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A phone number was printed at the bottom.
I stared at the words, trying to sort the tumble of emotions washing over me.
“Oh. My. God.”
Leann entered the café from the kitchen, a tray of lemon poppyseed muffins in her hands. She set them on top of the display case and came over to me with her hands on her hips.
“Don’t tell me. They’re from Cord.”
I nodded.
She stomped her foot. “How dare he! After I told him to stay away from you!”
“You did?” I asked, surprised.
“You bet I did,” Leann replied. “You’re my cousin, and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that man doesn’t break your heart again.”
I shook my head. “Don’t worry about me, Leann. I can handle Cord. And trust me, after what he did, I’ve got so many walls around my heart that it’s immune to Cord Romero’s charms.”
“Is that right?” A deep baritone asked from the café’s entrance.
Cord.
My hands flew to my cheeks.
“Do you like the flowers?” he grinned, pointing to the bouquet. “I asked them to put every single peach-colored flower they had in stock into the arrangement.”
He was even more handsome than when he left after graduation. Not that I’d had any doubt he would be. His once lanky form had filled out in the years he’d been gone, adding pounds of lean muscle to his legs and torso. His face was more chiseled, and his mocha-brown eyes contained a depth that wasn’t there before. It was clear that Cord Romero wasn’t a boy anymore – he was a full-fledged man. And the feelings I’d had for him ever since he picked up the math book I dropped while we were walking down the busy 7th grade hallway came rushing back. As we spent more and more time together during the rest of middle school and high school, I’d fallen completely in love with him. After he left town, I’d been too busy raising Camden and working at the café to even think of dating again, even though both Leann and our friend Heather had tried to set me up a number of times with single men they knew, and a couple of them had even asked me out themselves.
Now, gazing at the only man I’d ever loved and never thought I’d see again, who’d broken my heart beyond repair when he left me pregnant with his child to pursue his dream of fame and fortune, a tide of rage rose in the center of my chest, and I clenched my fists to keep from screaming.
“The Prodigal Son returns,” I spat through gritted teeth.
Cord turned his palms upward. “I thought it was time for a visit. What can I say?”
“Nothing, that’s what,” I said, untying my apron as I walked around from the coffee bar and headed towards the supply room that doubled as our break area. “I’m going on break.”
Leann nodded, moving around me to take my position behind the counter. “Good idea,” she said. “Take your time.”
Cord quickly strode forward and stepped front of me, barring my path.
“Wait,” he said. “Please. I want to talk to you. Can we go somewhere? Outside? Go sit in the park, or maybe down by the lake like we used to?”
I sucked in my breath, hot tears pricking the backs of my eyes.
“No,” I said, my voice cracking. “Those days are over. I want nothing to do with you, Cord. Go back where you came from. I never want to lay eyes on you again.”
He took a step backward, looking like he’d just gotten punched in the gut.
“You can’t be serious!” he exclaimed. “I’m here now, why won’t you talk to me? Just give me a few minutes! I’m sure we can talk things out.”
Tears began to roll down my cheeks and I flung the back of my hand across them, whirling around. Customers couldn’t see me like this. I had to get out of here, now. I hurried towards the front entrance with my heart in my throat, but Cord grabbed my elbow.
“Sami!” he pleaded.
“Take your hands off her!” Leann yelled, her smartphone in her hand. “I’m calling the police!”
“Are you freaking serious?” Cord asked, his face turning red with fury. “I always thought you were a little unstable, Leann, but now you’re really off your rocker. Remember I’m friends with the chief of police here, Jake Walker, as well as the mayor! I just want to talk to Sami, that’s all!”
