ISABELLE
The shop was quiet. It was the off season, so the lack of patrons was to be expected.
I yawned as I slipped my bookmark in the newest Ember Sage romance and set it next to the register.
I dropped my feet to the bar on the stool I was sitting on and arched my back, sighing as my tense muscles got the stretch they needed.
It felt silly keeping the shop open this late in the year. Most places had shut down, but I lived on Harmony Island and I enjoyed keeping busy. Plus, I was okay with staying open so the residents could get their fill of creamy, smooth gelato.
And…it was the place where Wesley would come to if he ever returned to Harmony.
I closed my eyes for a moment and shook my head.
That was a stupid and asinine thought.
Wesley was my ex. The last time we spoke, he ripped out my heart and stomped on it. The last time I saw him was graduation night where he told me he was moving on to bigger and better things and those bigger and better things did not include me.
I was a Sutton. He was an Addington. I was Taco Bell and hand-me-downs. He was caviar and Bentleys. It was foolish of me to think that a future together would ever work.
The last thing he wanted was to be tied down in a small town going nowhere. He was meant for a different life.
And I was not meant to go with him.
I blew out my breath as I attempted to lessen the anxiety that rose up inside of me every time I thought of that man. As much as I wanted to say that I’d moved on—that he didn’t haunt me anymore—that would be a lie.
Wesley Addington was a part of my history and until I found someone to walk into the future with, I was never going to fully move on from him.
The curse of being my first love.
I shook my head as I climbed off the bar stool and stood. I’d spent the last hour lost on a ranch with a handsome cowboy with eyes only for me, it was time to get my head out of fantasyland and get some work done.
“Dishes won’t clean themselves,” I said to myself as I turned and made my way through the door that led into the kitchen. I had a few hours to get some chores done before the after-dinner crowd would roll in here looking for a sweet treat.
I was elbow deep in hot water and suds when I heard the front doorbell jingle.
I glanced at the clock. It was a bit early for a patron, but maybe it was a construction worker.
They normally balked at the word gelato, saying that it’s just a fancier form of ice cream.
It had been harder for me to feel the effects of the island’s increased foot traffic when half of the people judged what I had to offer solely by its name.
I was working on removing the stigmatism when it came to gelato, but it was a slow process. So I made it my mission to treat everyone who came into the shop like they were the most important customer. Word of mouth was the only way I was going to be able to stay open.
“I’ll be out in just a sec,” I called to them as I rinsed my hands and ripped off some paper towels.
I was still drying my hands, so I backed up through the swinging doors. My focus was on the now used towels that I was about to toss in the nearby garbage when movement caught my eye. I glanced up and my entire body froze.
Standing there, in the flesh, was Wesley Addington.
He shoved his hands into the front pocket of his jeans as he gave me a nervous smile.
“Hey, Isabelle. Long time no see.”
***
Book 9 is done!!