Chapter 24
Isla awoke, and while she and Nolan had drifted to opposite sides of the bed while they slept, she still could feel his warmth wrapped around her in the warm embrace they fell asleep in after another couple of rounds of toe-curling love making.
She slid from the bed and went to the dresser, opening it as quietly as possible. She just wanted a t-shirt to slip into, then she’d go downstairs and figure out how to make breakfast without any electricity.
She reached into the drawer and found a t-shirt, but as she pulled her hand out, her eye caught on a black velvet box in the corner.
It would be snooping to look, but it’s not like she went through the drawer on purpose. She’d been getting a t-shirt. It was completely innocent. But now, with the black box staring at her, she couldn’t ignore it. She took the box in her hand and turned it over. It definitely looked like a ring box, but why would he have a ring box in his drawer?
Curiosity got the best of her, and she snapped the box opened. Staring back at her was a beautiful princess cut diamond on a platinum band. The beauty took her breath away and stunned her for a moment. It was so classy and elegant. She could imagine it on her finger… but it wasn’t for her.
While they’d talked about getting married three years ago, that’s all it ever was, talk.
Did he have someone back in Seattle? Why else would he have an engagement ring in his drawer? It wasn’t something someone just had or carried around without the intention of giving it to someone. Then why did he come back to Morgan’s Bay if he had someone in Seattle? Or maybe they broke up, and that’s why he’d returned.
God, was she that stupid? Did she just sleep with him when he had planned on marrying someone else? Her heart ached at the thought. Even after he’d left, she always hoped he’d find his way home to her. She couldn’t imagine marrying anyone else, but maybe he’d moved on and she was in his life again complicating things.
She’d already done enough damage to him. How could she stand in his way of happiness?
She closed the drawer, looked at Nolan resting peacefully in bed, then grabbed her clothes and left.
***
Nolan stirred and rolled over, draping his arm on… nothing. He patted the bed, searching for the warmth of Isla’s body. When he couldn’t find it, he opened his eyes, only to be filled with disappointment. She was gone.
His cell rang before he could speculate. “Isla?” he answered; his eyes barely opened.
“Nope, just me,” Milo said. “Did I wake you?”
‘No, it’s fine. What’s up?”
“I don’t know if you’ve been out, or even glanced out your window, but it’s bad out there. I’m going to go check on my place then see if any of the older people in town need any help and wanted to see if you wanted to tagalong.
“Sure, that sounds great.” If Nolan could help a single person, it would be worth it. The older people of Morgan’s Bay had always looked out for Nolan’s generation, and he was happy to help out. “Is everyone safe?”
“So far it seems everyone is accounted for and safe. Some houses were hit hard and have severe damage, but houses can be fixed.”
Maybe Isla was next door, checking on the house. That made sense.
“Power is out for most of the town, and there are trees down all over. Just got cell service a little while ago. Mrs. Wheeler already called me. She has a tree down in her driveway, and she’s panicking.”
“She doesn’t even use her driveway.” Mrs. Wheeler didn’t drive and her family paid Milo to bring her to and from her appointments as well as grocery shopping.
“You think that matters?” Milo laughed. “I told her I’d stop by and evaluate the damage, see if there was anything I could do.”
“Any word on your place?”
“No, which is why I want to head down there as soon as possible to assess the damage.”
“I’ll get dressed and meet you.”
“Your car is probably the worst vehicle to be driving right now. I’ll swing by and grab you with Harper’s Jeep.”
“She’s okay with that?”
“Yeah, she’s going to stay with her mom and Tom. He’s a little freaked out still.”
“Anything I can do? Let him body slam me a few times?”
Milo laughed. “It might help. We’ll keep that on the back burner. I’ll see you soon.”
Nolan hung up and got to his feet. He ran a hand over his face and dialed Isla’s number, but it went right to voicemail. He slipped into a t-shirt and shorts and headed outside.
A few branches littered the lawns, but other than that there was no significant damage. He hurried up the stairs of the old Victorian and knocked. “Isla!” He knocked again, but she never came. “Where the hell did she go?” He hoped everything was okay. It was strange that she didn’t wake him or leave a note. It was as if she’d never even been there at all.
But he knew for a fact that she was. He couldn’t have imagined the softness of her body riding against his, the sweet taste of her mouth, and the tight heat that wrapped around him. She had most definitely been there with him, but where was she now?
He sent her a text, asking her to call him, and slid his phone back into his pocket and waited for Milo. Milo pulled up ten minutes later and Nolan hopped into the Jeep.
He and Milo headed to Milo’s place first. The street was still flooded, but not nearly as high as yesterday, so they trekked through the water. A water line sat midway up Milo’s door and he opened the door expecting the worst, but somehow the first floor only had a little bit of water in the foyer. The rest of the house, furniture included, managed to stay dry.
Milo fell to his knees and slapped his hands together. “Thank you!” he said out loud, then got a mop and towels to start the cleanup.
His neighbors, whose house was much closer to the street, didn’t fare as well. Their entire first floor flooded, and Milo told them he’d be back later to help them move furniture once they were done sucking up the water.
Next, they went to Mrs. Wheeler’s to check out the tree in her driveway. The tree — which was more like a branch — was easily pulled out of the driveway and left on the yard. Nolan attempted to call Isla again, but still didn’t get an answer. He sent her another text, hoping she’d get it and reply to him.
He just wanted to know where she was and that she was okay. It made no sense for him to wake up without her there.
“You have happened to see Isla before you headed over to my place, did you?” he asked Milo, thinking maybe she’d swung by Harper’s mom’s house.
“No, I thought she was at your house last night.”
“She was, and when I woke up this morning, she was gone.”
“Did you say something to insult her?”
“We didn’t exactly do a lot of talking last night.”
“Oh. Oh!” Milo exclaimed. “Well, good for you, bud. Or maybe not if she took off…”
“Trust me, there were no complaints last night.”
“Maybe she went to check on her parents and the flower shop. I’m sure when you get home, she’ll be there.”
“You’re probably right.” Nolan slid his phone into his pocket and finished helping Milo clean the few little branches off Mrs. Wheeler’s driveway.
A few hours later, after helping out a few more of the townspeople, and stopping at McConnell’s where the entire town seemed to be convening, except for Isla, Milo dropped Nolan off at home. He got out of the Jeep, gave a wave to Milo and went to head up the stairs when he spotted Isla’s car pulling into the driveway.
He bypassed his door and went to her. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, her face free of a makeup, and she was in nothing more than a plain t-shirt and shorts, but she still looked as beautiful as ever.
“Hey,” she said, but it was awkward, even for Isla.
“Where did you go this morning?” he asked.
Her eyes darted to the ground, and she shrugged. “I had somewhere to be.”
“At seven in the morning on a Sunday after a hurricane left a majority of the town without power?”
“I’m a girl with a lot of responsibilities. Now if you’ll excuse me.” She pushed past him.
“Isla.” Nolan’s hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her to him. She closed her eyes, trying to avoid his gaze. “Something’s wrong. I can tell. And don’t give me that crap excuse that you’re a different person and I wouldn’t know because that’s bullshit and you know it. Three years or not, I know you better than anyone. So please, tell me what’s wrong.”
She blinked up at him, lips pursing together, blue eyes full of sadness. “You should have told me.”
What the hell was she talking about? Confusion swirled in his mind and tried to imagine what happened from the time they fell asleep until the time he woke up. “Told you what?”
Her shoulders deflated. “That there was someone else.”
“There isn’t.”
“I saw the ring, Nolan. In your drawer.”
“You were snooping through my stuff?” He didn’t care that his voice came out harsh. After everything, she still didn’t trust him.
“No. I went to borrow a t-shirt, and I saw it. I didn’t mean to. It’s very beautiful. She’s a lucky girl, but I won’t be your booty call.”
“Damn it, Isla.” He let go of her and stepped back, his hand running through his hair. “There is no one else. Never was. The ring was supposed to be yours.”
“What?” Her voice was so small, he wasn’t even sure if he heard her or imagined her saying it.
“It’s why I was working so many hours back then. I was trying to pay it off.”
Her eyes widened, and her lips parted. “You were going to propose?”
The cat was out of the bag. There was no use denying it. “I loved you, and I would’ve done anything for you, but you couldn’t even trust me, and now I know you still don’t.”
She reached out to him, but he was done.
“Nolan… I didn’t know.”
Betrayal ran red hot through his veins. He stopped and turned, narrowing his gaze on her. “That was the point. You weren’t supposed to know.”