Page 104 of Tempt Me

“Oh thank god,” I say.

“Caden,” Daisy snaps. “That’s not nice.”

Right. Daisy doesn’t know the whole story. I quickly explain what happened at the Minton Club. Daisy’s eyes go wide.

“What a jerk!” she cries.

“Yup.”

“Well. Good for Isla for ending things.”

I agree. But calling it off means she knows Luke cheated on her which means she’s hurting right now. Fuck. I never wanted her to hurt again. I wonder what made her believe me. Maybe Luke isn’t as good a liar as he thinks. Isla’s sharp.

“I need to talk to Lucille Richards,” Daisy says, looking put out. “Ugh, she’s going to be so difficult, I just know it. I bet she demands a full refund.”

“Let her have it,” I say. “Fuck ‘em.” I jut my chin out proudly. “We’re Evertons. We’ll be fine.”

Daisy crooks an eyebrow at me. “Oh, we will?”

I throw a wet arm around her shoulder and she shrieks. “Yes, we will,” I declare.

“Ew, you’re all wet!”

I’m giddy. Isla may still never want to see me again, but at least she’s not tying herself to a cheating asshole for the rest of her life. In one big swoop, I pick up Daisy and toss her over my shoulder in a fireman’s lift. “Remember those pool parties we had when we were kids?”

Daisy gasps. “Caden, don’t you dare.”

I stride toward the pool and she shrieks with laughter, pounding me on the back.

“Caden Frances Everton, if you throw me in this?—”

The rest of her words are drowned out by a huge splash as I dump my baby sister into the pool. She emerges still laughing.

“You are such a jerk!” she says.

“It’s my duty as a big brother,” I say. I’m feeling lighter than air, a huge bubble filling me up and threatening to pop. I shoot Daisy an evil grin then take a running leap and cannonball into the pool myself.

When I break through the surface of the water, I feel renewed. Daisy treads water beside me and we float around in the pool for a while, talking through the logistics of the cancellation, what will need to be done with all the deliveries, how to go about setting up the refunds, whether anything can be salvaged.

For the first time since I’ve come back to Magnolia Bay, I really feel like I’m home.

And I don’t want to leave.

Over the following days, I throw myself into working on Isla’s booth.

It’s the only way I can support her.

Word of the broken engagement has spread through Magnolia Bay like wildfire. It seems everyone has an opinion about it and the Magnolia Grapevine is in full swing. Rumors of Luke’s cheating abound, as to be expected, though I also overheard Linda May telling Jake that she had it on good authority that Luke was part of a drug ring and Mike Cochran was insisting, after one too many beers, that Isla was the one doing the cheating. Noah threatened to arrest him if he ever said anything like that again. Mrs. Greerson is telling anyone who will listen that she never liked Luke, that she suspected he was a liar, and that she always thought Isla was too good for him.

Good old Martha Greerson, sticking up for Isla. I sent her a bottle of champagne and a home visit from an optometrist for that—anonymously, of course, so she couldn’t argue with me about it. Now Reggie can stop messing with her car and the streets of Magnolia Bay will be that much safer.

Isla hasn’t been seen in town at all in the week since the day of her broken engagement—and I know because I’ve looked. I keep hoping I’ll bump into her, just to see how she’s doing. I hate to think that she’s hurting.

But how much worse would it have been if she’d found out after they were married?

I want to text her. But what would I say?Sorry your fiancé turned out to be a cheating piece of crap.I’ve been fostering a masochistic hope that maybe she would reach out to me, but so far nothing. So, I’m left with my paints and my tools and a whole lot of motivation.

Magnolia Day is this weekend. Preparations are in full swing. Reggie and I got Dev’s booth set up on the green yesterday and Cody and I will take Eric’s booth over there later today. The streets are adorned with flags and streamers, every shop decked out for the festivities. The town is filling up with even more people as tourists come for event. I bet the Thorn is at capacity.

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