Memory of You (A Misty Cove Love Story) (7 page)

Now that I would be working for him and be in his presence more often than I was comfortable with, did I still want the job?

***

Sadie filled Bryce in on everything we had discussed earlier,  thanked me again for taking the job, and then as if she was being chased out of the room, she left, saying she had a conference call, her folder—with my signed contract inside it—tucked under her arm.

“Now that you know I’m part owner, I hope you won’t reconsider,” Bryce said.

“Why didn’t you tell me that night that you were thinking of giving me a job?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t think you would take it.”

“Why are you doing this? I don’t need you to look after me.”

“That’s not why we hired you. You’re good at what you do, and we were looking for someone. You fit the bill.”

“But Bryce, you know… I don’t know how that would work. We’ll be…”

“I work from home most of the time. I’ve never felt too comfortable in an office anyway. So, if you’re worried about bumping into me, you won’t.”

I nodded. As much as I wanted to throw this job back in his face, to tell him that he was doing it out of guilt for moving on with another woman, I knew I might never get an opportunity like this again, at least not in Misty Cove. Knowing that he wouldn’t be around much did make things easier. Seeing him every day and seeing the blink of his wedding band on his finger, telling me he belonged to someone else, would be torture.

“Thanks,” I said. “Thank you for the job.”

“You’re welcome.”

I thought back to the header I had been studying when he’d walked into the room and felt my stomach tighten with emotion. “Bryce, why did you name your company Autumn?”

“You know why.”

I felt tears burn the backs of my eyes. My first name was Autumn—thanks to my autumn-colored hair—and Bryce had loved it, even if hardly anyone called me by it. It tore me apart to know that I had broken his heart and yet he had named his company after me.

“I don’t know what to say,” I said, my heart filling with warmth.

“You don’t have to say anything, Autumn Jade,” he said and rose from his chair. “I happen to like Autumn.”

Chapter Fourteen

I glanced at the lower right corner of my computer screen. Eight p.m. and I still didn’t feel like going home to an empty cottage.

A few days after I signed my contract, I had dived right into my job. I was so grateful for it as it kept me from thinking about Bryce and his approaching nuptials. Luckily he had kept his word and I rarely saw him around the office.

I still hadn’t met his fiancée and wished they would be getting married outside Misty Cove. But word started spreading around that the wedding would be right here in town, and local florists, bakers, caterers, and decorators had already been hired for the big day, which was in a week.

I sometimes toyed with the idea of leaving town for the weekend so I wouldn’t have to feel their happiness in the air, but that would be childish. I would not go to the wedding—and I wasn’t invited anyway—but I would stay right here in Misty, maybe spend the day at the office. Unfortunately my office had an ocean view and they were having a beach wedding. I had no choice but to suck it up. It was my fault he was marrying someone else. I had to swallow the bitter pill.

I returned to the document I was working on as my phone rang.

“Please don’t tell me you’re still at the office,” Erin said from the other end. “You work too much. Come on, have some fun.”

“I don’t feel like—”

“You’ll feel like it later. Get out of that office, go home, and dress up in something sparkly. I’ll pick you up at ten. It’s Ladies’ Night at
The
Ivy
. And you know we’ll get free cocktails.”

I thought of ways to talk myself out of clubbing, but I found no other reason other than that I had to work. I had to admit, Erin was right. All I did lately was work and sleep.

“You’re so pushy,” I said, laughing. “Fine. Let’s go.”

***

I tightened my fingers around my icy Coconut Kiss as I followed Erin through the river of people. It was no surprise that the place was packed.
The Ivy
, which was owned by the Laclaire family, was the only nightclub in Misty Cove. But being VIPs—thanks to Erin’s involvement with Trevor—we would be partying in the back where a booth was reserved for us and we didn’t have to dance while rubbing against sweaty bodies.

Someone blew a cloud of smoke into my face and I coughed on reflex, almost spilling my cocktail. The culprit had large round glasses, an open shirt, and crooked teeth. He blew me a kiss and I ignored him and raised my glass to squeeze through more people.

Finally we walked through a glass door. The atmosphere was instantly lighter, and the smell of cigarettes not that strong. The music was also not as loud, allowing for conversation.

“Hi James,” Erin said to the bartender, a barrel-chested man with a goatee, and tattoos covering his biceps.

I looked around, remembering the last time we were here, the night of my bachelorette party. Erin had reserved the whole VIP lounge for the event, and we’d had so much fun. I had been so happy. I never thought that a week later I would be crying instead of laughing on my honeymoon.

“Not too good, Erin,” James said pointing at our cocktails. “Looks like you’re cheating on me again.”

The cocktails served in the VIP lounge were too fancy, with names we could hardly pronounce, so Erin and I always snuck off to the other side to get the cocktails we were used to.

“You know why, James,” Erin said. “I like the cheap stuff.”

We all laughed. Erin knew that if she asked for something that wasn’t on the menu, she would get it, but she didn’t see why she should inconvenience James or the other bartenders when she could get what she wanted at another bar in the same club.

“Jade.” Someone touched my shoulder and I whirled around to see Luke, Bryce’s best friend. “How are you? I haven’t seen you since you came back to town.”

Luke was at least six feet three and handsome in a rugged kind of way, with his signature crew cut and dark eyes. He hadn’t changed much in five years. While we were dressed up for clubbing, Luke wore a plain white shirt and shorts.

“Would you have wanted to see me? I’m not exactly Misty’s favorite person.”

“No, you’re not.” He laughed, his cheeks dipping into faint dimples. “But people make mistakes and deserve forgiveness.”

I tipped my head to one side and raised an eyebrow.

“Bryce told me why you left.” He shrugged. “You made a mistake. No need in holding a grudge. Life’s too short.”

“Some mistakes are too costly,” I said.

He nodded. “Yeah. I never stopped thinking that you and Bryce were made for each other.” He leaned into me and I sniffed a hint of beer on his breath. “I don’t for a minute think he loves his fiancée as much as he loved you. She pretty much forced him into proposing.”

“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.