting as I approached the stall. But of course things had changed since then. The tarts still looked as delicious, but Sally was no longer the woman I had known. Like most other people in town, her attitude toward me had changed. No surprise there.

  As soon as I picked up a tart, her smile twisted into a frown and her clear blue eyes turned to ice.

  I ignored her and picked up a few more tarts and handed her the money. She did her best not to allow our hands to touch. She didn’t meet my eyes as she packed everything into a bag, only showing me the top of her head. If it hadn’t been for charity, she probably wouldn’t have sold them to me.

  As soon as I turned away I felt the dagger of her eyes stab me in the back and heard her whisper loudly. I had not even walked off and she was talking to the woman at the next stall about me.

  “What’s wrong with these people?” I said to Erin, hot anger flushed through my body.

  “Ignore them.” Erin reached for my arm again, but I moved out of her reach.

  I turned and walked back to Sally’s Stall. She stopped whispering immediately and pretended to be arranging her baked goods.

  “Hi, Sally.” I squared my shoulders. “I have one question.” I made sure to look at the other woman too, whose face had gone pale. I was talking to both of them. “Is there something you want to say to me?”

  Sally ignored me and continued moving her tarts around.

  “If there is, I’d prefer you to say it to my face.” I’d had enough of people gossiping about me as if I weren’t even near. “You people all think you’re better than others, don’t you? As if you don’t have skeletons in your own closets.” I was fired up now and I could feel something shifting in the air around me. Guitar music that had filled the air died.

  I had an audience. I was no longer just talking to Sally and I was glad they were listening. “You have skeletons inside your closets too. Does anyone talk about them? You cheat on your husbands and your husbands cheat on you. You steal, you bad mouth your friends behind their backs. Yet you have the audacity to think you’re better than me. We all make mistakes. I made mine five years ago. Yes, I walked away from the man I loved. I walked out on him, but I had my reasons. Why don’t you mind your own business?” I laughed sarcastically. “Five bloody years, and you’re still sniffing around mine. Don’t you have better things to do? Are your lives that boring? Wash your own dirty laundry before you mess with mine.”

  I twisted to look at each person in turn. People looked away, gazes shifted, mouths fell open, heads were scratched in shame, and some walked away. When I was turning to look back at Sally, I saw Bryce. Our eyes met.

  He stood between two cupcake stalls and had an arm slung around the waist of a gorgeous brunette with a bun on the top of her head, wisps of her hair fluttering in the breeze around her baby doll face.

  I focused on her. She was the kind of woman who was hard not to look at. She looked so perfect and fragile at the same time. Like a new china cup. She had a confused look in her brown, doe eyes as she looked up at Bryce and whispered something into his ear. He said something back to her and kissed her cheek.

  My gaze moved back to his and I could almost hear my heart fall at my feet. His gaze locked with mine, probing, questioning, confused. My eyes filled with tears, but before I could embarrass myself in front of the whole town and give them more gossip material to last them another five years, Erin grabbed my arm and pulled me away. People parted to make way for us. I kept my eyes downcast.

  Erin didn’t stop until we had walked out of the church gates and down the sandy path that led to the beach below.

  Finally, I collapsed on the sand and hugged my knees to my body. Erin did the same. In silence, we gazed out at sea, watching the waves sweep the shore and shrink back into the ocean, sky meeting water in perfect harmony. I closed my eyes and let the breeze comfort me, the sounds of the water and seagulls to calm my nerves. Then I opened them again. The tears were gone but not the pain.

  “I wish I didn’t love him anymore.” I let out a small laugh. “It would have made everything so much easier.”

  “I know, sweetie.” Erin put an arm around my shoulders. “But you’re strong. You will get through this. One day, you might even meet another love of your life. I actually don’t believe there’s only one person for everyone.”

  “I disagree. Even when I married Milton, I knew Bryce was still the one who owned my heart. I knew that I could never love him as much as I loved Bryce.” I let out a stream of air. “Maybe he sensed that and that was why our marriage crashed.” I paused. “I think I only fell in love with the idea of being i
n love with him… and his good looks, of course.”

  “That man was movie-star gorgeous,” Erin added. “When I met him the first time, I was actually disappointed he didn’t have a brother. Hell, I would have married a sister if he’d had one.” Erin laughed and so did I.

  “I thought you’re not ready for marriage.”

  Erin shrugged. “Exceptions are there to be made.”

  I shook my head and smiled at her. “You’re right.” Some of the tension melted and all I felt was sadness, deep and dark, and stifling. “But he certainly wasn’t husband material.” I had run away from Bryce because I thought he had cheated on me, only to enter into a marriage with a man who never hid his affairs from me.

  “You went through so much.”

  “Yeah, I had hoped Misty Cove would give me a break. It’s the place where I had been happiest.”

  “It could still bring you happiness.” Erin drew hearts in the sand. “It’s a tiny town and not much happens here. That’s why people are wagging their tongues. But believe me, they will soon get bored and move on to something else.”

  “It could take years,” I said softly.

  “Or a few days. One can never say.” She erased the hearts she had drawn and dusted off her hands. “I cannot believe you stood up to them back there. I’m so proud of you.”

  I smiled broadly. “I’m proud of myself. Maybe they will actually think twice about gossiping next time. They should have at least waited until I was out of earshot. They are plain disrespectful.”

  “I agree. Sally’s face is one to remember. I thought she was going to bolt.”

  “I used to like Sally,” I said. “When her first husband died, Gran and I baked her a meat pie. I took it to her place and we ate it together. She was so kind then.” Her husband had been hit by a car while crossing the street to meet Sally on the other side. His death was one of the well-known tragedies of Misty Cove.

  “I know. Do you know she’s married again?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “No, I had no idea. To whom?”

  Erin nodded. “To her husband’s best friend, of all people.”

  “Wasn’t that Chief Spencer?”

  “The one and only. He retired two years ago.”

  “Well, I hope they’re happy.” I could still remember the tears sparkling in Sally’s eyes that night when I brought her the pie. She had poured me freshly pressed orange juice and told me then that she would never, ever marry again. Maybe hearts really did heal.

  Erin nodded. “They seem happy enough.”

  I looked at Erin seriously. “Do you think they will stay in Misty Cove… after their wedding?”

  “We’re not talking about Sally and Chief Spencer anymore, are we?”

  “Bryce and…”

  “Lori?” Erin shifted. “I wish you didn’t ask me that question.”

  “What do you know? Tell me. You’re my best friend.”

  “I think they’re staying. Word around town is that Bryce will be renting out his parents’ cottage and building a new house on the plot… the plot—”

  “The plot he’d bought to build our house on,” I said softly. I bit back tears. I couldn’t help feeling betrayed in the worst possible way. Even though I had no right to feel that way. It was his plot, after all. “I know it’s selfish, but I kind of hoped he would sell it.”

  “I know it hurts. Should I have lied to you?”

  “Don’t you dare!” I nudged Erin. “Doesn’t matter. He can do whatever he wants. Let’s eat some tarts.”

  For the next ten minutes I pretended to be fine, to enjoy my lemon tarts. But I didn’t taste a thing. One thing was clear: This was going to get more painful before it got better.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I stood in front of the display window of Petal & Pearls, one of the two bridal stores in Misty Cove.

  My heart came in quick gasps as I stared at the dress in the window—strapless and simple with tiny pearls scattered all over the bust. The chiffon skirt was slightly short at the front and long at the back but barely touched the floor. The perfect beach dress. Even after all these years, it was the one. It was so different from the gown I'd worn when I married Milton—an expensive princess gown that was beautiful but never felt like mine.

  My hands trembled as I placed them on my lips. Five years and they still sold the dress I’d nearly married Bryce in. Didn't they adjust to the trends? I had to admit that the dress was classic enough to withstand time and the unpredictable nature of fashion. It was still here, still taking my breath away. It had been heart-wrenching telling Erin to return it barely worn but not unloved. Much like Bryce. I had given him up even though I still loved him.

  He has made his decision, Jade, and it doesn't include you. Deal with it. I’d bumped into him on the beach last night. We had both been out for a Sunday evening walk.

  Although we had greeted each other and exchanged a few words, we had felt like strangers. Before he left, I couldn’t help telling him what Luke had told me, that he thought he was making a mistake. Bryce simply shook his head and told me that he had made his decision and he was sticking to it. I’d wished him well again and walked in the opposite direction.

  I blinked away the tears and stepped away from the display window, almost colliding with an old man carrying a walking stick that looked older than he was.

  “I'm so sorry,” I said.

  He shot me a look and walked off.

  I sighed deeply and took a last glance at the dress, willed myself to move away, to get to work. I was already ten minutes late because of a wedding dress. Why I'd chosen to take this path to work was beyond me. It was almost as if my feet had led me here of their own accord and I had been unable to resist.

  “Jade?” A voice behind me made me jump farther away from the display window, as if I had been caught doing something wrong. I whirled around and there she was. All put-together and gorgeous. I hated that she was gorgeous.

  “Hi.” The word made it past my throat with difficulty. Since the baking sale incident, I had seen her and Bryce around town but never came close enough to hear her voice, to see how perfect her makeup was, and to see that she had the bluest eyes I had ever seen and a mouth that belonged in lipstick ads. She wore a white silk blouse and a blue pleated skirt that matched her eyes.

  Watching her made me feel as if someone had grabbed my heart and squeezed it tightly.

  “Hmmm... hi, Lori, right?”

  “Yes.” She smiled. Her teeth were perfect pearls. Was there anything at all about her that wasn't perfect? No wonder Bryce couldn't walk away from her.

  “I'm actually glad we bumped into each other.” She placed a white Pearls & Petals shoe box under her arm and hoisted her purse higher up on her shoulder. “Do you have a moment? I want to have a word.” She had a hint of a British accent.

  “Sure but...” I said, wondering why Bryce's fiancée would want to talk to me. There could only be one reason and I wished I could ignore her, just walk away. But I no longer ran away from problems.

  “How about a coffee. I won't take too much of your time.”

  “I'd love to chat but I have to be at work.” I glanced at my watch. “Right now, actually.”

  “Okay,” she said. “How about later... after you finish work? Tell me when and I'll meet you then.”

  I nodded. “Let’s meet at Mrs. Muffins at six.” I walked away then and felt her gaze after me. With each step, I regretted agreeing to the meeting.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Lori was already waiting at a window table when I arrived at Mrs. Muffins. She was leafing through a bridal magazine but looked up when I approached.

  Before leaving the office, I’d run a brush through my hair. I even put on a stroke of lip gloss and mascara. I didn't want to feel like a frump next to her. But who was I kidding? She had the bride-to-be glow on her side. How could I compete with that?

  “I wish I didn't have to talk to her,” I’d said to Erin over the phone as I’d walked down the
street.

  “You can do this. Don't let her take a piece of you away. Show her that you're strong enough to move on without Bryce.”

  Now as I watched her sitting there in all her perfection I knew that she had already taken a piece of me away.

  She gave me a half smile and waved at an empty chair.

  “Thanks for agreeing to see me.” She pushed her magazine to the side.

  I sat down. “No problem. What do you want to talk to me about?”

  She took a sip of her coffee and smiled. “You know what I want to talk about.”

  “Do I?”

  She leaned forward, annoyance flashing in her eyes. “I know about you and Bryce. People in this town talk, as you already know. Bryce told me how you broke his heart.”

  “Good to know you're well informed. No secrets in a small town.”

  She sighed and leaned back, her arms folded across her chest. The fragile image she had displayed at the bake sale was nowhere to be seen. “I know women like you. You think you can have what you want, when you want it.”

  “What makes you think that?” I tipped my head to the side. “I never told you I want Bryce. In fact, you and I have never even exchanged a word before today. What makes you think you know me so well?”

  “Bryce told me. He told me that you tried to talk him out of marrying me.” The warmth in her smile left, and it looked more like a sneer now. “Well, he came home all ruffled last night. You probably know that Bryce is not good at lying. When I asked him what was bothering him, he told me that he saw you on the beach. He tells me everything, you know.”

  I drew in a slow, steady breath. “If he tells you everything, why are you talking to me?”

  She sighed. “I was hoping this conversation will be easy and we will both be adults about it. I guess not.” The smile fell off her face, leaving only coldness there. “Well, I came here to tell you to back off my man. You were the one who left him. He has moved on with his life. He loves me. You telling him that he could be making a mistake won’t change anything. We are getting married in three days and nothing you do or say will change that. We’re both very excited.” Her ruby lips spread into a thin smile. “Did he happen to tell you the good news? Probably not. Well, two days ago I made him the happiest man when I told him he’s going to be a father.” She paused to allow me to digest the news she had shared with me. “I’m pregnant. I had thought of giving him the news on our wedding day… a wedding present, you know. But I couldn’t hold back.”