Love Me Tender (Seven Brides, Seven Brothers) Read online

  “I'm sorry to hear that,” Delilah said, an expression of sympathy etched on her face. “I'm single too.”

  “And looking?” Layla teased, remembering how they'd always used that expression when they were teenagers.

  Delilah scrunched up her nose. “I've kissed a lot of frogs.” She snapped her fingers. “But they never turned into Princes.” Both of them giggled at the fanciful idea of frogs turning into princes.

  “If only it were that easy,” Layla said. She'd only had that swept away feeling once in her life. Nick had made her feel like she was Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty all wrapped up in one package. Her relationship with him had taught her that happily ever afters were few and far between.

  “My sister Sarah did find a handsome prince. Remember Blue Donahue? They just got married back in June.” Delilah's huge smile demonstrated her happiness over her sister's marriage. It was nice to know that some couples found their other half and lived out their happily ever after.

  “Of course I remember him. He's Nick's brother.”

  Delilah slapped her hand to her forehead. “Of course. How could I forget. You and Nick were quite an item that summer, weren't you?” She had a dreamy look in her eyes. “I really thought the two of you might ride off into the sunset together.”

  “We were too young for anything serious. It was a summer romance, nothing more.” Even as she uttered the words, her heart rejected them. Nick Donahue had been way more than a summer fling. He'd been permanently etched on her heart after their three month romance. It had taken her years to get him out of her mind...and heart. If she was being honest with herself, she would have to acknowledge that her hasty marriage to Grant had been her heart's way of trying to rebound from her breakup with Nick. She'd poured everything she could into her marriage, but a life with Grant Cummings had been impossible. For more reasons than she cared to think about, it had been nightmarish.

  And even though she'd tried to love Grant as a wife should love her husband, no other man had touched her soul in the way Nick had. She was starting to believe that no other man could. Which is why she was going to take him up on his dinner invitation. If nothing else, it would allow her to catch up with him and find out where life had taken him over the years. And she wanted to hear all about the Donahue clan. To this day, they were some of the most interesting people she'd ever met.

  “Do you want to grab some coffee and catch up?” Delilah asked. “There's a great little place around the corner.”

  Layla smiled at her old friend. For a few years now, all the friendships in her life had been extinguished, courtesy of Grant. He'd exerted his control over her by ruining any and all relationships she'd fostered. She badly needed a friend. For so many years there had been an aching loneliness inside her that couldn't be soothed or remedied. She'd been so isolated and alone.

  Meeting up with Delilah after all these years was serendipity.

  “I'd love that,” she said, feeling a burst of joy as Delilah linked her arm through hers and began leading her down the street.

  Unbidden, a Bible verse came to mind. “Faithful friends are beyond price; No amount can balance their worth.” Having a friend in Breeze Point, especially one she had history with, was a gift beyond measure. Even though she'd doubted it during the worst moments of her life, God was still moving mountains to show her He still walked by her side.

  *

  All day Nick's concentration had been scattered. He felt as if someone had rewound the clock and placed him in a teenager's body. Butterflies were racing around his stomach. So much for his calm, cool and professional demeanor. This was the effect Layla had always had on him. His thoughts were so tied up in her he couldn't focus on dinner reservations or the individuals interviewing for the assistant manager position. He felt jittery and on edge. All because of a woman he'd been in love with a decade ago.

  Why exactly had he invited her to dinner at The Cove? Why had it been so important to him to sit down with her in an intimate setting and find out where life had taken her over the years? Why did he still ache over not meeting up with her in New York City? Had she been at Times Square that night? Had she upheld the promise he'd forsaken? His gut told him no, she hadn't been there. The spirited girl he'd been in love with would have tracked him down and read him the riot act for standing her up.

  Even though he wanted to deny it, the answer to his dinner invitation was fairly simple. He still felt something powerful for her. And it was way more than nostalgia. He'd felt it lodged in his chest the moment recognition hit him that Layla had come back to Breeze Point and was standing before him in the doorway of Trudy's cottage. The emotions had crashed over him with the force of a tsunami. The strange thing was, he hadn't allowed himself to be free with his romantic feelings over the years. He'd always held a part of himself back, as if he was saving it for someone else. Layla. He hadn't made the connection until this very moment. Loving Layla had spoiled him for the real thing. He'd always found things lacking about the women he dated. They'd never given him that whole, absolutely content feeling he'd had at eighteen years old.

  Was that why he'd resisted the notion of settling down the way his brothers were doing?

  He let out a ragged sigh. This invitation was a quick step toward figuring out if Layla was merely a symbol of true love or whether she was the real thing. A quick glance at his watch confirmed the fact that he only had a half hour until Layla's arrival.

  He'd changed from his casual clothes into a sharp, dark colored suit made by an Italian designer whose name he couldn't pronounce. The intimate table was set outside on the balcony—the only table out there—where they could catch a glimpse of the ocean and feel the slight breeze off the water. A pair of candles sat in the middle of the table. He regarded them with a critical eye. Too romantic? He didn't want Layla to think he was pushing for something between them that might be out of the question given their history. A gorgeous flower sat perched in a vase. A stargazer Lily. Her favorite flower. Or at least it had been. Perhaps her tastes had changed over the years.

  A sudden rustling noise behind him had him turning around. Layla was standing there, taking his breath away with her white dress and silver heels. Her beautiful dark hair was swept up in an elegant up-do. Pearl earrings adorned her ears. Simple yet stunning.

  “You're here,” he said, already feeling tongue tied. Hadn't he told Shelly, the hostess, to come get him when Layla arrived? She'd caught him totally off guard.

  “I'm here,” she said with a look of amusement. “Did you think I wasn't coming?”

  “No, of course not,” he said quickly. “The time just got away from me.”

  Layla's gaze swung around the patio area and off towards the stunning vista. “Your restaurant is lovely. As I drove up I couldn't help but notice the view from up here. It's glorious. Having lived on the West Coast, I can honestly say there's nothing as breathtaking as the Atlantic Ocean.”

  The Cove sat on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Glimpses of the sea were visible as guests traveled up a winding road to access the restaurant. It served as a stunning preview to the dining experience.

  “That was one of the selling points when I bought the property,” Nick explained, his tension easing up a bit. This was Layla, after all. He couldn't wait to get back into the natural rhythms that came with knowing one another on a personal level. God willing, he'd have the chance. So many times over the years he'd searched for his lost love, only to hit a brick wall. To have her back in his life by a simple twist of fate was awesome, if a bit overwhelming.

  He turned toward the glass patio doors and subtly signaled Robert, his head Maitre d'. Nick gestured toward one of the chairs and pulled it out for Layla, inviting her to sit down. He sat down across from her and watched as Robert handed Layla the wine list. After studying it for a moment, Layla swung her gaze up to Nick. “I'm not a big wine drinker. Perhaps you should select it for us.”

  “Tell you what, Robert. Why don't you bring us two Dr. Peppers with ice
to start with along with the shrimp salad for an appetizer. Once we order our entree you can bring a bottle of the white Sangria.” He gazed back toward Layla. “I think you might like the peach sangria. It's nice and light, with a sweet taste.”

  Layla shook her head. “I can't believe you remember the Dr. Pepper.”

  Nick chuckled. “How could I forget? You drank one every single day.”

  Layla scrunched up her nose. “I did, didn't I?”

  He nodded his head and smiled at her. Suddenly, the vibe had changed into one of camaraderie.

  “Thanks for accepting my invitation, Layla.”

  “To tell you the truth, I was a bit surprised by it.”

  “Good surprise or bad surprise?” Nick asked. He was holding his breath for her answer.

  “I'm new in town, so I appreciate having a chance to connect with an old friend,” Layla said smoothly. “It was a good surprise.”

  Friend? It was strange to hear that word rolling off her tongue since in the past they'd been so much more than friends. To this day, he considered Layla the great love of his life.

  “Strange to think of us that way,” he admitted. He struggled to find something to say to bridge the gap between them. Layla was being polite yet reserved. He was fumbling to act normal. Perhaps he needed to put everything out there so no awkwardness existed.

  Layla's dark brows knit together. “Because of our past?”

  “To be honest, yes. We were madly in love with each other once upon a time. If I remember correctly, we hatched a plan to meet up in New York at Times Square or something.” He tossed the last bit out casually, hoping she might indicate whether she'd shown up.

  She waved her hand at him. “That was a lifetime ago. We were kids then, Nick. What did we know about love and happily ever after?”

  Nick narrowed his eyes at her. “From what I remember, we knew a lot.”

  The silence that ensued threatened to swallow him up. What was she thinking? That he was crass for bringing all this up? In his mind, it was the only way to keep things honest. Pretending they didn't share a past was a fool's game.

  “Yes, we did know a lot. Two bright-eyed kids ready to conquer the world,” she said with a laugh.

  “We were very much in love,” Nick drawled. “Just because we were young doesn't mean it wasn't real in every way.”

  Layla opened her mouth to say something, then shut it. He saw a flash of sadness in her eyes, quickly replaced by a soft smile. What was she covering up? And when had she become so good at masking her feelings? The Layla he used to know had been as open as a book. But, he knew that life had a way of changing people.

  “We made promises to one another that weren't realistic. Neither one of us followed through, so no harm, no foul.” She shrugged her shoulders. “God had other plans for us.”

  So she hadn't shown up either! He battled over feeling a sense of relief mingled with a spurt of slight anger. He'd agonized over not showing up as promised, yet clearly Layla had just carried on with her life, firm in the knowledge that being with him wasn't in God's plans.

  Stop jumping to conclusions! A little voice warned him. Perhaps she'd agonized over it too. He couldn't be angry at Layla for something he himself had done. He needed to live in the moment and appreciate the good fortune that had brought Layla back into his life. He'd wondered about her for years and now she was back!

  “So what happened after Julliard?”

  Layla's gaze met his own. “I only attended for that one year. The Paris School of Ballet ended up offering me a full scholarship, so I transferred and went over to France.”

  Nick felt his mouth go slack. Paris? Wow. Her life really had led her in a different direction.

  “That's pretty amazing to pick up everything and move to France. It's a whole different way of life, I imagine.”

  A slight smile hovered around her lips. “It was surreal. I was homesick and miserable at first, but I really grew to love the Parisian lifestyle. And I learned so much from the teachers over there.”

  “Is that where you met your husband?” He slid the question in like a pro. Yes, it was nosy, but he couldn't contain his curiosity about the man who'd won her heart and put a ring on her finger.

  He didn't know if his imagination was working overtime or not, but he thought he saw Layla bristle at the question. She quickly recovered, appearing cool and collected.

  “Yes,” she said in a quiet voice. “We met in Paris. Even got married over there before moving back to San Francisco.”

  A feeling of jealousy swept through him. It was powerful and bewildering at the same time. He had no right to feel this way over Layla's ex-husband. Of all the people he'd ever known in this world, she deserved to be loved and admired and cherished. Nothing he could say at this moment would sound right because he was battling feelings of envy. And it confused him. How could he feel this way when she'd been out of his life for such a long time?

  “Once we returned to the States I realized how incompatible we were. Irreconcilable differences sounds trite, but in my case there was no way we could mend our marriage.” She met his gaze with a pointed look. “In case you were wondering.”

  Robert returned with their Dr. Peppers and the appetizer, diffusing the intensity of the moment. For a few minutes they ate in companionable silence. He had been wondering about Layla's marriage and her subsequent divorce. He knew instinctively that she'd married her husband believing they'd be together till death parted them.

  “I know divorce can be rough.” Nick didn't want to sound trite, but it was important to him to be able to offer her some comfort. He hadn't been in a serious relationship in years, but he knew the pain of loss. It was possible on some level that she still loved her husband. Knowing how deeply she valued marriage and commitment, he could only imagine how hard her decision had been to end her marriage.

  “It was difficult,” she acknowledged. “But I truly believe God has great things in store for me.”

  With Layla's optimistic words, the heavy mood instantly lifted.

  “Such as opening a dance studio here in town,” Nick teased. He could imagine her dressed in her black leggings and leotard with her hair swept up in a bun, ready to lead. And inspire. And charm the whole town of Breeze Point.

  “I'm praying it all works out. I need to start looking for a venue.” The corners of her mouth tilted upwards in a smile. “I went to Main Street earlier today. It brought me back to the summer when I lived here.”

  “That summer was the best one of my young life. I remember we used to go to Sweet Treats for the Whoopie Pies and eclairs, then head over to the town green to eat them.”

  “Your parents were so generous. They were always sending things home to Aunt Trudy and I.”

  Nick winked at her. “A nice bonus of knowing the owners,” he teased.

  She leaned forward in her chair. “Tell me about your family. How is everyone? I can only imagine what all your fabulous brothers are up to,” she said, her face made even more striking by the dazzling smile on her face. “I have to admit I was a little jealous of your big, bustling family. Being an only child was a tad lonely at times.”

  “Where do I start?” he asked with a shake of his head. With six successful, fun-loving brothers, it was a good likelihood he'd leave something out. Half the time he couldn't keep up with their comings and goings. “I'll do a quick run down. Blue is married to Sarah Dalton. Ryder is engaged to his paramedic partner, Tess Dailey. And Remy just got engaged to Gabrielle Turner. She works at Sweet Treats.”

  “Such happy news,” Layla gushed. Her eyes were twinkling.

  “It hasn't all been happy news” he continued, his voice sounding somber. “My father had a stroke a few months ago and we thought for a moment there we might lose him.”

  Layla raised her hand to her throat. “Oh, Nick. I know you must have been terrified.”

  A rush of memories washed over him. The fortieth anniversary party held right here at the Cove that had ended in n
ear tragedy. His father slumping to the floor due to the stroke. The endless hours of waiting at Breeze Point Hospital, not knowing whether Alec Donahue would live or die. The fear etched on his mother's face. They were all moments he'd carry with him for the rest of his life.

  He shuddered. “We were all pretty wrecked. On the upside, his medical crisis led all my brothers to relocate back to Breeze Point. We fully recognize that tomorrow isn't promised. We have to make the best of the years we have left with our parents.”

  His eyes hadn't once left Layla's face, so he immediately noticed the moisture pooling in her eyes. “Hey, I didn't mean to make you sad,” he said. He'd forgotten this side of Layla. The emotional, sensitive part of her.

  “I'm not sad. Just moved. Please,” she said, wiping away a stray tear. “Continue.”

  “Brandon is a super successful businessman, and he moved his company here in order to stay close to the family. You may have heard that Wyatt is a baseball player for the Bay State Bombers.” Nick made a face. “He's been recuperating from knee surgery, so he still has to make sure he's physically able to go back and compete on a professional level. And last but not least, Mac. He's just opened a carpentry business called Wood Works. It took him a little time to find his way.” Nick drew a deep breath, appearing exhausted by his long-windedness.

  Layla laughed out loud at the sight of him. “Wow. That's what happens when you have a huge family. Updates take forever.” Layla leaned across the table, her face lit up with excitement. “And what about your mother? I remember her being such a sweetheart.”

  At the mention of his mother, Nick felt his spirits falter. A stab of guilt pierced his insides at the thought of his mother worrying about her future while he was here enjoying a night out with Layla. A sigh slipped past his lips. He stared down at his plate.

  Layla reached out and squeezed his hand. “Is something wrong, Nick?”

  He dragged his eyes back up toward Layla. “She's sick. A neurologist just diagnosed her with a form of dementia. We're all still trying to figure out what it means. The implications are very frightening.”