Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Aria
I was disappointed that Dex and I wouldn’t see each other this evening, but he had something far more important to do. I had plenty of things on my errand list, and now that I had the rest of the afternoon free, I planned to get them done.
I picked up the small brown package with the earrings. My first stop was the post office. The sooner the earrings were out of my possession, the better. My phone rang as I got settled behind the steering wheel.
“Hey, Isla, I’m just on my way to run some errands, including sending back the earrings. Kellan texted me earlier to remind me, as if I could forget. He also told me to send them registered mail with insurance because if they got lost, I’d owe him two thousand dollars.”
“What a bum. Technically, those earrings belong to you.”
“I don’t want them.”
“Kellan was actually the reason behind my call. He called Luke today asking if they could still hang out and network, whatever that meant, even though you two were no longer dating.”
I started the heater. “I knew I was only the second person in the relationship. Once he heard that my sister was dating Luke Greyson, his ears perked up, and suddenly, I became a much better prospect to him.”
“Oh, Ar, I doubt that was the case, and if it was, then good riddance. Luke let him down gently by telling him that he didn’t think they had enough in common to keep up a friendship.”
“Luke is the best.”
“And how about your new guy?”
A flutter started just thinking about Dex. “Very nice,” I said demurely. “There’s been some kissing and a major heap of flirting, but—I don’t know—La, is this wrong? I can’t help feeling as if this is destined for disaster like some kind of cursed romance because I was dating his brother.”
“Think about it this way. Dex saved you from a relationship that was definitely going to end in disaster, one way or another. I already sensed for weeks that the shine was wearing off on your relationship with Kellan. And since the two men are hardly even acquainted with each other, you almost can’t call them brothers. Wait. Dex isn’t just a rebound guy, is he?”
I gave it a millisecond of thought. “The way it ended with Kellan, I wasn’t in the market for a rebound because there was nothing to bounce back from. I was relieved when he walked out of my café yesterday morning. Dex and I were supposed to hang out tonight, but he had an emergency with his friend.” I badly wished I could tell Isla about the coins. “I’m off to do my errands. I hope Kellan doesn’t keep bothering Luke.”
“I think he put an end to that by letting him know the friendship was a nonstarter.”
“Luke is so good at diplomacy. By the way, I’ve got to stop by Megan’s Spice Shop for a few things. Do you need anything?”
“Yes, yay, that’ll save me a trip. I need vanilla and fresh nutmeg. Oh, and maybe some cardamom seeds and another bottle of cinnamon sticks.”
I laughed. “Jeez, send me a list. I’ll never remember all of that.”
“I’ll send it now. Thanks. See you later.”
I was relieved to be rid of the earrings. They weren’t my style anyhow, and I sincerely doubted they were worth two grand. Kellan was good with money. He was also very frugal. Either way, now he could return them and get his money back, or maybe he’d save them for the next woman. I’d checked off the first three stops on my list and headed toward the next town, Fairview. The spice shop was in the middle of their downtown. It carried the freshest whole seed spices, so it was worth the trip.
The days were getting shorter, and the sun was starting to coast down in the sky as I drove down Main Street to Megan’s Spice Shop. I glanced down at my list, and as I lifted my gaze something else caught my attention. A young boy, three or four years old, was being carried on a pair of large shoulders—large shoulders that I recognized even from behind. A petite brunette bundled in a long pink sweater and matching beanie had her arm wrapped around Dex’s. All the flutters I’d been dealing with these past few days pulled together into one rock-solid lump before falling down to the bottom of my stomach. I briefly considered that I was wrong about the familiar shoulder span, but as I rolled past, I willed myself to look in the rearview to make sure it was true. How badly I wanted to see a different face than his in the reflection. The three looked very happy as they strolled down the sidewalk and turned into the ice cream shop.
“You’re such a fool, Aria.” It seemed my worry that this would be a disaster had come true, but I was the only person left with damage. Maybe I deserved it. I’d broken off with Kellan and then I’d hardly taken a new breath when I started up something with Dex. And now it seemed he hadn’t been the least bit honest about his reasons for being in Whisper Cove. He cancelled our date because he had a dire emergency with his friend, Quinn, but there he was, smiling as he carried his son into an ice cream shop. An entire family—one he failed to mention. Well, Kellan had warned me. My eyes ached, reminding me this would be a good time to cry, but I wasn’t going to shed a tear for him.
I usually loved going to the spice shop. It was filled with wonderful aromas, and the shelves and bins were chock-full of spices and herbs, but what I really wanted to do right now was go home. And I would have done just that, only Isla was counting on me to pick up some things for her. I parked the car and went inside. I stood in the corner with the cinnamons and fall spices, breathing in their warm goodness and trying to tamp down the ache in my chest. I was just glad I found out early that Dex was not to be trusted. It seemed I had to rethink everything, including hiring him as a cook. If he couldn’t be trusted with my heart, he certainly couldn’t be trusted with my business.