she wasn’t sure if she could ever forgive Kaegan or not.
“KAEGAN, YOU HAVE a call on line three. It’s Samantha Jenkins from Jenkins’s Florist.”
“Thanks, Wil,” he said to his administrative assistant, Willa Ford. “Please put her through.”
When he heard the connection, he said, “Mrs. Jenkins, how are you?”
“I’m fine, Kaegan. I wasn’t here when you dropped by this morning. I had to do a bank run. Paul took your order and I want to make sure he jotted down the right instructions.”
Kaegan leaned back in his chair. “Okay.”
“You want a vase of calla lilies delivered every week to Bryce Witherspoon. Is that right?”
“Yes, that’s right. I pre-signed at least three cards already. When you run out I’ll come in to sign some more.” Not wanting anyone to know his and Bryce’s business, he had stopped by the florist’s himself, written out the messages on the cards and sealed the envelopes. For as long as it took her to forgive him, she would get the flowers and the card with that message.
“Well, all right. And we have your credit card on file, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”
“No, there shouldn’t be.”
“I’ll talk to you later and thanks for your business.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Wait! I just remembered something.”
“Yes?”
“I’m selling tickets to this year’s Catalina Cove charity ball. How many tickets would you like?”
In all the years he’d lived in the cove, not once had he attended one of those charity balls. He would support them by buying a handful of tickets for his employees, but he’d never felt comfortable attending those types of community functions himself. Kaegan wasn’t one who did a lot of socializing with people he didn’t know that well. Sawyer and Ray were the only men in the cove he spent any amount of personal time with. Reid had talked him into being a part of the cove’s zoning board a few years ago, and that was as far as he intended for his community involvement to go.
He recalled both Sawyer and Ray mentioning they would be attending the event with their wives. The dance was a month from now. It was probably wishful thinking on his part, considering how she felt about him now, to even assume Bryce would go with him to the dance. It would be a miracle to think that by then he would have gotten in her good graces enough to at least get a dance with her. He, of all people, knew how much she liked to dance. The few steps he knew were ones she’d taught him.
It was a long shot, but it was a long shot worth taking. That meant he had to step up his game. But first, of course, he had to get her to forgive him. That was the most important thing to him right now.
“Yes, I’ll take twenty tickets this year.”
“Wow! Twenty tickets! Your support is definitely appreciated, Kaegan. Thanks.”
He ended his call with Samantha Jenkins and went to the coffeepot thinking maybe he should go to the ball this year. There was a first time for everything. After pouring a cup, he moved to the window and looked out.
Kaegan knew Vashti was right. There was nothing wrong with sparking memories, but he and Bryce needed to get to know each other again to cultivate new ones, as well.
They were no longer in their teens, or young and in love. Now they were both in their thirties. It was time they saw things with new sets of eyes. Those belonging to mature adults. They couldn’t change the past, but they could control their future. It would be up to him to help her see that and get her to believe in them again.
He knew why the pain of what he thought was her betrayal had hurt him so much. Because he had loved her so deeply. He could honestly say that other than his mother, Bryce was the only woman he’d ever loved. He had loved her and had never stopped loving her. Even when he’d thought bad of her there was something that still pulled at him. And that something had kept him going to the Witherspoon Café every morning because he knew she would be there.
Kaegan also knew that no matter how long he lived in Catalina Cove, it would never be home to him without Bryce. When he’d lived here before he had considered it home because she’d made it so for him. He’d been back awhile now, but a part of him hadn’t truly thought of it as home. It would take Bryce to help him find home again.
She was the only one who could do it.
“KAEGAN, THERE’S SOMEONE to see you.”
Kaegan looked at Willa, who’d stuck her head in the door. “Who is it, Wil?”
“Bryce Witherspoon.”
He looked at his watch. She would have gotten her flowers by now. The third arrangement he’d sent her. “Okay, send her in. And go ahead and take your lunch now.”
“I just came from lunch.”
“Take another one.” The last thing he wanted was his employees being privy to anything Bryce might say. Although he had his own office, he knew voices carried. Faith Harris, his other office worker, had taken the day off, and Toby Franklin was on vacation.
Willa smiled. “You won’t get an argument out of me. I think I’ll go back to that dress shop and buy me something to wear to a party I’m going to this weekend.”
“Do whatever rocks your boat,” he said, standing. “Please send Bryce in.”
He came around to sit on the edge of his desk and had to swallow twice when Bryce walked in. He reached behind him to grab his coffee cup and take a sip since his throat had gotten dry.
She’d walked into his office with her head held high, lips tight and a mass of hair around her shoulders. She didn’t look happy, he thought, as his gaze roamed over her. She was wearing a printed dress, with a stylish navy blue jacket and navy blue pumps. She looked so damn good.
He stood. “Bryce, this is a surprise. I missed seeing you at your parents’ café during lunch the last few Wednesdays. Your mom reminded me about those real-estate classes you started taking in New Orleans.” There—he’d let her know he noticed her absence, as well as the fact he’d asked about her.
She squared her shoulders. “We need to talk, Kaegan.”
“Go ahead, Bryce. I’m all yours.”
He doubted she knew just how much he meant that. In his heart he was hers and always would be. He’d had a few weeks to dwell on what he wanted out of his life and he’d decided he wanted Bryce. He was well aware accomplishing such a thing wouldn’t be easy. First, he had to earn back her trust, and he was working daily thinking of ways to do that. He wouldn’t rush her. As far as he knew, although she dated, she wasn’t involved in a serious relationship.
