“Yeah, well, you know, the Road Block is a popular spot any night of the week.” He flashed me a smile, but I didn’t miss the hint of distracted nerves.
Something was going on. I didn’t have a clue exactlywhat, but Nash had been acting a little weird all week, and his spur-of-the-moment suggestion that we eat dinner at the Road Block tonight only puzzled me more.
In the past year, we’d manage to establish a routine that might have seemed odd to some—but it worked for us. During the week, Nash stayed with me in Savannah and commuted to his office in Burton, while on the weekends, I stayed in his house. Things would be changing soon, though, since the second location of Scents of Serenity was scheduled to open in Burton later this year, in the autumn—just in time for the holiday season.
It had been Peg’s idea to expand our business; she was more than happy to take over running our original Savannah store, and after she’d visited Burton with me a few times, she was positive there was a market for our products there, too. It hadn’t taken too much convincing to get me on board.
Once the new store was open, I planned to move full-time into Nash’s home, although we were going to keep the Savannah house as well. We were toying with the idea of offering it for short-term rentals, but as Nash had pointed out, it would be nice for us to have someplace to stay whenever we were in the city—and between the two of us, we could afford to maintain both properties.
We could thank the overwhelming success of the Penderfield project for some of that financial stability. The sustainable housing development had attracted interested parties from all over the world. While some people had immediately snatched up the houses there, others looked at the project as a prototype for what could be duplicated in other places. Reggie was insanely busy now, traveling the world to consult on new developments, while Nash kept the business running at home.
So I was a little surprised to see Reggie and Max already sitting at a table near the stage. I’d come to know and love both of the men who, along with Nash’s parents, made up his family. Max jumped up to pull out my chair, bending to kiss my cheek as he did. Reggie opened his arms for one of his trademark bear hugs.
“Well, this is a lovely surprise!” I declared. “Nash didn’t tell me you were joining us tonight.”
Reggie waved his hand. “It was very last-minute. I came home a bit earlier than I expected, and I thought it would be fun to enjoy an evening out with my favorite people.” He glanced behind me, his smile growing broader. “Ah! And look at this. Some more of my favorite people are just arriving.”
I turned around, my mouth dropping open when I saw Peg and Charlie approaching us, accompanied by Nash’s parents.
“What’s going on?” I wheeled on Nash, suspiciously. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d invited everyone to the Road Block?”
Nash widened his eyes in feigned innocence. “What makes you think I invited them? Maybe everyone just decided to be here. Maybe it’s a huge coincidence.”
“And maybe you’re a big fat liar.” I pointed at him. “You don’t have a poker face, my love. I can always tell when you’re up to something.”
“Oh, leave the boy alone.” Peg leaned down to kiss Nash’s cheek before taking a seat next to Reggie. “Isn’t it wonderful that we’re all together?”
“Of course, it is.” I hugged my daughter before she greeted everyone else, leaving Max for the last as she sat down next to him. The two of them had met a couple of times, but only briefly. Charlie had told me privately that Max’s laid-back attitude toward life drove her crazy, especially when he teased her about being an uptight Type A overachiever. Max, for his part, seemed to develop an extra gleam in his eye whenever my daughter was around.
With all of the tables pushed together, we were taking up the entire space in front of the small stage. I leaned over to Nash.
“Good thing Mason doesn’t have a musical guest tonight. We’re hogging all of the good seats.”
He grinned. “Nope, no special appearances tonight . . . except, you know, I might have forgotten to let you know that he’s started a Thursday Night Karaoke Party.”
I blinked. “Karaoke? Tonight? Andyouwanted to come?”
Nash shrugged. “Eh, I’ve been trying to expand my horizons. And maybe I got hooked on it back in the Cove. After all, I do have some very happy memories connected with that night.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “And you think a repeat performance might win you a repeat reward?”
“Sweetheart, I’m counting on it.” He winked at me.
Now I was really intrigued. Here we were at karaoke with all of our loved ones around us—well, most of them, anyway. Over the past year, I’d begun to rebuild a relationship with my mom, whom I visited once a month at the assisted living facility just outside the Cove—and when I drove down, I always stayed with Jude and Logan, which had deepened my bond with my favorite cousin as well. I’d gotten to know Logan better and had become acquainted with the rest of the posse, their group of lifelong friends.
I’d also met Jude’s daughter Meghan, her husband Sam, and their twins. While Meghan had been a little reserved at first—after all, I’d spent years declining every invitation that she and her mother had extended—we’d slowly become friends. And she and Charlie had hit it off right away, even though Meghan teased her cousin about trying to set her up with eligible Burton bachelors.
Down at the other end of the table, Reggie and Peg had their heads together, whispering as they snuck peeks at Nash and me. I cocked my head, shooting a questioning glance toward Peg, but she only smiled and blew me a kiss.
“Is there some special occasion I’ve forgotten?” I asked Nash, sliding my hand into his. “I feel like everyone here is in on a secret but me.”
“Well . . .” Nash lifted our joined hands and brushed his lips over my knuckles. “Now that you mention it, one year ago today, I was sitting in a ballroom at a hotel in Crystal Cove, and the woman of my dreams walked back into my life.”
“Oh, my gosh!” My eyes went wide. “Was it really a year ago today? Oh, Nash, I’m so sorry I didn’t realize it.”
He chuckled. “That’s okay, sweetheart—you’ve had your hands full with so much over the last few months, I’d be more surprised if youdidremember.”
“We should have gone out for a romantic dinner, just the two of us.” I looked around the table. “Although, on the other hand, considering the way you romance me every single day—and night—maybe it’s kind of fun to have everyone we love with us here to celebrate. Do they all know that’s why we’re here? Am I the only one in the dark?”
