Chapter Twenty
Aria stepped from thedouble cab and glanced across the street. Stunned, her gloved fingers clamped down hard on the rim of the door, not believing the sight on display. She inhaled hard to calm her surprised breath, her gaze riveted on the couple standing outside the diner. The air caught in her throat. Reece leaned down and hugged a woman who then kissed him on the cheek. Aria let out a horrified gasp.
Damn the man.So, this was how Reece proved his love for someone. Barely two nights ago, he’d boldly declared his love for her, yet here he stood in the arms of another woman. The woman’s face wasn’t visible as she stood with her back to Aria. Long, black hair over tight-fitting denim, a cashmere jersey that hugged a slim figure, and white boots, hinted at a probable stunner. Annoyed, Aria’s stomach clenched in anger. A bitter taste settled over the gum in her mouth.
When she turned to shut the door, her gaze fell on the bunch of red roses lying on the passenger seat. She’d discovered the flowers on her doorstep on her way out. Then, she’d viewed Reece’s gesture as sweet. Now, as her gaze drifted across the street, not so much, he left flowers for one woman and moments later, drifted into the arms of another. What an ass. With a soft curse, she slammed her door shut, spat the gum in the bin in front of the vehicle and walked around to the passenger door. Yanking hard on the handle, she opened it, grabbed the roses, and tossed the bunch in the bin—no reason to keep the flowers.
When she opened the back door, her daughter tilted her head in surprise. “Mommy, you threw the pretty roses away.”
Balking, Aria worked at unclipping her daughter’s seatbelt while her frazzled mind searched for an appropriate answer. “I saw a huge spider on them.”
Unconvinced, her inquisitive daughter stared at her then jumped out the vehicle. “Spider?”
“Yes, sweetpea. C’ mon, let’s get you inside.”
Aria strode into the grocer and made a beeline for the window overlooking the street while Prisha moved over to the magazine rack. Aria grunted as Reece with his arm at the lower back of his lady friend, escorted her into the diner. He chose a seat inside and killed any further observation. Aria turned away from the window and found, Dinah, the grocer’s wife, eyeing her intently.
“Everything all right, dear,” the old woman asked. “You look as pale as those snow-covered streets behind you.”
Aria nodded. “I’m fine.”
“You need anything?”
“No, thanks, Dinah. Just came in for the usual,” she said. The older woman smiled and resumed packing the shelf with biscuits.
“Mommy, could we please get this magazine,” Prisha came up behind her and tugged at Aria’s coat.
Barely giving the children’s magazine any attention, Aria nodded. “Yes, sweetpea.”
“Really?” Prisha’s voice filled with excitement. Aria preferred library books to children’s magazines. She’d often stressed magazines were nothing but silly money-making schemes.
“Uh-huh,” she mumbled and reached for a shopping basket. The urge to walk across the street and confront Reece blossomed like the desire of a flower forcing itself up through the snow-covered ground to reach the sunlight.
Of all the nerve. The man didn’t respect the women he bedded. Beth probably watched him like a hawk after playing hostess for their dinner.
“Laney,” Prisha’s squeal of delight broke through Aria’s mental chaos as Kelly sashayed down the aisle with her daughter in tow.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Kelly grinned. It always amused her friend how easily one ran into someone just about anywhere in the small town. “So? How did it go?”
“How did what go?” Aria muttered absentmindedly.
“Aria?” Kelly grasped Aria’s arm. “What’s up, girlfriend?” she asked then lowered her voice, “For a woman who’s probably had mind-blowing sex with a hot guy, you sure as hell look ready to kill someone.” Due to the lousy weather, Kelly dropped Prisha off quickly the morning after the storm, and they hadn’t caught up since.
“Yeah, well tell that to the hot a-hole who’s currently across the street in the diner with another woman,” Aria hissed in a heated whisper. Glad her daughter and Laney were engrossed in the magazine and paid no attention to their mothers.
“What?” Her friend’s brows jumped upward in apparent shock.
Aria uttered a caustic laugh and nodded. “Yup, across the street.” She jerked her head in the direction of the diner.
“Are you sure?”
For once, she wished for some of Kelly’s usual cheery skepticism. Her friend took nothing at face value. She always questioned everything twice with an air of vague nonchalance. “I saw them go in.”
