Chapter Nine

Two days later and Sarah still felt like she was going to vomit. This was ridiculous. She was a grown woman and had broken up with Cornelius years ago. She’d dated and moved on. He’d dated and moved on. So why was him asking out the B&B owner throwing her off so much? “Get a grip,” she told herself then focused back on the localized online advertisement she was working on for Three Sisters…and Evergreen Espresso…and the antique shop. Then she would look for more new jobs back in Seattle. Yes, she had a plan in place.

Seattle was safe, away from Cornelius and the constant reminder of all she’d lost with him—no Gran and her well-meaning but unhelpful comments about Sarah’s lack of a love life. Plus no Bridget and Jack and their in-so-much-love and perfection together. The last part Sarah felt sick with guilt about, but her jealousy and annoyance at her little sister’s happiness was there all the same. She couldn’t help how she felt. Emotions were uncontrollable.

Exhaling, Sarah closed her eyes to try to push away her petty and unkind sentiments. She was happy for Bridget. Truly, she loved that her sibling had found someone special who cared and loved Bridget the way she deserved. Jack was a great future brother-in-law. He was kind and helpful and Bridget was his entire world. Sarah couldn’t have asked for a better person for her little sister.

Yet here she was, envious as hell. Sarah hadn’t had time to let loneliness in before now, to see what she’d been missing until it was right in front of her eyes. Yep, getting back to Seattle and a full-time job was a must. This discovered discontentment needed to take a hike—and maybe fall off a cliff while at it.

The door chimed and in walked a plain woman with brown hair and eyes. Familiar, but hard to place, nothing to distinguish her or mark her as special. Sarah couldn’t even remember her name. There was one thing about this woman that Sarah did recall.

Corey had asked her out. Cornelius. He wasn’t Corey to her anymore.

Inside, Sarah winced at her mean, vindictive thoughts. This woman was probably a lovely person and she wasn’t as unremarkable as Sarah’s emotions wished. Didn’t Sarah want Cornelius to be happy? Could she begrudge him that because there were still unresolved feelings on her end? Her stomach rolled. She was so petty and hated that about herself.

Plastering on a smile, Sarah greeted her. “Hey, there. It’s nice to see you again, um…”

“Jane,” the other woman supplied with a brief, tight lift of her lips. “Nice to see you, too, Sarah.”

Well wasn’t that just great. Jane had remembered Sarah’s name. It wasn’t as if Jane was a difficult name. “What brings you in? Bridget is in the back, if you want me to get her?” Sarah stood from the stool and moved around the dark wood counter.

“No, no. I’m not here for anything wedding related. I thought I’d check out the store. Wild Rose could always use new decorative items and I love to support local shops.” Jane moved to a shelf with their spring scented candles. “These are so pretty.”

“Aren’t they? Bridget is so creative to add the dried flower petals into the wax.”

“Do you also help make the products?”

Sarah leveled a stare at Jane. “I do. My cousin Becca also does. It’s a family business and has been for generations—since before the Wildes came to Fallbank over two hundred years ago before the town was founded. How long have you been in Fallbank?”

“Oh.” Jane rubbed the back of her neck. “About three years. I took over the inn for my aunt.”

“I remember Mrs. Dalton. She was a lovely lady. Always fun to visit Wild Rose for Halloween trick or treating. She decked out the house for all occasions. Funny, I don’t recall seeing you around town much.” Could Sarah be any more snide? She knew she should stop with her indirect snubbing of this poor woman. Jane had done nothing to deserve it. Yet the petty jealousy inside Sarah wouldn’t stop. It wasn’t as if Sarah was a native either. She’d lived in Connecticut until her parents had passed. She needed to get ahold of herself. “Sorry.” Sarah cleared her throat. “Was there anything else I can do for you?”

“Maybe some hand cream. With all of my baking, it takes a toll.”

“That’s right. You’re going to make Bridget’s wedding cake.” One more endearing quality to add to Jane’s list.

“I might make her cake. I focus on breakfast foods. You know, bed and breakfast. Pastries I can do. Cakes, we’ll have to see.” Jane shrugged and looked at the floor.

“Right. Here, let me show you what we have.” In an act of contrition for her cattiness, Sarah did her best to be kinder. Thankfully, Bridget walked out from the back to save her.

“Jane.” Bridget grinned. “How delightful to see you. What brings you in?”

Jane held up the candles. “I thought a few items for the Wild Rose might be nice to have on display. Help our local stores and showcase their items.”

“How sweet of you. Thank you.”

Sarah spoke up, her marketing senses never one to miss an opportunity. “You could also put business cards or a sign to display where they came from in case guests are interested.”

Jane nodded. “Wonderful idea, I’d be happy to.” She looked to Bridget. “Would you mind?”

“Not at all.” Bridget hesitated. “Some people in town… They don’t always welcome the Wildes. Old rumors about witches. I don’t want this to impact your business.”

With pursed lips, Jane took all of the cards on display. “I’ve heard the rumors. People are so ignorant sometimes, aren’t they? Sarah was just showing me your hand cream. I understand you make it yourselves.”

Bridget flushed, but smiled. “We do.”

The two wandered over to where the lotions were displayed, chatting. Sarah felt her jealousy give way to the pain of acceptance. Jane was nice. She didn’t bat an eye when Bridget mentioned their family reputation. She wanted to help local stores. She hadn’t even reacted to Sarah’s snobby remark about Jane not living in Fallbank for very long. Hell, Sarah didn’t live here anymore, either. Sarah couldn’t begrudge Jane accepting a date with Cornelius or him asking her out. Her Corey—Cornelius—deserved happiness and maybe Jane could give him that. God knew Sarah couldn’t, not with the weight of what he didn’t know lying between them.

“Oh, look at these wooden animals. How cute! I have the perfect place for the goose and the swan at the inn. Did one of you make them?” Jane smiled at the two of them.

Sarah felt her nausea level rise. “Cornelius made those. Right, Bridge?”

Bridget nodded. “He sure did. My fiancé Jack tinkers with woodworking and when he was roommates with Cornelius, they did some of it together. They still do, but since most of the equipment is at Cornelius’ place for now, Jack doesn’t do as much. Once our house is completed, we’ll shift things there.”

“How fun. I didn’t realize Cornelius was so good with his hands.” Jane flushed. “I mean, you know.” She held up the wooden goose. “Working with his hands.”

Bridget laughed. “We know what you mean. Cornelius is also one of the co-owners at TLC and does a lot of hands-on logging work, too.”

“Do you know him well? I suppose you must, given that he’ll be best man at your wedding.” Jane placed the two figures on the counter next to the candles and lotion.

“He lives next door to us and Sarah—”

“I graduated high school with him,” Sarah interrupted her sister. “We were the same year in school.” She threw a keep-your-mouth-shut look to her sibling. Jane didn’t need the sordid history of their failed relationship or that Cornelius lived next door to his ex—even if temporary.

“Gotcha,” Jane said. “How nice to have a long-time friend close by. He seems very sweet. And those glasses of his are adorable. Very Clark Kent-Superman vibe.”

Sarah forced a laugh from her lips. “Yeah.” How many times had she had the same thought? Cornelius’ glasses were sexy and she’d never hidden the fact that they turned her on when they’d been together…not that she felt the same way now. And she would not be jealous or begrudge Jane a chance at happiness with Cornelius. Maybe if she repeated that enough in her head, it would become true.

An awkward silence descended and Bridget cleared her throat. “Should I ring you up or did you want to look around more?”

“This is all I need today.” Jane smiled, but it didn’t quite seem to reach her eyes from Sarah’s perspective.

Bridget ran everything through the system and Jane departed with a wave. Then she spun and pinned Sarah with an exasperated stare. “What was that?”

“What?”

“The thing with Jane. And Cornelius. And you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sarah shrugged and turned back to her computer, but her sister pushed the lid shut. “Rude.” She glared at her sibling.

Bridget folded her arms. “I learned from the best. Tell me what’s up.”

“Fine.” Sarah huffed. “I overheard Cornelius ask her out and she doesn’t need our old history making things weird. It’s all old news anyway.” The more she said it, the more she would believe it. Right?

Her sister walked around the counter and hugged an arm around Sarah’s shoulders. “Are you okay with this?”

With one brow lifted, Sarah said, “Of course. Like I said, old history.” Now if she could convince her heart of the words coming out of her mouth.

 

* * * *

 

When Thursday rolled around, Cornelius found himself nervous and sitting at a table at Moonlit Treetop Bar. Jane should arrive at any moment and he jiggled one foot as he alternated staring at the door and looking anywhere but the entrance. What if this was a total bust? What if he and Jane had nothing to talk about? What if everything went great and this was the first date to the rest of their lives together? What if she was bonkers and turned into a stalker?

Okay, the last one seemed unlikely, but he never knew what could happen. What if, what if, what if… He was driving himself nuts with all the scenarios imagined in his brain. He needed to calm down. Why was he freaking out over this date? He’d gone out on other ones. This was no different than those. Except it was. Sort of. With Sarah back in town for who knew how long, dating seemed fraught with danger. He didn’t want to run into Sarah while taking out another woman, but it was a small town.

And even before Sarah’s return to Fallbank, he’d promised himself to get back out there. He needed an escort to Jack and Bridget’s wedding. His mom was sick and it was time he stopped messing around and got serious about finding a partner. His parents wouldn’t be around forever. Jane seemed nice. He needed to give her a chance for real.

The door opened and she walked in. From his vantage point, he watched as she smoothed her hair and adjusted her pink flowered dress. Then she bit her lip and shifted her gaze around the tables. Cornelius stood and waved. Her answering smile was pretty and his nerves eased.

As they both sat again, Cornelius sneaked a glance at Jane. Her dark hair had nice waves and the smattering of freckles across her cheeks and nose gave her a youthful appearance. When she looked his direction, he noticed her brown eyes. Odd, he hadn’t remembered that her eyes were brown from meeting her before. If he were honest, he hadn’t remembered much except that she was attractive enough and seemed nice. That impression still held true, but he didn’t feel any kind of spark when their gazes connected.

It wasn’t even five minutes in and he was already writing her off? No. Insta-chemistry didn’t make or break a relationship. “So, how long have you been in Fallbank? It can’t have been too long since we’ve not crossed paths before now.”

Her cheeks turned pink. “I’ve, uh, lived here for three years. I took over for my aunt when she wanted to retire and sold me the inn.”

Oh, shit. Three years? And he hadn’t noticed? He choked out a laugh. “Wow, I guess that shows how little I pay attention to things around here.”

“Well, I will admit to not getting out much. So there aren’t too many who know me.”

Cornelius lifted one side of his lips. “I guess we’re remedying that tonight.”

A smiling guy in a black graphic T-shirt with a baseball cap on backward approached the table. “Hey, there! Are you two playing trivia tonight?”

“Trivia?” Cornelius looked over at Jane. “I didn’t know that was happening tonight.”

Jane shrugged. “I’ve never participated before.”

The man’s grin grew wider. “Fantastic. It’s pretty simple. We have six rounds with a break halfway through. You write your answers to each round on these slips of paper and this is your copy to keep track. Top three teams win prizes.”

Cornelius arched one eyebrow to Jane. “You game?” Behind Jane’s shoulder, the door opened and in walked three women and his best friend. Of course tonight would be the night the Wildes women and Jack would come out.

“Cornelius?”

He jerked his attention back to his date. “Uh, sorry, Jane. I missed that.”

“I said, I’m game if you are.”

“Cool. Let’s do it, then.” He accepted the sheets and a pen.

“Great. Come up with a team name and I’ll circle back.” He walked off to the next table and left them to their own devices.

“A name…” Cornelius winced. “Not my strongest suit.”

“Same here,” Jane replied. “Um…” She pursed her lips and stared off into space. “What about Trivia for Two?”

“Sure. Let’s go with that.” Cornelius watched her write the name down while trying to not be too obvious about checking out the group three tables over from him. The one with his best friend, his best friend’s fiancée and her cousin…and Cornelius’ ex-girlfriend. Not that he should care that they were here, or vice versa. So what if he was on a date? No big deal. He was allowed to take a woman out. They were cool to hang out without him. It didn’t bruise his ego or make him wonder how often they got together without him.

The trivia host began speaking over the mic system and Cornelius pulled his attention back to the game and his date. And thank goodness they had decided to play trivia because the date might have been a disaster otherwise. Jane seemed shy unless asked a direct question. Cornelius found her sweet but quiet, and getting her out of her shell was a challenge. He also found his focus pulling over to the table with his friends, where Sarah cut surreptitious glances his way, too. It was hard not to compare the easy banter and rapport he and Sarah’d had from childhood against the strained conversation between him and Jane. Even with Sarah and his breakup and all of the awkwardness that brought, they still seemed to have a connection that couldn’t be denied. They never lacked for something to talk about.

Somewhere between the round on Harry Houdini, because it was his birthday, and song clips that all had names to do with winter, he and Jane managed to hit a bit of a stride in conversation. He found out she was a middle child with four other siblings, had grown up outside of Tacoma, enjoyed baking and missed having late mornings since taking over the B&B for her aunt. He shared he was a native of Fallbank and an only child, preferred the outdoors to in and enjoyed eating baked goods. They came in fifth out of seventeen teams. Sarah and her team, the Solstice Sisters, landed in third. Despite the game ending at eight-thirty PM, Jane begged off to head home.

“It’s always an early morning for me. I have to get breakfast laid out by six or the guests can get testy. Sundays are my one ‘sleep in’ day and that means breakfast starts at seven. I prep most everything the day before, but some things have to be day of.” Jane shrugged with a rueful smile. “I don’t lead the most exciting life because of my inn.”

“Nothing wrong with a quiet lifestyle. I’ll see you to your car.” Cornelius stood and waited for her to lead the way.

“Oh, I walked. Wild Rose is just a few blocks away.” She tucked her long hair behind her ears.

“I’ll walk you then. It’s dark now and you shouldn’t be alone.” He threw a smile her way and hoped he wasn’t coming off as stalkery or pushy. “That is, if you’re comfortable with that.”

Her voice was soft and pink tinted her cheeks. “That would be nice.”

With that, he placed a hand on her lower back and they headed for the door. As they passed that table with Sarah, Bridget spotted them.

“Cornelius, Jane! Hi.” Bridget rose from her chair with a grin. “How great to see you two!”

Jane smiled and Cornelius said hello. He edged a step or two more toward the door, hoping to escape without too much conversation given his ex was staring with a frosty expression. Most people wouldn’t know, but the small, affable upward tilt of her lips was Sarah’s polite mask when she wanted to scowl or glare. It was an interesting development. Was she jealous? That didn’t make any sense. But…what would she be mad about? The whole thing didn’t make sense.

Jane said, “Bridget, I think I can make your wedding cake.” She twisted her lips to one side. “I think.”

“That’s amazing! I’m sure it’ll be wonderful.”

“Would you be able to come by for a tasting? I’d want your okay on it and to know what flavors you’d like.” Jane looked at Jack then back to Bridget. “Maybe this weekend?”

Bridget looked at Jack. “Sure. Saturday afternoon at two?”

“Perfect. I’ll have some options ready.” Jane clasped her hands together. “We’ll let you get back to your evening. We were heading out.”

Goodbyes were exchanged and Cornelius followed Jane outside. The cool evening felt good on his heated skin. He wondered if that felt as awkward to her as it did to him. Probably not, given she didn’t know the history between Sarah and him. The walk to the B&B was quiet and quick. They hadn’t held hands, but Cornelius’ fingers brushed Jane’s a time or two. She didn’t seem to mind, but Cornelius couldn’t seem to find any kind of spark between them.

As they reached the large house, she opened a gate in the white picket fence and led them down a stone path at the back of the property to a small cottage. Then she turned to him. “This is me. I had fun tonight.” Under the soft sconce light by the entry, her cheeks turned pink and she glanced away. “Thanks for asking me out.”

Cornelius forced a smile. “Yeah, trivia was a good time. Maybe we can do this again?” God, but this was awkward. Jane was nice, but that was the problem. Nice. Not amazing or captivating or enchanting. No buzzy lightning feelings like he’d gotten with Sarah. It was always the issue with any woman he’d dated since her. Give it a chance, Cor.

Sometimes romance needed a chance to build. What was it they called it in books? Slow burn? Was that what this was? Hell if he knew. Cornelius made a mental note to look up “slow burn” before they had a second date.

“Sure, I’d like that.” Jane’s voice was so hopeful.

It gutted him. She was sweet and didn’t deserve to be in the same headspace as an ex he couldn’t seem to move on from. “What about dinner next week?” He forced himself to break through his hesitations.

She beamed at him and in that moment, Cornelius caught his breath. She was beautiful when she grinned. He’d seen her professional ones, but a real smile transformed her.

“Yes. Dinner sounds great.”

A hard lump formed in his gut. “Cool. I’ll call you and we can work out when.” She might be pretty, but his heart was not in this. Too bad for it—his head refused defeat and pushed to keep moving forward.