“I have a proposition for you. If I pay for the groceries, would you make enough for me?”
Cara considered the idea. It wouldn’t be much extra work, and she could save a lot of money if he were paying for the food.
“Deal!”
“Just one thing? Any chance we could have a little more variety sometimes. I love chicken and broccoli, but…"
Cara laughed. “That’s just what I was making this week. Make me a list of foods you like, and I can work around it. Particularly if you’re paying.”
Wes grinned, his eyes lighting up. Cara’s heart flip flopped in her chest.
She needed a date… soon!
CHAPTERNINE
Over the nextcouple of weeks, they fell into a pattern. Most days, Cara was out of the house finishing her program at school and working at the hair salon. Wedding show season had morphed into fundraising season in Atlanta, and she was grateful for the work because, even though she had sent out what felt like a million resumes, she hadn’t had a single phone call showing interest. But, as worried as she was about finding a job, she was happier than she had been in what felt like a very long time.
Every night she came home and reheated what she had made for herself and Wes, and they ate dinner together before inevitably ending up on the couch watching Star Trek. If anyone from her former life could see her now, they wouldn’t recognize this new domesticated Cara. She preferred these quiet nights with Wes to the overly loud club scene she had previously inhabited. She felt like a different person, and she liked it!
The only sticking point was her extremely inconvenient and persistent attraction to Wes. She’d hoped being around each other every day would lessen his effect on her ovaries—that she would become immune. But every time he wandered out of his room without a shirt on, her stomach flipped. And it was getting worse. She found herself staring at the back of his neck, where his hair curled too long, wondering if it would feel as soft between her fingers as it looked.
Each night she fought the urge to lean against him when they were on the sofa together, warm under the fuzzy blanket they now shared. The worst part was shelikedhim. If it were just physical, she could scratch that itch herself—and she had tried—but she suspected her feelings were starting to shift. And that was a problem.
He had been more than clear. Wes wanted Melody. He had a plan for his life—wife, kids, white picket fence—and she understood a hot fling with a woman he just met didn’t fit. Still… He hadn’t mentioned Melody since the night he revealed their history together, and to Cara’s knowledge, he hadn’t spoken with Melody either. The weeks slipped by, and no one mentioned when she might return.
When Cara had first started seeing Erik—scum of the earth—she talked about him to Amara incessantly—and thathadneverbeen love. If he were trulyin lovewith Melody, wouldn’t he want to talk about her? Or maybe it was just Cara’s out of control hormones feeding into her wishful thinking.
* * *
Her complacent littlebubble popped on a Saturday afternoon in late February. She’d been watching the notifications on her phone, and the second she saw her package had been delivered, she rushed to the mailbox. One of the instructors at the school had noticed the scent from her skin cream and asked her where she had gotten it. After Cara explained she made her own, the instructor had her give a short presentation to the class.
At first, she was uncomfortable standing at the front of the room, but her classmates seemed genuinely interested. Cara explained that while she used a honeysuckle essential oil for her personal products, almost any scent would work. She’d even started playing around with body oils. Cara pulled the small box from the mailbox containing her order of essential oils and instantly spotted the oversized cream envelope nestled next to a large red one.
She stared at the two cards, making her way up the driveway. One covered in hearts was clearly a late Valentine’s card, but her attention was on the heavier stock envelope. Usually, when one of her mother’s wedding invitations arrived, Cara had a mix of emotions. Most common ones being exasperation and amusement. This time when she stared at the Italian return address, all she felt was annoyance.
She would have to attend. Corinne was still her mother, but Cara couldn’t help but begin to mentally calculate how much time she would lose from work and the cost of a plane ticket. Her mouth flattened. Just so her mother could realizeHe’s not the man I thought he wasin less than a year.
A few minutes later when her phone rang, she answered with a terse, “Yes, I got the invitation.”
“What invitation?” Declan’s voice rumbled.
“My mother’s latest wedding invitation—Italy. At least it will be warmer than last time. Remember her Winter Wonderland wedding in Prague. Freezing!” Cara tore open the red envelope and tossed the other mail on the counter. As she suspected, it was a Valentine’s card, with a gift card to a makeup chain tucked inside. She smiled. Even unsigned, she knew it had to be from Anne, the twin’s mother. She was always sending thoughtful gifts like that.
“That’s not why I’m calling.” He sounded distracted, his voice strained. The Valentine was instantly forgotten.
“Everything okay, Dec?”
“Have you had any contact with Courtney?”
His question about their stepmother startled her. “No, why?”
“I heard she was planning a trip to Atlanta. I was worried it had to do with you.”
Cara’s brow creased. “Why would Courtney come to see me? She hates me.”
It was strange. When David Bloom first started seeing Courtney, Cara had liked her. Courtney had recently sold her executive gift business, a company she had built as a single mom of two boys, and Cara was impressed by her independence.
But after David and Courtney married, her mask had fallen away, and she was a completely different person. Every time Cara was around the couple, Courtney made biting, pointed jabs at Cara whenever her father was out of earshot. Cara was spoiled, Cara was stupid, Cara was rude. Amara thought the woman was jealous of David’s obvious affection for his only daughter, but it didn’t make any sense to Cara. She wanted her father to be happy.
