3. Tori
TORI
T he bell chimed softly as the door to Velvet & Lace swung open.
My heart fluttered, an instinctive reaction that I tried to shove down the moment I caught sight of him.
Cole. His tall frame filled the doorway, and he stepped in with that relaxed, quiet confidence, his eyes scanning the shop before they landed on me.
My pulse quickened despite my best efforts to stay composed.
“Tori,” he said with that faint smile that I’d been trying—unsuccessfully—to get out of my head since he’d walked in here a few days ago.
I nodded, keeping my expression neutral as I walked over to him.
“Cole. Did your sister not like the dress?” I asked.
His grin widened, and he shook his head.
“Quite the opposite, actually. She loved it so much, she insisted I come back and pick out a few more things for her,” Cole said.
I raised an eyebrow, trying to quell the warmth creeping into my cheeks.
I’d convinced myself I’d never see him again, that he’d just been passing through.
But here he was, and despite the warning voice in my head urging me to be careful, to stay distant, I felt myself melting just a little.
“She has good taste,” I replied, straightening the rack of blouses next to me to distract myself.
“If I had to be honest,” he said, his tone deepening, “I wouldn’t have minded stopping by, even without my sister’s request.”
I froze, forcing myself not to look directly at him, focusing on smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles in the clothing display.
I could feel his eyes on me, and my heart thundered in my chest.
When I finally glanced up, he was watching me with that same steady intensity.
A hint of warmth in his green eyes that made my skin flush.
“Well, since you’re here,” I said, clearing my throat, “I’ll show you some more options.”
I gestured toward a new selection of fall clothing.
“We just got a shipment in yesterday,” I added.
He followed, his presence filling the small space beside me, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from him.
Close enough to make me acutely aware of how long it had been since I’d felt this alive around a man.
I’d tried dating after Marcus, tried to convince myself I was moving on. But in the end, fear always crept in.
That deeply ingrained distrust I’d built up like armor after Marcus had taken pieces of me and left me hollowed out.
And yet, with Cole, that fear was tempered by something else—a cautious intrigue, a dangerous attraction that I wasn’t sure how to handle.
He slipped a tailored blazer off the rack, inspecting it with a surprising amount of attention to detail.
“This looks like her style,” he said, giving it a little nod of approval before glancing my way. “What do you think?”
I blinked, taken aback.
“You… know clothes.” My surprise slipped out before I could stop it.
He laughed, a soft, rumbling sound that settled somewhere deep in my chest.
“I do, actually. My sister makes sure of that. Our two younger brothers refuse to step foot in a boutique, so I’m her go-to companion on shopping trips,” he said.
My lips tugged into a reluctant smile.
“I suppose that would explain it,” I said.
Cole shrugged.
“Helps to know a thing or two. Plus, it gives me an excuse to keep coming back here,” Cole said.
His gaze met mine again, and this time, I couldn’t look away.
Silence stretched between us, full of tension, an unspoken pull I couldn’t deny.
I broke eye contact first, reaching for a nearby blouse to distract myself.
We chose more clothes.
Finally, I busied myself bagging his selections, trying to ignore the rush of warmth that his words sent through me.
When I handed him the bag, his fingers brushed against mine, and the small, electric touch sent a spark up my arm.
“Thank you, Tori,” he said. “I appreciate your help. Would you let me buy you lunch as a thank you?”
My heart stuttered. For a long moment, I couldn’t speak, my mind spinning with reasons to say no.
I’d told myself I was done with men who made me feel vulnerable, that I’d protect myself this time.
But the way he looked at me, steady and respectful, softened something in me. This wasn’t Marcus.
I didn’t sense danger in his eyes, only a careful curiosity that felt… safe, even though I barely knew him.
I bit my lip, weighing my options before finally nodding.
“Okay.”
“Great.” His smile widened, and he gestured to the door. “Is there somewhere nearby you’d recommend?”
“Depends,” I said, crossing my arms as I glanced up at him. “Are you used to posh restaurants?”
He chuckled. “Let’s just say I’m up for trying new things.”
There was a small diner down the street.
The kind of place where the tables had been worn down from years of regulars and the coffee was always a little too strong.
I led him there, stealing glances as we walked.
I tried to hide the way my heart raced, the strange warmth curling low in my stomach every time I felt his presence beside me.
Once inside, the waitress led us to a booth by the window, and I slipped into my seat across from him.
The diner was quiet, warm, smelling faintly of coffee and butter.
Cole looked surprisingly at ease, his shoulders relaxed as he studied the laminated menu.
“Not your usual haunt, I’m guessing?” I teased, feeling a small, reckless thrill at poking fun at him.
He glanced up, a faint smirk touching his lips.
“Maybe not. But I’m discovering that Oakridge Bay has its charms,” Cole said.
I knew he wasn’t talking about the diner, but I ignored the blush that threatened to rise in my cheeks.
Instead, I looked out the window, gathering my thoughts.
“So, where are you from? I’m guessing not from around here,” I said.
He shook his head, setting the menu down.
“Washington, actually. This place is a bit of a change, but I like it. Peaceful,” he said.
His gaze was on me, intense, as if he could see through every wall I’d built. It was unnerving. Exhilarating.
I took a deep breath, trying to ground myself, to remind myself that I was in control.
“I’ve seen you before,” he said. “At the mayor’s party.”
“Why were you at the mayor’s party?” I asked, surprised.
“My father’s an old friend of his,” Cole replied, pausing as the waitress brought us our drinks.
Cole continued, “He couldn’t make it, so he asked me to attend in his place.”
I watched him over the rim of my cup, feeling that familiar pull, the soft spark of something that felt dangerously like hope.
Cole felt… safe, which was strange, given his power and influence.
He was a man who probably had the world at his fingertips.
And yet, here he was in a small-town diner, looking at me like I was the only person in the room.
“You didn’t have to come all the way back to Oakridge Bay to buy a few dresses,” I said, my tone light but curious.
“Maybe not,” he admitted, his gaze unwavering. “But I wanted to.”
The words hung between us, heavy with implication.
I could feel my walls crumbling, just a little, an inch of trust slipping through the cracks.
“Why?” I asked softly, unsure if I wanted to hear the answer.
“Because,” he said, leaning forward slightly, “there’s something about you, Tori. Something I don’t want to ignore.”
My heart raced, my fingers curling around the edge of the table as I searched his face.
It had been so long since I’d felt anything like this.
A warm, insistent tug, the kind of connection that I’d thought I’d never let myself feel again.
“I’m not looking for anything,” I said, my voice barely a whisper, a hint of apology lacing my words.
I felt vulnerable, exposed, afraid of the weight his words carried.
“Neither am I,” he replied, his voice steady, grounding. “But sometimes, things find us when we’re least expecting them.”
There was no hint of pressure in his tone, no forcefulness or insistence.
Just an invitation, a chance to let down my guard, even if only for a moment.
His eyes held mine, and I felt a warmth seep through me, melting the last of my hesitation.
As we talked, the hours slipped away, the conversation flowing effortlessly.
He shared stories of growing up with his siblings, the closeness he had with his sister, his distaste for the rigid, superficial circles of his life in Seattle.
And I found myself opening up, sharing small pieces of my life, my shop, the quiet love I had for this town.
By the time the meal ended, I knew I was in trouble.
He’d stirred something within me I thought was long gone, rekindled a fire that Marcus had snuffed out.
Cole walked me back to my boutique, his hand brushing gently against my arm.
I knew I was on the edge of something both terrifying and wonderful, yet I was scared to take that step forward.