Chapter 2: A Devastating Turn of Events

"Here," Angela said, thrusting a vanilla ice cream cone at Griffin. It was the only thing she could

think of to do to drag her focus from his lips. Her heart pounded as she remembered them slowly working their way up her thighs.

Griffin laughed. "You remember."

"Hard not to," said Angela. "Fifty-two flavors in the shop, and you always picked vanilla."

"What can I say? I'm a simple man." His gaze lingered over her face. "With exquisite taste."

As Angela offered the cone to him again, the melting ice cream slipped over the side, sliding over Angela's hand and onto the ground.

"Let me get that, Angel," Griffin said, taking her ice-cream-covered hand. His eyes bored into hers as he gently put her fingers in his mouth. His tongue curled around her knuckles as he sucked them clean.

Angela gasped, then closed her eyes and gave herself over to the sensation. His tongue felt soft and familiar. Her body yielded, yearning for more, but her thoughts tortured her. "Griffin… don't," she whispered, but the words caught in her throat.

"Don't what?" he breathed into her ear. Wrapping his hand around her neck, he pulled her toward him. With the other hand, he reached around and pulled the bun out of her hair. Her mahogany hair tumbled around her shoulders. "Now that's more like it," he murmured, running his fingers through the silky tendrils.

“Griffin, I…" Angela tried again, but the words still failed her. Her body arched toward him as if he were a magnet.

"Shh," he said, smelling her neck. "I've waited so long for this moment. It feels like a dream." With that, he gently tugged her hair, pulling back her head to expose more of her neck.

Damn him. He knew she loved it when he did that.

Memories of their lovemaking flooded her. Not that she'd ever been able to forget. How many lonely nights in Boston had she spent thinking of them together? She'd craved his touch. It was urgent and demanding, yet somehow gentle. He'd been her first love, though not her last. There had been boys in law school, a few of them. But that was exactly what they were; boys, temporary distractions to scratch a lingering itch. No one else had ever come close to stirring her sexual appetite the way Griffin had.

As Griffin's tongue flickered behind her earlobe, Angela's resolve abandoned her. There would be time for explanations later. Right now, she wanted to languish in the heat of Griffin's body. She felt his groin grind ever so subtly against her.

The sound of giggling brought her back to reality. She opened her eyes to see two little girls with blond hair standing watching them. In the distance, she saw a woman who looked like their mother keeping a close watch on them. She frowned disapprovingly at Angela.

"What can we do for you ladies?" Griffin asked, pouring on the charm as he peeled himself off Angela. He took a cloth handkerchief from his jacket and wiped his mouth.

Angela brushed her hair back behind her ears and straightened her apron.

"Ew, we saw you two kissing," one of the girls said. Her eyes matched the color of the sky, her skin pale. She appeared to be the older of the two. The other, younger girl giggled again. Both of their noses wrinkled when they spoke.

"Are you sisters?" Angela asked the girls, hoping to distract them.

"Yeth," said the younger one. "I'm four."

"And I'm six," the older one said.

"How about chocolate?" Angela asked, pretending to examine the ice cream. She was barely able to look at Griffin. Her knees were weak, and her neck still tingled where he'd kissed her.

"Rathberry," the little girl said, shaking her head.

"You got it," Angela said, eager to return to Griffin's embrace. Instead, she dug furiously into one of the tubs.

"And for you?" Griffin asked the older girl as Angela handed the little girl her cone.

"Vanilla," she answered with determination.

"A girl after my own heart," Griffin laughed, winking at Angela, who blushed with pleasure. His winks always made her heart skip a beat. She filled the cone and handed it to the girl.

"Maybe I should close up for the day?" Angela told Griffin after the girls plunked their money on the counter and skipped away.

"You read my mind," Griffin said, reaching for her again.

"Griffin?" a woman's voice called from down the path. Griffin flinched at the sound and retreated from Angela. "What are you doing here?"

Angela turned to find a tall, dark-haired woman in an expensive suit and heels bounding toward them. Oversized sunglasses hid her eyes. She was slender and moved like a gazelle. She flung herself at Griffin and draped her arms around his neck, burying her head in his chest. "Aren't you working this afternoon?"

What the hell? Angela thought. Who was this woman, and why was she hugging Griffin that way?

"I took a lunch break," Griffin said, his body stiffening as he gently took the woman by the wrists and pulled her away from him. He looked trapped. Uncomfortable.

The woman glanced over her shoulder at the ice cream cart with a sour tone. "Ice cream? For lunch? The wedding is only a few months away. Shouldn't you be watching your figure?" She ran a finger down the buttons on his chest. "You wouldn't want to disappoint your bride on her honeymoon."

Bride? Honeymoon? Angela repeated the words in her head, struggling to make sense of them. It was as though the woman was speaking another language.

Griffin refused to meet Angela’s gaze.

Acting as though she didn't even see Angela, the woman spun around to examine the ice cream. "Well, maybe a teeny bit wouldn't hurt," she said. "It does look delicious."

With the woman's head down, eyes focused on the cart, Angela still couldn't see her face, but she was sure there was something vaguely familiar about her. Angela tried to get a better look at her without staring.

The woman still hadn't acknowledged Angela’s presence. She appeared to view her as part of the scenery, invisible unless otherwise needed. Angela was willing to bet that was the way she perceived a good chunk of the world.

"Don't tell my mother," the woman said, altering her voice to sound like a disobedient little girl. "My dress cost a small fortune, and she'll have a fit if I need to alter it."

"I doubt that will be a problem," Griffin mumbled.

Suddenly, the woman stood up and took off her sunglasses. "Pralines and cream," she announced, finally addressing Angela, her chin jutted in determination. "A kid's size, please."

Angela gasped. "Savannah?" she cried, instantly recognizing her old friend. Angela hadn't seen Savannah for years either, not since shortly after Griffin left. So what was she doing there? And why was she clinging to Griffin?

Savannah stared at Angela. For a moment, Angela thought she didn’t recognize her. Then, her eyes flew wide open, darkening for a split second before Savannah quickly corrected herself. "Angela?" she exclaimed, her voice like syrup. "Is it really you? What a pleasant surprise. When did you get back into town?"

"I've been here for a few weeks," Angela answered, nervously wondering if Savannah was suddenly thinking about the last night they’d seen each other too. Savannah was the only other person in the world who knew her secret. Could Angela trust her to keep it? "My father was ill,” she further explained, unable to read Savannah’s guarded expression.

Savannah turned a cool smile on Griffin. “Why didn’t you tell me Angela was back?”

“I didn’t know either,” Griffin said. “We just ran into each other a few minutes ago.”

“What are the chances of the three of us meeting here all at the same time?” Savannah asked, her mouth tight, but her smile steady. “It must be our lucky day.”

Angela nodded, but noticed that none of them looked particularly happy at the moment. She had to admit Savannah looked great. She'd grown out of her baby fat, and her skin had cleared. That expensive finishing school her mother had insisted she attend had paid off. Gone were any traces of the insecure little girl Angela had once known. Savannah now moved with grace and poise, as if she single-handedly ran the world.

Savannah frowned, then smiled sweetly. "I hope your father is well."

"He is now," Angela said, still trying to catch Griffin's eye. "Thank you for asking."

"Of course. He was always so kind to me growing up."

Angela didn’t feel the need to say her ad had never really liked Savannah. He always thought there was something sneaky about her. "So, I guess it's been a while since you two have seen each other?" Angela said cheerfully, gesturing toward Griffin. Judging by that overwrought greeting, she thought.

Savannah looked puzzled.

Griffin focused on something in the grass.

"So, did I hear you say you're getting married," Angela continued. "Congratulations. Who's the lucky guy?"

Savannah's eyes narrowed, then a satisfied grin slipped across her face. "Didn't he tell you?" she asked, dramatically thrusting out her hand to reveal an enormous diamond perched on her finger. "It's Griffin," she squealed, grabbing his arm and beaming up at him. "Griffin and I are getting married in six weeks!"