Perfect Stranger (Serendipity's Finest 2.50)

“I gave her notice. My assistant is capable and ready to take over. She’ll be fine.”

“You’ll cause a rift between the families,” her mother pushed on.

Nicole stiffened, not missing the irony. Growing up, she’d sought her parents’ approval and attention by being good and kind and perfect—without success. But now, when she no longer cared what her family thought of her choices, she’d accomplished her goal. Her mother was here, paying attention to her life, begging her to help them.

“The Stantons won’t hold my choices against you.”

“Nicole!”

“No. Stop it. I told you before. I am not going back to Tyler. I don’t love him. I should have realized it long before now.” And the reasons why she hadn’t were glaringly obvious in light of her mother’s callous disregard of her daughter’s feelings.

She’d desperately wanted someone to love and approve of her, and Tyler, unlike her parents, had been kind and caring. He paid attention to her and he’d given her everything she’d yearned for in her emotionally deprived life. Unfortunately, Nicole had mistaken her gratitude toward him for love, and she’d hurt Tyler in the process.

It had taken her sister’s downward spiral and Nicole’s resulting meeting with a sexy small-town cop to point out to her exactly what she didn’t feel for her then-fiancé. Desire, excitement, the pounding of her heart every time he was near. She’d settled for less every minute of her childhood. She couldn’t bring herself to do it in marriage.

Nicole realized her mother was still staring at her with frustration and disappointment in her expression.

“It’s better I made the decision now than after the wedding,” Nicole told her.

Marian huffed. “Just when did I teach you that fairy tales come true?” she asked in disgust.

Nicole met her mother’s gaze. “You never did.”

Without so much as a word, not good luck or even good-bye, her mother turned and stormed out the door.

Nicole swallowed the lump in her throat. Her mother hadn’t changed in all of Nicole’s twenty-eight years. But Nicole had. With this move, she wasn’t looking for some improbable happy ending. All she wanted—no, craved—was a life of her own that fulfilled her dreams and desires, not those of her impossible-to-please family.

So she was heading to the one place where she’d found a sense of peace despite the insanity—no pun intended—that had brought her to the sleepy upstate town. She hoped that once there, she’d figure out the right thing to do about the information she’d stumbled over.

Nicole was ready for Serendipity. She just hoped the people in Serendipity were ready for her.

* * *

One of the things Nicole liked about Serendipity was its old-fashioned charm. Where else could you find a diner-slash-restaurant named The Family Restaurant? After spending the morning moving into her new apartment over Joe’s Bar, she decided to eat dinner out and go food shopping tomorrow.

She sat at the counter, happy to just soak in the atmosphere, and had just finished a delicious plate of meat loaf and mashed potatoes when a dark-haired woman approached her from behind the counter.

“Wait. I know you,” the woman said, her gaze narrowing.

Nicole met the other woman’s concerned stare, well aware of the reason for the worry in her eyes. The one thing that had concerned Nicole about moving here was being mistaken for her twin. But the pull of the small town had been strong, and despite Victoria’s actions, people here hadn’t judged Nicole, at least not once she’d tried desperately to help them find her twin.

Nicole wanted to give them the same benefit of the doubt. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“I’m Macy Donovan. Occasional hostess, waitress, you name it. My family owns the restaurant. Aren’t you—”

“Nicole Farnsworth,” she chimed in quickly.

“So you’re not Victoria? The psychopath who—”

“No,” Nicole said, cutting her off before she could elaborate on Victoria’s crimes. When her sister went off her medication, anything could happen—and had. “She’s my twin.”

Macy’s cheeks turned red in embarrassment. “Sorry, but she hurt a friend of mine and . . . Never mind.”

Nicole winced. “I expected to deal with the fallout if I moved here.”

Macy raised her eyebrows. “And yet you decided to settle in Serendipity?”

“Yes, I did.” She squared her shoulders, intending to communicate to Macy Donovan that not only was she sure of her decision but she wasn’t about to be bullied because of her sister’s illness. Her twin was in a criminal mental health facility, living with the consequences of her actions.