“It wasn’t just Europe.” She walks over and puts the glass bowl in the sink, running water to rinse it. “We were going to go to Australia, Thailand, New Zealand, Fiji…”
“And then everything changed when your aunt died and you inherited this place… and Coco and the cakes…” She nods, and I hold my breath, hoping she isn’t taking this wrong. “I don’t want to change. I still want to do all the things we said we would do. The things I’ve been working toward.”
“So who says you can’t?”
My lips twitch, and I think about it. “It’s a fair question. I guess maybe I’m just worried if I get too attached, I’ll never leave.”
“Afraid you’ll want to settle down in Oceanside and start having babies?”
One of Coco’s toys is on the table in front of me. It’s one of the play-dough molds she uses when she pretends to be making cakes like her mother. With a little flash of surprise, I realize my best friend is exactly right. Only it’s not something I’m afraid of. It’s a real thought I’ve had the last few times Chad and I have been together, starting with last night when he slipped between my thighs condom-free.
I’m on birth control, of course, but I still had the thought of a chubby, dark-haired baby in my arms—and I liked it. A lot.
This morning it freaked me out.
It freaked me out again in his cruiser.
I’m falling for him.
Majorly.
“It’s way too soon for that.” My voice is a firm protest, a wake-up call. “I said no more relationships after Travis, and I meant it. Besides, I barely even know the guy.”
“Oh, please.” Emberly’s mixing up a deep red batter now. “He’s been in Oceanside a year. Robbie trusts him more than anybody. He’s André’s best friend. He checks on Daisy and me every day. We all know him. Chad is not Travis, Tabby. He’s a great guy.”
He is.
“Still…” I turn the toy over in my hand. “Even the perfect ones can break their promises, break your heart, go off and leave you. Then where are your dreams?”
The room is quiet. She stops stirring, and I’m afraid to look up.
I’m talking about Jackson. Her first love, who she thought she would marry. I remember vividly how they looked at each other, how serious they were. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other. I thought it was real.
Then he left and never came back. No word. No explanation. It almost broke her completely.
My voice is so quiet, it’s barely above a whisper. “I can’t let that happen to me.”
Emberly begins to stir again, still not speaking. I brave a glance at her face, and I see her cheeks are pink. I feel like a dog, and I hop off the stool, rushing over to where she is and putting my hands on her waist, my chin on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t say it to hurt you.”
She gives the batter a few more stirs before setting the bowl down with a thud. “You’ve never hurt me.”
Her hands are on my wrists, and she takes them off her waist, turning so she can meet my eyes. “Chad is also not Jackson. Don’t borrow my pain as an excuse to be alone. Anyway, my dream is right here. Look at it.” She opens her hands in an arc, gesturing to the shabby-chic old place she’s slowly turning into a legitimate small business. “I’m almost there. All we need is more customers.”
Nodding I look down. “You’re right. You’ve never given up, and it’s going to happen.”
“I believe it will.” She reaches for my hand, turning it so she can see my wrist—only today I’ve got layers of bracelets covering both.
“What’s this?” Her brow furrows, and she looks up at me. “You never cover your tattoo… Oh! What happened?”
Her voice goes loud, her eyes huge, and I cringe as I try to ease my bruised wrists out of her hands. “It’s nothing. Just a little accident.”
“It looks like… handcuffs?” Her expression morphs into excited surprise, and her voice goes louder. “Did Chad put handcuffs on you? Tabitha Green! You kinky hooker!”
“Stop. It’s really nothing—”
The bell over the door dings, and we both spin around like we’ve been busted doing something wrong. As if by cosmic fate it’s my uncle walking in with Wyatt Jones right behind him.