No Matter What (The Billionaires of Sawgrass #4) - Delaney Cameron Page 0,43
brought to mind the birthday celebration taking place tonight in Savannah. If Wade’s family wasn’t already aware of what happened, they would soon have all the details. What would he tell them? Would he take his share of the blame or throw her under the bus? And why was she so concerned about the opinions of people she’d never see again?
These musings were interrupted by Kait’s boisterous arrival. One glance was enough to know something other than traffic issues was the reason for her delayed return.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said, removing her apron from the hook on the wall. “I ran into Miles at the gas station.”
Robin smiled to herself as she scooped pale blue royal icing into a pastry bag. Things were about to get interesting. Miles Slater was one of Kait’s old boyfriends. The two of them had reconnected last summer at their ten-year high school reunion. At the time, they’d both been dating other people. In the last six months, those circumstances had changed. Kait had broken up with Loser Larry following his behavior on New Year’s Eve. Miles had followed suit with his girlfriend roughly a month later. The scene had been set; the players were in their positions. Robin had figured it was only a matter of time before Miles made his move.
“Really? I didn’t think he had any family left in Jacksonville.”
“He doesn’t. He’s staying with a friend in Baymeadows.”
“Did you know he was coming?”
Kait grabbed a rolling pin and the container of marshmallow fondant. “No. He was on his way here to surprise me when he saw me at the gas station.”
“The surprise part of his plan worked.”
“You bet it did. I almost fainted when I saw his car pull in behind me.”
“How long will he be in town?”
“He’s, um, hoping to stick around. He’s got a job interview on Monday with the Army Corps of Engineers.”
“I wonder what could’ve made him want to leave Tennessee,” Robin mused with a straight face.
Kait tried to shrug this off, but the tinges of pink in her cheeks gave her away. “He said he was ready for a change. The company he works for was recently bought by someone else. He doesn’t care for some of the decisions made by the new management.”
This comment sent Robin on a mental detour. Had Reece been successful in buying the charter service in Miami? The only way she’d find out was hearing about it on the news. Cutting ties with Wade had the unintended consequence of ending her short acquaintance with Reece. A few weeks ago that wouldn’t have bothered her at all. She couldn’t in all honesty say that now. She’d come to think of Reece as a friend, and she wasn’t the only one. Owen asked about Reece and Gypsy almost daily which was odd considering he’d only met them once.
She forced her thoughts back to Kait and Miles. “When will you be seeing him again?”
“He wants to take me to dinner tonight. I told him I’d have to let him know later.”
“Shame on you, Kait. The poor man traveled all this way, and that’s the best you can offer him.”
Kait appeared to be focused on molding a section of white fondant into the shape of a calla lily. Robin wasn’t fooled. Her friend was flustered, a state of affairs that was as enlightening as it was rare.
“I know it seems…inconsistent,” she admitted, “but it’s one thing to exchange flirty text messages. It’s another to have Miles here in Jacksonville.”
Robin thought she understood Kait’s dilemma. She obviously had feelings for Miles, but she was afraid of being hurt again. His sudden appearance was like a declaration of his intentions. It removed the uncertainty from the situation and forced Kait to consider the real possibility of them getting back together.
“Just because he’s in town doesn’t mean things have to move to warp speed. Treat this like any other first date with a guy you like.”
Kait laughed. “Except this isn’t our first date. That happened twelve years ago when we were seventeen. He took me to see a James Bond movie. Afterward, we went to Dairy Goddess at Fisherman’s Wharf and shared a banana split. All the way home I wondered if he’d kiss me. By the time we reached my front porch, I was so nervous I was actually shaking. Just as Miles leaned toward me, my father flipped on the porch light. I wanted to die. Miles just laughed. On our second date, he didn’t take any