Chapter 7
Nolan sat at his kitchen table with Milo, who had stopped by after he dropped Mrs. Wheeler off at home after her doctor’s appointment. Milo motioned toward Isla’s house.
“How’s it going with your neighbor?”
“Are we really going to sit around like a bunch of women gossiping?”
“Hey, with you gone and Jasper working all the time, I spent a lot of time gossiping with women. Kind of a hard habit to break. Besides, I’ve become a very good listener, so if you need an ear…”
Nolan shook his head as Milo cupped his ear. He’d always been a bit of a class clown, but it was also what made him so likeable.
“I tried to help her take mulch out of her car, but she refused my help and fell flat on her ass.”
Milo cracked a smile. “I’m surprised she didn’t just let you help her.”
“Right? I was standing right there and have a good seventy pounds on her. Why she didn’t just let me help her is beyond me.” Nolan thought about it for a second, replaying the scene in his head. “Though, she did say something about not being the same girl, whatever the hell that means.”
“Probably doesn’t want you to think she hasn’t changed.”
“Has she?” Nolan couldn’t help but ask.
“Depends. She is still Isla, fun loving and sweet with that crazy imagination of hers. But she’s much stronger than the girl you used to know. Maybe not physically as she demonstrated with that bag of mulch, but emotionally. She’s been through hell this last year, and she handled it with grace and dignity. Something not many people would have been able to do.”
Nolan understood without asking anymore questions. Isla stepped up when she needed to, and she did it on her own without anyone holding her hand. Maybe she wasn’t the same girl he knew, but like Milo said, that girl was still a part of her.
“And hey, if you want to help someone lift something then you can come down to Harper’s studio and help me move some furniture.”
“Is that why you really stopped by?” Nolan asked.
Milo shrugged. “Maybe.”
“All you had to do was ask. It’s not like I have anything else going on these days.” Nolan would jump on the opportunity to do anything other than drift around. He was so used to his days being jam-packed and structured. This new no-schedule life, he was discovering, wasn’t an easy thing for someone like him. He needed to keep busy and be on the go. If he wasn’t, he had too much time in his head, which is why his latest interaction with Isla weighed so heavily on his mind.
“Perfect!” Milo clapped his hands together. “You happen to be available now?”
Nolan laughed. “I might have to move sitting on the couch until after five, but yeah, I think I can fit you in.”
“Great, I’ll drive.”
“What exactly am I getting myself into?” Nolan asked before getting up from the table.
“We might also have to put the furniture together before moving it. I tried to hire someone to do it, but Harper bitched about the money.”
“She knows you’re loaded, right?” Milo had won a massive settlement after getting mowed down by a drunk driver.
“Everyone does, but my girlfriend doesn’t want my money. Do you know the hell I went through just to get her to take the loan to open her studio? Some fights are not worth having.”
“Isla’s not going to be there, is she?”
Milo waved his hand. “Nah. She’s been too busy at the house, and Harper’s giving her time to settle in.”
Nolan had no idea why that made him sad. He should’ve been happy that he wouldn’t have subject himself to another uncomfortable conversation. But somewhere deep inside, he didn’t mind those conversations. Maybe he enjoyed seeing her flustered, remorse flashing in her eyes. It made him know that she gave a damn, and for a while, he hadn’t been sure if she had.
Nolan followed Milo out of the house and got in the passenger seat. They pulled up to Harper’s new storefront and parked right in front. At this end of Main Street there wasn’t a lot of traffic, so the spaces were easier to come by.
Inside, Nolan looked around at the barren space. Boxes piled high to the ceiling sat to the left, and Harper stood in front of a wall half painted with a beach scene, paintbrush in hand and head tilted. Earbuds were popped in her ear, and her foot tapped to whatever beat she was listening to.
Milo snuck up behind her, wrapped his hands around her waist, and kissed her cheek. Harper jumped, yanking a bud from her ear, then with a big bright smile, gave Milo a playful shove. “You scared the crap out of me.” She held the paintbrush up, and Milo widened his stance.
“Don’t even think about it,” he said.
A mischievous glint passed through Harper’s hazel eyes. Her hand came back and moved forward just as Milo caught her wrist. He managed to get her hand in front of her and spun her around. “We have a guest.”
Milo let go of Harper’s hand, and she smiled at Nolan before spinning around and swiping her paint brush down Milo’s nose.
Milo drew a finger down his nose through the paint, but instead of clearing it away, he spread it. “You are so going to regret that.”
“We’ll see about that.” Harper turned to Nolan. “Nolan.”
“Put the claws away,” Milo said. “He’s here to help.”
A smile bloomed on Harper’s face. “In that case, welcome to Pinot and Gogh. I’m happy to have you here.”
Nolan laughed. “You don’t have to get that carried away.”
“Good, because this fake smile is making my cheeks twitch.” Her lip quirked, and he knew she was joking. “I am happy you’re here, though. There’s so much to do before my grand opening, and any extra hands is much appreciated.”
“I’m happy to help. I miss work.”
“Why’d you quit then?”
“Considering you know I quit, I can assume Milo filled you in on all the details.”
“Maybe.” She let out a breath. “Okay fine, he told me everything, and I’m sorry. That really sucks.”
“It is what it is. And lucky for you.”
“I’d feel bad taking advantage of your free time.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
“You’re right, I won’t. There’s a tool pouch over there with everything you’ll need. Have fun.” She patted his back and went back to her half-finished mural. She popped her earbuds in, stared for a moment, then got to work.
Milo returned from the rear area, no more paint on his nose and a donut in his mouth. “Harper has donuts in the back if you want one. There’s one jelly left, but I’m willing to let you have it.”
“I’m good for now.”
“Suit yourself.”
Nolan and Milo got to work unboxing a cabinet and putting the million pieces together. There were at least five more to go, and at this rate, they’d be finished by Christmas.
The door opened, and Nolan didn’t even have to look. He could feel her presence like a strong wave coming onto shore. He wasn’t going to look, but he couldn’t help himself. His gaze darted to the door where she stood, blonde hair pulled in a ponytail and her long legs covered by a tiny pair of jean shorts. He didn’t let his eyes linger on the curves of her thighs even though he wanted to. Instead, he dragged his attention up. Beside her, Harper’s brother Tom stood, eyes directed at Nolan with an evil glint in his irises. Tom had down syndrome and was the sweetest soul, except when it came to Nolan.
Tom had a massive crush on Isla, and from the moment Nolan and Isla started dating, Tom had hated him. Not that Nolan could blame the guy. Isla was special, and she had always been extra sweet with Tom.
Harper turned, a smile lighting her face as she pulled her earbuds out. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Isla picked me up from work,” Tom exclaimed.
“I know. I asked her to.” Harper gave her brother a hug and rested her cheek on his head.
“We were driving by, and I saw the lights on. Wanted to see if you needed help, but I can see you have more than enough hands.” Isla’s gaze traveled to him before dropping to the floor.
Nolan put the screwdriver down and walked over to the trio. “We have a bunch more cabinets to put together. The more the merrier.”
Isla’s lips parted, and Tom scowled at him.
“Hey Tom.” Nolan held his hand out to him, but Tom crossed his arms over his chest.
“Tom, don’t be rude,” Harper said.
“He made Isla cry!”
Isla’s eyes went wide, and Harper stifled a laugh.
“He made Isla cry, and I must defend her honor!”
“Oh, for heaven sakes,” Harper said. “Have you been watching soap operas with Mom again?”
Tom stood defiantly, shoulders back, head straight. “It’s the right thing to do.”
Nolan could have sat back and waited to see how this unfolded, but he also didn’t want to get blindsided by a punch from Tom, or worse, be taken down by one of the many wrestling moves he learned from his nights of watching WWE.
Nolan held up his hands as if surrendering. “I never meant to hurt her,” Nolan said, making eye contact with Isla. “Honestly, it was never my intention. But she made me cry, too, so I’d say we’re even, and you don’t need to defend her honor, though I find that very noble of you.”
Tom didn’t respond. Instead, he kept his arms crossed and, with his head held high, walked right by him and over to greet Milo. Nolan tried not to be jealous that Milo got a high-five from him.
One day. One day, Nolan would get Tom to like him.
***
Nolan’s words still echoed in Isla’s mind. She made me cry, too . She had no way of knowing if Nolan said that to try and get on Tom’s good side, or if he was being completely honest. With Tom speaking with Milo, and Harper disappearing in the back to grab donuts, Isla stood with Nolan, unsure if she should leave or stay.
She glanced at him just as he looked at her. Their eyes caught, and an awkward smile pressed on her face.
“I didn’t know you were here,” she said.
“Do you want me to start carrying around a sign and posting it on doors to warn you?”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You’re the one refusing to leave your house when I’m out and about in the yard.”
“That is not true.”
His dark blond eyebrow lifted, and head tilted slightly. “I saw you staring at me from the window.”
She didn’t want him to think she had been spying on him because she wasn’t… not really anyway. “I wasn’t staring at you. I was trying to figure out where all the noise was coming from.”
“The movers were a little loud. Sorry about that. I hope we didn’t disturb you too much.”
“Not at all,” she said. “You had a lot of stuff.”
“I was gone for three years and had to furnish an entire townhouse.” He shrugged. “Stuff accumulates. I’m sure you’re realizing that living in your grandmother’s house. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has things dating back to before we were even born.”
“I’m not sure. I haven’t really started to go through everything yet.”
His expression changed; a sympathetic softness filled his eyes and comforted her. “You will. When you’re ready.”
He got her. He always had, better than anyone else. He knew everything for her was a process, and she couldn’t force her hand at anything. She just had to wait until she was ready, like Nolan said.
Tears pricked her eyes, but she refused to break in front of him. She was done crying. Done being weak. Some would argue that she’d gone through a lot in the last few weeks, and she had, but it was time for her to reach for the strength Grandma always told her she had, and be strong.
“Exactly,” she said with a smile. “When I’m ready.”
She’d missed him all along, but it was that moment when she had to admit to herself how much. Whether he cried over her or not, he was the one who left, and it would be no shock to anyone that she still loved him. He was her first love, and she always assumed he’d be her last. The pain of knowing she was the one who sabotaged the future she had once seen so vividly, hurt her heart. Seeing him again was something she had no doubt would be hard; she just didn’t expect it to be this hard.
Harper reappeared with a box of donuts. “Who wants a donut before Milo eats them all?”
Tom hurried over and plucked one out of the box. Isla expected him to take a big bite out of the pastry, but instead, he turned toward her and presented the cream-filled dough to her.
“Thank you, Tom! That’s so sweet.”
Tom smiled at her then gave Nolan a smug smirk that had her taking a bite of donut to cover her laugh. Milo fell into hysterics before walking to the half-built shelf.
Nolan shrugged and threw a smile in her direction. His entire face transformed, reminding her of the boy she fell in love with. She didn’t want to obsess over what she’d lost and constantly wonder what her life would’ve been if she’d made different choices. There was no changing the past. What was done was done. It had been a hard concept for her to accept. She’d wallowed in her heartache for so long, but maybe it was time to let the regrets go.
Nolan was her past, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a different role in her future.
It was a small town, and she couldn’t hide in her house forever. If she was going to get used to her ex being home, she needed to start accepting that they were going to wind up in the same places as one another, especially since they had mutual friends and lived next door to each other.
A part of her still loved him, but the other part of her was excited to move on. Who knew? Maybe in the end, they’d become friends.