reprehensible for me to accept his invitation just because he was good-looking and I was a very pregnant, very grieving young woman? Would I have hesitated if he were less good-looking?
I was overthinking this! A cup of coffee out in public with my new neighbor, who also happened to be my new coworker—surely there was no harm in that. Besides, it would have been impolite to refuse his invitation.
“Very well,” I finally agreed, giving the bed a final glance. It was really pretty, and I would have loved to take a closer look.
As if Ewan had read my thoughts, he pointed toward the bed. “But first we must try this out. It looks so comfortable. I’m seriously considering buying it.”
I sat down on the mattress and let myself fall down into the pillows. It was heavenly!
Ewan gave me a questioning look, walked around the bed, and sat down on the other side.
“Oh yeah, it’s comfortable!” I said, waiting for him to lie down next to me.
He did, and his teeth sparkled as he gave me a wide smile.
“Under normal circumstances I prefer to know the name of the woman I share my bed with,” he joked.
I turned to face him, looked him in the eye, and pretended to ignore his suggestive expression.
“Well, if you think tha t . . . Oh, forget it!” I’d be damned if I was going to give him the satisfaction of actually reacting to his advances! “I’m Piper. Piper Colby.”
He winked at me. “Shouldn’t Mr. Colby be lying next to you?”
It came out of nowhere, but I only flinched for a second. After almost four months of carrying around a broken heart, I thought I could handle it. But I couldn’t help the waver in my voice when I replied, “There is no Mr. Colby. My husban d . . . boyfrien d . . . Daniel, he”—I swallowed—“he died.”
The look in Ewan’s eyes changed. He looked at my belly, then looked me in the face again. His mischievous grin was gone, driven out by feelings of sympathy.
“Oh God, I am so sorry. I had no idea.”
Shit, I didn’t need that right now! Everyone had been giving me that look for months. I could no longer take it. I had to get out of there.
“It’s all right. Please, stop.”
I sat up and tucked my hair behind my ear. “I just remembered that I have somewhere else to be. The cup of coffee—I’m afraid I won’t have time. Excuse me.”
Without looking at him, I swung my legs out of bed and scuttled off.
“Piper! Wait!”
I pretended not to hear. The moment of feeling light and easy had passed. My guilty conscience had raised its ugly head, and the pain of Daniel’s death was back with full force.
When the automatic doors closed behind me and the cold December wind blew the first snowflakes of the season into my face, tears started streaming down my cheeks. They stung as if they were turning to ice on their way down.
I held my coat clasped over my belly and buried my face in my scarf as I ran toward my car. I clung to the steering wheel, looking out through my iced-up window and toward the twinkling windows of the furniture store.
Who needs a bed anyway? Tomorrow I would move, with or without the luxury of a bed. Besides, my body had grown accustomed to the shape of the sofa.
It took me a few tries before the motor would start. Dammit, now the car was apparently dying on me, too!
The weather the next morning couldn’t have been less perfect for a moving day. Snow and sleet had turned the road leading up to Mellos Cove into an ice chute, and it was so cold that our fingers were almost too stiff to hold the few boxes I had packed. Catherine, Marcus, Jenna, and Kevin were helping me, and so we made good progress in spite of the adverse conditions.
“Piper, are you sure you’ve packed everything you need?” Catherine asked anxiously, scrutinizing the boxes that were now piling up in my new living room.
“Yes. I’ll be fine for the time being. I do have a few things left at the apartment, but it’s too hard to go through all the closets and
I was overthinking this! A cup of coffee out in public with my new neighbor, who also happened to be my new coworker—surely there was no harm in that. Besides, it would have been impolite to refuse his invitation.
“Very well,” I finally agreed, giving the bed a final glance. It was really pretty, and I would have loved to take a closer look.
As if Ewan had read my thoughts, he pointed toward the bed. “But first we must try this out. It looks so comfortable. I’m seriously considering buying it.”
I sat down on the mattress and let myself fall down into the pillows. It was heavenly!
Ewan gave me a questioning look, walked around the bed, and sat down on the other side.
“Oh yeah, it’s comfortable!” I said, waiting for him to lie down next to me.
He did, and his teeth sparkled as he gave me a wide smile.
“Under normal circumstances I prefer to know the name of the woman I share my bed with,” he joked.
I turned to face him, looked him in the eye, and pretended to ignore his suggestive expression.
“Well, if you think tha t . . . Oh, forget it!” I’d be damned if I was going to give him the satisfaction of actually reacting to his advances! “I’m Piper. Piper Colby.”
He winked at me. “Shouldn’t Mr. Colby be lying next to you?”
It came out of nowhere, but I only flinched for a second. After almost four months of carrying around a broken heart, I thought I could handle it. But I couldn’t help the waver in my voice when I replied, “There is no Mr. Colby. My husban d . . . boyfrien d . . . Daniel, he”—I swallowed—“he died.”
The look in Ewan’s eyes changed. He looked at my belly, then looked me in the face again. His mischievous grin was gone, driven out by feelings of sympathy.
“Oh God, I am so sorry. I had no idea.”
Shit, I didn’t need that right now! Everyone had been giving me that look for months. I could no longer take it. I had to get out of there.
“It’s all right. Please, stop.”
I sat up and tucked my hair behind my ear. “I just remembered that I have somewhere else to be. The cup of coffee—I’m afraid I won’t have time. Excuse me.”
Without looking at him, I swung my legs out of bed and scuttled off.
“Piper! Wait!”
I pretended not to hear. The moment of feeling light and easy had passed. My guilty conscience had raised its ugly head, and the pain of Daniel’s death was back with full force.
When the automatic doors closed behind me and the cold December wind blew the first snowflakes of the season into my face, tears started streaming down my cheeks. They stung as if they were turning to ice on their way down.
I held my coat clasped over my belly and buried my face in my scarf as I ran toward my car. I clung to the steering wheel, looking out through my iced-up window and toward the twinkling windows of the furniture store.
Who needs a bed anyway? Tomorrow I would move, with or without the luxury of a bed. Besides, my body had grown accustomed to the shape of the sofa.
It took me a few tries before the motor would start. Dammit, now the car was apparently dying on me, too!
The weather the next morning couldn’t have been less perfect for a moving day. Snow and sleet had turned the road leading up to Mellos Cove into an ice chute, and it was so cold that our fingers were almost too stiff to hold the few boxes I had packed. Catherine, Marcus, Jenna, and Kevin were helping me, and so we made good progress in spite of the adverse conditions.
“Piper, are you sure you’ve packed everything you need?” Catherine asked anxiously, scrutinizing the boxes that were now piling up in my new living room.
“Yes. I’ll be fine for the time being. I do have a few things left at the apartment, but it’s too hard to go through all the closets and
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