“Yes, please.” Eating buttery pistachio cookies might be the death of me some day, but it would totally be worth it. My mouth watered at the mere thought of them. “What else have you got?
“Let me make up a box with some goodies for you. There’s nothing to chase away the Sunday blues like some quality baked goods in bed, and they’re not bad to wake up to on a Monday either.” She winked before pulling one of the branded boxes out from under the counter and humming to herself as she filled it.
Once it was brimming with treats, she pushed it across to me. I paid, said good night, and took off, planning to take some for my father. As I walked, I thought about our dinner last night and what he’d said about William. It shouldn’t bother me that Dad was holding on to so much bitterness toward him, but for some reason, it did. I couldn’t help feeling like breeding negativity in any way, shape, or form was bad for his health.
Maybe Jessie can talk some sense into him sometime. He loved her like a second daughter despite her last name, and if there was anyone who could lay things out clearly, it was her.
Realizing I was close to her B&B now anyway, I decided to drop some pastries off for her first. I figured she could use them tomorrow morning. Mondays were the days when she scrambled the most. She did all her scheduling and accounting stuff in the morning, so maybe having some baked slices of heaven at hand would make her morning a little better.
I wouldn’t ask her to speak to Dad just yet. It was only a half-baked plan at the moment and I needed to weigh if any good could come from dredging up those old grudges.
Jessie and William’s family home was a stunner that never failed to make heads turn. It was a charming yet imposing Victorian structure with tall columns evenly spaced along the front porch and manicured gardens leading up to it.
The sprawling old manor consisted of four separate wings and a variety of outbuildings that Jessie had turned into freestanding cottages. Each of the rooms had been done up in its own style with the underlying theme being French-Victorian.
My friend had hunted all over the state and even some of the neighboring ones for the furniture, and she had decorated every inch of the place herself. She’d kept all of her family’s original things and incorporated it into the décor of the B&B.
Since she’d wanted to stay on the property and have some privacy as well, she lived in one of the cottages at the back. It was secluded enough, surrounded by a wraparound porch and her prized lilac bushes.
I knew she wouldn’t be there now, though. It was time for the dinner service, so she’d be in the dining room. It usually hosted different local families for Sunday dinner, as well as the guests. Jessie liked to keep the personal touch by dining there a few times a week, but she was always present for at least a little while and chatted to people even if she wouldn’t eat there herself.
There was a chef in the kitchen who put together a small menu every day based on fresh, locally sourced produce. The B&B almost operated like a small hotel, and I was damn proud of my friend for turning the manor into one of the choice accommodations options on the island.
Stopping to talk to some of the staff members on my way in, I shared some of my cookies with them before heading into the dining room. Some of the locals waved when they saw me, then went back to their meals.
Soft French music played and the atmosphere was light and merry. I didn’t spot Jessie immediately. When I’d almost reached the conclusion that she must’ve decided to eat in the cottage tonight, I finally saw her.
A frown flickered across my brow when I realized she was having dinner with someone. The frown quickly melted into a smile when I saw it was a male someone.
Good for you, Jess.
She hadn’t told me she was seeing someone, but she was leaning over the table with her eyes too wide and excited for the man she was with to be a guest. There was also familiarity in the way she bent her head toward him and reached out to rest her hand on his forearm.
Her companion was seated with his back toward me, but from what I could see, his shoulders were broad and his frame tapered down until it disappeared from view behind the back of the chair. He seemed to have a lean build, but tightly toned muscles wound down from beneath the sleeves on his black T-shirt.
Ink wrapped its way from his wrists to disappear under his sleeves. The tattoos weren’t dense, and I could see patches of golden skin between them.
Messy, rich brown hair had been slicked back casually, and he dragged his hand through it again as I approached them. It was very obvious that he wasn’t a local guy. If he had been, even old Mildred would’ve had her panties in a twist over him, and I hadn’t even seen his face yet.
I wondered why Jessie wouldn’t have told me about her new beau, but I knew there would be a reason. It being a surprise didn’t make me any less happy for her. Jessie deserved all the happiness a fairy-tale romance could offer her. I just hoped this guy knew I’d bite him in the shin—repeatedly—if he hurt her.
Jessie lifted her gaze away from his as she leaned back in her chair, and her eyes almost drifted past mine before they snapped back. Her lips parted, and I saw her chest expand as she sucked in a breath. She looked surprised to see me, but not necessarily in a good way.
I’d been in the process of forming a smile when I suddenly realized what her reaction was all about. The guy she was having dinner with turned to see what she was looking at, and when I finally saw his face, I swore my heart stopped beating for a few seconds.
William. My lips breathed his name, and as if saying it while looking at him had spoken new life into the organ, my heart kicked back in and raced like it was trying to make up for lost time.
Our eyes met and my footsteps faltered. God, how is it possible that he still has this effect on me after all these years?
I’d never experienced a physical reaction to any man but him. My heart and feet were the first of my body parts to get the message, but my palms soon realized they were behind and immediately rectified the situation by turning clammy.
Even my knees joined the party, turning weak at the mere sight of him. My brain seemed to be on the fritz. I knew it was him, and I knew it was Jessie, but I couldn’t quite connect the dots about why he was here.
Those sea-green eyes reminded me of afternoons spent laughing, walking on the beach, and having picnics on the hill. It felt like half my childhood memories involved seeing those eyes whenever I turned around. William had always been there. A steady presence, a good friend, and, eventually, my first love.
That thought triggered a hundred memories of what those eyes looked like when he was hovering over me, looking at me like the world would end if he didn’t get inside me. They used to light up with unholy fire that made me burn for him.
There were traces of that boy I’d known in the man looking at me now. An undeniable familiarity.
But his features had also matured over time, turning the softer face of a pretty boy into the sharp features of a handsome man. His jawline looked like it could cut glass now, and it was covered in dark stubble that told me he’d gone from needing to shave a few times a week to every day.
There was a popular actor he got compared to regularly, but since my brain seemed to be misfiring by having those eyes back on mine, I couldn’t for the life of me think of his name. The point was that there was a definite resemblance between the two men, and it drove home the fact that this William might have a similar face to my Will, but this guy was famous. He was successful in freaking Hollywood and probably had that other guy’s number in his phone.