I didn’t want to impose on the Parks family. After all, I knew the chaos that came from doctors and nurses coming in and out of the house constantly. I wanted to be near and accessible, but not on top of them. Plus, in a city that large, I could just meld in with the crowd. I wouldn’t fear that at every turn I might run into Ella. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Carson and New York City was exactly what I needed right now.
Leaving Harmony as soon as possible would be the smartest move. With the article, I was certain to be the new outcast in town. And once things settled down, it was going to take even more work to get back into the good graces of the residents here. It was best for me to leave, get my head on straight, and come back swinging.
Add in my confusing relationship with Ella, and my fingers were quick to find the text app on my phone, where I searched for Carson’s text thread.
Me:Hey, Carson. Any chance you have room on your couch for an old friend?
I sent the text off before I set my phone down and leaned my head back. I took in some deep breaths and closed my eyes, not expecting him to answer right away. After all, he’d just gotten a job on Wall Street. He was probably super busy.
To my surprise, my phone buzzed seconds later. I opened my eyes and picked up my phone. He’d responded.
Carson:Yeah, buddy! Come on over! It’s been too long.
After a few more texts back and forth, I got his address and told him that I’d be heading out tomorrow morning and should get there in a day or two. He shot me a thumbs-up in response.
With a plan, I felt a bit better. Sure, I was still stressed out about George, but I could worry about that when I got to New York. Right now, I could put a bandage on my problems with Ella, so that it was no longer a gaping wound. It wasn’t fixed, but I also wasn’t bleeding out anymore.
I finished off the bag of chips and candy bar before I chugged the first bottle of root beer. I gathered my garbage and got out of my truck to throw it away in the nearby trash. Then I climbed back into the cab and started the engine.
I cracked the top of the second bottle of root beer and set it in the cupholder next to me before I pulled out of the parking spot. I was going to go home, pack my suitcase, and get a good night’s sleep. Then I was going to get on the road tomorrow morning bright and early.
I was going to spend enough time in New York that I’d hopefully forget about my feelings for Ella. And, more importantly, that she’d forget I’d ever said anything in the first place.
3
WILLOW
I could counton one hand the moments in my life where I had an out-of-body experience. Where I felt like my spirit was hovering over my body, staring down at the scene playing out in front of me.
One was when Harold told me that he had been cheating on me with Nicole, his assistant. The other time was when I was in labor with Jasper. And the third was happening to me right now as I stared at Cole Watkins.
He returned my stare with equal intensity. His eyebrows were raised as he held my gaze with an expectant look in his eyes.
Right. He was waiting for my response.
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked as I clutched the menus to my chest like they were my lifeline and I was drowning. My brain seemed to have short-circuited, and I was struggling to process what he’d just said to me.
“I’m the co-owner of this diner.” He glanced around the restaurant for a moment before meeting my gaze once more.
“That’s impossible. My great-uncle owned this place before he transferred the title to me. He never said anything about a co-owner.” My cheeks were flushed as I moved to set the menus down on the hostess stand in front of me.
This had to be some sort of joke. He must have heard that I’d just inherited the diner and was here to mess with me. Of course I was the idiot who was standing there, letting him fool me.
Not wanting to look like an idiot anymore, I turned and headed toward the empty table the Stephenson family had just vacated. I was going to distract myself with cleaning it up, and hopefullyCole Watkinswould lose interest and find someone else to bother.
I quickly gathered up the empty plates, hoping that I’d allowed him enough time to leave the diner. As I lifted the pile off the table and turned, I yelped. My heart leapt into my throat as I stared into the narrow eyes of Cole Watkins.
I glared as I gripped the plates tighter and moved to sidestep him. “I’m not sure where you got your information, but it’s wrong.Iown Sunny Side-Up diner.” I paused as I turned to look him dead in the eye. “And I am thesoleowner.”
I held his gaze, mustering confidence that I did not have. I wasn’t going to let him walk all over me. Inheriting the diner had been the first good thing that’d happened to me after walking in on my ex in bed with his assistant. I had to pack up my son and take him away from everything he knew when I moved to Harmony Island for a fresh start.
I was finally seeing the sun peek out from behind the clouds, and I wasn’t going to let this man stand in my way.
I wasn’t sure how long we stood there, staring at each other, but my heart sang with victory when he sighed and shifted his weight. For a moment, I deluded myself into thinking that I’d actually won as I watched him reach into his back pocket to remove what looked like a folded-up piece of paper. He held it out to me expectantly.
I frowned. “What is that?” After going through a messy divorce, I hated paper. Nothing good was ever printed on paper.
“It’s the contract that your great-uncle signed with my dad.” He unfolded the first flap and then the second.
