Page 14 of Back in the Bay

"You look like you're plotting a murder," Fox says, appearing at my side with a fresh drink for me. "Is it Aiden or Mabel you're planning to kill?"

"Is that his name? I'm not plotting anything," I mutter, accepting the whiskey. "Just surprised to see her, is all."

Fox snorts. "Right. And I'm just mildly interested in Prue Griffin."

I manage to smile at that. My friend's obsession with Cilla’s big sister is the town's worst-kept secret.

"Go talk to her," Fox says, nodding toward Mabel. "Before you burn a hole through Aiden with your eyes."

"I can't just?—"

"Sure you can. Watch and learn." He smirks and saunters off toward Prue, who's trying to look invisible by the dessert table.

I drain my second whiskey and set the glass down—Fox's right. I'm Cole Bennett. I run a successful construction company. I've built or renovated a quarter of the homes in this town with my own two hands. I can damn well say hello to an old girlfriend.

As I make my way across the room, the crowd parts like the Red Sea. Or that's just the whiskey talking. Mabel sees me coming, and I catch the slight widening of her eyes, the momentary freeze in her posture before she composes herself.

"Cole," she says when I reach them, my name like honey on her lips. "It's been a long time."

"Too long," I say, surprised by the steadiness in my voice. I extend my hand to Aiden. "Cole Bennett."

"Aiden Whitley," he replies, shaking my hand firmly. "I've heard a lot about you."

"All lies, I'm sure," I joke, though my heart hammers in my chest.

Mabel laughs, and the sound hits me like a physical blow. "Aiden and I work together at the firm. He's my colleague and good friend."

Friend.The word echoes in my head, soothing the jealousy that's been churning in my gut.

"Aiden was kind enough to be my plus-one since I didn't want to face my hometown alone," she adds, and our eyes lock.

There it is—that same electric current that used to run between us when we were teenagers. Thirteen years, law school, my construction company, different cities, different lives—and still, when Mabel Maxwell looks at me, the world narrows to just us.

"I’m going to head for the bar," Aiden says, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Nice meeting you, Cole."

And then he's gone, leaving me alone with the woman who has haunted my dreams since the summer after high school graduation.

"You look good, Cole," Mabel says softly. "Cedar Bay agrees with you."

"And Portland clearly agrees with you," I reply, taking in her confident posture. "Hotshot attorney now, huh?"

"Something like that." She smiles, a hint of the old Mabel shining through her polished exterior. "And you're building half the town, from what I hear."

"Someone has to," I say with a shrug, and her laugh warms me more than the whiskey ever could.

We stand there, suspended in a moment that feels both fragile and heavy with history. The pavilion bustles around us, but we might as well be alone on the dock where we shared our first kiss.

"So," I say, suddenly aware of how dry my mouth is. "Just friends with Aiden?"

Mabel raises an eyebrow. "Is that what you want to ask me after thirteen years?"

"No," I admit, the whiskey making me braver than I should be. "I want to ask why you disappeared. Why don’t you never come home?"

Her eyes darken, and she glances down at her champagne flute. "It's complicated, Cole."

"It always is with you," I say, not unkindly. The string lights overhead cast a golden glow on Mabel's face, highlighting the delicate curve of her cheekbones that my fingers remember tracing on lazy summer afternoons.

"You built this place?" she asks, clearly changing the subject as she gestures around the pavilion. "It's beautiful."

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