Some Kind of Wonderful (Puffin Island 2) - Page 26
Brittany contemplated swinging her good arm and decided she didn’t want to be arrested on her first proper day back on the island. “Or it means we were both too young to be married.”
“You were young.” Mel leaned against the aisle, settling in for a long chat. “And to think we were all jealous, because you were the one who caught his eye. We all wanted Zach to be our first. Who wouldn’t? The man was sex on a stick. I still remember the rumors about just how good he was in the bedroom.” She looked at Brittany expectantly, clearly waiting for confirmation and juicy details.
“Nice meeting up with you again, Mel.” She snatched toothpaste and shampoo without looking at the brand and headed to the checkout.
“I’ll ring those up for you.” Suddenly efficient, Mel walked behind the counter. “Zach comes in here sometimes so if you’re looking to avoid him, just send me a text and I can warn you if he’s here. You won’t want to be anywhere near the man.”
“I don’t need warning and I’m not trying to avoid him. I’m just trying to live my life.” And that was turning out to be a thousand times harder than she’d expected. She was tempted to abandon her purchases and run. “But thank you for caring.”
“Thought it might be awkward, what with you making such a giant fool of yourself and all. Throwing in college, marrying the man. You always were a romantic, and so in love with him. Which just goes to prove that even smart people can be stupid when it comes to love.”
“I don’t think—”
“If it were me, I might have forgiven the fact he hadn’t bought me a ring.” Mel bagged up the purchases. “I’m not sure I’d have been so forgiving if a man had left me after my wedding night.”
Great. No doubt the whole island had been speculating that Brittany Forrest was bad in bed.
“It wasn’t my wedding night.”
“Oh, that’s right, he waited ten nights.” She gave Brittany a knowing look and Brittany waited for her to voice the implication hovering in the air.
Ten nights to see if she would improve and when she hadn’t, he’d walked.
Was that what they were all saying?
It horrified her to think of people talking about it and speculating about something so personal.
“I appreciate your concern and deep interest in my life, Mel, but it was a long time ago.”
“He’s still sexy as hell, though. And now he has money. No one knows exactly how he came by it, of course, but who cares?” Mel sighed and stared dreamily out the window, her feelings for Zach visible on her face.
Brittany frowned. “I would care, but I don’t think for a moment that he—”
“The way he flew that little girl through that storm when she was sick and no one else would? There’s a touch of a hero inside him. I’ve always said that what he needs is the right woman.” It was obvious she thought she might be that woman. “I mean, he’s single and all, and I’m guessing you’re not interested.” She eyed Brittany closely, looking for visual signs of inner trauma, and Brittany held her gaze and her temper.
“I’m not interested, Mel. He’s all yours. I moved on a long time ago.”
But it seemed no one else had.
Apparently it wasn’t just with Zach that she had to keep up the pretense that she didn’t care, it was with most of the island.
“If you change your mind about me texting you when he’s in town, just let me know. He’s living over at Camp Puffin, but I expect you already know that.”
N
o, she hadn’t known that. She hadn’t got as far as wondering where he was living.
As long as it wasn’t next door to her, she didn’t care.
She was already exhausted and she’d been home less than twenty-four hours.
Ignoring Brittany’s silence, Mel decided this was information that needed to be disclosed. “Seems Philip Law is helping him out again, like he always does. Zach showed up here a couple of months ago, bold as brass. Flew his plane in, didn’t explain himself to anyone.”
“Why would he need to explain? He’s like a son to them.”
“Molly Noakes told me they hadn’t heard from him in months. Then one day he just shows up like he has a perfect right to be here.”
“He does have a perfect right to be here. Puffin Island isn’t private.”
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