Page 16 of Wake Me Up Before You Cocoa

“Oh. Okay.”

“How about you? I heard years ago that you were married with a couple of kids and living in Southern California. Or Scottsdale. Some upper-crust HOA complex.”

Marina burst into laughter, shaking her head at the preposterous idea. “Wherewould you have heard something like that!”

“Um, now that you mention it, I’m not sure. One of your old roommates? Or I saw your wedding announcement in the paper?”

“My wedding announcement!” Marina was getting whiplash now. “But you were still living in Alabama when I came backhome. Last I knew, theNew Orleans Picayuneisn’t printed and delivered to Alabama.”

He pressed his lips together and nodded, giving her an amused grin. “You make a good point. Maybe one of our old friends just made the whole thing up.”

“I think,” Marina said slowly, “you’re saying all this as a way to tell me thatyouare married with two sets of twins and another on the way.”

“No, I’m not married. But . . .” his voice trailed away for a moment.

“What? Just spill it. We’ve always been honest with each other. BFFs, right?”

“BFFs?” he repeated slowly. “Honestly? I’m not sure our relationship was ever just friends.”

Marina lifted her head higher, letting out a slow breath to remain composed. “Ithoughtwe were best friends. We did everything together. College was super fun, wasn’t it?”

“Super fun,” Wade said, repeating her words. “Yes, it was, but you meant a lot to me, too. I have to admit that there have been times I wondered if it was the right thing to do to break it all off so quickly at graduation.”

Marina sucked in a breath, her heart banging painfully against her ribs. She couldn’t speak a single word. Going down that road all over again was not happening. It had been hard enough the first time.

Wade took a step closer. “Are you going to say anything about that—our decision . . .?” He let his voice trail away, his eyes filled with concern.

She shook her head tightly. If she did speak, she might burst into tears. Holding herself stiffly, Marina swallowed hard.

There was a single moment of silence that was almost too difficult to bear.

Wade glanced away for a moment, then turned back abruptly. “Marina, I’m not going to force you to discuss the past, but there’s something you should know. It’s not fair to keep it from you. Iamengaged now. I have a fiancée waiting for me—at this very moment—so I need to get going. She’ll be wondering why it’s taking me so long to return.”

There it was. The answer. The end of all things.

It was obvious that this unexpected moment of colliding with her had been a simple errand on Wade’s part. Just a task to complete. Wade was a stranger now. Just a guy to hand over her lost cell phone.

Marina willed herself not to flinch, but hot tears burned behind her eyelids. Holding her fists tight to her side, Marina was terrified that the dam of tears might break free and stream down her cheeks.

There was so much she had wanted to say. So many years of life and regrets and so muchstuff. But now . . . if he was engaged, she would never, ever in a million years speak her true feelings.

This man she had loved so deeply—and been stupid to let disappear from her life—was truly gone now, forever. Any lingering hope from those long-ago sweet memories was dashed completely.

Chapter Eight

Wade started his drive home, where Lydia was supposed to be waiting for him, but he was completely distracted after spending the last hour with Marina.

Their conversation churned in his mind while he still tried to grasp the fact that he’d run into her.

Marina Cormier was living right here in New Orleans. Not married. Not engaged. Not in California living the dream life at a mansion on the beach with a suave and romantic Italian billionaire.

He laughed out loud at the bizarre place his brain had gone.

But why was Marina hiding from him in the first place? It was obvious that she had seen him on the sidewalk and tried to disappear before he spotted her.

Why was she so distant with him? What did the mournful expression in her eyes mean? Perhaps it was the lingering effects of visiting her grandmother’s grave earlier.

This was one time Wade wished he could read a woman’s mind. Especially Marina’s. There was more going on inside his old girlfriend than he’d ever expected, and she’d always had unique and funny perspectives in the past.

---