Page 40 of Suddenly Yours

Chapter Eleven

Cade

I didn’t say much as we left the dock. I was too angry and too worked up to trust myself to say the right things.

I kept one hand light but firm at Missy’s back, steering her away from the water and toward my truck. She moved stiffly at first, like a zombie, her shoulders tight, her eyes too alert, like she expected Levi to pop out from behind every lobster trap.

I had made sure he’d hopped in that fancy car of his and watched as he’d peeled out of the parking lot. I doubted he was coming back soon.

But I’d seen that look on Missy before. Too many times while she’d been dating Levi.

It made something ugly coil in my chest.

“Let me take you home,” I said when we reached my truck. It wasn’t a question. I could see that Levi had gotten to her because she looked drained.

I opened the door for her, but she stopped and looked up at me. “Actually…” I braced myself. “How about we get some dinner?” she asked.

That coil loosened instantly.

“Ed’s?” I asked.

Her smile flickered back to life. “That’ll work.” She climbed in and most of the tension I’d been holding since seeing Levi at the end of the dock disappeared.

Ed’s was loud in the best way. There was music playing over the clatter of plates, and the smell of melted cheese and garlic hit you the second you walked in. The place was packed, which was exactly what I suspected she needed. People. Normalcy. Noise.

We snagged a booth in the back. Missy slid in across from me, shrugged out of her jacket, and let out a long breath.

“There she is,” I said lightly. “You disappeared for a minute.”

She rolled her eyes but smiled. “Sorry. I obviously had a brief internal meltdown.”

“Completely understandable.” I leaned back. “If it helps, Levi’s about as intimidating as overcooked spaghetti.”

That got a laugh out of her, a real laugh. The kind that sounded too good to be true. Her laughter was easily my favorite sound, right up there with the sound of waves hitting the rocks below my bedroom windows.

“He does appear to have gone a little soft,” she said.

I’d noticed. It looked like he had gained more than twenty pounds in the past half a year, none of it muscle. I hadn’t really kept track of his comings and goings since she’d broken things off with him, but my parents were always keen on gossip.

Apparently, Levi was spending a lot of time with Missy’s dad, Gerald. The duo were on the golf course together several times a month.

The waitress dropped off our menus and we ordered drinks: one soda for her, one beer for me.

I wanted to take her mind off Levi, so we talked about nothing for a while. We discussed the resort food we’d enjoyed and the goings-on in town and the people around us. Slowly, the tension melted out of her shoulders.

That’s when Todd and Olivia spotted us.

I’d done some work on their cottage out on the cape a few months back. Olivia worked at Serenity’s Attic. Todd was ex-military, and I got along great with the man.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Todd said, walking over and slapping me on my shoulder playfully. “If it isn’t Silver Cove’s most-talked-about duo.”

Olivia followed him and smiled warmly, her arm around her daughter, Simona, who was already waving at Missy like she was royalty. “Serenity’s Attic has never smelled sweeter since you opened up shop. I hear things went smooth this morning.”

Missy lit up. “Yes, I’ve heard that as well.” Missy turned to the little girl and asked. “How did your school play go?”

Simona launched into a detailed story about how she had been a cupcake in the play and how her sprinkles were made of glitter while Olivia laughed apologetically.

Todd clapped me on the shoulder again when our pie arrived. “I’ll call you next week about a new project I’ve been thinking of in the garage.”