She jerked her head behind her. “Just dropped some stuff off at the hotel. Every Friday, they have a standing order for breakfast goodies for their customers. I saw you and Liam talking and didn’t want to interrupt. Are you okay?”
Forcing a smile, I asked, “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
Shrugging, she answered, “You looked upset when you turned and walked away from him. Then you stopped outside, and it looked like you were trying to catch your breath. You were so lost in thought that you didn’t hear me say your name three times.”
I sighed. James was the only person I had told what had happened that night with Liam, and a part of me wanted to get it off my chest. Cadie was one of my best friends. I had three amazing best friends, actually. Cadie, Harper, and Brystol. Why I never told them what happened was a mystery to me, one I didn’t really want to think about for very long. I needed to figure out a way to move on and let go of my hurt feelings. I missed being able to see Winnie, and if I was honest, I hated losing my friendship with Liam.
“Do you have time for a cup of coffee?”
Smiling, she hooked her arm around mine. “I sure do.”
Five minutes later, we were sitting at a corner table in The Timeless Coffee Shop, drinking coffee and eating a muffin Cadie had made.
“Do you supply food for everyone?”
She laughed. “No, the coffee shop is my biggest customer outside of the bakery. They don’t order a whole lot, just enough to offer their customers some goodies if they don’t have time to swing by the bakery.”
I nodded and took a sip of my coffee. When I set the cup down, Cadie’s brow went up. “What’s going on, Aurora?”
Exhaling, I felt my body slump. “Let’s see, where should I start? Liam accused me of trying to worm my way into his family’s life and take Hope’s place. I had a one-night stand with James that same night because I was so upset and embarrassed Liam thought those things, let alone said them; I can’t stop feeling like maybe I did something wrong by trying to help Hope and Liam out, and I wonder if Hope thought that was what I was doing and put it in Liam’s head. A book order I placed for a really popular book still hasn’t arrived. And we started renovations on the bookstore.”
Cadie stared at me, blinking a few times. “Oh my God. I don’t even know where to start with that. I mean that sucks about the books but you slept with James? When?”
“Back in March sometime. I didn’t mark it down on my calendar. I found myself at The Muddled Moose drinking alone. James had just found out that the girl he was dating was also dating someone else in Lake Placid and had accidentally texted James when she meant to text the other guy. He was devastated. We drank. We talked and then I asked him if he wanted a night of meaningless sex.”
Her mouth fell open. “Was he good?”
I nearly laughed. “That’swhat you’re going to ask?”
“Yes, because when I tell Harper and Brystol this story, that’s going to be the first thing they’ll ask me: if I asked you how he was in bed.”
I stared at her for a moment before I laughed. “Fair enough. He was…different. It didn’t mean anything, so it was more…I don’t know. Different. I’ve never had sex with a guy I didn’t have feelings for.”
“Different good?”
Nodding, I smiled. “Yes, he was a very attentive lover, if you get what I mean.”
She giggled. “Okay, I’ll take that answer. Have you guys since then?”
“No. Gosh, no. We’re way better as friends. He’s been there for me, and I appreciate it. It’s nice being able to talk to a guy about things. It’s a different perspective.”
“Totally get that. I’m glad he was there for you when you needed him. But, back to Liam.”
She reached for my hand.
“Aurora, you were helping out a friend. Yes, I know there were times when Hope asked you to back off, but I think that was a personal issue for Hope, not a problem with you. I can’t imagine what she was going through. I would hazard a guess if I were that sick and someone else was taking care of my baby, it would make me jealous. I’d also guess that Hope voiced those feelings to Liam.”
I nodded. “That’s why I backed away when I did. And when Hope passed away, I was simply trying to help him with things until Mary arrived. He didn’t see it that way, though. He accused me of throwing myself at him.”
“Wait. What? Like in a sexual way?”
“That’s how I took it. He said Hope was right, and I was trying to move in and replace her.”
“Have you been back to see him or Winnie since then?”
“No,” I whispered. “I thought it best to just let them be. I mean, I’ve seen Winnie at the bookstore and sometimes when Mary was walking her down Main. I haven’t been back to the house though. I don’t feel welcome there. Nathan did tell me that Liam said hi and that he and Winnie missed me. To be fair also, he was really drunk that night.”
I shrugged and went on. “Today, though, he asked me if Nathan had mentioned that Liam asked him to tell me hi from him and Winnie. Then he mentioned he needed to apologize to me. I offered to take Winnie while he met with some health inspector, and he said he’d have a manager just play with her in the office, and something about imposing on me. It only reminded me of what he said a few months ago and I popped off with a shit-ass remark.”
