Page 52 of Sunsets & Slow Dances

Callum set a standard that was impossible for anyone else to meet. No one had ever come close to making me feel the way he made me feel. I ran my fingers over the wrist he’d grabbed, which still tingled from his phantom touch. If I closed my eyes, I could be transported to him above me, gripping my wrists, pinning my arms above my head, as he drove into me again and again. His girth stretching me to the brink of…

A loud honk sounded, and my eyes flew open. In the rearview, I saw Ritchie Newton crossing on a skateboard in front of Mr. Crest in his Oldsmobile Cutlass. Thankfully, Mr. Crest never drove over a ten miles per hour snail speed, so even if he was going full steam ahead, the kid probably wasn’t in any real danger of being run over.

I looked forward again and saw, through the glass storefront, my three friends were laughing and sipping flutes with either mimosas or orange juice. Zoe was going to be tying the knot in fourteen days on Valentine’s Day.

Last summer, all three of my friends were single. Now, in just two weeks, they would all be married. I was the last one standing.

To add insult to injury, my ex, the only man I’d ever loved, was back in town and at my house. He had a “complicated” relationship with his baby mama, who, as of three days ago, was still claiming she was engaged. While I was riding out my cold on the couch, I’d broken and did a deep dive of all Felicity’s social media. She was still flashing her massive ring. Hashtagging bride-to-be. She was doing polls on beach or mountain venues and honeymoon locations.

As I spent endless hours scrolling through her social media pages, I couldn’t help wishing it was me Callum was engaged to. That it was me he was planning a wedding with. That it was me he had a family with.

No, stop,I reprimanded myself.

Today was about Zoe. If anyone deserved a happily ever after, it was her. She got pregnant when she was sixteen and was kicked out of her home. Then she lost her first love tragically and was left to raise their son as a single mom of a toddler at age eighteen. She went on to earn her master’s degree in nursing and raise an amazing young man, and now she had a second chance at love.

I needed to get over myself. I could have a pity party later with the world’s tiniest violin playing my song. Right now, I needed to be a good friend. I checked the visor mirror and sniffed back all the emotion bubbling up to the surface. I’d pushed it down for ten years; I could smother it for two more weeks.

After taking a deep breath, I got out of the car just as the trio of beauties were exiting the bridal shop. “Hey, I’m so sorry I’m late.”

They all greeted me with a big hug and assured me that I hadn’t missed much.

“We’re heading down to grab some coffee and go over all the last-minute wedding stuff before heading to the spa,” Daphne, the type-A organizer, explained.

“How are you feeling?” Zoe asked as we made our way down the street to The Dreamy Bean Coffee & Book Cafe.

“Better,” I assured her.

Zoe was definitely the most nurturing out of the friend group; besides being the only mom in our foursome, she was also a nurse.

The moment we entered the threshold of the corner café, I was overwhelmed by the bold, smoky, caramelized aroma of brewed coffee beans. I’d never been a huge coffee drinker; I preferred matcha and tea, but I loved the smell, so this was one of my favorite places to come.

I also loved the decor in the café. One wall featured exposed brick, while the opposite wall had oil paintings above bookcases. The ceiling was twenty feet high and painted black for an industrial feel, with exposed air ducts and two large beams. The counter was wrapped in distressed wood, and two oversized matte black pendant lights hung above it. The seating was an eclectic mix of mismatched jewel-toned, tufted sofas lining the walls, several farmhouse tables with bench seating, and scattered bistro-style two-tops.

“I’ve got to pee,” Zoe announced as we walked inside.

“I’ll get this. You guys go grab us a table,” Daphne instructed me and Ashley.

When we sat down at a farmhouse table in the back, Ashley pointed out, “You look tired.”

“I couldn’t sleep last night.” I hadn’t been able to sleep most nights since Callum Knight returned. He disrupted the atmosphere in a ten-mile radius. Just knowing he was on the island made it impossible for me to relax and drift off to slumber town.

“Did your sleepless night have anything to do with the Ford pickup truck that was reportedly parked outside your house this morning?” Ashley whispered.

“Who reported?—”

“Miss Shaw stopped by to drop off some mail she had for Miss Lenox when Zoe was asking Daphne if you were feeling okay after Daphne called to check on you. When the girls went back into the changing rooms, I overheard Miss Shaw tell Miss Lenox that you might be on bed rest because she noticed you had a house call from someone driving an F-150 this morning.”

This was exactly how rumors started and spread. My house was between Caroline Shaw’s and her beauty salon, Pretty in Peach, which was a few shops down from Blush Bridal, owned by Heather Lenox. Ashley overheard their conversation today, butwhat if it had been someone else? As much as I loved Firefly, things like this did get old.

“So, did you get a house call?” Ashley followed up.

“Yes. But not like that. Callum is just there finishing up the renovations. He didn’t show up until about ten minutes before I left. He caught me when I was in the shower.”

Ashley wagged her brows. “Sounds spicy.”

“Notinthe shower. I got out of the shower to answer the door. Nothing happened. I got dressed, alone, and came straight here.”

“You’re no fun.”

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