“Seriously though,” Mars added, “call us if you need anything.”
Cole took a deep breath and pushed to standing. “Thanks. I’ll see you all in a week. Assuming Alabama doesn’t swallow me whole.” He set his unfinished beer on the table and strolled out of McP’s.
His mind was running rampantly now, conjuring up all kinds of images of April. He wondered which half of the population she might fall into these days, according to Zig’s assessment. Married? Single? Hot? He couldn’t imagine April ever letting herself go, but what did he know? She could have ten kids by now. Anything was possible. He’d been too stubborn to inquire.
He drew in a breath and vowed to stick to the plan. Settle his father’s affairs and get out of town without risking confrontations with anyone.
Chapter 1
It was only ten o’clock on Monday morning, but it was already proving to be a shit day that kept getting shittier. She shouldn’t have been shocked. It was April Fool’s day. Her own namesake. Every year this day seemed to mockingly bite her in the ass. Why should this year be any different?
First, her alarm clock didn’t go off, causing April to run around her apartment in a frenzy to get ready. She hadn’t had time for coffee, which never boded well. Luckily, she beat her client to the first property she was showing, but her elation on that front didn’t last long since the lockbox wouldn’t open.
It took thirty minutes for the seller’s agent to call her back with the corrected code. By then the client had arrived and was furious at the delay. In no way was the holdup April’s fault, but Mr. Jackson’s frustration was with April nonetheless.
April had arranged for her client to see the most promising property first thing in the morning, knowing that based on his requirements he would end up coming back to this one at the end of the day. She’d had nine properties lined up.
Filled with nervous confidence, April’s heart seized when they stepped inside and Mr. Jackson’s first words were, “This place is a dump. I don’t need to see more of it.” He turned around and walked back outside, immediately taking an incoming call.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, as soon as he hung up, he declared that he needed to cancel the rest of the showings for the day because something urgent came up at work.
As he drove away, April stood on the front porch, heart pounding, fingers shaking, head spinning. “Well, shit,” she muttered. On the plus side, her entire day just freed up. Not a good thing since she needed this commission badly, but at least she didn’t have to spend another minute in the company of such a sour human being.
The first thing she needed was coffee. Half of her attitude problem today was the result of missing her morning caffeine.
After returning the key to the lockbox, April got back in her practical white Honda Civic and turned the key. She closed her eyes and took a deep cleansing breath when the car did not readily start. “Please. For the love of God, don’t do this to me. I can’t take it,” she muttered into the silence before trying again. Success. The engine purred to life.
The car was clean and new to her, but it was older and obviously in need of a tune-up that she didn’t have time for and couldn’t afford. If it would just hang on for a few more weeks…
The Bean Stop was busy when she arrived, but they had the best coffee in town, and April apparently had no place else to be, so she endured the wait and didn’t fully breathe properly until she’d taken her first sip.
“Ahhh.” The elixir of the gods. It was a bit hot still, but her usual Vanilla Latte was finally in her hands.
Until it wasn’t…
With her purse over her shoulder and one hand gripping the warm cup, she pulled the door open and stepped onto the sidewalk. Unfortunately, she did so at the exact moment someone else was stepping into The Bean Stop, which meant in less than an instant her shit day got shittier when she slammed right into a hard chest and lost her grip on the cup.
Apparently, the lid hadn’t been completely secure because it flew off, and one second later, she was wearing every drop of the latte all down the front of her white blouse and gray pencil skirt. Some of it was even running into her black pumps.
In theory, the cup held sixteen ounces of liquid. In reality, that amount seemed to be more like a gallon now that she was doused with it.
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry,” a deep male voice stated as he held the door wider and took April’s elbow to help her step out of the doorway and fully onto the sidewalk.
When she lifted her gaze, her breath hitched and she stopped breathing. “Cole?”
“April?” He cringed. “Jesus. I’m so, so sorry,” he repeated. His gaze went to her blouse, and she followed it to see that her white lace bra was totally visible to anyone who was looking. And a lot of people were looking.
“Shit,” she murmured.
Cole took the empty cup from her hand, dropped it in the trashcan next to the outside tables, and then immediately removed his lightweight jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. “I’d go inside and replace that for you, but the line looks long and you’re shivering and probably miserable. Can I drive you home? Or…”
She started shaking her head. This could not be happening. No way was Cole Landry standing in front of her suddenly today after ten years. “No thanks. I’ve got it.” She pushed past him and headed quickly toward her car. Obviously, this day could and would get worse. She
