Page 64 of The Billionaire Is Back

“No,you’rethe one who’s pretending. Why?”

I look back down at the menu. “Because Grady wants to impress someone on the board of a company he’s trying to buy.”

“No. That’s not the part you’re faking.” She takes my menu away from me. “Stop staring at that. You and I both know you’re going to order the smoked-salmon hors d’oeuvres because you want to check out their homemade brioche and the strip steak because what you really wantis the pomme frites that come with it, even though you could just order a side of fries.”

She is exactly right, dammit. Now I’m frowning back at her.

“So look me in the eyes and tell me why you’re pretending you aren’t in love with Grady and that this isn’t exactly what you’ve always wanted ever since we were kids.”

I can’t look her in the eyes. I can’t see anything clearly all of a sudden because my eyes are filling with tears. I blow out a long, shaky breath, deflating until I’m shaped like a croissant. God, I wish I could throw myself into making croissants right now. I would love to learn how to make a perfect croissant.

“Hey.” Vera’s arm is outstretched across the small table, palm up, gesturing for me to give her my hand. “Talk to me. For real.”

I give her one hand to hold and wipe away tears with the other one. It does somehow feel safer to talk about old feelings with an old friend when we’re in a new place together. “He told me he has feelings for me. He told me he never forgot me after he moved away. He even told Jake he has feelings for me.”

Vera squeezes my hand. “Wow. That’s amazing.”

I nod. “I still can’t believe it.”

“I do—I believe it. I saw the way he was looking at you this morning. I saw the way you used to look at each other in high school. You’re scared, aren’t you?”

“Good afternoon, ladies.” Our waiter appears out of nowhere. “Have you had a chance to look at the menu?”

Vera doesn’t let go of my hand. She orders for both of us and asks for nonalcoholic cranberry mojitos because she knows that if I drink any more alcohol, I’ll want to take a nap instead of shop after we eat. She also asks for some Kleenex or paper towels so I can blow my snotty nose.

“Absolutely—coming right up.” The waiter leaves us.

“Keep talking,” she says, giving me a little squeeze.

It takes me a moment to be able to say it out loud. “Yes, I’m scared. Of course I’m scared. It’s Grady.”

“Exactly. It’s Grady. Why can’t you just be happy and enjoy this?”

“Because I don’t want to leave Beacon Harbor.”

“Who says you’ll have to?”

“Grady. He told me he’d never move back.”

“He did? He literally said that?”

“Yes. I think.” Did he? “But I mean, of course he wouldn’t. I remember him talking about moving to New York when he was twelve. It’s all he ever wanted.”

“Well, would it be the worst thing in the world if you moved here?”

“How can you even ask me that?”

A busboy brings a little unopened packet of tissues to the table and leaves as quickly and discreetly as he came.

Vera shrugs. “I mean, I love Beacon Harbor too, but if I fell in love with someone who didn’t live there, I’d at least consider moving. I’d miss you, but I’d consider it.”

I shake my head. “It’s a part of me. All of it. Main Street and the beaches and the sunsets.”

“And how often have you gotten the chance to enjoy those things in the past few years?”

“Well, the bakery is even more a part of me.Thatbakery.” I take a deep breath, and after exhaling, I finally tell her. “You remember that seniors’ bonfire? The night before Jake and Grady graduated?”

“The first year you set up a s’mores station, yeah.”

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