Page 45 of Wake Me Up Before You Cocoa

“Dead serious. I thought you should know right away . . . I ran into Wade at the grocery store near The Coffee Loft and he asked about you for the second time.”

A rush of heat ran up Marina’s face. Wade was not engaged any longer.Wade was not engaged . . .The world seemed to tilt, and a sting of emotion burned her eyes. He was asking about her, which meant he wanted to see her.

They were supposed to meet at Mrs. Sutton’s house in two days, but that was too long to wait. Then a wonderful idea came to her . . . “Jenna, can you open up The Coffee Loft a little early tomorrow morning?”

“For you, I’d stay up all night.”

Marina laughed. “That won’t be necessary, but I’m not sure I’d be coherent. Headed home now to crash. It’s been a long day of flying. It’s almost nine o’clock and I’m about to turn into a pumpkin I’m so exhausted.”

“What’s your plan?” Jenna asked.

“I’ll tell you in the morning . . .”

It was hard to sleep after Marina took a shower after a long day of overseas flights. After throwing a pile of laundry into the washing machine, she flopped into bed, but her mind raced with the news.

Even so, she fell asleep with the light still on.

When she awoke, it was dawn. A misty, rainy, dawn. A cold front had moved in. Even in April, the weather was unpredictable.

It was perfect weather for her plan. A few snowflakes would be even better, but that was probably not very likely in New Orleans.

She dressed swiftly, slipping into jeans and a sweater top, then tied her sneakers. Grabbing a light jacket, she drove to The Coffee Loft.

It was strange to see Miss Ruby Rose’s Antiques in darkness with the blinds closed.

She’d open later. Right now, she had the most important thing to do in her life.

Jenna was yawning when she unlocked the door to let her in. “Whyare you up so early? Do you really need caffeine that badly?”

“I need chocolate,” Marina told her. “The biggest, cutest mug of hot cocoa—with a pile of mini marshmallows.”

Jenna gasped and pressed a hand against her mouth. “Ooh, I know what you’re going to do! Best idea ever! Now I’m glad I got up early for it. You are brilliant, you know that?”

“Ssh, it’s a secret,” Marina whispered.

“Do you know his address?” Jenna asked suddenly.

“Oh, yes, I know exactly where I’m going.”

Ten minutes later, Marina carefully carried the hot cocoa to her car and headed to Wade’s house. Jenna had even whipped real cream to top it all off. It was the best mug of cocoa ever.

By the time she arrived at Wade’s house, the sun was peeking over the horizon, a soft yellow light hovering in the still morning air. The world felt as if it was waiting for something momentous to happen. Perhaps it was her own eager excitement—and a little bit of dread. Despite Mrs. Sutton’s visit a week ago and Jenna’s text messages, she might have it all horribly wrong.

Marina took a deep breath. It didn’t matter any longer. She was going to tell Wade the truth. Even if it meant losing him forever.

But how was she going to get inside the house without ringing the doorbell and waking him up? He’d be annoyed, since he had no idea she was coming.

After parking her car, Marina spotted Wade’s gardener on the side of the house. He had just arrived and was unloading tools.

“Good morning, ma’am,” he said when Marina approached.

“Hello, sir, I’m a friend of Wade’s. Any chance I can get into his house without pounding on the door?” She lifted the mug of steaming cocoa and the man chuckled approvingly.

“Hey,” he said, taking a moment to study her. “You wouldn’t happen to be Marina, would you?”

“One and the same. How do you know that?”

“Mr. Kennedy mentioned that he’s working with you at the Sutton Mansion on Wednesday. Which is normally my day off, but I figured I’d do the noisy tree trimming while he’s away from the house tomorrow.”

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