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work, and let’s do this.”
    “No, Shelby. I mean, sorry but I won’t help you.”
    “What are you getting at?”
    “You and Cole. All those years you were so close and never knew how the other felt. What if one of you had found out? Maybe he never would have married Heather.”
    “That’s just silly.” My heart tripped a beat in my chest, and I felt so lightheaded I plopped on a bench outside the nail salon. Even Kara brought to life what I had wondered for so long. “Neither one of us ever spoke up. How would we have known? It just wasn’t meant to be.”
    “What if it’s meant to be now? Karma, Kismet, whatever you want to call it.”
    “I’m calling it BS, and you don’t want to help me.” I pouted.
    “It’s not that I don’t want to, but I can’t. I think you’re making a mistake.”
    “Wow, I never would have seen this coming in a million years. My best friend is siding against me.”
    “We do what we have to. You know I love you, Shel, but if you stop and think about this... really think about it, it’s kind of freaky.”
    “Believe me I have thought of this. From the moment he left my hotel room, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Every time I come to the same conclusion. This isn’t freaky. It’s wrong.”
    “Why? You moved away never telling him how you felt. Looking back, the rest of us had it figured out and could never believe the two of you didn’t. Talk about right under your nose! Then he dated Heather and eventually married her, while you--”
    “While I moved on to various relationships with losers, until I met Grant. He ended up--”
    “At which point Cole and Heather divorced. Look at the writing on the walls, Shelby. Neither one of you has been happy with someone else. And now you found each other.”
    “Stop being such a romantic! Sure we found each other, all right. We wound up in bed together! We certainly could have done that without the bond of marriage, don’t you think?”
    “Well, I think it happened because deep down inside it’s what you both have wanted for a long time. Promise me you’ll think about it.”
    “There’s nothing to think about. I wasn’t planning on an instant family, complete with ex-wife, you know.”
    “Abbey will love you as much as Cole does.”
    “For the record, Cole has never said he loves me.”
    “And as far as Heather is concerned, you own the skills to be diplomatic with her.” Kara continued as if she didn’t hear me. “And you’re still young enough to have children of your own.”
    “Okay, this needs to stop right now. You’re sounding like Cole’s grandmother for God’s sake.”
    “Listen, sit tight and see how things play out. That’s all I’m saying. You can’t make decisions like this overnight.”
    “Apparently, we already did and that’s why we’re in this mess. Thanks for letting me know how you feel. I’ll figure this out on my own.”
    “When you finally come to your senses, call me, okay?”
    “You’ll be first on my list, Kara. Love you.”
    “Love you, too.”

 
    Chapter Five
     
    “So what did you do today?” Cole asked from across the table. I almost choked on my lettuce leaf, deciding not to tell him about my conversation with Kara. I stopped coughing long enough to wiggle all ten fingers, showing off my new French manicure.
    “I took a lovely walk around town before stopping to get my nails done in the plaza. I can’t believe how much the town has changed after all these years, yet it still feels like home.”
    Cole snatched my hand, studied my nails for a moment and then laughed. I slid my hand free, falling back into that same comfort zone which had landed me in this mess in the first place. What was it about this guy? No, I had to stick with my plan. A quick annulment, followed by a match-up with Cole and Polly-Perfect, and then I take the next plane back to California.
    “Oh, and Mary Beth was off to give your grandmother some kind of homemade bread.” I watched as Cole