CHAPTER ONE

Cole Abbott stepped down out of his crew cab truck, which towered over the other vehicles in the small parking lot of the Magnolia Lake General Store, and went inside.

He scrolled through a text message from his mother, Iris. Then he got a shopping cart and made his way through the store, picking up last-minute items for his family’s weekly Sunday dinner.

Cole grabbed a few tubs of Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream, then went to find whipped topping. He dumped two cans into his cart, thought about it, then added another.

“I don’t even want to know what you plan to do with those.”

Cole turned toward the warm voice coming from behind him. A voice that had always managed to be both teasing and reprimanding in a way that left him unsure of whether he was being teased or reprimanded. He blinked, barely able to believe his eyes.

“Renee? What are you...? I mean...wow. You look...amazing. Good to see you,” Cole stammered. They shared an awkward hug that she leaned into but extricated herself from just as quickly.

Renee Lockwood was both a ghost from his past and an enchanting vision in the present. He’d always liked Renee. A lot. But he hadn’t ever dated her. She’d been his high school math tutor, a fellow member of his graduating class and the granddaughter of his mentor. They’d become friends. But he hadn’t been a very good friend to her in the end. Something that often haunted him.

“Thank you.” Renee spared him a faint half smile and raked her fingers through her glossy, dark hair, settling the strands over one shoulder. “Good to see you again, too.”

Cole honestly might’ve walked right past Renee, not recognizing that she was the awkward, shy, geeky girl he’d once adored. In fact, not much about the woman standing before him resembled his old friend and tutor.

The Coke-bottle glasses and braces were gone. And Renee’s boyish figure had been replaced by full breasts and curvy hips, her dark brown skin smooth and clear. Her inherent shyness seemed to be a thing of the past. Instead, she held her head high and her shoulders back. But her eyes still didn’t quite meet his. Those almond-shaped eyes, shielded behind dark, thick lashes, had always fascinated him.

In school, to fit in she’d downplayed her excitement over math and science. But at her grandparents’ kitchen table, she’d beamed as she waxed poetic about hypotenuse, integers and the periodic table. That year he’d even purchased a T-shirt for her birthday that bore the periodic table and the words, “I wear this shirt periodically. But only when I’m in my element.” Ren had loved it, and Cole had loved seeing the way her eyes lit up whenever she wore it.

That shirt had kicked off his own obsession with smart-ass T-shirts, like the one he was wearing now beneath his button-down shirt.

“Family dinner,” Cole finally blurted, in response to Ren’s initial comment about the whipped cream. Though, now that he’d encountered her, he had some very different ideas about how to use it. When Renee raised an eyebrow in disbelief, Cole held up his phone, showing her the list. “My mother asked me to buy it.”

“Hmm...” One side of Renee’s mouth lifted in a reluctant smile. The kind he’d frequently teased out of her when she was trying to be serious and keep them on track so he’d graduate from high school on time, despite his academic struggles. “Ms. Iris asked for two cans of whipped cream.” She held up two fingers. “That leaves one can unaccounted for.”

Shit.

She was right. He’d planned to take that last can home for... Well...you never knew when you might find yourself in need of a pressurized can of lickable sweets.

How the hell was Renee able to walk in here after more than sixteen years and still read him like one of the algebraic equations she’d been able to solve without breaking a sweat?

“Relax, Cole. I’m kidding.” Renee smiled, then leaned in and whispered, “No, I’m not.”

It had been a running joke between them. Something he would often say because he couldn’t help flirting with her, though he knew he shouldn’t. They both laughed, and a little of the uneasiness between them seemed to dissipate.

“I saw your grandad the other day,” Cole said, once the laughter between them had faded. “He didn’t mention you were in town.”

Renee lowered her gaze. “It was an unplanned visit. I arrived yesterday.”

The Renee Lockwood he’d known hadn’t done anything unplanned. She’d planned her life, her career and her day with precision.

Cole’s gaze went immediately to her left hand and bare ring finger. “Sorry to hear about you and...”

“Dennis,” Ren said the name as if it left a bitter taste in her mouth. “It’s been over for a while. We made it formal a year ago. It was the best thing for everyone.”

“Right.” Cole hadn’t met the man. But from what Ren’s grandfather Milo had told him, Renee’s ex was a golden boy. The only male heir of a wealthy family who’d made their money in pharmaceuticals. He hadn’t much liked the man when his granddaughter had married him. Now Milo hated him.

Cole wanted to ask about her kid. Because it seemed like the polite thing to do. But before he could ask, Renee changed the subject.

“Your family still does Sunday dinners, huh?” Ren smiled faintly. The sadness in her dark eyes made his chest ache. “It’s sweet you all still get together for dinner once a week. Are all of your brothers and your sister still here in Magnolia Lake?”

“Yes. Blake is married with two kids. Parker is engaged to Kayleigh Jemison.”

“I thought they hated each other.”

“So did they.” Cole chuckled.

“What about Max and Zora?”

“Max is seriously involved with Quinn Bazemore,” Cole said.

Cole and Quinn had been close friends. He’d thought they might eventually end up together. But he hadn’t known that his brother and Quinn had been involved the summer Max had been an intern at her grandfather’s orchard. It had taken thirteen years, but Max and Quinn reconnected when their families collaborated to add fruit brandies to the King’s Finest product line. Cole hadn’t been thrilled when Quinn and Max started dating again. But the two were madly in love. He was happy for them.

“Quinn Bazemore...as in Bazemore Orchards?” Renee asked.

“Dixon’s granddaughter,” he confirmed. “And as for my baby sis...she and her best friend, Dallas Hamilton, got married in Vegas a few months ago. This is our first dinner since they got back from a four-month stint in Iceland for his work.”

“That’s wonderful.” Renee’s smile was reserved. Like she was happy for his siblings but maybe sad about the end of her own marriage. “And let me guess. You’re the Abbott family’s eternal bachelor.”

Much to the chagrin of his mother and sister, eternal bachelor was a title Cole wore proudly. But something about hearing Ren say it made him uneasy.

“Clearly.” He winked. “Gotta spread the love.”

Renee rolled her eyes. “How selfless of you.”

“You know me.” Cole shrugged.

“I do.” Ren studied him, her head tilted.

Translation: I haven’t forgotten what a jackass you were to me back then.

Cole swallowed hard, his mouth falling open. He wanted to tell Renee he was sorry. To explain himself. But the words wouldn’t come. He snapped his mouth shut, and she smirked. Probably because he was standing in the middle of the general store looking like a damn guppy.

“You must be eager to see Zora and her husband. I won’t keep you.” Ren shifted her purse to the other shoulder. “Guess I’ll see you around.” She turned and walked away.

Cole stopped himself from inviting Ren to dinner with his family. Because as much as he’d like to see more of Renee, he didn’t want to give her or his family the wrong impression.

He liked Renee. Missed having her as a friend. Regretted that their friendship had ended the way it did. But he wasn’t looking to get seriously involved with anyone. Least of all someone with wealthy, asshole ex drama and a kid.

No, sir.

Maybe the rest of his siblings had fallen victim to the love bug. But Cole was perfectly content with his life just as it was. Renee Lockwood’s return wouldn’t change that.

Cole bit his lip and sighed. He hated to see her leave, but as he watched the sway of Ren’s full hips in her sexy little skirt, he definitely enjoyed watching her go.