Jilted Read online

  “What am I going to do?”

  Jen turned and must have caught a glimpse of her tail because she started chasing it.

  “I’m not sure what you’re trying to tell me, other than chasing after love seems like a futile endeavor.” He pulled back the covers and got out of bed. “Come on, let’s go check on Mrs. Coventry.”

  Mrs. Coventry pushed the bowl of plain Greek yogurt with almond slivers and flaxseed toward him. “Dear boy, I’m not sure you’ve noticed but I’m not a horse.” She was from the South and pronounced dear as “deah.”

  They sat at the outside table under the awning. She’d just finished a swim in her lap pool and wore a cover-up over her bathing suit. A wide-brimmed straw hat and giant sunglasses hid most of her small face. The house, perched at the top of the northern slope, looked out to the Pacific. Today, both sky and sea were a vibrant blue.

  “It’s good for you,” he said without looking up from his tablet where he was reading the latest Architectural Digest. Jen rested near his feet, having worn herself out chasing the malicious squirrel that teased her mercilessly. She would never catch the creature, but Jen was not one to give up easily. He’d tried to tell her about the futility of the same chase every day, but this was a dog who chased her own tail, so the lesson didn’t go far.

  “Whatever happened to my poached egg and buttered sourdough toast?” Mrs. Coventry asked in her Southern drawl. “The breakfast I had every day for fifty years. The breakfast my dear, departed husband fixed for me without complaint?”

  “Your cholesterol, remember?” He glanced up at her. Seeing himself distorted in the curvature of her sunglasses’ lenses, he looked rather like a horse.

  “You’re the one with the cholesterol.” She patted her bony shoulder. “I’m as fit as a twenty-year-old.”

  “Dr. Waller said you need to put some weight on. Almonds have the good kind of fat.”

  “Living with you is rather tedious.” She picked up her spoon and took a bite, then made a face as though she’d just taken a dose of strychnine. “This is dreadful. Truly.”

  He ignored her and went back to his article while scooping some yogurt from his bowl and into his mouth.

  “I’m not eating this. I’m on strike,” she said. “I’ll give it to Jen. She’ll eat anything.”

  He waved his now-empty spoon at her. “She’s already had her breakfast.”

  She let out a dramatic sigh and tilted her head toward the sky. “How I loved that toast dripping with butter. The bread just melted in my mouth. My husband knew how to treat a lady.”

  “He was sleeping with you, so he wasn’t thinking straight.”

  “What’s the matter with you this morning?” Mrs. Coventry lowered her sunglasses and peered at him with her sharp eyes. “You’re as grumpy as a bear.”

  “I’m fine.”

  She narrowed her eyes and slid the sunglasses from her face. “Something’s wrong.” She tapped the glasses against the palm of one hand. “Let me see if I can figure this mystery out.” Her eyes sparkled in a way that perfectly matched her mocking tone. “Oh yes, that’s right. You were with Sophie last night. Something happened.”

  How in the world did she know that? He couldn’t even remember mentioning his plans. He must have let it slip. It was never good to tell Mrs. Coventry anything you didn’t want her to remember. The woman had a mind like a vault.

  “What did you do?” She raised one thin eyebrow. “Did you finally give in and do what you’ve been wanting to do since the day you met her?”

  A string of silent curse words pitched through his mind. This woman was too smart. He ran a hand over the top of his head, still damp from his workout. “I’m not proud of it. At all.”

  “Glory be, did you finally take her to bed? Shall I pop the champagne?”

  He made a sound similar to Jen’s bark when confronted with a dog she disliked. “Of course not. I told you she’s off-limits. I kissed her and then ran away.”

  “Why is she off-limits exactly?” Her drawl elongated each vowel. Usually he found it endearing. Right now, a prickle of annoyance tickled the back of his throat.

  “You know why.” They’d discussed this at length.

  “Her age. How a man could resist that gorgeous young woman is beyond me. Do you suppose there’s something wrong with you?”

  “Very funny.”

  “No, I’m quite serious. I’ve never met a man who could resist a young woman. In fact, many make absolute asses of themselves by marrying a woman half their age after the first poor wife is cast aside.”

  “That’s not me.”

  “I have more than one friend who supported their idiot husbands during several lean decades only to be left for younger women. But that’s not the case here. Sophie’s not half your age. Twelve years is nothing.” She picked up her glasses and shook them at him. “Which is why I believe this has everything to do with your poor self-esteem. I hate to be the one to say it, especially as a feminist, but I blame your mama.”

  Under the table, Jen laid her chin on his bare foot.

  Dogs and plants. So much easier to deal with than women.

  “How was it? The kiss,” she asked.

  He closed his eyes and muttered under his breath. “Like the best thing I’ve ever felt.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake. Why must you torture yourself? It’s not only her age, is it?”

  “Fine. What do you want me to say? I’m not good enough for her. It’s not like that’s a secret.”

  “And you’re afraid she’ll realize that eventually.”

  “Something like that,” he said.

  She reached across the table and patted his arm. “The lies your mother told you about yourself are just that—lies. You’re a better man than you believe yourself to be. Perhaps it’s time to see yourself as Sophie sees you.”

  Jen licked his toe. Apparently, she agreed with Mrs. Coventry.

  They were wrong. He would stay away from Sophie from here on. Out of sight, out of mind.

  Right.

  4

  Sophie

  * * *

  A month later, Sophie dried a glass behind the counter at The Oar. Her brother, Zane, was beside her, filling out a liquor order. She stretched the damp towel into a rope and turned slowly toward him.

  “Why are you looking at me like you want to wrap that around my neck?” Zane asked. He wore his usual uniform of board shorts and a Dog’s Brewery T-shirt.

  “Because I want to.” She tightened her grip on the towel.

  “What did I do?” His wavy blond hair was slightly unruly, and there were dark shadows under his eyes. Sebastian was teething and had kept him up all night. Her anger almost subsided but not quite. She would get the truth out of him today.

  “You’re an interfering, bullheaded prig. And don’t try to deny it.”

  “Pardon me?”

  She hadn’t seen or heard from Nico in a month, other than a glimpse of the back of his head one night while she was tending bar. In the days since their kiss, she’d tried to talk herself into accepting that she’d been wrong about their connection. However, when she learned from Trey that Zane had warned Nico to stay away from her, she had new insight into the situation.

  “I’m now privy to your little talk with Nico.”

  “What talk?” He widened his eyes, all innocent. He couldn’t fool her.

  “You should be ashamed of yourself. Threatening the man.”

  “I didn’t threaten him exactly.” Zane looked up at the ceiling. Sure sign of guilt.

  “You did.”

  Her bartender, Bobby, came in from the back, tying his apron around his waist. An aging surfer with a gray ponytail and a tattoo that read “4:20” on the back of his wrist, he was reliable and easy with the customers. In fact, she’d never seen him flustered once since the beginning of tourist season. He could cut a drunk patron off, escort them into an Uber, and make them think it was all their idea.

  She greeted him with a friendly sm
ile. “I’m going to talk with Zane in the back for a few minutes. The sprinkler guy is coming by to check that the new system is working. Will you grab me when he gets here?” They’d had a new system installed at the beginning of the summer, and the company wanted to make sure everything was working as it should.

  “You got it, boss.” Bobby’s mouth curved into a lazy smile.

  They walked together to the back office. Zane flopped in the chair behind the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s going on between you and this Nico person anyway?”

  Sophie closed the door and leaned against it. His agitation was actually amusing. For a man who’d spent most of his life as an only child, he’d certainly embraced his big brother role. “What’s it to you?”

  “I told him to stay away from you. I’m wondering if the guy has trouble with directions.”

  “Why would you do that?” Sophie’s fists balled at her sides. “He’s the nicest guy in the world.”

  “I disagree.”

  “What evidence do you have of that?” She crossed her arms over her chest in a mimic of his own.

  Zane grimaced as he unfolded his arms to drape onto the desk. “He’s a man. There are no nice men when it comes to their intentions with a beautiful woman. Or in your case, a girl.”

  “I’m hardly a girl,” she said.

  “You’re my little sister.”

  “Your sister is a fully legal adult. Did you really threaten him physically?”

  “What? No, nothing like that. I merely pointed out that you’re twenty-two years old and he’s thirty-four. In case he didn’t see the problem with the math, I wanted to make it crystal clear.”

  “You had no right to do that.” Her throat started to ache at the injustice of it all. “You’ve ruined my chances by threatening the man I’m crazy about.”

  “I didn’t threaten him. I talked to him.”

  “Does Honor know you did this?” she asked.

  He stared at her with a stony expression. “My wife…does not know. No, she mostly certainly does not.”

  Sophie laughed despite her irritation. “Right. Because she’d have your hide if she knew you messed with the guy I’m in love with.”

  “In love with?” He shook his head as though she were some silly little girl who didn’t know her own mind. “You’re not in love with him.”

  She stuck out her chin and moved closer to the desk in a move that she hoped translated as both aggression and self-confidence. “I am.”

  “Sophie, he’s way too old for you, and he’s kind of a loser. The guy doesn’t even have his own house. He can’t take care of you.”

  “Oh my God. Can’t take care of me? Since when do I need a man to take care of me? If Honor could hear you right now, she’d banish you to the couch for a month.”

  He rolled his eyes. “My wife doesn’t tell me what’s what.”

  Sophie laughed again. Harder this time. “Good one.”

  “Anyway, that’s beside the point. He’s too old for you. You’re barely out of high school.”

  “I’m a college graduate who runs a business and gave birth to your son.”

  He sighed and closed his eyes as if she were really trying his patience. “Sophie, you don’t have any experience with men. And you’re way too immature to be thinking about marriage.”

  “I’m not.” She tapped her temple. “In here, I’m a hundred years old.”

  “That’s part of the problem. You feel old because you’re wearing grown-up shoes when you should be like those kids out there.” He pointed toward the bar. “I should never have let you take on so much responsibility.”

  “I wanted this. I love this,” she said.

  “I feel guilty.”

  “Why are you changing the subject? Don’t try to distract me with this other stuff. You’re going to fix this with Nico. He needs the green light from you.”

  “I’m not fixing anything, Sophie Grace Woods.”

  “You’re not my father.”

  “Our father would never approve of you dating a man twelve years your senior. Especially when you’re, you know, a…” He trailed off.

  “A virgin?”

  Her brother had the decency to blush a deep pink. “Right. I can’t help but think we’ve robbed you of your young adulthood.”

  The stricken look on his face softened her, rubbed away a few of the angry edges. “I’m exactly where I want to be. I love the bar and the brewery. I love my nephew, and I’m proud I was able to help you and Honor have Sebastian. You know that.”

  “And we’re grateful beyond measure.”

  “I know. And, like the idea of Nico and me as a couple, we had to convince you that having me be your surrogate was a good idea.” Honor had had a hysterectomy for health reasons when she was a teenager. Even though she didn’t have any eggs because of an early hysterectomy, Honor had wanted part of their baby to come from Zane.

  Sophie was not one to give up on an idea just because it was hard. She’d known almost instantly the solution to their infertility issues. Her womb. Boom. Done.

  Although it had taken Sophie, Honor, and Zane’s best friends, the Dogs, to convince him, he’d finally come around. Sophie had been impregnated with an embryo made from Zane’s sperm and a donor egg. Nine months later, the perfect Sebastian Hugh was born.

  Oh, that baby. Honor said Sebastian reminded her of Zane and Sophie’s father, Hugh, both in personality and appearance. Sophie hadn’t had the privilege of being raised by Hugh Shaw. He was already lost to dementia by the time she and Zane had found each other. Hugh had passed away shortly after Sophie met him. All she had of him were the journal he’d left her and the stories from family and friends. The longer she lived in Cliffside Bay, the more convinced she became that Hugh Shaw had changed every resident’s life in one way or another.

  Zane glared at her. “Yes, I was reluctant. But now I can’t imagine life without Sebastian.”

  “None of us can. And you have me to thank for it.” She grinned, enjoying a little too much how her good humor agitated him further.

  “It’s made you want a baby of your own, and for that I’m sorry.”

  “You shouldn’t be. Having Sebastian made me aware of how much I want a husband and baby of my own. That’s nothing to be sorry about.”

  “You’re way too young for all that.” Zane was now shaking his head as if she were certifiable. He picked up one of those stress-reliever balls from the desk and squeezed it so hard she thought it might pop. “Did you sleep with Bentley?”

  “None of your business.” I want to be sleeping with him.

  She wondered if Sebastian would inherit his father’s bullheaded stubbornness along with his blue eyes.

  “What do you like about him so much anyway?” Zane asked.

  “He loves food, dogs, the beach, and wine.” The sap had rescued a little mutt named Jen when Sophie had asked him to come with her to find a dog. She’d come home dog-less and he’d ended up with Jen, who made him sneeze unless he took an allergy pill every morning. “To sum it up, he’s perfect for me. I just wish he agreed.”

  “You sound like a stalker,” Zane said.

  She waved her hands in the air as if she were smacking someone. “Do I need to remind you of the telescope you had pointed at Honor’s house?”

  Zane’s entire face and neck were now red instead of pink. “That wasn’t the same.”

  “It was totally the same. You two were friends. You were madly in love with her but couldn’t get the courage up to ask her out.”

  “We’d known each other for years. We know nothing about this Bentley guy other than he can plant a mean hanging flowerpot.”

  “Zane, I’m not Jubie. You don’t get to dictate what I do. I’m a grown woman, and if I want Nico, I’ll have him and you won’t say one word about it except, ‘I’m happy for you, Sophie.’”

  Zane threw up his hands. “If the guy really liked you, he would not have backed off just because I threatened to run him
out of town.”

  “So you did threaten him?”

  “Semantics.”

  Her eyes stung as she stared at her brother. The brother she’d never even known she had until two years ago. The brother she adored. The brother she’d love to throttle right at this moment.

  “You should let this go. Find a guy your own age. One who you can have fun with, like you’re supposed to when you’re in your early twenties.” His voice softened, obviously spotting the tears that welled in her eyes. “Okay now, don’t cry.”

  Too late. The tears spilled down her cheeks. She brushed them away, embarrassed. “We kissed. I know he feels the same tug I do. He just won’t admit it.”

  “Are you kidding me? Why’d he kiss you when he thinks you’re too young for him?” Zane’s eyes returned to snapping with fury.

  “He went all remorseful and self-hating the minute after he kissed me.”

  “Well, he should have.”

  They were interrupted when Bobby knocked on the door and poked his head through. “The sprinkler guy just called. He has to reschedule. His wife’s in labor.”

  “How exciting,” Sophie said. “I love babies.”

  Bobby winked and headed back down the hallway toward the bar.

  She stood in the now-open doorway and looked over at her brother’s stubborn face. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. If you or Nico think either of your reservations about my age or innocence or whatever else you two misguided fools have in your heads is going to stop an epic love story from unfolding, you’re both high. No one can outrun destiny.” She glanced at the clock above his obstinate head. “I have to go. Dinner rush is about to happen.”

  “Wait,” Zane said as he jerked up from his chair and came around to the front of the desk. He put his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry I interfered. I simply can’t stand the idea of you being hurt.”