Page 66 of Capri

My body stills. I don’t know how to respond when he says things like that. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable, by any means. But it does make me cautious. I’d never want to give him the wrong idea.

“Very much so,” I tell him, hoping it relays my message. All I could think wasmake it known to him you’ve been with other people.

Well, one person, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“That’s a shame,” he tells me, pulling out my chair.

“Thanks,” I whisper at the same time my head lifts, catching a glimpse of something familiar.

It’s gone before I can place it, but a rush comes over me like an unstoppable force. What is this feeling?

I sit back as the waiter serves our champagne, and Collie calls for a toast. “Dad, you’re one of the good ones. After forty years in forensics, you’d think we would be helping you identify bodies by now. Instead, we’re celebrating the incredible man that you are and the hard work you’ve put into your employees over the years. So cheers to you, Papa Meadows.”

She turns to look at Noah and me, sending us a wink. The bitch never misses a beat, and I love her for that.

“Cheers!” the table shouts at the same time my eyes lock on a pair of pine tree greens I’d recognize anywhere from across the room.

Jones.In the fucking flesh.

“Shit.” I don’t realize I say it out loud until the whole table turns in his direction, questioning what has me reacting this way.

He doesn’t move, and I pay them no attention. Not when Jones is less than twenty feet from me, looking more striking than ever.

What is he doing here? In Timber Heights. Surely the world isn’tthatsmall.

That doesn’t stop me from wanting to run to him. To tell him how much I’ve missed him and ask what this last month has been like for him.

Has he thought of me as much as I’ve thought of him?

A smile crosses my face and falls as soon as he turns without another word, ignoring me altogether.

A tightness forms in my chest, and the pain of leaving him in Italy a month ago comes rushing back.

He walked away. And despite the time that has passed, it hurts like a bitch.

18

JONES

Capri is here.

In Timber Heights. At The Dove. The town that’s so small, it is rare to run into someone who isn’t a local.

Which must mean…Capri lives here.

I knew her laugh the second it echoed from across the room. Her raspy voice, a sound I hear in my dreams, hauntingly reminded me of her memorable impression.

I could never miss it. Never unhear the melodic sound.

I had to force myself to break our connection. The moment our eyes met, I felt her leave all over again.

The fucking turmoil I experienced waking up to her gone. No goodbye, no note…nothing. She just left.

I knew Capri didn’t owe me anything, but I wanted it. I wanted her sadness over leaving me.

But here we are. In the same place at the same time, after being convinced the world was too big for that to ever happen.

We didn’t exchange personal details for that very reason.

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