Mami would tell me that a man without love in his life was like a day without sun. She would remind me how much I’d always loved the sun, claimed I couldn’t live without it as a kid. Then, she’d tell me how much she loved me, and I would tell her she didn’t need to worry about me anymore. She worried anyway. I hated that I was the cause.

  Barley hopped off the couch and barked twice, heading for the front door.

  “What is it, boy?” I asked as I followed his lead.

  Rory.

  He was walking in the direction of Ava’s restaurant. To be fair, most of the town was in the same direction, but he looked like a man on a mission. I’d never seen him so cleaned up before. From this view, his hair even looked like it was styled.

  I glanced down at Barley and knew I couldn’t stay here, feeling sorry for myself anymore. I was either going to sit in Ava’s place and watch Rory ask her out in front of everyone or I was going to do it myself before he ever got the chance. There wasn’t any time to waste.

  Blowing out a breath, I mumbled to myself before heading out the door and stalking down the hill.

  If Ava Starling was going to be with anyone in this town, it was going to be me. End of story.

  WHEN YOUR PAST WALKS THROUGH THE DOOR

  AVA

  The restaurant was hopping, almost every seat and table spoken for with the exception of a few empty stools at the bar. I was grateful, but I was also exhausted. Most of the kitchen staff had been with us for years, so I leaned on them more than I thought my dad ever had. But like I’d mentioned before, I was still learning how to manage it all on my own without losing it all in the process.

  Glancing around at the cooks, I gave them a nod before taking off my apron and pushing through the swinging double doors. I liked to meander through the small space, checking on guests and chatting with the locals. The food still got cooked to perfection without me standing over the stove every second. I trusted my men in the kitchen to do their respective jobs right; they’d been doing it long before I ever moved back home.

  The bell over the front door gave a quick jingle, drawing my attention toward it, and I watched as Rory stepped inside, looking all dressed up.

  I rushed over to him, my eyes widening. “You look so nice.”

  I grinned, and he gave me a hug.

  “Don’t have to sound so surprised about it,” he whispered in my ear, and I nodded in agreement.

  It was supposed to be a compliment, but it had sort of come out sounding a little backhanded.

  “You’re right. I’m not. It’s just been a while since I’ve seen you without a hat,” I said, trying to recover. “Anyway, are you staying for dinner?” I asked, and he slapped his hands together and rubbed them back and forth.

  That was when it hit me—exactly why he was here, looking all put together and dapper. Rory’s plan had begun. I had no idea why I stood there, feeling so shocked in my realization, but that was the emotion that took over my body. Well, that, and a little fear.

  We’d only talked about the idea this morning, and now, it was already happening tonight? In front of all these people?

  I really hadn’t thought this through.

  “You okay?” Rory asked, and I blew him off before leading him toward an empty seat at the bar.

  “It’s all we have.”

  He grinned. “It’s all I need.”

  “But Tony’s not even here.” I leaned toward him, hoping he wouldn’t put me on the spot if our person of interest never showed.

  “Yet. He’s not here yet,” he said with confidence as the bartender, Jin, walked over and took his drink order.

  “Need anything, boss?” Jin asked.

  I made a silly face. He knew I rarely drank and never on the clock.

  “I’m good, thanks.”

  “Just thought I’d check. You never know. These tourists can drive anyone to drink.” He threw his head back like he couldn’t wait for the season to finally end.

  “These tourists pay our bills for the entire year,” I said even though he already knew that.

  Everyone in Port Rufton knew that the out-of-towners, no matter how difficult they could be at times, kept us afloat during those winter months when we were forced to stay closed. Half the businesses in town shut their doors completely from November to February. The weather was simply too unpredictable to stay open with any regularity, and getting supplies was even more difficult. I, however, tried my best to keep the restaurant going, but with limited hours. It seemed to work. And it kept the town fed.

  “Oh shit.” Rory suddenly grabbed me by the waist and spun me around just in time to see my ex-husband, Liam, walking through the front door, a determined look on his face.

  “Why on earth …” I started to question, but the words died on my lips as his eyes searched the room before landing on mine and holding.

  “Did you know he was in town?” Rory asked as people began whispering around us at the bar.

  The tourists had no idea what was going on, thankfully, but the handful of locals all knew exactly what was happening.

  “We got your back, Ava,” one of the guys said from his seat at the opposite end of the bar.

  I forced a smile in return right as Liam stopped in front of me, his eyes glaring with disapproval.

  “Knew I’d find you here. Right where I left you.”

  Seriously? Where he left me?

  “If you remember correctly, I left you. Back in the city. What do you want?”

  Liam looked around, as if taking stock or inventory on a place that no longer had anything to do with him. “Nice to see what my money has given you.”

  “Given me?” I practically spat in his face.

  My family had done this for me, not Liam or any of his adulterous dollars.

  “You think I don’t notice the upgrades? New floor. Updated signage. Who knows what you’ve added in the kitchen.”

  He tried to look around my shoulder toward the swinging double doors, but Rory stood tall behind me, blocking his view. It wasn’t like he could see inside of there anyway. He would have to walk into the space, and no one here would ever let that happen.

  “Why are you here, Liam?” Rory asked, and Liam’s eyes practically lit up, as if he had only just noticed him.

  “Oh man. You’re joking, right? Please tell me you two are not together. That would just be rich,” Liam asked with a sick-sounding laugh.

  Before I could answer, Tony was suddenly at my side, asking if everything was okay and attempting to break the tension.

  I hadn’t even heard or seen him come in, although my body was hyperaware of his nearness. With my attention zeroed in on Tony’s broad shoulders and dark eyes, my response to his question died in my throat with one word from Liam.

  “Tony?”

  I watched as Tony turned, as if in slow motion, meeting my ex-husband’s curious gaze with one of his own. “Liam?”

  “What are you doing here?” they both asked one another at the same exact time.

  I looked between the two men, my confusion crystal clear.

  “You two know each other?” I pointed between them as my world started to spin.

  Bracing myself on the back of one of the barstools, I suddenly felt sick. How the hell does Liam know Tony?

  “Unfortunately,” Tony bit out, his tone disgusted, and that at least gave me a small sliver of joy.

  If they were acquainted somehow, it wasn’t necessarily a good thing. My stomach settled slightly.

  Liam scoffed at Tony’s response before adding his own. “Thanks for leaving the firm, by the way,” he said, his tone smug and arrogant.

  “Let me guess. They gave you my job?” Tony sounded completely uninterested and unimpressed.

  If I’d thought I couldn’t be more intrigued by the man, I was wrong. Color me nothing but intrigued.

  “I earned your job, fuck you very much.” Liam sounded like a snotty brat.

  He was nothing like the guy I’d fallen in love with all those years ago. That person was long gone.

  “You always were a little bitch,” Tony whispered harshly under his breath, trying his best not to create a scene.

  Liam shifted on his feet before he leaned toward Tony to deliver a final blow. “Yeah? Well, at least I didn’t kill my wife,” Liam said loud enough for those around to start paying attention, and I released a surprised gasp.

  Tony killed his wife? What exactly does that even mean?

  “No. You just cheated on yours until she finally got some sense and left you,” Tony zinged back before the situation and the realization of what’d he just said hit him somehow. He whirled to the side, his focus solely on me. “It was you?” he asked softly. “You were married to him?”

  “Don’t feel bad for her. She took half of everything.”

  Tony whipped his head back toward Liam. “She should have taken it all. Stay the hell away from her.” His tone was threatening, and my heart raced. It was the most emotion I’d ever seen from Tony.

  “Or what? You’ll kill me too?” Liam asked with a grin that begged Tony to take this further.

  Tony took a step toward him, his hands balled into fists, but Rory was right there, holding him back. He said something that I couldn’t quite make out, but it seemed to work. Tony’s fists unfurled.

  “You got this?” he asked Rory.

  With an affirmative nod, Tony took off toward the back exit and out the door, and I watched him disappear.

  Rory convinced Liam he needed to leave. The group of locals who were standing like a pack of guard dogs, just waiting for the order to attack, probably helped sway his decision. This wasn’t a fight that Liam had any chance of winning.

  As soon as Liam was out the front door, Rory turned to face me. “Go. He needs you,” he said.

  We both knew exactly which man he was referring to. I only hoped that he would let me inside.

  YOU CAN NEVER RUN FAR ENOUGH AWAY

  TONY

  I was walking as fast as my legs would take me without breaking into a jog before I decided to slow the hell down. There was no reason for me to run home. My heart—the one thing I hadn’t thought I even had anymore—was pounding inside my chest so hard, begging to break free.

  Coming to Port Rufton had been nothing but an escape at first. I’d been running away at the time, from everyone and everything I’d ever known, trying my damnedest to leave it all behind and numb the pain. Operating in survival mode was all I could manage after I lost it all. Killed it all, was actually more accurate.

  Port Rufton had started to feel like a real home. It had become a place I never planned on leaving. At least, not anytime soon. But Liam showing up here today had destroyed any semblance of peace that I’d actually began to build.

  I’d been able to have a new life even if it was a solitary one. A life where my past was slowly settling into where it belonged and me hating myself lessened just the tiniest bit each morning. Seeing his face had brought it all back. And his presence was like blowing up a jigsaw puzzle and watching all the pieces scatter after you finally completed it. Only the pieces were my sanity … my well-being.

  All blown to bits.

  “Tony!”

  Ava.

  I should have known that she’d follow me. She was the last person I wanted to see right now, but she was also the only person I could stomach. Barely.

  “Tony. Stop!” she shouted, and I knew it was no use.

  If I didn’t, she’d follow me all the way home and force her way inside. Knowing Barley, he’d probably let her in.

  “What do you want, Ava?”

  Jesus. Even when I so desperately needed her to not think badly of me, I was pushing her away. My defense mechanism was one hell of an asshole.

  “I want to talk to you,” she said softly as she reached me, her hazel eyes glassy. Had she been crying? “About what Liam said back there.” She thumbed in the direction of her restaurant, but I knew what she meant without the added gesture.

  My skin prickled as I thought of Liam and his words. How harshly he’d said them. The fire inside me raged. I was embarrassed. Broken. Humiliated.

  “Please,” she begged sweetly, and I knew that I couldn’t deny her. Not anymore. Not after today.

  I still couldn’t believe that she was the woman who used to be married to that little prick. A long breath escaped my lungs, and I thought my body might deflate into nothing but a pile of bones. I’d been holding it all in for so long now, afraid that once I started admitting the truth, saying it all out loud, I might never be able to stand on my own two feet again.

  “Okay,” was all I managed to get out.

  When she reached for my hand, I let her take it, reveling in the contact.

  It had been too long since I’d let anyone touch me. I understood that now.

  When we reached my front door, I twisted the knob, knowing it would open. I rarely locked it once I was off my boat for the day. Barley was at our feet in an instant, wagging his tail and rubbing his head against Ava’s legs.

  I watched as she looked around the space, her hand petting Barley’s head absentmindedly. The house had come fully furnished, and in the nine months since I’d been here, I’d changed and added very little.

  “Are you all right?” she asked me when I should have been the one making sure that she was.

  Her ex had shown up here and created a scene. Even though I hated what he’d said to me, I hadn’t been the point of his visit; Ava was. At least, that was what I assumed.

  “Me? Are you?” I asked before sitting down on the couch and directing her to take a seat as well.

  “Seeing Liam was”—she paused as she sat, searching for the right word—“unexpected. And definitely unwanted.”

  Barley followed her every step. He moved in between her legs on the floor at her feet, wanting her attention. Or maybe he sensed that she needed comforting. Whichever one it was, it worked. She grinned at him before scratching behind his ear.

  “You had no idea he was in town?” I asked, and she shook her head.

  “I haven’t seen him since I left.” She stopped petting Barley and leaned into the chair, her head resting against the padded back. “His parents still live here, so I should have expected that he’d come back home at some point. I don’t know.” She stumbled on her thoughts. “I just didn’t.”

  “I get it. He could have come to town without going into your restaurant,” I said, my voice rising as I realized how big of a jerk the guy truly was. “He did that on purpose.”

  “I know,” she agreed.

  “Any idea why?”

  Her eyes held mine. “Because he thought it would hurt me?” she asked, so I knew she had no idea either and was simply offering up a guess.

  “Did it?” I wondered out loud. “Hurt you, I mean?”

  “No. Six months ago, it might have. But not anymore.”

  I still couldn’t believe that sweet, gentle, full-of-light Ava had been married to that piece of shit. He’d been screwing his assistant for years behind her back, seemingly proud of that fact. He used to brag about it all the time. I remembered thinking how young and stupid he was. That cheating on your wife wasn’t a badge of honor and, one day, he’d realize that. Until then, I’d hoped he’d get caught. Guys like him deserved to.

  “I can’t believe you were married to him. I’m sorry for what I said,” I apologized, hoping that I hadn’t embarrassed her with my harsh words.

  She folded her hands in her lap as Barley rested his head on her thigh.

  Lucky dog.

  “You said the truth.”

  “I didn’t realize I was talking about you though.”

  “I know.”

  I shifted on the couch, uncomfortable in every way. “I gotta ask you something, Ava.”

  “Okay.”

  “How in the world did you end up with a guy like that?” I didn’t mean to be offensive or cruel, but the second I asked the question, I wanted to take it back.

  Thankfully, Ava didn’t look upset. It was almost as though she’d expected me to ask.

  “He wasn’t always like that,” she explained. “That guy back there? I don’t even recognize him anymore.”

  It was the only thing that made sense. Because I couldn’t picture her with someone so deceptive and unkind.

  “He used to be nice?” I asked, my tone showing I was unwilling to believe it.

  The Liam I knew was cutthroat and willing to step on anyone in order to get ahead. It wasn’t atypical in our industry, especially for someone his age, but he seemed more intent than most who had come before him. He always acted like he had nothing to lose.

  Ava nodded her head slowly. “I thought so. We started dating back in high school. He was such a different guy then. Quieter, you know?” She looked like she was remembering a simpler time, a time I couldn’t even imagine, much less picture. “He was still determined and wanted to be successful, but not at any cost, the way he is now.”

  A cough escaped from somewhere deep in my throat, and Ava shot me a look.

  “Sorry,” I said, putting up a hand. “It’s just that the man I knew was willing to do anything to succeed.”

  “I learned that eventually. But up until that point, I was pretty naive. I trusted him. And I stupidly believed that love could conquer all.”

  “It’s not stupid to think that,” I said without a second thought, and I could tell that I surprised her. “You were just with the wrong person.”

  A small laugh escaped from her delicate lips. “You think so?” she asked.

  “I know so.”

  “I guess love doesn’t stop you from cheating.” The words were followed by a long exhale, and I wondered if she knew the details of his infidelity or not.

  “You knew about his affair?”

  “I found out,” she said, swallowing hard before her beautiful eyes narrowed in my direction. “Wait. You knew about it?”

  I hated admitting this part to her. It felt too personal. Too none of my business, but I couldn’t lie. Wouldn’t lie. “I knew. Everyone in the office knew,” I said, clearly adding insult to injury.

 

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