Nash (Prologue Deleted Scene)

There were two reasons I’d been looking forward to English class this year. One was that I’d met Mrs. McConnell back in freshman year, and I’d been impressed with her wry humor and the way she talked about books. I knew we were going to hit it off.

The second reason was more important, though. Peyton Rivers was in this class with me, and knowing I could spend an hour every day in the same room with her was like anticipating heaven.

“I know the most popular teachers don’t assign seats,” Mrs. McConnell began on that first day. “However, it has been my experience that doing so helps engender new friendships and broadens student horizons.” She grinned. “Also, it makes it easier for me to take attendance every day. So here goes.”

She began reading out the seat partners in alphabetical order. In this classroom, the rows were made up of eight desks which were actually four pairs of desks pushed together. I listened to my classmates groan as they picked up their books or backpacks and relocated to their new assignment.

“Peyton Rivers, you’re right here in front. And your desk partner is . . . Nash Sampson.”

It was like the angels came out and sang.

I didn’t even mind the fact that a couple of Peyton’s friends gave her a hard time for having to sit next to a nerd like me. I ignored that completely and took my new seat next to the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.

As the teacher continued reading names, Peyton swiveled in her seat and offered me a bright smile.

“Hi. I’m Peyton. I guess we’re going to be partners for the next ten months.”

“Hi. I’m Nash.” I cleared my throat, praying that my voice wouldn’t squeak. “Sounds good.”

She tilted her head, studying me. “So what’s your favorite book?”

My mind went crazy, trying to come up with a title that would be meaningful without making me sound like a total dork. Something that would make me seem mature and sophisticated but not too much of a brainiac.

In the end, though, I just told the truth.

“Um, it’s hard to say. I’ve read a lot of stuff I enjoy—like, you know, Stephen King and Frank Herbert. But if we’re talking about the classics—like, books that I could probably read over and over again, I guess I’d choose . . . A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.”

“Ooooh, Mark Twain!” Her eyes sparkled. “I haven’t read that one yet, but I like some of his other books.”

“What about you?” I ventured boldly. “What’s your favorite?”

Peyton lowered her voice and glanced around. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m kind of a Shakespeare dweeb. I love his plays, his sonnets . . . mostly because the plays have so much deeper meaning, right? That’s why I asked to be in Mrs. McConnell’s class this year. I heard she’s the best Shakespeare teacher in the school. Like, she actually majored in that in college.”

“I heard that, too.” I nodded. “I think we’re reading Macbeth first.”

“I can’t wait.” Peyton did a happy little shimmy in her chair, and that was it—I fell the rest of the way in love with the girl who’d been playing a starring role in my dream for the past year.

I was doomed.

********************

Peyton (Chapter Four Deleted Scene)

I stood in the pretty ladies’ restroom that was tucked into a small corridor just off the lobby, bracing my hands on the counter and sucking in deep breaths.

Nash.

I’d told myself that he wouldn’t be here. I’d refused to even think about the possibility. But then there he was at table that I’d been assigned, just sitting there by himself, and when I saw him, I was just so glad. I was filled with joy to see him again, and suddenly, I was eighteen years old and back with the guy who’d been my best friend—even if I’d never thought of him that way in high school.

For the first few minutes, he seemed to be just as happy to see me. I thought fleetingly that maybe he’d forgotten all about that last horrible day. Maybe he didn’t even remember why I’d run away from our graduation.

But then all of the pleasure had drained from his face, and he’d spit out the words I’d been terrified to hear.

He said that I’d broken his heart. That just about destroyed me. I hadn’t let myself think about Nash too often in the beginning; the memory of that day on the beach had been like a tender wound, but it was one of many, many hurts that included my parents’ rejection, the snarly response of Ryan, and the realization that I’d missed my high school graduation.

Then later, I’d buried his memory deep, refusing to think about the gift Nash had offered me that afternoon. There was nothing to be gained by mulling it over. I’d left, and Nash had gone on with the rest of his life, which had probably been wildly successful and happy.

At least, I hoped it had been. If anyone deserved the best life ever, it was Nash Sampson.

The door swung open, and hastily I grabbed a handful of paper towels to blot my face, praying that whoever was coming in wasn’t from the reunion.

“Peyton? Oh, my God, is that really you?”

I knew that voice, and moments later, when I was pulled into a hug, I knew that part, too.

“Emmy.” I clung to her, feeling a fresh set of sobs threatening. “I can’t believe it.”

She laughed, pulling back to gaze at me. “Why can’t you believe it? You’ve got to know that I never left the Cove. Where the hell else would I be?”

“I don’t know. I guess it’s just something you say.” I pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes. “Jesus. What a night this has been.”

“Ah.” Emmy folded her arms over her chest. “I guess you saw Nash Sampson, huh?”

I took one step back involuntarily, surprised. “Why would you say that?”

She shrugged. “We never talked about it back in the day, but I remember—stuff. I remember wondering if there was something going on between you two.”

“Seriously?”

“Oh, yeah. I mean, it wasn’t a secret that you and Ryan were hitting a rocky patch. Or that he was a gigantic jackass, and everyone wondered why a nice girl like you would waste her time with him.”

I snorted. “Would’ve been nice if one of you had said something.”

“We didn’t do that back then. We were all just trying to get through high school—we didn’t spend time deconstructing each other’s love lives.” She nudged me with her elbow. “We saved that for our thirties.”

“I guess.” I turned on the water in the closest sink and let the cool water run over my hands. “I wish someone had told me, though.”

“Don’t feel bad,” Emmy consoled me. “Do you know how many times I wished that someone had pulled me aside and told me that Eddie Carter was a loser who would knock me up three times and then hit the skids?”

“Yeah, I heard about that from Jude.” I sighed. “But if we’d all been so great about telling each other those things, you wouldn’t have your three kids, and I wouldn’t have my daughter.”

“Oh, gosh, Peyton, you have a daughter? That’s so great. Are you married, then?”

I rested my ass on the edge of the counter and chuckled. “No. It’s a long story.”

“Huh.” Emmy dried her hands. “Well, listen, I want to hear it, and I want to catch up with you on everything else, too. But I’m on the reunion committee, so I have to get back out there now.” She paused. “Sheri’s here, and Delilah . . . well, I hope she will be. Let’s have breakfast tomorrow, okay? We’ll meet in the lobby.”

I hesitated and then nodded. “Okay. I can do that.”

“Wonderful. I’ll see you then—around eight-thirty or so?”

“I’ll be there.”

Emmy gave me a quick hug. “See you then, Peyton.” She put her hand on the door pull and glanced at me. “I mean it. I’m so glad you came this weekend.”

I watched her leave, thinking, that makes one of us.

********************

Peyton (Chapter Nine Deleted Scene)

“Hi, Mom.”

The white-haired woman sitting next to the window turned her head, and for a moment, I felt dizzy and off-kilter. It had been over thirty-five years since my mother and I had been in the same room, and seeing her now—it was wild. Weird. It was almost as though the woman I’d known when I was a girl had dressed up in a wig and aging makeup.

She reminded me a little of my grandmother, whom I barely remembered. But then again, my mom was smaller than her own mother had been. She also had an air of refinement about her that Grandma hadn’t.

I stood in the doorway, hesitating, waiting to see if she was going to acknowledge me or if she would pretend I didn’t exist, as she’d threatened to do when I had declined to come back to the Cove for my father’s funeral. I wondered if she might lash out at me as she had the day that I’d broken down and told her that I was pregnant.

Jude had assured me that my mother wasn’t going to reject me, but still . . . I wasn’t quite sure.

At last, my mother extended a shaking hand toward.

“Peyton.”

I somehow managed to move my feet forward, carrying me into the room and shutting the door behind me. I crossed over and took a seat across from my mother, taking her hand.

“Mom,” I began. “I’m sorry—”

“No.” She shook her head. “Please don’t, Peyton. Let’s not start with apologies.” She paused. “And if anyone is going to say she’s sorry, it should probably be me first.”

I swallowed over the lump in my throat.

“Peyton, that day you came to me and told me about breaking up with Ryan—and then about the baby—I didn’t handle it well. Not at all. I was just—it was a shock. And in those days—well, all I could think of was what people would say.” Her mouth twisted. “I know that’s terrible. But you have to understand that I used to . . . I used to brag about you to my friends, to our neighbors, to everyone I knew. I said how smart you were, how popular, and how you were probably going to end up married to Ryan Harvey. And then you come in and tell me all of that, and all I could think was how humiliated I would be when everyone found out.”

I closed my eyes. “I understand.”

“It wasn’t right. I’m not saying it was.” She squeezed my fingers. “I’m just trying to explain why I acted like that.” She sniffed. “The next morning, honey, I was beside myself. I felt so much—remorse. Your father was so upset—at me, at you, at Ryan—and he went over to the Harveys’ house to try and find you. But you were gone.”

Tears filled my eyes. “Daddy came after me?”

“He did.” She pinched her lips. “He went to the neighbors there to see if anyone knew where you all had gone, but no one knew. He drove all the way north of Jacksonville, hoping to find you.”

“I didn’t know any of that.” I wondered if it would have made a difference if my father had managed to catch up with the Harveys that day. Maybe I would have ended up staying in the Cove. Or maybe Nash might have persuaded me to marry him, and instead of having just found each other again last night, we might have had over three decades of history together.

I guessed I would never know.

“Well, he did. And even though it doesn’t excuse me, I think that’s why I got so riled when you didn’t come home for his—for when we lost him.” Mom released my hand and twisted her own fingers together. “My heart was broken, Peyton, and I wanted my only daughter with me. Your dad—he had never been the same after you left. When Jude told us that you’d had a little girl, that you were safe and healthy, Dad wanted to drive up and find you, but I kept saying, just you wait. She’ll come home.” My mother nodded. “That’s what I told him—our Peyton will come home sooner or later.”

I dropped my head into my hands. “I’m sorry I let it go too long, Mom. I was—I was hurt. I was scared. And then the longer I stayed away, the easier it was to keep doing it.”

“All right, then.” Mom eased closer to me and pulled me close in an awkward hug. “Well, there’s nothing that you or I can do now to change the past. I guess we can only make a decision about how we want to live our future.”

“Yes.” I took a deep breath. “I’d like to come back to see you, Mom. If you’d like, I can bring Charlotte with me.”

“Oh.” She lifted trembling fingers to her lips. “Oh, I would like that very much, Peyton. If I could see my granddaughter before I died—”

“Hey, hey. None of that, now.” I leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “Now that we’ve found each other again, I don’t intend to lose you that quick.”

“All right, all right.” She bobbed her head. “Tell me, honey, are you happy? Do you have someone in your life?”

I bit my lip. “I have a good business, Mom, work that I love . . . and I have Charlotte, of course.” A slight smile curved my lips. “And this weekend, I reconnected with a lot of friends, including one who might be . . . ah . . . someone more.”

Mom blinked. “Would it be that boy you talked about the day you told me you were pregnant? The one who offered to marry you?”

“Yes.” I let a long breath. “Yes, it’s Nash.”

Mom’s eyes sparkled. “Well, now, that sounds like something I want to hear more about. Do you have time to stay for a bit? We could have some tea, maybe, and . . . start catching up.”

I nodded, unable to speak for a moment. “Mom, for some tea with you . . . I have all the time in the world.”

********************

Nash (Chapter Sixteen Deleted Scene)

“Hey, Max.” I leaned back in my office chair, kicking up my feet to rest on the desk as I spoke on the phone. “How’re you doing, son?”

“Hi, Pops.” I heard the kitchen noise behind my son’s voice. “Everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah, all good.” I paused. “I’m not interrupting, am I? I figured I’d try to catch you before dinner service got hot and heavy.”

Max chuckled. “Great timing, Pops. We’re not in the weeds yet. People are just beginning to wander in for work, so I’ve got a few minutes.”

“Great.” I took a deep breath, determined to word this the right way. “Max, I have some news, and I wanted to talk to you about it first.”

“Okay.” His voice sharpened. “Pops, is it—your health is all right, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yeah, definitely,” I assured him. “I’m as healthy as can be. Promise. This is good news.”

“Ah, that’s the kind I like to hear. Lay it on me.”

I grinned. “I’m going to ask Peyton to marry me.”

“About damn time, Pops. You two have been hot and heavy for the last year. I’m glad you’re making honest people of each other.”

“Glad you approve,” I responded dryly. “I couldn’t do it if you didn’t.”

“Hey, do you want to do it at my restaurant?” Max asked. “I could set it for you if you want. Might even be able to wrangle you a private night if you’d do it on, say, a Monday or something.”

“Thanks, son, but I have another idea in mind. Something uniquely Peyton and me. I’ll fill you in on the details soon, but maybe save July second on your calendar. I want all of our family with us that night. In Burton, that is.”

“I’m on it,” Max replied and then added, “All the family—does that mean Charlotte’s going to be there, too?”

“She’s my next call,” I answered. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh . . .” He trailed off, sounding vague. “No reason. I just—you know, I enjoy spending time with her.”

“You enjoy poking at her, Max, and I hope that’s not going to be a problem. With Peyton and I making this official, we’ll be spending all the holidays and other special occasions together. We want everyone to get along.”

Max snickered. “We get along fine. Charlotte gives as good as she gets. This kind of bickering—it’s kind of like foreplay for us.”

I brought my feet to the ground with a thump. “Max, you aren’t—are you and Charlie—are you sleeping together?”

“No, Pops. Rest easy,” he assured me. “We haven’t done anything—not yet.”

“Not yet,” I echoed. “Max, I’m not sure how Peyton is going to feel if you and her daughter—ah, if you two, um, hook up.”

“Pops.” Max’s voice softened. “Remember how you felt about Peyton all those years ago, back in high school.”

Of course I did. “Yeah. I could never forget.”

“Well, from the first moment I met Charlotte, that’s how I felt. Like I’d been—just blasted. Like I’d just met the most important person in the world to me, like I couldn’t imagine the rest of my life without her.”

I was flabbergasted. “Are you shitting me, Max?”

“No, Pops, I’m not.” He paused. “But I knew that jumping in and declaring my love wasn’t going to work with her. Charlotte—she’s a tough cookie. She hates weakness, and she doesn’t trust easily.”

“Given her history, I can understand that,” I observed.

“Agreed. So I decided to take some time and figure out the best way to approach her. To win her over. And I also realized pretty quick that I like winding her up. You know? She gets all feisty and her eyes flash . . . yeah, I like that a lot.”

“Okay. Wow.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “Well, that’s something, Max.”

“I hope it is, Pops. I hope it is.”

I scrubbed a hand over my face. “So you have a plan, son? You know what you’re going to do once the poking at her has run its course?”

My son hesitated. “Nothing firm, but I’m working on it.”

“And you’ll keep me up-to-date on this plan?”

“For sure.” Max laughed. “I’ll probably need some advice sooner than later, you know that.”

“You can count on that,” I promised.

“Great. Oh, and Pops . . .” Max’s voice was brimming with love. “I’m so happy for you and Peyton. I can’t wait to see you marry your girl.”

I let out a long breath. “Same here, son. Same here.”

 

Keep the Small Town Love Sizzling!

Read the Next Book Here.