Page 11 of A Lonely Road (Spruce Hill #2)
Chapter Nine
Nora
F or the first time in years, I pulled my one and only dress from the closet to study it with a critical eye. My capsule wardrobe didn’t really include anything overly fancy. When I met Sam the other night, though, she looked like a fashion plate, perfectly poised and put-together.
I was one hundred percent sure I couldn’t come anywhere close to that, but I didn’t want to sit across from her looking like a total slouch.
A choked laugh escaped me as I thought about the gross shirt I’d worn yesterday—if Jake minded associating with a slob, he certainly gave no indication.
Something told me that his sister wouldn’t care if I showed up in similar disarray, but my pride won out.
With the dress clasped to my chest, I pawed through the rest of my limited options .
“It’s probably time to update the wardrobe,” I muttered. Then I followed the comment with the stern admonition, “For your own sake, not to impress the guy next door. No matter how obnoxiously attractive he might be.”
The dress had been a consignment store whim, because it fit perfectly and made me feel girly as hell.
With a flared cotton skirt that landed halfway down my thighs, it had an off-shoulder ruffle at the top and was a pretty shade of cornflower blue that reminded me of Jake’s eyes.
That thought garnered another irritated scowl.
Why couldn’t I get him out of my head?
I left my hair down for once and slipped on a pair of sandals. As I pulled up the directions to the coffee shop on my phone and left the apartment, I forced myself not to so much as glance toward Jake’s house.
Just meeting a friend for coffee, I reminded myself, trying to calm my frazzled nerves while I turned the key in the ignition.
Baby’s engine would probably never purr a day in her life, but the lack of that hideous screeching noise I’d gotten so used to made me smile.
I patted the dashboard affectionately and sent up a silent word of thanks to Jake for charming me into a free repair.
I parked on the street a few shops down from the cafe, admiring yet another adorable block of Spruce Hill’s main shopping drag. When I stepped onto the sidewalk, though, a chill scurried up my spine.
Like I was being watched .
Struggling to keep my expression blank, I glanced around at the scattered pedestrians picking up breakfast or hurrying off to work, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
No one was paying any attention to me, except a curvy redhead with paint splatters on her jeans who shot me a smile as she passed by.
No ghosts from the past, no glimpse of the man from the bachelor party. Nothing.
Forcing myself toward the coffee shop, I shook off the sense of foreboding when I spotted Sam at a table on the tiny patio.
As expected, she was dressed to the nines in a pale pink blouse with a plunging neckline, a gray pencil skirt, and heels so high I would’ve broken an ankle the minute I took a step in them.
When I offered a shy wave as I stepped onto the sidewalk, she beamed at me like I'd just made her day.
“Oh damn, girl, you look amazing,” Sam gushed when I reached the table.
My cheeks heated at the compliment, but it made dressing up well worth the effort. She rose and wrapped me in a hug, ignoring the way I froze like I’d never been embraced before. God, I really needed to get used to being around people again.
Especially friendly, affectionate people like Sam and her brother.
“Been a long time since I had coffee with a friend,” I admitted as she drew away. We took our seats and I glanced around. “This place is adorable. Did you order already? ”
“No, I convinced one of the kids working here to come out to take our orders so we wouldn’t have to wade through the crowd inside. There he is.”
Sam leaned back and crossed her long, slender legs. She waved a perfectly manicured hand at the teenager, who flushed crimson as he rushed over to the table. Once he’d written down our orders on a small notepad, he disappeared back into the cafe.
I cocked a brow. “How exactly did you convince him?”
Though I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to know, Jake’s sister was by far the most interesting woman I'd spent time with in years. I was curious about what wiles Samantha Lincoln would put into play to get what she wanted.
“I used to babysit the kid,” she whispered, leaning forward in a way that displayed the upper swells of her breasts above her low-cut top.
A tiny mermaid tail pendant hung just above her cleavage.
“And I told him I’d tell his parents he likes to peek out his window at night to watch me undress if he wouldn’t bring our coffees straight to the table. ”
“Does he really?” I asked, my mind drifting to my own neighbor.
“No. But I guess he thought they’d believe it, because he agreed.”
I threw back my head and laughed. “Wow. You are a formidable foe.”
“Don’t I know it?” Sam replied with a wink. “Here he comes—show a little leg, he deserves a tip. ”
Instead of shifting the hem of my skirt upward, I sat back and struggled to keep a straight face while the boy set down a tray with our drinks and a couple pastries. He forced his gaze from Sam’s cleavage with obvious effort and disappeared without another word.
“I think you’ve scarred him for life,” I murmured, grinning.
“Speaking of scarred for life, how are you holding up?”
I huffed a laugh. She might seem disarmingly cheerful, but she was just as perceptive as her brother. “I’m okay. Really.”
She studied my face so closely I had to fight not to squirm. “Sometimes things like that come back to bite you when you least expect it. If that happens, promise me you’ll tell one of us? Me, Jake, even Casey. Isolation isn’t always a good thing.”
“I promise,” I said around the lump in my throat.
“Good. You’ve got friends here now. Don’t forget it.”
It was such a simple statement, but even from a woman I suspected turned everyone she met into a friend—whether they liked it or not—it seeped into my chest, sinking deep and planting itself there.
Another point won in favor of Spruce Hill.
We chatted about lighthearted topics for nearly an hour before Sam ventured, “So, you live next door to Jake?” My smile dimmed ever so slightly, a fact which her sharp gray eyes caught immediately, then she leaned forward again and added brightly, “I’m also a realtor, did he tell you?
If you decide you’re looking to buy, let me know.
Don’t you just love that apartment? It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but I couldn’t believe how well it turned out. ”
“Your brother is very talented,” I replied in a carefully neutral tone, sipping at my latte. Sam grinned and I saw the resemblance to Jake clearly, right down to the dimple.
“Okay, brushoff noted. I’ll stand down. I like you, Nora.
I haven’t known too many women who didn’t throw themselves at Jake’s feet.
Lord knows it’s good for his big head for him to get rejected now and then.
Unless you’d prefer the more feminine version of my brother, in which case I would quite happily steal you away from him.
” Sam arched a golden brow and gave me a wide smile.
Though my mind waged a brief internal war over which part of that to respond to first, I finally said, “I’m not rejecting him.
I’m just not looking for a relationship.
Or . . . well, anything else, really. For now, I’d just like to keep things uncomplicated, if that makes sense.
And while I appreciate the offer to steal me away, there’s nothing to steal. Jake and I are not an item.”
“The fact that you didn’t insist you’re straight did not go unnoticed,” she teased, her dimple peeping out against a broad smile.
“I was taught to never tell a lie,” I deadpanned, sending Sam into stitches.
A little smile tugged at my lips when I added, “But since I will admit to being stupidly attracted to your brother, it feels a little incestuous to consider it. No offense, because obviously you are gorgeous and fun and under different circumstances, I would absolutely be tempted to take you up on your offer.”
“Interesting. Well, I was just checking. Can’t let Jake have all the fun. I’ve got my eye on somebody special, anyway, just waiting for the right moment to pounce.” Sam winked as she popped a piece of chocolate croissant into her mouth.
The flirtation dropped away as she launched into a discussion on local shopping options, cajoled me into agreeing to go to the nearby outlet mall with her someday soon, and finally proclaimed that she had to rush off for a house showing.
Sam clasped both of my hands in hers before she rose from the table.
“Thank you for coming out with me today. You’re a cool chick, Nora Cassidy. Don’t be a stranger.”
With that, she rose in a flurry of motion and fluttered off with a wave. I felt like a tornado had just blown past.
Quietly, I sat there for another moment, gathering my scattered thoughts in the wake of the force that was Samantha Lincoln, then I left the table and returned to the quiet bubble of peace inside my car.
The Lincoln twins posed a serious risk to the solitude I usually sought, but somehow, I wasn’t even upset about it. In fact, I found it refreshing, energizing even. They made me feel like I could be part of something bigger than myself, maybe fit into some greater whole.
If anything, that should have been the real warning.