Some Kind of Wonderful (Puffin Island 2)
“I know what happened, Zach. I was there.” In pieces. Broken. “And I had plenty to say at the time. Unfortunately you weren’t there to hear it.”
“I’m here now.”
“And now I don’t care.”
“Seems to me that if you didn’t care, you’d be accepting my offer of a lift to the hospital.”
“Maybe I prefer to take a cab and go on the ferry.”
His gaze held hers. “Yeah, that makes total sense. Why accept a twenty-minute journey when you could make it last four hours? The offer stays open. If you change your mind, call me.”
“Goodbye, Zach.”
She closed the door after him and stomped around the kitchen, crashing plates as she cleared the mess.
She’d spent so long putting the whole thing behind her. Moving on. She’d rationalized it and learned from it. On a good day she could look back on it with humor. The bad days she ignored. Either way, it was in her past.
But now he’d shoved it into her present.
He’d ripped off all the new layers she’d built over the hurt. It was like demolishing a building right down to the foundations.
And what the hell was it all about?
Why was he offering to fly her to the hospital?
Confused and unsettled, she paced the kitchen and back again, trying to find the calm she so desperately needed. Instead her insides churned and boiled like the ocean threatening a storm.
She had no idea what to do with all the emotions inside her.
As far as she could see, there was only one way to fix this and it wasn’t a casserole.
She needed emergency help from her friends.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“ARE THESE GREEK OLIVES?” Skylar reached out slender fingers and popped one in her mouth. “Mmm. Kalamata. So good. There’s a tiny deli near my workshop that sells them marinated in garlic and oregano. I’m addicted. How many jars did you bring home?”
“Four, including that one.” Hampered by having only one hand, Brittany handed the wine to Emily. The arrival of her friends had relieved some of the tension that had threatened to explode inside her. “You’ll have to open this, it’s one of the many tasks that are near impossible one-handed.”
“Not being able to open a bottle of wine by yourself constitutes a life crisis.” Skylar tilted her head. “If you clamp it between your thighs, you should be able to twist off the cap with your good hand.”
“I can think of better things to clamp between my thighs. And it’s simpler to ask Emily. What are friends for if not to open wine?”
“To help you drink it.” Skylar held out her glass. “Fill it up. I need it after the week I’ve had. Richard is stressed out. Understandable given that the elections are only a few months away. It’s going to be very close. It makes him short-tempered so I’m walking on eggshells most of the time.” Something in her tone set off alarm bells in Brittany’s head.
She glanced at Emily who gave a brief shake of her head and filled the glasses.
Making a mental note to quiz Emily later, Brittany let Sky’s remark go without further comment. “So what’s new in the world of Tempest Designs?”
“My whole life is focused on my exhibition in December.” Sky slid off her pumps and flexed her toes. “It will feel weird being in London so close to Christmas.”
“You and Richard can turn it into a romantic break.”
“He’s not sure he can make it. If he wins, he’ll be busy. And it’s the holidays of course.”
“But it’s your big moment.” Emily put her glass down slowly. “Surely he wants to be there.”
“I wouldn’t mind that much if he couldn’t make it. He’ll spend the whole time on the phone anyway and he’s not at his best when he isn’t the center of attention.” Skylar turned her head and sniffed. “Something smells good. What are you feeding us?”