For years Jaden had kept a blog, capturing her travels and sharing them with the world as she put distance between her and a past she was eager to outrun. A camera had become an extension of herself, those posts, therapy. She never imagined keeping a blog and chronicling her roving ways would turn her into a television personality, with a dream job as the host of her own travel show, The Road to Bliss.
She was bent over, tucking the camera back into her bag when the downshift of an engine and the crunch of gravel under tires caught her attention. She turned—and froze. The maroon Cutlass rolled to a stop behind the rental car.
She nudged the top of the sunglasses down to peer through the windshield at the only man who had ever broken her heart.
No. Way. She blinked her eyes in disbelief. Mia didn’t.
But she had. What the hell? Why had she sent Cole out here, of all people?
Jaden sucked in a breath. Sure, the possibility of running into him was high, but she hadn’t been prepared to see him this soon. She glanced down at her rumpled clothing. Definitely, she would have picked out a better outfit and taken a shower.
Maybe a girl never stopped thinking about her first crush. Perhaps the idea of looking her best around him was a natural reaction? She didn’t know. The one certainty at the moment was her need to somehow control the nervous flutters in her stomach. They shouldn’t be there. Seeing him shouldn’t make her feel this way. Their moment had passed a long time ago.
He’s married. Knock it off. But her heart wouldn’t listen, and her pulse wouldn’t calm down. He’d always be a passing thought in her mind, but he was only a facet of her life by association now. That was all he could ever be. She’d come to terms with the reality of it ages ago.
And here he is, to rescue me. She sucked in a sigh, and hoped her resounding disappointment hadn’t reached Cole inside his car.
Their history was spotty, full of breathless moments of short-lived passion, the disappointing ‘almost’ topped off with a blowout ending of epic proportions.
And it doesn’t matter now, because he’s off limits and HE’S THE PAST. But even knowing so, and repeating it to herself, didn’t stop her heart from stumbling in her chest.
Through the windshield, he showered her with the tempting smile, like forbidden fruit she couldn’t help reaching for—trouble. She wished she could turn off the tension clutching her body, the lick of excitement flaming up her spine. But she couldn’t. And looking like a big pile of sweaty chiffon in front of him shouldn’t matter, yet it did. It was inappropriate to care. It was horrible of her. What the hell is wrong with you?
Maybe it was the heat. Yeah, that’s it. She had heat stroke—the perfect explanation.
And now, as ridiculous as it was, she worried he might know the thoughts racing through her head. She walked to the passenger side of his car—distance was good—and leaned down at the window. The last words she’d spoken to him hadn’t been kind and had been steeped in melodrama.
What to say, what to say...
The moment her eyes met his chocolate gaze dipped in breathless memories, she was toast. The most annoying part—he didn’t even try to look this good. This was merely Cole Brooks existing.
It was annoying.
She was here for Mia; she hadn’t come back to be suffocated with confusing feelings for a man who shouldn’t matter. Ever. Not anymore. Ugh.
He was the opposite of every guy she’d ever dated. For Cole, a suit and tie was only for when the occasion insisted, like Mia’s wedding. The scruff on his face only made him sexier. He was raw power, like the big block engine under the hood of his muscle car. The city would never hold a man like Cole Brooks, and a luxury car would never occupy a place in his driveway. He was meant for the open road and a sunset without skyscrapers.
“Hitchhiking?” he asked, the smile going lopsided.
“Do you always stop for sweaty chicks on the side of the road?”
The corners of his eyes crinkled. “No. But then again, it’s not every day I come across a hitchhiker who looks as good as you do.”
Jaden’s breath hitched. Was he flirting? Unsure, she said, “Thanks, I think.”
His smile deepened and his eyes twinkled. “It’s a compliment, babe.”
Cole had always been a flirt. He might not even know he did it, it came so natural. Which didn’t make it okay—her brows twitched before she reigned in an indifferent expression.
“Cheesy,” Jaden replied.
“Does cheesy work?”
She laughed with a shake of her head. “Not often.”
Okay, he was definitely teasing. You need to relax! She was making something out of nothing, and for no reason other than somewhere deep down there were feelings for him she hadn’t known still existed. Just perfect!
Though, she shouldn’t be this surprised. Their good-bye had been strained. Whatever had been between them was over before it had a chance to really begin, and there’d been no resolution. She left with her heart crushed, and neither reached out to the other, not even for something as simple as an apology or a ‘have a nice life.’
He was more at ease with this reunion than she, which didn’t sit well with her. She brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “Thanks for rescuing me. It’s hot as hell out here.”
He nodded to the rental. “Gas gauge doesn’t work?”
She shook her head. “Says it still has a half-tank.”
He opened the driver’s door. “I have a gas can, so we’re good.”
When he stood, Jaden straightened so she could see him over the roof of the car. “Where’s Mia?”
He walked around to the back of his car. “She’s getting her hair done.”
“Come again?” she asked. He looked as if he were sucking in a smile, and Jaden narrowed her eyes, certain she’d heard him wrong—or he was playing with her.
“Her hair.” He pointed at his head with a grin. “Something about her hair up in tinfoil.”
“Oh, she’s got color in,” Jaden said. Still, the excuse wasn’t good enough to send Cole in her place. She could have called Hillary, a mutual friend of theirs. Or a stranger. A stranger would have been okay.
“You chicks and your salon stuff.” He shook his head and popped the trunk open.
“A necessary evil.” She lifted her lips into a smile.
Talking with him wasn’t so bad. She could pretend the past never happened just as well as he could. No big deal. Definitely no reason to make things awkward so many years later. Especially since he’s married. Definitely because of that.
He reappeared from around the back of the car, a red gas can in hand. “Filled this earlier for the mower.”
“Thanks, seriously. I’ll pay you back.” She turned to keep her gaze from his biceps. Married, married, married.
“I’m not worried about it.” He walked toward the rental car. “There’s a bottle of water on the front seat. It’s not cold—been there since this morning.”
“Oh my god, I could kiss you,” she blurted, then almost slapped her hand over her mouth. She took a step backward. “I mean, thanks. That was a thank you. I’m thirsty.”
Then she spun in her sandals and walked away. Fast.
“If I were sweating my ass off in the middle of nowhere, I’d kiss anything for some water.” The laughter in his voice was a relief. At least he still had a sense of humor and didn’t think this was a come-on.
“Exactly,” she called over her shoulder as she tugged the driver’s door of the Cutlass open. “We don’t have this humidity in Seattle. Hot there doesn’t feel like this.”
“Should go down to the cabin,” he said.
“Ah, the cabin.” She’d spent a lot of time with Mia’s family on Eagle Lake, a few miles outside of town. Smiling, she uncapped the water bottle. “I would love to be out on the rope, swinging into the lake right now.”
She drank down half the bottle of warm water in one chug. When she came up for air, she considered pouring the rest over her head.
“Nice shoes.” His gaze was on her feet and the blue ribbons tied up around her calves. Her hot pink toes peeked from the sandals.
She’d worn them because they were a little sexy, a lot cute, and her favorite LA swap meet find from a few weeks ago. She wiggled her toes. “Thanks.”
His gaze traveled up, slow and hot, then locked with hers. The diabolical smile oozed testosterone and something else. Interest? Lust? What the hell?
“Why don’t you start it up?” Cole said, and she tore her gaze from his lips.
“Yeah, sure.” She capped the bottle and walked past him to slide behind the rental’s steering wheel. When she cranked the key, nothing happened. “Shit.”
“Might be the fuel pump.”
“You think so?” She peeked her head out of the car to look back at him.
He flipped the door to the gas tank closed. “Probably. Grab your bags. I’ll take you to Mia’s; she should be there by now. I’ll come back here and get this thing towed to the mechanic shop in town.”
Jaden pulled her carry-on bag from the passenger seat then stepped out of the car. Slinging her purse over her shoulder and across her chest, she said, “I only have one bag and my purse.”
“You’re not staying long, then?” His gaze traveled from her bag, down to the gas can on the ground. He bent to pick up the can, and when his gaze reclaimed hers, there was a thoughtful expression on his face which she didn’t dare guess at.
“A week, maybe two.” She tore her eyes from his and settled her gaze on something safe, like his car. Except when she looked at the car, she thought of all the heavy petting they’d done in the front seat. Damn it.
“A couple of weeks and one bag?”
She glanced up at the disbelief in his voice, and smiled. “A girl can’t pack small?”
“When Mia packs for a weekend trip she brings at least two suitcases with her.”
“Mia was always more interested in fashion than me.” She chuckled, remembering their last vacation together. Mia had needed one suitcase just for her shoes. “I have a suitcase too, but the airline put my luggage on the wrong flight. I’m hoping it’s on its way back to Omaha by now.”
“You’re not having the best luck today, are you?” He disappeared behind the trunk lid of his car.
“You have no idea,” Jaden muttered, and climbed into the passenger side. She set her carry-on bag on the middle of the bench seat.
The trunk lid slammed shut and Cole appeared at the driver’s door. He pulled it open and sat down. “You’re here for the festival?”
She lifted her brows. “What festival?”
“Fourth of July Festival.”
“Since when is there a Fourth festival?”
“About five years now. The town goes all out, a week-long thing. It’s smaller than the county fair in September, but still a big deal around these parts. You know, not much goes on in these small towns.” He glanced over at her. “Figured Mia talked you into coming. She’s on the festival board this year. Not that she has time for it, but you know Mia.”
“Of course she is.” Jaden gazed out the passenger window and pinched her eyelids shut; she blew out an exasperated breath. “No wonder she sounded so stressed on the phone.”
“Huh?” He slid the shifter into reverse. “Recently?”
“She called me a few days ago. There’s something on her mind—she doesn’t normally call to give me updates on River Bend gossip. I was worried when she didn’t get around to whatever it was.”
“You jumped a flight because she sounded stressed?” He sounded amused.
“That, and I miss her. It’s been almost a year since I’ve seen her.”
“That’s a long time for you girls,” Cole said.
“Yeah, it is.” The phone call with Mia had been a wakeup call. The two of them had always been each other’s comfort and confessional. If something bothered one, the other knew about it. Mia hadn’t opened up, which worried Jaden. Life had gotten so busy, and phone calls for both of them had been initiated too few and far between. Even when they did reach each other on the phone, there never seemed enough time to scratch the surface of the important stuff.
Mia was more like a sister than a friend, a refuge from the hell Jaden grew up in. Being the daughter of an alcoholic and drug addict wasn’t easy, and Mia was always her safe haven. Losing touch wasn’t okay with Jaden.
“I have two weeks before the network ships me off to Puerto Rico—I thought it would be fun to come visit and make sure everything’s okay.” Okay, River Bend and fun didn’t exist in the same universe for her, but the rest was true. Her spidey-sense told her something was wrong.
“You’re a good friend.” He tossed her a lazy smile, and her heartbeat stuttered. “And now you’re stuck here for the festival when the town’s packed with out-of-towners. Volunteer security will be on patrol too; you’ll get stopped for walking too slow.”
“Great,” she said, drawing the word out.
River Bend was an old railroad town with many historical buildings. The courthouse’s massive tower could be seen from miles around, but the Catholic Church on top of the hill had always fascinated Jaden most, with its arched stained glass windows, hand carved oak pews, and a bell tower that rang every Sunday before mass. She hadn’t been raised to religion. Ellie, her mom, had never taken Jaden to church, but she’d gone with Mia’s family quite a few times. After a while, she’d learned to pray for herself, asking for guidance, peace, and forgiveness. She hadn’t learned the forgiveness part yet; she wasn’t sure she was ready.