My heart skipped a beat at the sound of his name.
“He does?” I asked, without meaning to. Genuine shock had fried my brain. Gran’s smirk widened, and I knew she’d expected to throw me off guard with her admittance.
She was a sneaky little devil.
“Nearly every day.”
I blinked and swallowed hard. “You never mentioned it before.” In fact, she’d rarely mentioned Nash at all this past year.
“Because I knew he was a sore subject with you.”
He still was, but I didn’t say so. Instead, I shifted in my seat and speared at another blueberry, this time harder than was necessary.
“Don’t get all defensive and irritated with me. I’m only mentioning him now because you’re here, and so is he. You’ll bump into him sooner or later, which means you’re going to have to face that past you ran away from so quickly. You know you can’t keep running from it forever,” Gran insisted. I could feel her eyes on me, but I didn’t meet her gaze.
I couldn’t because I knew she was right, even though I hated to admit it.
I plucked the blueberry from my fork with my teeth and then sliced into my omelet. Gran didn’t say anything more on the subject of Nash, and I was thankful. Instead, we ate breakfast while chatting about random things like we always used to when I still lived here. When we were finished, I stood to wash the dishes like I used to.
“Nope, you leave those for me,” Gran insisted, surprising me. “You get your bottom outside and bring those plants of yours in before they get too hot from the sun and wither.”
My plants! I’d forgotten about them.
“Do you mind if I set them on the porch in the sun?”
“Why would I? Lord knows I don’t have enough room in here.” Gran motioned to the cabin. “Between your plants and mine, we wouldn’t be able to walk. It would be a jungle.”
“Nothing wrong with that. It’s actually my end goal,” I said with a chuckle before stepping to the door and slipping on a pair of sandals.
I swung the front door open, and sticky morning heat rippled across my skin. The storm and rain last night had increased the humidity level tenfold, and I felt as though I were cutting through the air as I walked to my vehicle. My plants didn’t look wilted or withered when I opened the back up. In fact, they were still vibrant and green as ever.
“You guys are gonna love it here,” I said to them as I gathered a few of the smaller ones in my arms. “You’re going to soak up so much sun. You’re bound to love the humidity in the air today too.”
My bear chuckled. She always thought I was crazy for talking to my plants. I ignored her and continued to the porch. When I was halfway there, a familiar sound in the distance captured my attention and I froze.
A golf cart.
I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping and praying it wasn’t Nash making his morning rounds. Any of the brothers could be doing it now. Heck, in the year I’d been gone, Liam could have hired someone who did only that.
My bear huffed, and I knew I was wrong. She knew as well as I did Nash had always been an early riser. The chances of it not being him were slim to none because of it.
Shit.
I didn’t want to see him yet. I wasn’t ready. My gaze dipped to glance at what I was wearing—purple sleep shorts, a thin tank, and Gran’s bejeweled sandals. I was sure my hair was a mess too. Heck, I probably had mascara swiped beneath my eyes and fruit seeds in my teeth.
Awesome.
As my panic switched over to pure adrenaline, I made my way to the porch to deposit my plants and then head inside to hide. When I was steps away from the door, I spotted Gran staring at me through the living room windows. There was a shit-eating grin plastered on her face. I narrowed my eyes at her. She’d known Nash would be out making his rounds, and this was her way of stepping in to make sure I didn’t avoid him altogether. Chances were, if I took another step to the door, she’d lock me out.
My stomach hardened as a thought occurred to me—was Nash coming here?
Gran had said he helped her with her garden nearly every day. Maybe he came first thing in the morning since both of them were early risers.
My palms grew sweaty as the sound of the golf cart grew closer. My bear paced, but it stemmed from a place of excitement, not nervousness. I frowned, feeling like Gran and my bear had betrayed me. I didn’t want to see Nash. If it were up to me, I’d avoid him the entire time I was here.
Gran knew this, though. My stubborn side came from her.
The golf cart was closer now. In seconds I’d feel Nash’s presence. The desire to slink inside and hide became overwhelming, but I didn’t give in. Gran wouldn’t let me even if I tried. The smirk on her face made that much clear.
Pressing my lips together, I pulled in a deep breath and turned to continue unloading my plants from my vehicle. Maybe it wasn’t Nash, and even if it were, maybe he wouldn’t stop. Maybe he would feel a need to avoid me, same as I wanted to do to him.
The golf cart rounded the corner. I glanced in its direction, and there he was—Nash, in all his broody, sexy glory.
My pulse hammered in my ears, and my mouth grew dry at the sight of him. Butterflies erupted in the pit of my stomach, and my bear made a satisfied noise. She was ecstatic with the reaction I was having to seeing him again after all this time. It sent irritation sparking through
