Authors: Cerian Hebert
Out in the car both kids talked over each other. So, Nell scored a hit with them both, which eased his mind quite a bit. It wouldn’t have been good getting involved with a woman his kids hated. He frowned. It also wouldn’t make things any easier when Nell left their lives for good.
But why should it have to be for good? New Hampshire and New York City were fairly close. Sure, it might not be the easiest of arrangements. He’d never put much stock into long distance relationships, but Nell had friends here and it seemed she’d gotten over her aversion to small town life. She had a reason to come back to Harper’s Grove. Her best friend lived here. And he lived here, too.
Would she think him enough of a pull to return? He could certainly use the time they had left together to influence her.
Which led him to his next epiphany. He was falling in love with her. Maybe he’d been falling since the first time he saw her in the audience at the auction and he didn’t recognize it, but now he could admit, full out, he wanted more from Nell than just casual sex.
“Hey guys, what do you think if I invited Nell over for a cookout this weekend?”
Both kids cheered.
Thank God
. Getting Nell to fall in love with him and agree to something serious would be so much easier with his two children behind him.
But he didn’t want to set himself—or them—up for disappointment, so he would keep his feelings under wraps for now. He had no way of knowing just how deep her affection for him ran. He could hope, but at the moment that was all he had. After all, why would a sophisticated, talented and gorgeous New Yorker be interested in something serious with a small town guy?
Well, he’d find a way to get her over for the weekend. He’d invite Jill, too, since Nell’s assistant didn’t know a soul up here. In fact, maybe he’d just do a big summer cookout and get Mark, Gwen and Autumn over. And Paula and Howie as well. A nice family-type gathering so everyone would be comfortable.
Determined to make it happen before the night ended, he called Mark and Howie and had them accepting. He finished up with a call to Nell.
“I know you’re going straight out, but you and Jill deserve a break. Say you’ll come over, at least for a little while.”
She hesitated before replying. “Yes, we’ll be there. We’ve made some great progress and I think we could both use a break since my models are arriving Sunday afternoon.”
“Good. Thought you’d be more of a hard sell.”
Nell laughed. “No, I’m already a sucker for your kids. And I’m not just saying that because I find their father incredibly sexy. Oh, sorry, probably should modify my language when your kids are around.”
“Don’t worry. They’ve both headed to bed. Long day for them. And I thank you for that. I think Dylan has a crush on you.” She laughed again. He loved the sound, like a warm, seductive breeze. He could get used to hearing her laugh again and again. “He can’t have you.”
“Well, I’m flattered, but I’m a bit old for him. Besides, I have a bit of a crush on his dad.”
Another warm rush swept over him. Damn, he wished she wouldn’t talk like that. Such an innocent statement, but it got him all hot and bothered. “I’m very glad to hear that. I’ll let you get back to work, or rest or whatever I took you away from. And I’ll see you Saturday.”
“What can I bring?”
“Just you.”
“Seriously.”
“Seriously. Just you. And I warn you, I might just sneak you away for a little bit when no one is looking.”
“You’re very naughty.”
“And you are very sexy.”
Chapter 11
Nell tried to keep distracting thoughts of Eli at bay. Thank goodness she and the girls had finished most of the hard work. The uncompleted designs were at least close to being done. The finishing touches were all they had left. On Monday afternoon Sam and Tanya would be there, so they could work in the final fittings.
After that, Nell would be heading back to New York and with the show right around the corner, she could rub dear Javier’s nose in her success.
A part of her, the designer part, was beside herself with nervous excitement. Her show would be the biggest moment in her career. Finally, a step up from her low-key existence into the limelight. Big things awaited; she knew that without a doubt.
The other part hated to leave Harper’s Grove. Ironic that at eighteen, Nell couldn’t get out soon enough. She’d despised the place. But over the past several weeks this town had become more of a home to her than ever. Maybe because she had come into her own, confident and successful, and people didn’t look at her as if she were nothing. She’d made herself into
something. Someone.
Of course, that “someone” was a lie. Nell could be herself around Eli only because he didn’t know her true identity. For once, she regretted not being honest with him from day one. Because if she had been, she wouldn’t be so afraid of wanting him for more than something casual. If she had told him the truth and he’d still felt the same for her, then there’d be a chance.
No. Stupid thoughts.
Completely ridiculous.
But to be honest with herself, if she put aside the impossibility of any kind of future with Eli, she could admit she’d fallen for him.
“Enough,” she said aloud. Thoughts like that would only serve to get her heart broken. She’d already been through the heartbreak thing and didn’t like how it felt. Much better to have a relationship with no expectations whatsoever, than to get all starry-eyed over something she could never have.
It was a damned good thing she had to leave for New York in a few weeks. Any longer here, and she didn’t think she’d be able to survive this.
She did, however, look forward to the cookout at his place. Jill had politely declined, saying that her boyfriend would be visiting and they’d take advantage of the break for a little romantic getaway.
So, Nell would be going solo and she’d get a chance to socialize with his children for the first time. She hadn’t considered the day spent with Emma socializing—exactly—since the girl worked the entire time. And she only met Dylan briefly. This would be different. And she would not let herself get emotionally attached to these kids.
Period
.
Still, as the rest of the week progressed, Nell anticipated Eli’s cookout more and more. She continued to confine herself to her mother’s house, making sure everything was absolutely perfect. She allowed herself a visit to Gwen’s for dinner one night, and a few mornings Gwen had shown up with coffee and pastries for the hardworking women.
“You have to do something about Eli,” Gwen said Friday morning, pulling Nell aside.
“Why?” Nell knew why, but played dumb anyway.
“Because, my dear, he’s got it bad for you. And I think Shelly has caught wind of it.”
“That’s nuts. We’re only dating on the most casual level—”
“You’re sleeping with him, Nell, I don’t care how casual you want to think it is.”
“We’re adults and I think we can handle it.”
“You might be able to, but if Eli . . . Listen, I’d worry about Shelly if I were you. I was in her salon yesterday and she grilled me about you, about my big sister who disappeared after high school. She
knows.
”
Nell swore under her breath. Maybe the time had come to cut ties, before Shelly mentioned her suspicions to Eli.
Another part of her wanted nothing more than to make a visit to Shelly’s salon and confront her. But what would she say?
Yes, you’re right, I’m Penny Goodwin and I’ve been pretending to be someone else so I could fool your ex-husband
.
If she said something like that, Shelly would be on the phone to Eli before Nell was out the door.
“Okay, after the cookout I’ll break things off,” Nell said, with honest-to-God regret. Why in the world did it feel like a break up with a real boyfriend instead of a fling? “I have to go to New York on Tuesday for a day to finalize some details. It’ll be a clean break. Besides, I won’t need to be here much longer.”
Gwen glanced around the room. Jill and Paula were busy and everything was running smoothly. “Looks like you’ve done a good job transforming this place. Too bad you couldn’t stay here permanently.”
Very true
. Nell had found this to be much easier than she expected. She had more space here. Plus, knowing what her mother paid on the mortgage and taxes, compared with her own apartment in New York, it was much less expensive. She’d told Eli she could work here as easily as she could work there . . .
“No, I couldn’t,” she said firmly. “I’ve already burned my bridges. That’d mean I’d have to admit to Eli that I lied to him.”
“He’s going to find out anyway.”
“And he’ll hate me and then it’ll be awkward. In a small town we’re going to bump into each other often.”
“You’re a very foolish woman.”
No argument, there
. But she’d made her decisions. She had to move forward, deny the feelings, the craving and longing for Eli, and hope they’d fade with time. With everything back to normal after the show, her professional life would be phenomenal. Doors would open as
Inner Goddess
appeared in every major store in the country. She could taste that future, what she’d been struggling so hard for years to achieve.
Nell spent Friday afternoon on the phone with the modeling agency, finalizing arrangements for three more models, then headed to the club where the show would be held. Everything seemed to be in place. She’d return Tuesday to make sure.
While jotting notes, it occurred to her that this wasn’t as difficult as she expected, making arrangements for the show. It could be done. She could actually live and design in Harper’s Grove. In fact, considering her replacement collection, it seemed that the quiet of the country had helped her creative process.
Crazy.
Her last call of the day was probably one she shouldn’t have made, but she couldn’t help it. After all her ex-husband put her through, she had to be just a little spiteful. Though she hadn’t accused him to his face of stealing everything from her, she could still rub it in that she not only recovered, but also had come back with gusto. A regular, real-life phoenix.
“Hey, Javier,” she said sweetly after his assistant put her through. “Just wanted to call to see if you got your tickets to my show.”
There was a low, silky chuckle from the other end of the line.
Smug bastard.
“I did get them and I look forward to being there. I will be quite interested to see how far my little bird has flown. Milla will be happy to see you, too.”
Milla was her replacement.
Mrs. Moreno 2.0.
“Excellent. Glad to hear it. Though I’m sure it would take about five Millas to fit into one of my outfits, it’s all good.”
“Hey, did you get a chance to see my Vogue spread? I was quite proud of it.”
Wow, what a bold son-of-a-bitch.
Talk about rubbing things in one’s face
. “Yes, superb as always. Whoever you have designing your clothes is a gem. You should give her a raise.”
“Oh, it was all me, darling.”
Slimy jerk. All you and one little ex-Inner Goddess seamstress.
“Well, you have exquisite taste. But I dare say what I’ve designed will put those clothes to shame. You’ll find out next week. Goodbye, Javier. See you later.”
Well, that was a bit satisfying.
She smiled. And she hadn’t felt that cold, clammy feeling in her hands at all. Could it be that Javier no longer intimidated her? Maybe he did her a favor.
Chuck arrived about six and whisked Jill off for their romantic weekend, which left Nell rattling around the house on her own for the rest of the evening. She wanted to call Eli, but he was busy with his kids.
She could always hang with Gwen and Mark. Mark played softball and had a game. Gwen and Autumn were sure to be there, so Nell changed into a pair of denim capris, a red tee shirt and headed to Harper’s Field, home of the town’s baseball diamond, tennis courts, basketball hoops and hockey rink.
The place had grown since she’d last been there. A fancy playground replaced the simple metal jungle gym, swings, tractor tire climbing structure, and a slide she remembered as a kid. The brightly colored climbing wall, a virtual network of slides and climbing poles, bridges, and various swing was a far cry from the giant tire playgrounds she grew up with. The town had also added a pool and a skate park. Nell was sure the local kids loved it.
The softball game was in full swing when she arrived. She found Gwen planted in a lawn chair and a sleepy Autumn nearby, belly-down on a red and black plaid blanket. She perked right up when Nell asked if she could sit, too.
“Hey, who let you out?” Gwen asked, giving her a grin.
“Came to a stopping spot. No point hanging out at the house. Jill left with her boyfriend and I needed some fresh air.”
Autumn climbed on her lap and leaned against her. Nell kissed the top of her head and wrapped her arms around the slight girl. “Who’s winning?” she asked Autumn.
“Not Daddy.”
Nell chuckled and looked out at the field. Some of the guys she recognized from way back. Funny how many of them had stayed put. They’d dreamed of leaving this small town, heading out of New Hampshire for something bigger, something bolder, and here they were, playing softball at the field where they’d probably played Little League. Were they happy? They must be. Out there they laughed together, while on the sidelines family cheered for them.
Nell wiped away an annoying tear that—out of the blue—had formed in the corner of her eye. This was crazy. She felt so left out and didn’t know why. These people, these familiar faces had never been her friends, so how could she feel so envious of them now? After all, she’d gotten out of town, left the state and made a name for herself.
In a week, the world would be hers and she’d finally get the recognition she had craved since walking into Javier’s company years ago, fresh out of college.
Never before had she wanted this. Her life had been caught up in the fast pace of the city. After marrying Javier, it had been about fancy restaurants and trendy nightclubs. Busy city streets where everyone had a Bluetooth attached to the side of their heads. High heels and briefcases, not sneakers and baseball bats.
So why the hell was she crying?
“Hungry.”
While she wallowed in her self-pity, Autumn turned to her. The child reached up and touched the tear that pooled at the corner of Nell’s eye. “No cry, Aunt Nell. We get popcorn.”
Thank goodness Gwen hadn’t heard her daughter’s words. Nell smiled at her niece. “Okay, let’s go. Tell your mommy.”
Hand in hand, she walked to the concession stand with Autumn, who changed her mind about the popcorn and instead trotted back to her mom with a cup of lemonade and a hotdog. Nell stayed behind, a little hungry as well, and looked up at the menu. Typical concession stand fare. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, slices of pizza and hotdogs. Even a cotton candy machine next to the popcorn maker.
“You look familiar.”
Nell recognized that voice. She didn’t have to turn around to know that Shelly Lamb—no, Shelly
Knight—
stood next to her. The one person on this entire earth that she would’ve been happy to never see again.
Shelly had been the cheer captain, Miss Popularity, homecoming queen and prom queen. And the number one person who’d loved more than anything to make Nell’s life miserable in high school. She may have looked all blond and sweet with those big blue eyes, but there had always been a layer of viciousness underneath the saccharine smile and peppy personality.
Easy does it.
Nell smiled at her and shook her head. “No, I don’t think so,” she replied coolly.
“You’re the one who bought Eli Knight at auction. A friend of Gwen and Mark Demers, right?”
Nell drew in a breath and let it go in silent relief. Maybe Shelly hadn’t recognized her from the past after all. “That’s right.” She refused to be more forthcoming than that.
Shelly smiled, but Nell noted that it lacked any real warmth. She continued to study Shelly boldly, recalling the younger version who’d made her life miserable. There hadn’t been much in the way of change. Shelly had grown older gracefully. She wore her hair long, still in that perky ponytail. Her figure had remained trim and athletic, despite the fact she’d given birth to two children. Although there were fine wrinkles at the outer corners of her gray-blue eyes, she’d retained the healthy glow of youth.
Before Nell could curse her for not looking like a wrinkled old hag, she noted the hard look on Shelly’s face, the iciness of her smile and realized it was enough. She didn’t have to wish crow’s feet and liver spots on her biggest adversary. The lack of warmth and joy in Shelly’s face satisfied Nell’s less-than-charitable side.
“Very generous of you,” Shelly continued. She looked at Nell just as hard as Nell regarded her. “You must have bucks.”
Nell chuckled at that and shook her head. “It was for a good cause.”
“Eli or the Special Olympics?”
Ouch.
Poor little Shelly must still harbor some strong feelings for Eli. Love, or something. Lust, maybe? And after making love to the man, Nell could very well see why Shelly would be jealous.
“Special Olympics, of course. And helping out a friend.”
“Gwen? Yes, her daughter benefits, poor thing.”
“Poor thing?”
What an ignorant thing to say
. “Autumn is the most loving, happy child I know. She doesn’t see herself as a ‘poor thing’ and neither do her parents. She’s a treasure. It’s the people around her who might not realize how wonderful she is, who are the ‘poor things.’”
Shelly’s brows shot up but she didn’t apologize. Instead, she kept her gaze glued to Nell. Any more of a standoff with this woman, and they’d be throwing down at thirteen paces.
“I hear you’ve been out a few times with Eli.”
Good move, to change the subject.
“Yes.”
“Hmm.” Shelly looked her up and down.