“Of course, I remember her. Wow, Emmy Graham works for you now?”
“She does, in a way. She took over the weekend nights a couple of years before Daniel died, and she really ran with it. Emmy’s more like a part-time partner now than an employee. She and Daniel make most of the decisions about the restaurant, and I just put in my two cents when it’s absolutely necessary.” Jude paused as Mack hustled over with a plate that held an oversized burger and a ton of fries. “Ooooh, that looks delicious, if I do say so myself.”
I groaned. “I’m never going to be able to eat all of that.”
Jude smiled. “We have to-go boxes, and all of the rooms at the Riverside have mini-fridges and microwaves. Take it home in case you get hungry later tonight.”
I took a bite of the burger and groaned again, but this time in ecstasy. “Holy crap, Jude. This is heavenly.”
“Good. You need it. Sadie’s right, you’re too thin.” She went silent for a moment, studying me with her head cocked. “I hope you won’t get mad if I say you needed to come back to the Cove, too. It’s been too long, Pey.”
I glanced away, intent on my fries. “I never planned to come back. When I left, I swore it was for good.”
“We swear a lot of things when we’re eighteen, though,” she observed. “I know everything was—hard when you went away. I told you this before, I’m sure, but my parents were heartbroken when you left the Cove, and very angry at your mom and dad. They both felt there was another way, a better way.”
“But it was too late.” I shook my head and wiped my mouth with the paper napkin. “The things we said to each other . . . there was no going back.” I was quiet for a minute, remembering. “They told me not to come back. Not unless Ryan married me, and then we’d be welcome.”
Jude snorted. “That’s crazy. I thought so even then, but knowing what I do now—” She sighed. “I’m so sorry, Peyton. I feel like part of my life has been missing all these years. I’m glad we stayed in touch, but not having you here in the Cove—not getting to know Charlotte as she grew up, seeing her with Meggie and Joseph—it hurts, even now. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you.”
I’d spent thirty-five yearsnotdwelling in the land of might-have-beens, and I wasn’t going to change that now, not even in the face of my cousin’s sympathy. “We all do what we have to do, and that’s what I did—I survived. I had my baby and raised her, and I made a life for us. I’m proud of that—especially proud that I did it without help from anyone in Crystal Cove.”
Jude winced. “Okay. Sorry, Peyton. Sometimes I forget you’re not my kid cousin anymore. I didn’t mean to—I’m sorry.”
I swallowed over the lump of regret in my throat and forced a bright smile. “Don’t be sorry. It’s fine.” I nudged my plate away. “Thanks for the food. I think I’d like to see about checking into the hotel so that I can get a little rest before everything kicks off tonight. What do I owe you for my burger?”
“Peyton.” Jude’s voice had changed from hurt to reproachful. “You know family doesn’t pay for food at the Tide.”
“Oh.” I had forgotten. “Of course. Well, thanks. It was really good.”
“You’re welcome.” She was frowning at me, and I couldn’t miss the worry in her eyes. “I know I said it before, but we’d love to have you stay with us at the house.” She attempted a feeble smile. “Logan and I are both proud of the Riverside, and it truly is a luxurious resort, but our house is right on the beach, and we have a lovely guest room, and?—”
“Jude.” I laid my hand on her arm. “I appreciate that. It’s very kind of you. But I’m here for the reunion, and I’m really looking forward to staying at the hotel. I mean, I’ve come all this way to see my classmates for the first time in decades, and I don’t want to miss any of it.”
“Of course. I understand.” She didn’t, and I could hear it in her voice, but she wasn’t going to argue with me. “But if you change your mind?—”
“I won’t.” I softened my refusal with a gentle squeeze of her arm. “But I’ll be around. I’ll see you over the weekend.”
I’d been brought up to exhibit good manners, which required that I say goodbye to Lindsay, Daniel, Logan, Sadie and Mack. But just now, I didn’t have it in me to do that. So instead, I hitched the strap of my purse onto my shoulder and compromised by calling over my shoulder.
“So nice to have met you all! I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”
And then I walked out into the sunshine, alone.
Chapter Four
Nash
The last time that I’d driven on Beach Street in Crystal Cove, I was an eighteen-year-old high school graduate leaving for college. I still remembered that day, the mix of anticipation, frustration and impatience I’d felt as I’d looked at my hometown for what I assumed would be the last time until Thanksgiving break.
As it had turned out, my parents had come up to visit me in Georgia for Thanksgiving, and they’d broken the news that they had put the house in Crystal Cove up for sale and bought a condo outside of Savannah. Mom and Dad had asked if I wanted to go home for a weekend before they left the Cove, and after some thought, I’d told them no. There was nothing for me back in Florida, no one I wanted to see.
As I made my way along the main drag now, I felt as though my eighteen-year-old self was riding shotgun, gazing at the changes and finding the small things that remained the same. The outside of the Rip Tide hadn’t changed much, but just about every storefront on Beach Street was new. I saw the Hawthorne House which was mentioned in the reunion literature as the site of some of the weekend’s festivities. It sure didn’t look the same as it had when I’d been a boy.
But I didn’t have a lot of time to dawdle and reminisce today. I had to check in at the Riverside Hotel so that I could unpack and change for tonight’s cocktail mixer. I hadn’t shared this with Reggie, but privately, I was hoping that I’d see Jared Brady at this party and be able to convince him to sell his family’s land to us . . . which would allow me to head home tomorrow morning, mission accomplished.
I just needed a little luck on my side.
Of course, if Reggie were here, he’d tell me that I had to make my own luck. My longtime business partner and brother-in-law was a huge believer in positive thinking, energy manipulation, and creating abundance. Over the years we’d been friends, family and business owners, some of his woo-woo attitude had rubbed off on me, but sometimes, when I was particularly uptight or anxious, I tended to default to old negative habits. And now, back in the Cove, about to spend an evening—and maybe longer—with people I had hoped never to see again? I was on a major pessimism bend.
