Page 53 of The Secret to a Southern Wedding

He shook his head. “I told you I don’t get into town gossip. All I’ve heard is people say your mom deserves to be happy and they’re glad our parents are together.”

“Really? That’s it?” She couldn’t believe that’s all he heard.

He nodded. “That’s it. Is there more you want me to know?”

“My dad cheated on my mom. A girl at school told me she’d seen my dad with another woman at a hotel over the weekend. I called her a liar. Later that day...we found out she hadn’t lied.”

Later in the day when that same woman came to their front door with a gun and shot her mom. The ramifications had sent shockwaves not only through Imani’s family but the community. In the days and weeks after, as people came to check on her and her mom and make sure they were okay, many let it slip that they’d known about the affair but hadn’t said anything because it “wasn’t their place.” If they’d been as nosey as they’d been before the shooting as they’d been after, then maybe her mom wouldn’t have had to deal with what happened.

She’d left town after high school because she couldn’t bear being in the same town that hid her father’s affair and later relished in their misery. She’d only remembered the pain of living in Peachtree Cove. Prior to this time, all her visits were arranged to get in and out quickly. She’d kept her ties to Halle and Tracey through phone calls, social media and video chats. But being back here, seeing the way the town was trying to progress and being with her friends reminded her of the good things that were in Peachtree Cove.

“My life is in Tampa. It would be hard to relocate.” She spoke the words out loud because she needed to hear them. Her life was back home at the hospital. Not here in the small town that turned its back on her.

Cyril didn’t reply. She guessed he wouldn’t. He and his dad had moved from Baltimore to Peachtree Cove. Not being able to relocate was an excuse. As much as she missed her connections here, she wasn’t ready to move back home or start her own practice. Dealing with small-town living, the politics and gossiping. That wasn’t something she wanted back in her life. Life in Tampa might be lonely, but it gave her the anonymity she wanted. Until the doctor of the year designation, she hadn’t been in the spotlight, people didn’t talk about her, no one looked at her to be special or cared about what happened in her house.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive back at the Meat Market. Cyril pulled up beside her car. Imani faced him. “Thank you for helping me with Kaden and everything.”

“No need to thank me. I like Kaden. He worked part-time at the bar when I first opened. I want him to be okay, too.”

“Can I ask you something?”

He leaned against the steering wheel and met her gaze. “Go for it.”

“You come from a large city and moved to a small town. Don’t you hate how everyone is in your business and enjoys trying to bring you down?”

He chuckled softly. “Honestly, other than people being curious about us and where we came from, no one has bothered us. My dad and I wanted to be a part of the community. As people got to know us, they also respected the boundaries we put up. We don’t fool with the ones who don’t want to respect our privacy. Simple as that. Peachtree Cove isn’t that bad of a place, and most people want to make things better and see the town grow.”

That didn’t sound like the town she remembered. “I hated it here. I couldn’t wait to get out.”

“Honestly, that’s how I felt about our neighborhood back in Baltimore. I wanted a new start. Someplace completely different where I could make a name for myself and let go of the pain of the past.”

“That’s what Tampa did for me.”

“I get it, but you have family and friends here who still care about you. I don’t have that back in Baltimore.”

“If you did, would you go back?”

He thought about it for a few seconds then shook his head. “I like what’s happening here. What I’ve built here. I don’t think I’d go back.”

“That’s kind of how I feel about my life in Tampa.”

He let out a long breath. She could have sworn disappointment flashed across his face before he asked, “No chance of you moving back, huh?”

“Not right now.”

“That’s too bad,” he said softly.

“Actually, it’s good. If I move back, it makes it easier for us to pretend that kiss didn’t happen. Before we know it, I’ll come visit and we’ll both have forgotten and moved on.”

He grunted before nodding. “Maybe.” He didn’t sound very sure.

“I mean, that is what we both want, right?” she asked. She held her breath. Waiting, and a small part hoping he’d take back the words he’d said earlier. That he’d admit she wasn’t the only one feeling a connection between them.

“It’s what we both want,” he said slowly. But the look in his eyes. Hot and intense contradicted his words. She wanted to push but she wouldn’t. Not tonight at least. Tonight, she was tired and upset and bound to make a rash decision. She wanted to go home, take a shower and clear her mind. She’d love to do that in Cyril’s arms, but she wasn’t going to be the one to expose herself. She’d wondered if he’d regretted pushing her away. The look in his eyes now confirmed her thoughts. Her emotions were too raw after dealing with Kaden. For now, she would pretend as if she hadn’t noticed the longing and regret in his eyes. She was too vulnerable and wasn’t ready to open herself to that.

“Thanks again. I’ll see you at the dinner later this week,” she said before getting out of the car.

twenty

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