I pushed all thoughts of finding a new job and Sebastian and Sofia out of my head through the weekend and enjoyed the time with my kids. If Cameron was going to be upset because his father was an ass, unfortunately, he was going to have to also learn to let it go because Trevor was unlikely to change. Alexis was her usual bubbly self, but she was asking every five minutes if we could go see Sebastian.
So much for putting him out of my mind.
By Sunday afternoon, I was almost regretting the trip. Cameron was still in a mood, Alexis was making me a little crazy, and I felt like I couldn’t just sit down and relax because we weren’t at our own home. It was my job to entertain my kids, and I was failing at it.
“What are you doing tonight?” Piper asked, joining me outside where the kids were playing tag.
I gestured to them. “Probably more of this. Why? Did you need something?”
“Yes. I need you to come with me to book club.”
I immediately shook my head. “No, I couldn’t.”
“Why not? You know Blake and Sofia, at least. And you’ll be here all summer. You can’t possibly sit here every Sunday night and not come. It’s fun. And everyone will be happy to see you.”
“I don’t know. The kids are being difficult right now, and I’m not sure if being here is going to work. And I… I’m not sure I should have come here for the summer.” I almost admitted I needed to find a new job, but I couldn’t tell Piper before I told Gavin. He’d be hurt.
“Then you definitely have to come. Hopefully, we can change your mind about staying, but if not, you need to come see everyone before you go.”
“I don’t know.” I looked out at my kids. Alexis was smiling, but Cameron was starting to look bored. I wanted them to have a good summer. It had only been a few days, but if we were home, they would have friends to get together with and all their toys and stuff. We could go to the community center pool and go for walks and figure out things to do. Instead, they were already bored.
“Gavin will watch the kids tonight. You come with me. I promise, it’ll be fun.”
“What’ll be fun?” Gavin asked. He wrapped Piper in his arms and kissed her quickly.
“I’m trying to talk Zoey into going to book club with me. She said she might go back to Pittsburgh because the kids aren’t having fun.”
“Go to book club and enjoy. I’ll watch the kids and we’ll figure out some fun things to do this summer,” Gavin said.
“I can’t have you watching my kids all summer,” I argued with him.
“Why not? They’re two of my favorite people on the planet, and I miss them.”
“Yeah, but you have an Inn to run. You have guests. You’re busy.”
“I’m never too busy for them. Go out and enjoy. I’ll manage them for the rest of the day.” He walked toward the kids with his arms above his head, his hands crooked into claws, growling and snarling like he was a monster. Alexis squealed and ran, but Cameron just chuckled. Gavin went for Cameron until Cameron started laughing and ran from him.
“See? They’re in good hands,” Piper said. “Come with me. It’ll be good for you to have a night off. It sounds like you don’t have many.”
I snorted. “I don’t have any.”
“Well, now you do. Every Sunday night.”
I finally let go of my reluctance and agreed. It would be good for me to get out and be around other adults, even if they weren’t adults I knew well. And it would give me a chance to get to know Piper before she became my sister-in-law.
“Wait. I haven’t read the book. What book is it?”
Piper shook her head. “Don’t worry. Half of us never read the book. It’s more of a chance to get together, eat cake, and talk about men.”
I groaned internally. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. I was sure to bring the rest of them down. But it was too late to back out.
Piper met me in the living room when it was time to go. Gavin had the kids somewhere, and he assured me he would take care of getting them to bed at a reasonable time, with their teeth brushed and pajamas on. He’d always been the fun one, but he still respected bedtime. Thankfully.
Piper drove and talked the whole time we were on the way there. It was a short trip, but she managed to tell me about all their plans for the Inn. Including the plans for the garden. I couldn’t help but wonder if she knew how special the garden was to me, but I doubted she did. No one besides Sebastian knew, and he was in there tearing it to shreds, so it clearly no longer meant the same to him.
We parked near Book Boyfriends Unlimited, and Piper knocked on the door. We waited for someone to let us in, and Piper smiled widely when it was Finley Jameson. I still had a hard time believing these women were friends of mine. Or at least willing to let me into their circle. Finley and Blake were the girls I saw when I would visit and wished I could be like when I was their age. I still wished I could be more like them, but now I was getting an inside look at what it meant to be them.
Finley hugged Piper, then me, and said, “I’m so happy you came. Piper said you were in town for the summer. We were all hoping you’d join us.”
“She talked me into it.”
“Well, hopefully it isn’t so hard to convince you to come back.”
Finley’s smile was genuine and true, something I hadn’t had enough of in far too long. I couldn’t remember the last time someone wanted me around. The feeling stuck in my throat and stopped me from answering with more than a nod.
“Karissa brought a chocolate cake for tonight. Are you up for it?” Finley asked.
“You had me at chocolate. Or cake. Either one and I’m in,” I told her.
Finley laughed and looped her arm through mine. I let her lead me to the back where everyone else was sitting in chairs and talking.
I pasted on a smile and accepted the welcome the others gave me. Piper sat next to Melody Holland. Blake pulled me down onto the empty seat next to her. Elise handed me a piece of cake. I felt like I was one of them.
“Any proposal yet?” Blake asked quietly.
I glanced at Piper and shook my head. “No. I don’t know what he’s waiting for.”
“Neither do we. It’s killing me. And if he’s going to plan the wedding for the end of summer, he needs to get moving,” Elise said.
“When are you getting married?” Blake asked her.
Elise snorted. “I’m not sure we ever will. We keep talking about it, but I don’t know.”
“Do you not want to get married?” I asked her.
“My college boyfriend was abusive,” Elise said.
I drew back and stilled. “Wow. I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. I’ve learned over the last year or so to be able to say that without feeling like it was my fault. But anyway, when I was with him, I felt like I wasn’t worth anything. I left him and decided I was not going to ever get married, or date, for that matter. But Colin… he’s amazing. I never saw someone like him in my future. I know he wants to get married, and I feel bad that I’ve been putting him off.”
“If it isn’t right, you shouldn’t get married. Trust me,” I told her.
Elise shook her head. “It’s right. I love him. I want to spend the rest of my life with him. I just need to let go of that last bit of fear. I keep telling him to plan a trip somewhere and we can just elope, but he won’t do it. He wants me to agree and for us to actually plan it. Not that we have to have a big wedding, but impulsive is not his nature.”
“I’m not very impulsive either,” I admitted. “The one time I was didn’t end well.”
“What happened?” Blake asked.
“I married my ex. Now, he’s my ex.”
They laughed like it was a joke, but I was serious. Going on a date with him was a split-second decision based on fear and uncertainty. If I’d have taken a minute to think things through, I never would have said yes to him. It was too late for that now.
I took a bite of my cake and let Blake try to talk Elise into marrying Colin. I was about to ask a question when Finley returned from letting someone else in, followed by Sofia.
I choked on my cake and tried to play it cool. Sofia scanned the room until her gaze landed on the empty chair next to me. I wanted to tell her it was saved for someone else, that I spilled something there, anything to keep her from sitting next to me.
But there was nothing I could say. Sofia took the seat, and I was stuck with her. Again.
“Hi, Zoey. I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”
I smiled and swallowed the bite of cake I choked on. “Piper invited me.”
“Good. It’s nice to see you again.”
I smiled and shoved more cake in my mouth so I didn’t have to speak to her. God, I was a child.
“How’s the garden coming?” Blake asked.
“It’s a big project,” Sofia said. “Sebastian is meticulous about every plant in there. If it can be saved, he wants to save it. He said the garden is a special place, and it deserves to be treated that way.”
My head snapped her direction, wondering if I heard her correctly. There was no way Sebastian still thought of the garden as special.
“He’s been working there for a long time. He probably has a lot of memories of the garden and how it used to be,” Blake said. “I would think it’s hard to let some of that go.”
Sofia nodded. “Yeah, he’s definitely having trouble letting it go. He loves the garden. He wants to make sure he does everything he can to make it what it used to be.”
“Excuse me,” I said, standing. “Is there a bathroom?”
Blake pointed toward the back hallway. “First door on the left.”
“Thank you,” I said as I rushed toward it.
I pushed into the dark room and flipped on the light before closing the door. I could not sit there and listen to Sofia talk about the garden like she was. Like it was a living, breathing thing that Sebastian loved. Not when I knew he’d rather destroy it and flatten the space and never have to look at it again.
I sucked in a deep breath to calm the emotions rioting through me. I soaked a paper towel and patted my face and neck. Then I drew in another deep breath and let it out slowly. I couldn’t leave, but I was going to have a hard time coming back.
I unlocked the door and opened it, only to stop short when I found Sofia right outside.
“Sorry,” I said, ducking my head and moving to walk past her.
“Actually, I wanted to speak to you.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Listen, I know it looks like Sebastian and I are together. A lot of people think we are. But we aren’t. We never have been. We’re friends. We are very similar and we understand each other, but that’s it.”
“I’m not sure why you’re telling me this.”
Sofia raised one all-knowing brow and nodded. “Just in case you were curious. He isn’t dating anyone at all. He’s throwing himself into making the garden what it used to be. Years ago. Because he still loves it. And wants it to be happy.”
“He wants the garden to be happy?” I asked.
Sofia nodded. “He does. Very much so.”
I knew what she was trying to say, but I also knew it wasn’t true. Sebastian knew I got what I deserved when my marriage imploded. He knew it was justice for what I did to him. And there was no way he wanted me to be happy.
“Okay, well, thanks, I guess.”
Sofia nodded, then moved past me into the bathroom. I stood there for a long moment before going back to my seat.
“… exciting! I can’t believe how much you’ve done,” a woman I didn’t know said to Finley.
“Thanks, Goldie. I never would have been able to do all this without your help,” Finley said.
“When is the signing?” Elise asked.
“Three weeks. And we have another one at the end of summer. And I have a book fair right before school starts over Labor Day weekend,” Finley told her.
“It’s smart to invite authors who have ties to the area to come in for a signing. And to partner with other events going on in town. There will already be more traffic, and it should help you know everything is going to be okay,” Blake said.
Finley nodded. “I hope so. These last few months have been stressful. If these events bring in even half of what Goldie is projecting, I’ll be set for a while. Long enough to get me through the winter.”
“Are we talking about the signings?” Sofia asked, returning to her seat next to me.
“Yep. Goldie has some projections that are really good. So good it makes me anxious. I couldn’t have done all this without you,” Finley said to Goldie.
“You’re the one doing most of the work. I’m just giving you ideas and dates to consider. You’re making all of this happen,” Goldie replied.
“You two make a good team,” Blake said. “We’re all so grateful to you for helping out.”
Goldie shook her head. “I am the one who’s grateful. You’ve all been so willing to help me with all the town events and promote everything we’re doing at the tourism center. You’re all making me look good.”
“I don’t think that’s hard to do,” Finley said. “You’re bringing in a lot of people, and we’re all benefiting from it. I’m not going to complain. But I will do everything I can to make you successful.”
“That’s all I’m trying to do. Make everyone successful. I hope it’s working.”
“I’ve had a ton of new sign-ups on my app, so it’s definitely helping me out,” Karissa said.
“Doesn’t that make you mad?” Finley asked in a teasing tone.
Karissa shrugged. “It used to, but I’m accepting it now. A lot of people aren’t willing to go through the entire setup just for a hookup, so I don’t think it’s too bad. At least, I hope not.”
“What’s your app?” I asked. I didn’t think any of them knew it, but I had a degree in computer science. I’d considered developing apps at one point, but it wasn’t a knowledge base I had at the time. I still didn’t, and my degree was almost a decade old, but computers still interested me.
“Karissa has an online dating app,” Blake said. “You should sign up. Even though you’re only here for the summer, it’s a good way to meet locals.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Goldie said. “The app is cursed. All of these women met their boyfriends or husbands on that app.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Blake said. “I knew Ian before, but the app gave us a new way to communicate.”
“And it almost ruined your chances,” Elise said.
“Only because I was stupid,” Blake countered. “You’re one to talk. Book Boyfriends Wanted set you up with Colin and you rejected him.”
“Yep. I was not ready for him,” Elise admitted.
“It helped give Ramsey and I a second chance. I’m all for it,” Melody said.
“If I could say something,” Karissa interjected. The room quieted and everyone turned to her. “I designed it to help people find love. It’s a dating app, but there are no pictures allowed on the app. Real names aren’t used. You can’t send a message to someone until both of you accept the match. It’s based on romance novels, book boyfriends. We all have our favorites, so the entire thing is designed to pair you with someone who’s like your favorite book boyfriend.”
“That’s… different,” I said.
Karissa laughed. “It is. And that was intentional. We would all sit here and talk about how we wished men in real life were like men in the books we read. I decided to figure out a way to find the ones who are. What’s your favorite romance novel?”
“Ever?” I asked.
Karissa nodded. “Ever.”
“The Time Traveler’s Wife,” I admitted.
“Whoa. Okay. Great choice, sad, but amazing book. What is it you like about Henry?”
“He’s resourceful. He can do pretty much anything. And he adores Clare and would do anything for her.”
“So, you want someone you can count on. Someone who will choose you.”
The simplicity of her words hit me straight through the heart. I’d never thought of it that way, but she was right. I married Trevor because he made me feel taken care of, but aside from financial support, he was never there for me. Not the way—
“Yes, I guess I would say that’s true,” I answered her.
“You would be paired with men, or women if you chose that option, who are loyal and looking for commitment. People who are open to adventure but want to share that adventure with someone else,” Karissa said.
“You should fill out a profile,” Blake encouraged. “Even if you never meet up with anyone, you should do it. Your divorce is final, right?”
“Yes, for almost a year now.”
“Then you should do it. Start slow and low pressure.”
“I don’t know. I came here because I missed my brother, and because my ex is not involved with the kids. I want them to have a good summer, especially Cameron. Trevor made him promises he was never going to keep, and now Cam is disappointed even more. I just want them to enjoy these few months. If we stay.”
“You have to stay. There is so much going on this summer. And it sounds like you all need a break. You should stay,” Blake said.
“Amber would love to get together with Alexis,” Melody said.
“And Ian can take Cameron out on a boat. Fishing maybe,” Blake suggested.
“We’ll all help to make this summer amazing for you and your kids. Give us a chance,” Elise said with a pleading smile.
I looked around the room at the women I barely knew and admitted to myself that I wanted to get to know them better. I wanted to be there. And I wanted to give my kids the summer they all said we could have in MacKellar Cove.
“Okay, we’ll stay.”
“Good. Then let’s sign you up because you need to have fun this summer, too,” Blake said.
I snorted a laugh and shook my head but handed over my phone. I didn’t have to accept any of them. But maybe I’d meet someone who made me believe in love again.
