Page 80 of Win Some Love Some
“I’m not the bad guy, Nick,” he stepped into my garage with me and I turned, barring his way. This guy wasn’t getting any deeper into my life. “This is a fascinating story about a small town girl who struck fame and fortune in Paris only to be robbed of all of it by a con man who also stole her heart. The story practically writes itself.”
I thought about what Roy said. How he could tell she never loved Rene. This wasn’t the story of a broken heart. It was the story of a stupid mistake. Nowhere near as compelling.
Roy wanted me to convince Nora to go back to doing what she loved, making videos, talking to people, telling stories. Wasthat even going to be possible if her story blew up into a bestselling book and movie?
I folded my arms across my chest. “Got nothing to tell you.”
“Nothing?” Peter asked, his head tilted in a manner to suggest he didn’t believe me. I did not give a shit. “Things looked pretty intimate between you two on the dance floor.”
He was baiting me. Trying to get me to react. “I don’t know howyouwould know that. You were in your car getting high.”
“Talked to a few people at the wedding after you both left. They said you both looked very into each other. Nick and Nora back together again. You see, when I do ask folks about Nora, nine times out of ten, they mention you too. Nick and Nora at the diner, competing together at the Fall Festival, surfing at the beach, watching the plays at the bandshell. You two are quite the pair.”
I took a step forward. Not in his face, but crowding him. The guy was taller than me but I had him by at least twenty pounds of muscle.
“You’ve got a point to make, Pete. Make it.”
“All I want to do is get to know Nora better. What makes her tick? What makes her the type of woman to fall victim to a con man?”
“Bad luck.”
His eyebrow quirked. “Bad luck? Or maybe a broken heart that led her into the arms of a nefarious con man.”
I was a foot away from him now, my hands in fists.
“You’re going to want to be careful with making shit up. This is a small town. We care about each other here. Everyone loves Nora. And we all know her stories. So if you make something up, if you lie or infer something that isn’t true, this whole town will have your number and you won’t be very popular anymore.”
“Is that a threat?” Peter asked, lifting his chin, his charming smile dropped from his face.
“Fuck no. Why would I need to do that?” I squeezed my fists so my knuckles cracked.
“I’ll be going,” Peter said, like it was his own idea.
“You do that, Pete.”
He stepped sideways to get space between us before he hightailed it back towards the town square. I watched him go until I couldn’t see him anymore, his stupid words worming into my head.
“Or maybe a broken heart that led her into the arms of a nefarious…”
16
Nora
Istood in front of Fiona’s dress shop and considered my options. Go in there or borrow Mom’s car and spend the whole day driving down to Portland to find a dress. Obviously, the easy answer was just go in the very nice dress shop I was standing in front of.
But I hadn’t stepped foot inside the shop in six years because Sheila Hedgemore still worked there. Her and Nick’s little fling six years ago hadn’t lasted the summer, but every time I saw her in town I ran the other way.
Did she know it was me on the landing outside Nick’s apartment door that night? Had Nick gone back to bed with her and told her this humiliating thing I’d done? Did they laugh at an eighteen year old girl throwing herself at her life-long crush?
The answer was obviously no, but it didn’t stop me from imagining it and avoiding her.
Julie’s wedding was next week and I needed more than just a dress. I needed a dress that would destroy Nick.
A dress that would bring him to his knees, make his hands shake and have him regret every life decision he’d ever made about me.
Fiona had those dresses.
Who cared if Sheila was in there reminding me of the worst night of my life? I was fighting for something more, here. Something bigger.
