Chapter 5

Five

Cory

The late morning air felt refreshing as I stepped out of the cabin and walked towards my car. Last night, I decided to stay just one more night in Cedar Cove and head straight back to Dallas today. I needed to find out if this Ellie person was truly Elena or if the resemblance was just a coincidence.

My plan was simple: I would stop by Reflections to see if I could invite Ellie to lunch. I would use the excuse of wanting to exchange numbers to stay updated on Jake’s recovery in order to find out if she was, indeed, my high school sweetheart. It seemed easy and straightforward—except it wasn’t, especially with all the thoughts that had been running through my mind since visiting my parents.

I climbed into the driver’s seat, gripping the wheel for a moment, telling myself I had this under control. Yeah, right. The truth was, I hadn’t felt like this in years—antsy, on edge. It was as if being back here had stirred up everything I’d tried to leave in the past.

Pulling out, I made my way into town, half focused on the road, half on what I’d even say to her.

Hey, remember me? Your old high school flame who skipped town and didn’t look back? Yeah, that’d go over well.

I parked across the street from the salon, leaning back in my seat, and took a moment just to watch her through the window. There Elena was, moving around with that easy grace like she’d made a home for herself here. Like she was exactly where she belonged.

Entering Reflections , the waiting area enveloped me in a hushed ambiance. The receptionist, engrossed with a client, spared me only a fleeting glance. My eyes scanned the room and landed on Ellie immersed in conversation with a customer seated in her chair. Their shared laughter echoed softly in the space. A surge of emotions hit me as I studied her somewhat familiar face amidst the environment I had distanced myself from.

Her face isn’t quite the same. But that voice is definitely Elena’s!

As I waited, trying to shake off the nerves, the door opened, and in walked a tall, muscular guy. He moved with that kind of confidence you can’t fake, heading straight for Elena. My jaw tightened as he leaned down, his hand resting easily on her shoulder as he spoke to her, too close, too familiar.

She looked up at him, her smile warm, and they shared a few words I couldn’t hear. But it was the way she looked at him—comfortable like she’d been expecting him—that stirred something ugly in my chest. I shifted in my seat, debating if I should interrupt, but then she glanced over her shoulder, her gaze landing on me.

Her expression shifted, and for a second, I saw a flicker of confusion—or maybe recognition. But just as quickly, she turned back to the guy, her face unreadable. As they moved toward the door, the receptionist called out, “Ellie, don’t forget, you have a 3:00 client.”

Ellie has to be a nickname…

Elena paused, glancing back at me once more, the same look of confusion crossing her face. But she nodded only to the receptionist, her focus shifting back to the guy by her side. Together, they walked out, leaving me rooted to the spot, unable to say a single word before they descended the steps.

I sat there, staring at the door after they’d left, her lingering look still echoing in my mind.

Before I could fully register what was happening, he pulled her in close out on the sidewalk. Through the window, I saw the excitement in her eyes as she laughed at something he’d said—and then, damn it, he leaned in and kissed her. Full-on, like he’d done it a hundred times before.

My chest tightened, jealousy hitting hard and fast. I hadn’t come back here expecting things to be the same, but seeing her with someone else felt like a gut punch. What the hell had I been thinking? That I’d just waltz back into Cedar Cove, ask her out for lunch, and… pick up where we left off?

I’d read too much into her being a single mom and wearing no wedding ring—assuming she had no partner or love interest.

Idiot.

I watched them, feeling stupid for even sitting here, but I couldn’t look away. Her smile, the way she leaned into him like he was the only thing in the world—it twisted something deep inside me.

Damn it, Cory. You left. You let her go.

Finally, I returned to my SUV. Glancing down, I gripped the wheel and tried to steady my breathing. But the jealousy kept gnawing at me. I’d told myself I was here for Jake, to fulfill a promise. Yet, watching her with another man felt like there was more to it—like I wasn’t as over her as I’d convinced myself.

After a long minute, I finally tore my gaze away, forcing myself to think straight. I’d come here to reconnect, maybe set things right. But now I had to face facts—she’d moved on. And I was the one who’d been too late to realize what I’d left behind.

I punched the ignition button, my jaw set. Dallas could wait. Today, I’d figure out where I stood—even if it meant staying a little longer than I’d planned.

The jealousy was a raw ache in my chest that seemed to throb with every beat of my pulse. Hell, I’d come all this way to talk to her, and she’d barely glanced over her shoulder before walking out with him.

I knew I should just drive back to Dallas, cut my losses, and tell myself that whatever was between us was over and done. But something kept holding me here, like a weight that refused to lift. I wasn’t ready to let it go—not yet. She might be living her life, moving on, but damn it, I needed to know if there was any room for me in it… and was I the father of her son?

As I sat there, staring out the windshield at nothing, memories flooded back, uninvited but relentless. I thought about the high school play that had started our romance. We’d done it together— Romeo and Juliet . She’d been Juliet, and I’d been her Romeo, corny as it sounded. I’d never been one for acting, but she’d somehow convinced me to try out.

The whole school had been talking, laughing, and whispering about us, about how we “sizzled” on stage. The lines had been easy to remember—almost too easy. I could still recall her voice, the way she’d look at me under those stage lights, her eyes lit up as she delivered Juliet’s lines.

“Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?” I’d asked, my voice was a little shaky but covered up by the rush of adrenaline.

She’d answered me with this soft, serious look in her eyes as if the whole world had melted away, and it was just the two of us up there. “Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer,” she’d said, so steady, so perfect.

And that next line—I couldn’t forget it if I tried. “O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.”

We’d kissed, staged, sure, but it hadn’t felt like acting. I’d seen that same warmth in her eyes that night that I’d seen a thousand times after. Back then, I’d thought that was it. Elena and I were forever.

I shook my head, trying to shake off the memory, but the lines still lingered. Here I was, a grown man, still hanging onto scraps from high school. I’d made my choices, let her slip away, and now she was out there, smiling at some other guy. But no matter how much I told myself to walk away, I couldn’t do it.

And there was something else eating at me, something I’d barely let myself consider. That kid—Jake. Was he my son?

My hand tightened on the steering wheel, my decision forming before I’d fully admitted it to myself. Dallas could wait. I’d stay here for a little longer, see if there was a moment, any damn moment, where I could talk to her. I needed to know if what we’d had was really gone or if there was still something left—and if there was a chance that Jake might be part of my life too.

Back at the cabin, I tossed my jacket onto the couch, pacing back and forth as the frustration simmered. Being back here wasn’t giving me the peace I’d thought it would; it was just dragging up everything I’d tried to ignore.

After a while, I couldn’t take it anymore. Sitting around, stewing over Elena and her new guy, was pointless. I changed and grabbed the keys to my boat, deciding that a ride on the lake might clear my head. Water had a way of grounding me, reminding me that not everything had to feel like a damn battleground.

I walked down to the dock, climbed into the boat, and started it up, the sound of the engine breaking the quiet. Steering out toward the lake, I tried to focus on the horizon, the line where the water met the sky, and let it pull me out of my thoughts. But the calm didn’t come as easily as it used to.

The memory of our play, of those lines, kept sneaking back. I wondered if she remembered it too—our Romeo and Juliet moment, the way we’d been a hit with everyone. But for me, it had been more than that. It was a taste of what could’ve been if we’d stayed together. If I hadn’t left.

I guided the boat around the bend, coming closer to the town’s side of the lake. There was a public pier nearby, across the street from her salon. Tying up my boat there, I let myself settle, a quiet determination building in me. I wasn’t leaving Cedar Cove without answers, even if I had to wait all day to get them.

From here, I could see her car parked out front, could see people moving in and out of the salon. I’d sit here, wait, and when she was done, I’d find a way to talk to her. To say what I should’ve said years ago.

The lake stretched around me, the water calm and still as the sun dipped lower in the sky. I sat there, watching the quiet town, feeling like I was on the edge of something I couldn’t name. Maybe it was stupid to think there was something to salvage here.

What the hell would I even say if she came out? That I’d been driving through and thought I’d check up on Jake. Maybe throw in a casual mention about catching his next ball game, like this was nothing more than a friendly check-in. At least that way, I wouldn’t come across as someone trying to turn her life upside down.

But then there was Jake, that lingering possibility I hadn’t fully faced. Was he my son? The thought stirred something deep in me, something I’d never planned on wanting. I’d always told myself I was fine on my own, that I didn’t need kids, didn’t need that kind of tie to keep me grounded. But now, the idea felt different. It was less about what I wanted and more about what I might have missed out on.

Still, fear gnawed at me—the fear of what she might say—the risk of rejection. What if she shut me down? What if she looked at me like I was just a ghost from her past, someone she’d already let go of? Part of me wanted to turn the boat around, return to the cabin, get back in my car, and drive straight to Dallas without looking back. I could keep my questions to myself and leave the past alone.

As the minutes ticked by, the weight of what I didn’t know pressed down harder, making it impossible to ignore. I wasn’t leaving Elena without an answer.

Not this time.