Summer on Firefly Lake by Jen Gilroy

Author:Jen Gilroy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2017-07-24T16:00:00+00:00

Mia had been silent on the drive back to Firefly Lake. And, as she hesitated outside the North Woods Diner, she looked defenseless and dwarfed by the square, red-brick building where a neon sign in one of the windows overlooking Main Street advertised ALL-DAY BREAKFASTS.

Nick’s stomach rumbled to remind him he hadn’t eaten since the night before. But with Mia in his arms and in his bed, he’d forgotten about food. All he could think of, even with her ex-husband and daughters here, was when he could have her again.

He pulled the heavy door open, held it for Mia, and then followed her into the diner. The black and white checked tile floor and high red booths were the same as when he was a kid. Probably the same as when his mom was a kid.

“You don’t have to come in with me.” Mia stepped behind one of the big Boston ferns, which were Liz Carmichael’s pride and joy. “I’m sure you have stuff to do.” Behind her glasses, her eyes were blank and washed clean of emotion.

“Nothing pressing.” Nick scanned the diner packed with the Sunday after-church crowd. He zeroed in on Naomi and Emma at a table near the back. And the man with them. Jay, the guy who’d walked away from his family without a backward glance, destroyed Mia’s life, and made her doubt everything about herself.

Like his dad had done to his mom.

Mia tensed, and her face went white. Then she gave a little cry, and her heels clicked across the floor as she ran to her daughters with her arms outstretched.

When Naomi and Emma spotted her, they jumped up and ran too. The three of them met in the middle of the diner in a group hug.

Nick put one foot in front of the other, the movement mechanical. He’d seen Mia with her daughters before. He’d even grabbed a pizza with them once when he’d bumped into all of them in town.

But that was when Mia was his friend and not his lover. The step from friend to lover had changed how he saw her and how he saw himself.

“Hey, Nick.” Naomi gave him a high five.

Although the teen had Mia’s brown hair and eyes, she looked more like Charlie, with her aunt’s curvy but athletic build. Returning the gesture, he turned to Emma. The younger girl didn’t resemble either Mia or Charlie, and he’d always assumed her blond hair and blue eyes came from Jay’s side of the family.

“Hi.” Emma tilted her head to look at him. “Do you know I’ve got a cousin?”

“I do. She’s a real cutie.” Nick wasn’t any judge of babies, but that’s what his mom and everybody else said about Lexie.

“My dad says, except for my hair, I looked exactly like Lexie when I was born.” Emma stared at him and she angled her head to one side. “Why are you here with my mom?”

Because he’d made love to her all night, and because he cared about her and wanted to make sure nothing bad ever happened to her again.

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