Free Memory of You (A Misty Cove Love Story) by Dori Lavelle Page A

telling him what Luke had told me, that he thought he was making a mistake. Bryce simply shook his head and told me that he had made his decision and he was sticking to it. I’d wished him well again and walked in the opposite direction.
    I blinked away the tears and stepped away from the display window, almost colliding with an old man carrying a walking stick that looked older than he was.
    “I'm so sorry,” I said.
    He shot me a look and walked off.
    I sighed deeply and took a last glance at the dress, willed myself to move away, to get to work. I was already ten minutes late because of a wedding dress. Why I'd chosen to take this path to work was beyond me. It was almost as if my feet had led me here of their own accord and I had been unable to resist.
    “Jade?” A voice behind me made me jump farther away from the display window, as if I had been caught doing something wrong. I whirled around and there she was. All put-together and gorgeous. I hated that she was gorgeous.
    “Hi.” The word made it past my throat with difficulty. Since the baking sale incident, I had seen her and Bryce around town but never came close enough to hear her voice, to see how perfect her makeup was, and to see that she had the bluest eyes I had ever seen and a mouth that belonged in lipstick ads. She wore a white silk blouse and a blue pleated skirt that matched her eyes.
    Watching her made me feel as if someone had grabbed my heart and squeezed it tightly.
    “Hmmm... hi, Lori, right?”
    “Yes.” She smiled. Her teeth were perfect pearls. Was there anything at all about her that wasn't perfect? No wonder Bryce couldn't walk away from her.
    “I'm actually glad we bumped into each other.” She placed a white Pearls & Petals shoe box under her arm and hoisted her purse higher up on her shoulder. “Do you have a moment? I want to have a word.” She had a hint of a British accent.
    “Sure but...” I said, wondering why Bryce's fiancée would want to talk to me. There could only be one reason and I wished I could ignore her, just walk away. But I no longer ran away from problems.
    “How about a coffee. I won't take too much of your time.”
    “I'd love to chat but I have to be at work.” I glanced at my watch. “Right now, actually.”
    “Okay,” she said. “How about later... after you finish work? Tell me when and I'll meet you then.”
    I nodded. “Let’s meet at Mrs. Muffins at six.” I walked away then and felt her gaze after me. With each step, I regretted agreeing to the meeting.
     

Chapter Seventeen
 
     
    Lori was already waiting at a window table when I arrived at Mrs. Muffins . She was leafing through a bridal magazine but looked up when I approached.
    Before leaving the office, I’d run a brush through my hair. I even put on a stroke of lip gloss and mascara. I didn't want to feel like a frump next to her. But who was I kidding? She had the bride-to-be glow on her side. How could I compete with that?
    “I wish I didn't have to talk to her,” I’d said to Erin over the phone as I’d walked down the street.
    “You can do this. Don't let her take a piece of you away. Show her that you're strong enough to move on without Bryce.”
    Now as I watched her sitting there in all her perfection I knew that she had already taken a piece of me away.
    She gave me a half smile and waved at an empty chair.
    “Thanks for agreeing to see me.” She pushed her magazine to the side.
    I sat down. “No problem. What do you want to talk to me about?”
    She took a sip of her coffee and smiled. “You know what I want to talk about.”
    “Do I?”
    She leaned forward, annoyance flashing in her eyes. “I know about you and Bryce. People in this town talk, as you already know. Bryce told me how you broke his heart.”
    “Good to know you're well informed. No secrets in a small town.”
    She sighed and leaned back, her arms folded across her chest. The fragile image she had displayed at the bake sale was nowhere to be seen.