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“Yeah, it wasn’t my usual thing either,” Jamie said. “But there’s something about Cliffside Bay, isn’t there?”
“True enough. The scent of the sea is my guess.”
She continued to look at me from the other end of the couch. “What did you think when you found out I was here in Emerson Pass too?”
“Surprised, to say the least. But then I thought about it and realized it wasn’t mere coincidence. Stone Hickman told me about this place. His buddy Rafael and Lisa got married here, remember?”
“I didn’t know him then, but yeah.”
“He told me Emerson Pass was looking for high school teachers,” I said, recalling the conversation we’d had at the local watering hole, the Oar, a few days after my ill-fated proposal. “Stone had fallen in love with the place and said I should check it out. I needed a big change, so off I went.”
Her expression went from curiosity to sudden understanding. “Oh my gosh, now that you mention it, Autumn and my brother had been at that wedding and told me it might be a good spot to look for property. I’d told them I wanted to live in the mountains, far away from my father.”
“So it wasn’t really a coincidence at all,” I said. “We just happened to know the same people.”
“It’s weird we’ve never really talked before now,” Jamie said.
“I’ve been embarrassed. You saw me on my worst night, and then I let myself get carried away with you. Like I said, I’m not the one-night-stand type of guy.”
“I was in a pretty vulnerable place myself,” Jamie said. “I act fine and tough, but under all that I’m a hot mess.”
“You don’t look like a mess to me. Not then or now.”
She flushed. “Thanks. That’s sweet.”
A ping from her phone took our attention away from each other. “That might be her.” Jamie picked up her phone and read whatever had come through from her client. She nodded and smiled. “We’re good. She didn’t have any problems with the fees.”
“Wow. Okay. I came in on the high side, too.” I felt a little sheepish about it, but if this bride wanted to waste her money that way, who was I to turn it down?
“This is fantastic,” Jamie said. “You’ve no idea how badly I need this money.”
“Oh, I do.”
We shared another smile and clicked our wine glasses.
“What’s the name of this rich bride, anyway?” I asked, having made the proposal to Jamie and not the client.
“Arianna Bush. Doesn’t the name sound rich?” Jamie asked, laughing.
It was like a boulder came crashing down over my head. I instantly sobered. It couldn’t be. I’d heard her wrong. “What did you say?”
“Arianna Bush? Don’t tell me you know her?” Jamie’s brow wrinkled.
I knew her all right. Arianna Bush was the woman I was ready to pledge my undying love to. Until she dumped me on the night I was going to propose to her. I covered my eyes with my free hand. “This can’t be. Impossible.”
“What is it?” Jamie asked, sounding concerned.
I dropped my hand to meet her gaze. “She’s my old girlfriend. The one…you know.”
Jamie’s mouth fell open in a look of surprise that would have been comical had I not been under such duress. “Oh my God, I thought I recognized her.” She tapped her fingers to her forehead. “That’s it. I couldn’t place her. She has long hair now. Wasn’t it short then?”
“Yeah, just to her chin,” I said.
“It’s been bugging me, but now I remember where I’d seen her before.”
I nodded, miserable. The entire restaurant had seen my humiliation that night. “Did she say who she’s marrying?” I braced myself, knowing the answer.
“She said his first name—Rob—but not his last. She said he’s the CEO of some software company.”
