She couldn’t wait to hang up her diploma from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The same school Coy went to.
Boy, did she have to bust her ass to get in. She had never been so proud of herself.
And what other dream was coming true? Coy! That was coming true. Sort of.
Her job was going to be with the man she’d had her first and only crush on.
If she weren’t in her car driving now, she’d be doing a little spin. Instead, she wiggled her butt in the leather seat of her SUV as her form of a booty shake.
She had to get it out of her system to remain controlled in front of Coy.
Angel had never let on once what she felt for him, no matter how many times she was in his presence over the years or in the phone calls and texts he’d sent her during dental school in the form of help.
She was taking a massive risk doing this, but her heart told her when the offer came in, there wasnowayshe was turning it down.
Years ago, Coy had said he was doing things his way and she’d adopted that motto.
“You beat me here,” Coy said, getting out of his Range Rover as he parked next to her. He was just as handsome as he always was when she saw him.
Dark hair blowing in the breeze, his eyes always attuned to her every word.
“I need to sneak out while my parents are at the apartment. They are driving me nuts explaining things. You’d think I never lived away from them before.” She dipped her head down and thought it might be time to start to slide more of the truth of her life and actions in there. It’d been hard work locking it up in his presence for years. “I’m excited. Thank you again for the job offer.”
“My pleasure. I need another dentist desperately,” he said. “I’ve needed one for years, but it’s not easy to get someone to come to the island. Then find someone you know or can trust. I know you.” He gave her a playful nudge like he often did when she went to visit Spencer.
She smiled, her heart racing some over the innocent touch. “You do know me,” she said.
He’d only gotten more handsome over time. It’d been years since she’d seen him, but they had kept in communication while she was in dental school.
He’d aged the best way possible from a boy to a man.
Was she making the biggest mistake of her life doing this?
She didn’t want to think she would be jeopardizing her career. She needed to start somewhere. What better place than with someone that her family loved and trusted?
It’s not like the first day she was here she was going to confess,“Hey, Coy. I’ve been in love with you for years.”
Good thing she’d never told a soul. Not even her mother who knew just about everything about her.
“I do,” he said. “Let’s go in. I’ll show you what room will be yours. I’ve only got one office and we’ll share that if you don’t have a problem with it. It’s not like I’m sitting in there often.”
“No problem,” she said. “I can’t wait to start. I won’t let you down, I promise.” Those damn springs in her shoes were threatening to make an appearance as she felt her knees start to bend and straighten a few times.
He pulled his keys out, unlocked the door, and then punched a number into the alarm.
“I’ll get you a key and the alarm codes,” he said. “I’ll have them for you on Tuesday. I should have brought the key with me now and just forgot. I was rushing to get here.”
“Sorry if you had plans today,” she said. She hoped to hell he wasn’t with a woman. That would put a big old wrinkle in her plans.
To the best of her knowledge, he was single.
She’d had to listen to news of him dating women over the years and grind her teeth to not let it show how upsetting it was for her.
But it’s not as if she’d had any hold on him. Not then and not now either.
What if he found someone else while she was here and she had to watch him with that person?
Hmm, maybe she didn’t think this through as well as she should have.