Page 79 of One Sweet Day I Found You

Twenty-One

Courtney retreated to the world of work to keep her mind off of Nick, which was easy enough to do for set periods of time only because she was up to her ears in it. With only two days left in the month, the deadline for the website’s lodging guide was looming. But on Thursday, glum and moping, she didn’t leave the house all day. She’d finished a few more rental home entries and called her mother back, not getting into any detail about her love life. She talked to her dad for a bit, too, but that was the extent of it.

Today, she’d been determined to make some improvements. She had showered, dressed, done her hair and applied some barefaced makeup.

Then she’d forced a yogurt and a piece of toast down her throat and washed it down with a strong cup of coffee. She’d headed to the West End Coffee Shop with her laptop, because, at least in public, she wouldn’t allow herself any tears.

The speakers in the coffee shop played their usual soft, jazzy instrumental soundtrack and Courtney’s shoulders relaxed. It was a good distraction, but not so good that she couldn’t concentrate on her work.

Forty-eight hours had passed and she’d had zero response from Nick. She’d called and left him a long message too, apologizing, begging to talk, telling him who Austin was without getting into the details, but Nick hadn’t responded to her phone call, either.

Maybe Austin had been right—guys did need a long time to cool off. Or maybe he’d been wrong—Nickwasgoing to throw away what they had over something he didn’t even understand.

She gazed longingly around the shop—this was where she’d first met Nick. She straightened her shoulders and refocused her attention on her screen. She had to hold it together. No thinking about him. Deep breath.

A few minutes later, the smell of freshly baked goods began to fill the air. Courtney took a sip of her blended ice coffee and glanced at the glass-enclosed food display under the counter. She watched as a barista unloaded freshly baked muffins and took another deep breath, this time to enjoy the sweet scent of cinnamon sugar. It was somehow comforting.

Courtney had to go into the office for a few hours this afternoon for a monthly staff meeting. Kira was supposed to be there around that time, too, and Courtney was looking forward to seeing her. Kira’s sense of humor usually cheered her up.

Courtney scrolled through the register of hotels, cross-referencing the last few with a long list of emails containing the updates she’d received from the individual property owners.

It was late morning, and the coffee shop was still seeing a steady flow of customers. Courtney could usually tell who were the tourists and who had that local-resident vibe, even though she actually recognized only a handful of people. Regardless, it felt good to be out. Sitting at the cottage the past two days had started to become depressing.

Seated against a window but facing the door, she did her best not to look up every time it opened. An hour later, Courtney happened to glance up when the door opened and was surprised to make eye contact with Gia. Gia had a bubbly and self-assured personality, and Courtney had liked her the most of Kira’s friends. Courtney waved and motioned to her to come over.

Gia, with her long, almost white-blond waves and flawless, porcelain skin making a striking contrast against a purple sleeveless top, made her way over to Courtney’s table. “Hey, girl! How’s it going?” She slid into the chair across from Courtney.

Courtney did her best to pretend that she was fine. “Hey, Gia! Well, you know. It’s going. I’m punching out a couple of things for work. How about you?”

“I’m good, thanks! I’m on my way to work, too. Stopping in for the usual fix before a Friday afternoon wedding at the resort in Anderson. We’re booked solid for weddings all three days this weekend around town. Can you believe that?”

“Oh, my gosh! But, yes I can believe it. That must be fun.”

“Yeah, it is! Plus, I hear the entire resort is booked solid all week, too, with guests coming up for the holiday. This whole town is going to be full, so I hear. Do you have plans to see the fireworks?”

Courtney swallowed the lump forming in her throat—she wouldn’t be with Nick for the holiday, would she? One of the potentially most romantic holidays and she would be spending it alone. She shook her head and plastered a smile across her lips.

“Well, the girls and I are going to Marcy’s early in the day for the parade. She lives close to where the action will be. You should come! And she’s having a barbecue later on with a bunch of other locals. Apparently, you can see the fireworks from her yard.”

Courtney nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, my gosh, I’d love to! Are you sure it’s all right?”

“Absolutely. The more the merrier. Should be some cute guys there later, or so I’ve been told.” Gia winked. “And hey, speaking from one new girl to another, don’t feel like you’re intruding. From what I’ve seen so far, it seems like everyone who comes up here to spend the summer is super friendly and eager to hang out. They make the most of it, since there are only a few short months to play. You’re not overstepping your invitation or anything.”

“Oh, okay, that’s good to hear. Thank you so much, Gia. I’m so glad I saw you today.”

Seriously, if Gia only knew the extent of it. Courtney breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t even contemplated what she’d do for the holiday until now. She was beyond grateful to have plans.

“I’ll text Kira and Marcy before I go to work,” Gia said, “to let them know you’re coming.”

“Perfect. Can I bring anything?”

“They just told me to bring some sort of side dish for the barbecue. I would say, if you did that, too, you’d be in good shape.”

“Great. Thanks again.”

“You bet! See you Tuesday.”

Courtney waved. “See you then! Have fun at work!”

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