One Lavender Ribbon (38 page)

“I don’t see how.”

Sammie leaned back, stretching her arms out at her sides and resting them on the couch pillows. “Tell me something: Why did you break it off with Will?”

No psychoanalysis, please
. It wasn’t something she could explain in an instant.

“So you wouldn’t get hurt, right?” Sammie filled in for her, tipping the palm of one hand up toward the ceiling.

“To super simplify it, yes, I guess.” Adrienne didn’t want to talk about this. She’d redirected the subject a dozen times with Sammie, and she could do it again.

“But you failed. You’re already hurt. You’re in love with him, Adrienne. Don’t you think that deserves a chance? Isn’t it worth fighting for?”

But Adrienne didn’t want to fight. She simply wanted to exist and enjoy life and not have to watch her back. She couldn’t blame Sammie for what she was trying to do, In fact, she loved her for it. But it was a dead issue. She wouldn’t risk the betrayal. And that’s exactly what it was. A betrayal.

Slowly, she shook her head. “Is it worth it? Probably to most people.” She stood up from her chair and moved toward the edge of the room.

Sammie turned on the couch to keep her in view.

“But not to me.” Adrienne went into the kitchen for a few minutes, then returned with a glass of water and two aspirin.

Sammie sighed and took them from her.

It was a setup. Adrienne knew it. She’d sensed it coming and knew exactly how she would respond. Sara was on the other end of the telephone line, bubbling about the wedding plans and the honeymoon and all the fun that accompanied the special day. Sara had lost seven pounds, which she was now spouting off about. She talked about cutting down on red meat and blah, blah, blah. Adrienne brushed a hand through her hair, the recipient of her own disgust. Why couldn’t she just put her feelings aside and be happy for the two without feeling sorry for herself?

“Anyway,” Sara crooned, “I need you to come with me and Pops and Will. We’re going to have brunch at the Naples Elite Beach Resort. We need to finalize everything for the rehearsal, ceremony, and reception.” Sara continued her spiel about healthy eating.

Adrienne leaned her head against the living room wall. She’d go, of course. She had to. She wouldn’t disappoint Pops and Sara for anything. It was just so hard to be around Will. Of course, it was hard not to be around him, as well. Though over two months had passed since the birthday party, Adrienne still found herself thinking about him on a daily basis. She heaved an angry breath forcing him from her thoughts. Again.

“Are you all right, dear?” Sara asked, evidently concerned.

“Oh.” She snapped to attention, not wanting the older woman to know how uncomfortable these situations made her. “Yes, great. I would love to go along. I’ve heard so much about the brunch at the Naples Elite.”

“We’ll pick you up Saturday morning around ten.”

“Oh,
this
Saturday,” she scrambled. “I have some errands to do, so I’ll just meet you there.”

“All right,” Sara replied. “Thank you again, Adrienne.”

But she didn’t feel deserving of thanks or appreciation of any kind.

She just felt trapped.

By the time Saturday morning arrived, Will had changed his mind three times about what he would wear to brunch. After trying a dress shirt and linen pants once more, he opted for a polo shirt and jeans. Adrienne seemed to always comment on how good he looked in jeans.
This is stupid,
he told himself
. As if a magic pair of pants is going to make her fall in love with you.

The host escorted them to their table, but Will wasn’t hungry. His stomach was a tight wad of nerves that made food seem repulsive. He sat so that he could watch the door. When she entered, his heart started pounding.

A filmy white sundress floated around her hips. Tall wedge sandals elongated her legs, highlighting the muscle tone in her slender calves. Her skin was a little darker, and the dark hair that feathered across her shoulders moved as she stepped. She was stunning.

Adrienne reached the table and hugged Pops first, then Sara. Turning to Will, she stepped around the table and gave him a courtesy hug as well. He breathed deeply, her scent, her life force—everything about her surged into his system.

“Good to see you, Will.”

“You as well.” He tried to sound casual, but, in a word, he was bankrupt. Completely and utterly bankrupt. Would he ever get over this woman? No. And honestly, he didn’t want to. He had told his father that he would never give up on Adrienne. And he meant it. He still meant it. Seeing her again—after their little sticky-hot moment at Sammie’s—just solidified his commitment. There was no other woman in the world for him. She was it. She was everything.

They ate overlooking the bay. Outside, the water glistened in anticipation of the cruisers, fishing boats, and clippers beginning to set sail. Sea spray reached upward to cool the sun-heated deck. Its overspray salted the restaurant window.

Pops and Sara were going to be wed at this very hotel. Will’s folks were coming home for it, and all should be right in the world. If only he had the woman he loved where she should be. In his arms, at his side.

He stole glances at Adrienne. She was unreadable, untraceable as she chatted about the remodel and the upcoming wedding. She had successfully buried whatever was going on in her mind beneath a friendly—albeit steel-hard—smile. From all outward appearances, she was having a great time visiting with Pops and Sara and even him, for that matter. Which ticked him off. She shouldn’t be all casual and elegant and happy when he was being leveled inside. Each laugh, each flicker of her lashes, pounded away at him like a wrecking ball against a condemned building.

Disappointment stabbed his chest. They’d had something special, something unique, but she must be over him. Whatever they had shared—powerful as it may have been at the time—seemed gone. Then again, Adrienne Carter was a complex woman, one that could not easily be read by outward signs. A woman with layers. When Pops and Sara left the table to walk out to the balcony, a thick silence stretched between them.

“Thanks for coming,” he blurted.

She smiled. “I wouldn’t have missed it.”

“It means a lot to Pops and Sara.” His hands were sweating. “And I’m glad I got to see you.”

Her eyes came to meet his across the table. “Will, for Pops and Sara’s sake, I hope things can be . . . ” She fumbled for the right words, then continued, “congenial between us.”

Congenial. The word dropped into the pit of his stomach and gnawed. So that was it. Where he stood with the woman he loved. The world around darkened, leaving only a tiny pinprick of light. “Okay, if you think that’s best for now.” Was he agreeing with her? No. It wasn’t best. Now or ever. What was best was for him to spend the rest of his life with this woman. But Adrienne couldn’t be pushed. She’d spent too many years being pushed by people, and he never, ever wanted to be lumped into that group. She had to reach the right conclusion on her own. Simply, it was out of his hands. But he also wouldn’t let her lie to herself. That’s what she was doing. His eyes drilled into her.

Her gaze on him was strong, sure, but when she blinked, the first crack emerged, then another. Her shoulders dropped a tiny degree, and there it was, the old fire pushing, tearing its way to the surface—just like it had at the coffee shop.

This was his chance. Will leaned in and trapped her, meeting her forced certainty with a dose of his own. “Is that what you really want?”

She swallowed but held his gaze. “It is.” Then she blinked several times and looked away.

There was a flash, something in her eyes. He saw the lie. Her heart betrayed her, brilliant as a neon sign. For now, that would have to do. All he knew was that he’d never give up on her. That tiny spark let him know there was a chance. Slim, but a chance nonetheless. Even if it was only a seed.

“I guess your remodel is almost done?”

“Almost finished.” She seemed grateful for the change of topic. Adrienne sipped her coffee.

“It’s been a long project, hasn’t it?”

She nodded, looking over to the large bay window where Pops and Sara stood holding hands, watching seagulls dance and tip their wings into the wind searching for breakfast.

“What next?”

“I’m going to sell it.” She attempted to sound casual, but there was a finality in her tone. “I may be moving. I’ve applied to a cooking school in Tallahassee.”

For a moment, he couldn’t speak. The thought of her leaving the area had never occurred to him. How could he convince her they should be together if she wasn’t even here? Cold lightning blasted into his chest. “I didn’t know. Does Pops know this?”

“No one knows yet,” she admitted. “Well, my real estate agent and now you.”

His mind swam in a murky pool. “They’re going to be disappointed. They care so much for you.”

“I care for them too.”

Again, her eyes were telling a different story than her words. She didn’t just care for them, she loved them like family. Her heart wasn’t pleased with this decision, and he fought to offer reasons why she shouldn’t go. “You have friends here. Sammie.” It was a pathetic attempt. But he had to try something.

She nodded. “Well, if the house sells quickly, I’ll have enough money to get into the school and rent an apartment. I’ve put all of my divorce settlement into the house, so I need to sell it to move on.”

He stared at her, and heat crawled up his neck.

Adrienne rolled her eyes. “
If
I get accepted.”

Her amused detachment caused more than a little concern. He told her she had friends and all she could say was “If the house sells quickly, I’ll have enough money to get into the school”? This was all wrong, and he wasn’t hiding his panic well.

She noticed, chewed her lip, and tapped her coffee cup absently with her fingernail. “It’s not that I’m
trying
to leave here, but that’s where the school is located. Since I already have a business degree, I could open a catering business.” Her eyes dropped again. “I’ve always been interested in that.”

“I, uh, hope it works out for you, Adrienne,” he managed, but his voice cracked. There was little sincerity in his words. Things were quickly spiraling out of control, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it, wasn’t a thing he could do about her because of everything Adrienne needed, independence topped the list.

When Pops and Sara returned, they discussed final arrangements concerning the wedding. Adrienne pulled a small notebook from her bag. “Since the wedding is at three o’clock on Saturday, the hotel wondered if we could do the rehearsal on Friday morning. It works better with their schedule, and I thought it would be good to get it done and have the afternoon to rest before the big day.”

Pops and Sara agreed, but Will’s mind was far away. He’d been little help in this meeting, and though feeling useless, he couldn’t seem to shake it.

After another thirty minutes of chatter, Adrienne slammed her notebook shut. “I think that’s it!”

The four of them left the restaurant, Will, Pops, and Sara heading to Will’s car and Adrienne getting into her car. After shutting Sara’s door, Will rested his hand on the hood and watched as the woman he loved pulled out of the parking lot, the
flash, flash, flash
of her turn signal reminding him that she was headed in the opposite direction. Away from the people she loved. Away from him.