Even though it was her day off, Nicole decided to dress up. Well, it wasn’t really that dressy. Not for Savannah anyway. The blue and white striped sundress would be over-the-top for her laid-back life back in Seattle, but as she slipped on her heeled sandals, she liked the feminine feeling this ensemble gave her. Sometimes it was nice to look like a girl. Since the weather forecast was for a very warm day today, a sundress seemed just the ticket.
“You look pretty,” Ryan told her as she came out of the house to meet him.
“Well, thank you.” She smiled at him. “I thought it might help Lori to buy our act.”
“Again, just for the record,” Ryan began as they walked out to his pickup, “I’m not trying to deceive Lori. That wouldn’t be right. But if she jumps to the wrong conclusion, well, that’s her problem. Right?”
“Right.” She waited as he opened the door for her. As she got into his pickup, she wondered at how quickly she’d gotten used to this kind of Southern chivalry. She also wondered if Peter had ever opened a car door for her. Not that she could recall. But it wasn’t as if she could blame Peter personally for that. Gentlemen were probably scarcer in the Pacific Northwest. Still, there were many ways that a guy like Peter couldn’t measure up to a guy like Ryan. It probably wasn’t even fair to compare them.
“Is something troubling you?” Ryan asked.
“What?”
“You just looked deep in thought, like you were bothered by something. Maybe you’d rather not go meet with Lori. I’d understand completely if—”
“No, no,” she said quickly. “To be honest, I was thinking about my ex-boyfriend.”
Ryan’s brows arched. “Oh? I guess I didn’t realize there was an ex-boyfriend. Although I’d be surprised if there wasn’t. Has he been an ex for long?”
“Sort of. We broke up in November.”
“How long had you been together?”
“Several years.”
“Was it a hard breakup?”
She thought about that. “Only on my pride.” She explained how Peter was a musician who was married more to his band than he ever could’ve been to her. “It didn’t take long for me to figure out that it really was for the best. But you know how old habits can be hard to break.”
“So were you missing him just now?”
“No, not at all.” She chuckled, embarrassed. “If you really want to know the truth, I was comparing Peter’s manners to yours. Sadly, he came up lacking. To be fair, well-brought-up Southern boys are much more gentlemanly than Seattle guys.”
“There are some who don’t think Southern manners are such a good thing. I know women who’d prefer an ill-mannered Seattle musician any day.”
“Like Amyra?”
“Now that you mention it, yes.”
“I can actually see that.” Nicole laughed. “Now how about you tell me a bit about Lori. I’ve already heard the negative stuff, thanks to Alex, but there must be something good about her. Otherwise he wouldn’t have married her, would he?”
“Hard to say—I mean, if Bernie hadn’t been a factor. But you’re right, Lori has some things going for her. Obviously she’s pretty. No one can deny that. She’s fairly intelligent, although she doesn’t always make the smartest choices. And she used to be a lot of fun. You know the type—life of the party. She could really light up a room if she wanted to. After my family got over the initial shock of the marriage, we all came to appreciate her. For the most part.”
“The most part?”
“Some of her parenting techniques bugged my mom. And I suppose their relationship began to deteriorate over the years. Little things, differences in values. Then Lori grew resentful when my parents refused to give them money for a bigger house. That made for a stressful Christmas.”
“I can imagine.”
“I’m predicting she’ll be on her best behavior for you. Or as my grandma used to say, so sweet that sugar wouldn’t melt in her mouth.” He laughed as he parked in front of the Coffee Bean Co. “Brace yourself.”
Nicole picked out the woman who had to be Lori even before they were inside. Standing at the counter, she looked like she was posing for a shampoo ad as she tossed her long, thick, shiny platinum hair over her shoulder. It was the kind of hair that made Nicole feel like her own locks were the color of dishwater. Even from the side, she could see that Lori’s face was beautiful and immaculately made up. Her perfect outfit looked expensive, showing off long legs and a great figure. Really, what would a guy not like? Besides her personality, perhaps.
As introductions were made, Lori, as Ryan had predicted, was in good form. “So you’re one of those vacation girls that the Graham boys used to spend their summers with.” She studied Nicole closely.
“Well, not whole summers. And our parents were there too,” Nicole said. “But we did have some fun times.” She nudged Ryan in a familiar way. “Ryan and I were always trying to keep up with Alex and my older sister, Katy. But those two usually left us in the dust.” She glanced at him for backup.
He laughed. “That’s right. They were either ditching us or picking on us. But if Alex bullied me, Nicole sometimes came to my rescue.” He slipped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a warm squeeze. “I’m not even sure if I ever thanked you for that before.” He looked into her eyes, sending an unexpected rush through her. “But I’m thanking you now.”
“I never liked him picking on you,” she confessed.
“Alex still picks on him sometimes.” Lori reached over to pat Ryan’s cheek. “I don’t like it much either.”
“Well, I was such a nerd.” Ryan chuckled. “I guess I was an easy target.” He pointed to an available table. “If you girls tell me your orders, I’ll get your coffees while y’all snag that table.”
Soon Nicole was sitting across from Lori and, to her embarrassment, staring. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to stare, but I couldn’t help it. You’re so beautiful. You could probably be a model.”
Lori beamed at her. “Well, you are too sweet for words. No wonder Ryan likes you so much.”
“We’ve been friends for a long time.”
Lori leaned forward. “What does Cassidy think of all this?”
Nicole didn’t know what to say. “Well, uh, Cassidy seemed very nice when I met her the other day.”
“Yes, and she’s always saying that she and Ryan are ‘just friends.’ But we all have had our doubts about that one.” Lori shook her head. “I’ll bet having you here will really stir things up. Cassidy might up and decide she wants to be more than just friends now. Better watch your back, girlfriend.”
Nicole bit her lip.
“But don’t you worry your head about that now. Honestly, I’ve always thought that if those two truly wanted to get married, they’d have done it a long time ago. You know what I mean?”
“I guess so.” To her relief Ryan was coming to their table now.
“You two getting acquainted?” he asked.
“Yes.” Lori nodded. “And I fully approve of her.”
Ryan smiled as he patted Nicole’s hand. “Well, that’s nice. I fully approve too. She’s doing a great job managing Mom’s gallery. I could hardly believe it when I heard she already sold several paintings.”
“Well, congratulations.”
“Speaking of the gallery, I have to sing your daughter’s praises,” Nicole said to Lori. “She’s been so helpful there.”
“She has?” Lori looked doubtful.
“Absolutely. She’s so mature for a thirteen-year-old. And smart too. I’ll show her how to do something and she doesn’t need to be shown again. I really will miss her.”
“I can hardly believe she’s that useful. She’s certainly not like that at home.”
“Well, you know how teens are,” Ryan said. “They save their best behavior for outside of the home.”
“I honestly don’t know what I’ll do without her.” Nicole sighed. “Especially if Amyra’s not around.”
“Don’t tell me you’re getting rid of Vampira?” Lori laughed. “It’s about time someone did.”
“Well, I was thinking about it. There have been some incidents that make me question her reliability.” Nicole frowned. “Still, it won’t be easy to get along without her if Bernie’s not around for backup, especially until I can hire someone else.” She glanced at Ryan. “But I also know that Amyra’s mom is pretty sick. I kind of hate to fire her under those circumstances. Seems a little heartless.”
They briefly discussed the Amyra situation—with Ryan speaking somewhat in Amyra’s defense and Lori recommending that Nicole show her the door.
“So how is the real estate business going, Lori?” Ryan segued the conversation. “You got your license now, right?”
“Yes.”
“Staying busy?”
“It’s really starting to pick up.” She told him about a commercial property she was working on.
“Is it difficult balancing your career with being a single mom?” Nicole asked.
Lori scowled. “A single mom with a rebellious teenage girl and a divorce pending with an absentee father? What’s so difficult about that?”
“Alex isn’t exactly absent,” Ryan said. “He just has to travel a lot for work.”
“Believe me, I know.”
“So are you worried about Bernie being left on her own so much?” Ryan’s tone was gentle and filled with concern. “I know that can’t be easy.”
Lori looked from Ryan to Nicole. “I know what y’all are thinking. That I’m being selfish to keep Bernie with me when we all know she’s dying to spend the summer at her grandparents’ house and working at the gallery. Right?”
“I wouldn’t use the word selfish,” Ryan said. “You’re Bernie’s mom. Why shouldn’t you want your daughter with you?”
“Well, I didn’t realize that Bernie was doing so well at the gallery.” She turned to Nicole. “You really need her there? You’re not just saying that?”
“I do need her.” Nicole nodded firmly. “She is very helpful.”
“I suppose it would be easier for her to go to work with you if she was living with you . . . but are you sure you want to be saddled with a teenager all summer? You know how much Alex is gone. You can’t expect much, if anything, from him.”
“Bernie doesn’t have to be all Nicole’s responsibility,” Ryan said. “I can lend a hand too.”
“Bernie seems quite independent.” Nicole smiled at Lori. “I must give you credit for that. You’ve raised a very capable young woman.”
Lori smiled back. “Well, thank you. That’s sweet of you to say.”
“It’s true. And I’m sure Bernie will want to go home to be with you from time to time, when it’s convenient for you.”
“Yes, I suppose she could.” Lori sounded somewhat doubtful. “Well, I’ve made up my mind.” She gave a decisive nod. “Bernie can return to her grandparents’ house and work at the gallery. It will probably be good for us to have a break this summer. She might even learn to appreciate me more.”
Nicole resisted the urge to give a celebratory fist pump and simply smiled. She didn’t even trust herself to exchange glances with Ryan just yet. Instead she looked directly at Lori. “And it might make it easier for you to focus on your own career without any distractions.”
“That’s true. I’m finding out that realtors don’t have normal hours. So it’s probably for the best.” She smiled at both of them. “I guess your plan worked. I’m sure Bernie will be thrilled to hear the good news.”
“Maybe we can follow you home and pick her up,” Ryan suggested.
“I’m not actually going home,” Lori said. “I have to meet a client.” She looked at her watch. “In fact, I better run or I’ll be late.” She stood, snatched up her designer purse, and paused to touch up her still-perfect lipstick. “Go ahead and get Bernie whenever y’all want. Just tell her I gave my permission.” She waved and, looking like a runway model, strode confidently out of the coffee shop.
“Wow.” Nicole shook her head. “She’s definitely a force to be reckoned with.”
Ryan chuckled. “She was even a handful for my smooth-talking big brother.”
“I bet.” Nicole couldn’t wait to tell her sister about Alex’s nearly ex-wife. But the last time she’d called Katy, hoping to fill her in on the ongoing saga of the Graham brothers grown up, she had gotten her sister’s voice mail and had simply left a brief message. Then she’d never heard back. Katy’s life was pretty jam-packed with Josh and her three boys. She probably had no time for a sentimental journey with her sister.
As Ryan drove them to Lori’s house to pick up Bernie, Nicole had mixed feelings. Although she was glad to be getting Bernie back, she was somewhat sorry that her charade with Ryan was over. It had been fun playing his girlfriend. There had been moments, like when he’d thanked her for standing up to Alex for him, when she almost believed it was true. Or that perhaps it could become true. Although she knew better. That ship had probably sailed long ago . . . back when she’d snubbed him as a teen.