Page 21 of The Lyrics of Love

“Hmm.” Ainsley sat back in her seat, crossing her arms. She and Rylie favored each other in their gestures and their periwinkle eyes. This woman, though, was blond and slim, where Rylie was brunette and curvy.

“I went to apologize to her. I asked if I could spend more time with her.”

The corners of Ainsley’s lips curled up. “And she didn’t give you a chance to explain anything, did she? She probably threw you out of her store. Politely, of course.”

“Her words were full of piss and vinegar, but they were very politely uttered,” he said, causing Ainsley to laugh out loud.

“I love my cousin, Mr. Edwards.”

“Nash. Please.”

“Nash,” she said pleasantly. “We were actually born on the same day, four minutes apart, in different hospitals. I’ve always felt a kinship with Rylie. She’s more sister and best friend than cousin to me. I am fiercely protective of her. But I do know she has a stubborn streak a mile wide.”

She paused. He could see she was deciding how to word things and decided to leap in.

“You want to know what my intentions are. Well, when I first met her, all I could think about was kissing her. As I spent more time in her company, though, I started to want to get to know her. She’s different from anyone I’ve ever met. She has a sweetness, a purity to her, that’s fresh and unassuming.”

He sighed. “I opened up to her, Ainsley, and I don’t do that with anyone. Ever. I’m coming off a bad marriage. Divorced for about a year. It really messed with my head. I said something foolish to Rylie last night. I told her I never wanted to get married again. But I was wrong about that.”

Nash paused—and then went nuclear.

“I think I might want to marry your cousin. So, do you think you could share her number with me?”

CHAPTER 8

Rylie’s phone sounded. She picked it up and saw it was a text from Ainsley.

Willow and Tenley are in. Will be at BB at 3:30. Come on over. I baked alfajors.

She clicked a heart on the message and added that she would be there. Alfajors were one of her favorites, an Argentine pastry strip with dulce de leche, which she knew took hours of slow heating of a sugar and milk combination. Ainsley must have put it on immediately following Rylie’s poor me text. At least while her friends bombarded her with advice, she could let the alfajors melt in her mouth.

Rylie set a timer on her phone so she would be aware of when to leave for the meeting of the minds. When it went off, she saved the document she was working on and left Antiques and Mystiques, heading the short distance to Buttercup Bakery. It was just past 3:30 when she entered the store, finding Willow and Tenley already there. Since the staff had left for the day, they and Ainsley were seated at the small tables, two pushed together, a phone sitting in the middle.

She heard Sloane’s voice. Though Rylie had never met the journalist, she was the college roommate of Willow and Tenley, and the pair had told several stories about their friend. Occasionally, Sloane called when they were all together, and she would be placed on speakerphone to say hi to everyone.

Tenley said, “Sloane, Rylie just got here, so we’re going to let you go.”

“Hey, Rylie,” Sloane called out. “That’s okay, because Ted, my cameraman, is motioning for me to get off anyway. Love to you all.”

Willow ended the call, and Ainsley opened the box of alfajors, distributing them amongst her friends. Rylie bit into hers and sighed. “Bliss. Absolute bliss.”

“I don’t think you should consider using a dating app,” Willow began. “Dylan thinks it’s a terrible idea.”

“You’ve already run this by Dylan?” she asked, a little perturbed that it had left their small circle of friends, even though she adored Dylan.

“Of course I did,” Willow said matter-of-factly. “Dylan is in law enforcement and told me dating apps are a terrible idea. Men can get online and say anything. Lie about everything. They can post pictures which aren’t even them. You don’t want to put yourself in the hands of a stranger.”

Yet Rylie had done that very thing yesterday when she accepted a ride from Nash.

“I tend to agree, and I’m sure if I told Carter, he would say the same thing,” Tenley added. “I realize there aren’t many single men close to our age in the Cove. Did something bring this about? You’ve never mentioned dating apps before.”

Rylie glanced at her cousin and then back at their two friends. “Willow, you married Dylan in December. Tenley, you married Carter in February. Ainsley and Jackson got married three months ago. I know Ainsley is ready to have a baby.”

Ainsley spoke up. “Jackson and I do want several children. With him being thirty-four, we’ve decided to start trying right away.”

Rylie took her cousin’s hand. “And I’m so happy for you, Cuz. You and Jackson are a wonderful couple and will make outstanding parents.” She looked back to Willow and Tenley. “Are either of you ready for babies?”

Willow flushed guiltily. “Well, we had talked about waiting a year before we tried, but we’ve had a few conversations in the past couple of weeks about maybe moving up that date.” She looked to Tenley. “What about you and Carter?”

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