Page 24 of Secrets of the Past
He didn’t have all the answers yet.
But he had a direction.And a reason.
Nicole hadn’t walked away.Neither had he.
They’d been shoved.
And now, after all this time, he was finally going to find out by whom.Time to learn who had ended their happily ever after before it had a chance to begin.
Chapter6
The Salt & Vine wine bar was already humming with quiet laughter and live acoustic guitar when Nicole walked in.Nestled between a small art gallery and a candle shop on the side street, it was the kind of place where the lighting hugged you gently, and the air smelled of oak barrels, aged Merlot, and something altogether nostalgic.
She spotted her girls in their usual booth by the window.The low, leather cushions looked the same, and for a beat, she could go back to being seventeen again.Jennifer’s blonde hair was pulled up in a carefree bun; Amanda’s eyes glistened with something brave; Crystal, glowing, hand gently resting on her belly.And there, tucked to the side, was a new face in the group, Paige.
Her breath caught.Paige, in the flesh, beautiful and vibrant, her presence like a spark that made everything in the room shift.
Nicole ran to her friend’s side.Twenty long years lay between them, and while she was still the most gorgeous girl on the island, Nicole needed to hug her good friend.Suddenly, she felt fifteen again, heart pounding, palms sweating as they sneaked off to search for boys.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” she said.“It’s been way too long.How long are you visiting?”
“Only for a few weeks, and then I have to return.”
“Ladies!”she announced, voice louder than she meant.The music softened in recognition as the women turned, smiles blooming like wildflowers.
They rose, laughter threading through them, a five-way hug that felt older and firmer than the last time they’d done this.Nicole felt Paige's arms tighten around her as though, together, they carried two decades of shared history forward in a heartbeat.
Paige squeezed into the booth beside Nicole, and immediately, the space felt right.
Jennifer was first to get an order in: “Prosecco to start, darling?”She looked from Nicole to Paige with a mischievous grin.“And whatever the house red is, bring that to me.We need to celebrate tonight, the old group being back together.”
Crystal, always refined, chose water.“Something soft and comforting,” she said, rubbing her own belly gently.“This little one is too young to drink.”
Two years ago, Crystal had found her happily ever after with a man here on the island.Three years ago, Jennifer had found love for the second time with a boy she’d dated one summer.Amanda was reeling from a divorce.Nicole had returned to the Island, and now Paige was here, as well.
Amanda sat on the edge of the group, eyes fierce and sad, nodded to the bartender, saying quietly, “Whatever helps me forget the world exists for fifteen minutes.Surprise me.”
Nicole watched this scene, the perfume-light laughter, the strength flickering in Amanda’s expression, the way Paige’s return shifted something in the air.She grabbed the wine list, thumb lingering.
“What brought you home?”Nicole asked, unable to mask the edge in her voice.She needed to know why Paige had shown up so suddenly, so unannounced.
“Tripp called me,” Paige said quietly.“He wanted to ask about the night you two got married.”
Nicole froze, her breath catching.Stunned, she stared at her friend.What did she know?And more importantly,what had Tripp told her?
Fear coiled in Nicole’s chest as she wondered what Paige had told him.Even now, just hearing his name sent Nicole’s heart racing.Paige had come back, was it because she cared, or because no one else could patch the holes the past had torn open?And now here they were: five women, four stories of heartbreak, and one wildcard returning to upend everything.
Nicole finally ordered a Malbec, its deep red color promising comfort, complexity, and the courage to speak truths.
The wine arrived, and glasses clinked.Paige’s smooth voice cut through the ambient music.
“So this is happening, courtroom showdowns with Nicole Reyes,” she said, raising her glass to Nicole.“The city’s newest prosecutor.”
“Against who?”Jennifer asked.
“Tripp,” Paige replied.“They’re facing off in court.”
Nicole braced herself, letting out a wry smile.“Yes.Opposing counsel.It was like the universe decided: unfinished business.”
