Page 38 of Win Some Love Some
There were times I thought I did. Hazy feelings of someone softer than my father, but nothing substantial. I shook my head. “No. I was too young when she left.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I thought maybe you’d have an impression of her, a sense.”
I scoffed. “My firstsenseof things was being fucking hungry.”
Shit. I hadn’t meant to say that. I did not share that part of my life with anyone. I certainly wasn’t sharing it with someone who was committed to feeling guilty about something he had absolutely no control over.
“Nick-”
I put up my hand to cut him off. “Don’t. I don’t talk about the past. You want to show up in town and tell me you’re looking for a place to live? Fine. I’ve got no particular beef with you. Calico Cove is a nice town because people around here mind their own business.”
That wasn’t true at all. This town loved being in each other’s business. But I was trying to keep this man – who was determined to be a brother – at arm’s length.
He looked like he wanted to argue, but instead he took a deep breath and nodded. Which frankly, in the limited way I knew Wyatt Locke, was a major win for me. I almost felt bad.
“Okay,” he finally said. “I get it. But I’m not done trying to get to know you. I don’t give up easily.”
Get to know me? I snorted. “Good luck with that.”
I led him out of the bay to the side lot where I kept my loaner cars. I pointed out the old Chevy truck.
“You sure it runs?” He asked.
“You scared of rust?” I asked. Because Betty had a lot of rust, but she ran just fine. “Call me if you have trouble.”
He grunted, which I was pretty sure meant “you’ll be hearing from me soon, then.” And climbed into the driver’s side. “Hey,” he pointed over my head to the town square. “There goes your friend. She looks happier now. Must have gotten some good news.”
I turned right around. Wyatt and Betty totally forgotten.
Nora – with her happy back. She was smiling and speed-walking through the square, around people and past dogs, joy trailing her like fairy dust because that’s how she used to move through the world. Like there wasn’t enough time to get it all done. All the living and trying things and telling stories and laughing.
So yes, it was good news.
“Bring the truck back in one piece or you pay for it,” I told him over my shoulder and jogged over to intercept Nora at the far end of the square.
“Hey, Nor,” I called out.
She stopped and smiled at me. A whole smile. A Nora smile, like I hadn’t seen in years. Like I was the sun and moon and Christmas and all good things in her universe rolled into one. My friend, that smile said. You are my best friend.
The breath locked in my chest and my heart stuttered over a full beat.
I’d forgotten. I’d forgotten how that smile made me feel.
She made me feel seen. Like I never had before or since.
And then…it was gone. Like she reeled herself in. Checked all her impulses. Replaced joy with politeness. As if she suddenly realized where she was and who I was and how I’d broken her heart.
It gutted me.
She’s the one who wanted to pretend that night never happened, but it didn’t look like she was doing it. “Hi Nick,” she said, cool and casual, like I was a friend she never really liked.
“You look happy.”
Her smile flashed again. “I got a job. At Petite III.”
“You’re going to do videos for her?” I asked, because it made the most sense. She could talk about how Jolie’s French food stacked up against the food she’d actually had in France. It was kind of an awesome idea.
“No,” Nora frowned. “I mean, it’s what she wanted at the beginning, but I told her I was done with media influencing.”
