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“So, Gabe told me you were moving back here. It’s nice to have another familiar face back in town,” she said, taking a seat across from me.
“Thanks. Yeah, it will be a change.”
“I was sorry to hear about your grandparents.”
I smiled. “Thank you. Yes, it was hard, but they are both in a better place now,” I said, looking down at the menu.
“And about Ella. I know you two were so close. I still remember you both coming in after school when you were younger.”
I smiled, not wanting to be rude. “Yes, we were close.”
“Gosh, and Connor, poor man. He hasn’t been the same since. Not that I’d expect him to be. The entire town mourned for him. I can still see his face when he came in the morning they’d found out about the baby. He was so excited. He bought coffee for the entire diner, along with sweets.” She softly smiled.
I nodded. If she didn’t stop, I knew I would either cry or get angry. I cleared my throat and picked up the mug, taking a sip of hot coffee.
“Then when we heard the news that she hadn’t been well, we all did what we could to help. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. I still remember seeing him for the first time after it had happened. It was like someone had sucked the life from him.”
I couldn’t hear any more. I remembered seeing the sadness on his face. It had almost killed me. I just couldn’t. I placed the menu down on the table and met Brooke’s eyes. “You know, I think I’ll have the eggs, home fries, and toast with sausage.”
I wanted her to stop talking; I didn’t want to hear any of this. I certainly didn’t want her to ask me questions regarding Ella.
“Okay, great. Well, it’s nice to see you back in town,” she said, standing up and making her way over to the counter where she placed my order and then started serving some walk-in customers.
I took my time eating, and once I’d finished, I quickly paid the bill and left. I was sure that by the time I drove out to Gabe’s, the entire town would know I was back. I would need to get used to that again. As I hopped into my truck, I could tell it was already starting. Trinity was standing outside of The Crispy Biscuit with another lady talking to Brooke, the three of them looking in my direction. I blew out a breath, started my truck, and pulled away from the curb.
Connor
It was Monday. I’d gotten up early, as always, and had done half a day’s work out on my ranch before sunrise. Then I’d gone inside, showered, eaten, and then made my way over to Gabe’s. I’d been helping him steadily every day since he returned from seeing Cadence. We hadn’t talked about the outcome of his visit, or if she was going to return. I’d just known he didn’t seem to be overly happy when he returned, so I’d assumed that she’d told him no. Shortly after he’d gotten back, the military had extended his departure date, which had given me more time to learn more things from him. I’d been grateful for that. I hated being unsure of the things that needed to be done.
Music blaring on the radio, I drove down the long driveway toward his house. I was about to park my truck in my usual spot right behind him but couldn’t. An unfamiliar truck sat parked there instead. Had he found someone to manage the farm? God, I hoped so. Every night since I’d started helping him, I’d gone home exhausted.
My body ached as I climbed out of my truck. I was hoping for less pressure, and perhaps I was going to get the good news today. As usual, I walked up the steps to the front door, knocked, and walked inside.
“Gabe? You ready to get to work?” I yelled.
“Come in and grab a coffee!” he shouted from somewhere in the house. “Be down in a minute.”
I didn’t have time for a coffee. I wanted to get to work, but I stepped inside anyway. I was about to make my way into the kitchen when I heard the clinking of utensils. It hadn’t sounded like he was in the kitchen. Perhaps he was finishing up some sort of lunch meeting with his new manager, I thought to myself—not that he or I held many of those. I stepped through the door to the kitchen, expecting to find Gabe. Instead, my eyes landed on curvy hips in a pair of jeans.
I allowed myself to look. Something I rarely had done since Ella had died. To follow the curves of those hips, down to the floor, then back up. Then the woman turned to the side. It was just enough that when she reached forward, I caught a peek at the curve of her large breast in her shirt. Had Gabe been holding out on me? Did he have a friend with benefits he hadn’t told me about? That would be enough to piss Mallory off, I thought to myself. I was about to clear my throat and introduce myself to this incredibly sexy woman when she spun around. Immediately, I raised my hand, waiting for her to shake it, only to encounter a pair of green eyes I’d know anywhere.
My hand slowly dropped to my side as she looked at me. “Cadence?” I questioned; my voice low.
When I’d last asked, Gabe still hadn’t alluded to whether she’d return. For that, I’d been grateful. I didn’t know how the hell I’d work side by side with her day after day, anyway. Not because we didn’t get along, because we did, but because of the secret I’d held from him since I was in my teens.
It was only because of Gabe I’d ever started dating Ella to begin with. It had really been Cadence I was interested in. Instead, I sucked it up, went on a few dates with Ella. After a bit of a rocky patch, and realizing I’d needed to let go of the dream I had of having Cadence as mine, we ended up falling in love and, well, here we are.
I’d never told another soul about this, but I’d crushed on Cadence badly. I’d wanted her then, and now there really wasn’t anything that was stopping me. The last time I’d seen her had been at Ella’s funeral. I barely remembered that day. It had been a fog, and I’d barely noticed half the people there. The only one I remembered being there had been Cadence. Her soft smile, the way she spoke to everyone, the way she’d looked at me. Then Gabe left us alone. We’d shared a kiss—a kiss that shouldn’t have happened, but it had. I’d been feeling so dead inside that, just for a minute, I wanted to feel something again—anything. Even though it was completely inappropriate, I’d done nothing but think about it for months. When I heard Gabe’s truck roaring up the driveway, I’d pulled away and apologized profusely. She, of course, nodded, said it was okay, and then ran off into the house. An hour later, she was gone, and that was the last time I’d seen her.
Just like that night, she didn’t respond. Instead she walked across the kitchen, opened a cupboard, and pulled a mug out, placing it down in front of the coffeemaker.
“Would you like a coffee?” she questioned, turning again and meeting my eyes. “Gabe just had to run upstairs to get changed. A little barn mishap.”
“Sure.” I removed my hat and held it in my hands, pulled out a chair, and sat down before making eye contact with her again. “Is that your truck in the driveway?”
She glanced at me over her shoulder and nodded, giving me a small smile. “It is. It’s good to see you, Connor.”
I couldn’t smile, and I couldn’t tear my eyes off her. The room was full of tension, and I could barely breathe. “How about we skip the coffee, Cadence, and go straight for a whiskey? What do you say?” I grumbled, thinking back to that night and that kiss. I wondered how many times she’d thought about it over the last year. I wondered how many times she’d regretted it. Part of me did, but I felt a larger part of me did not. I also knew that the worst part about it was the fact I said nothing to her. Sure, I’d apologized, but I hadn’t been able to explain myself.
