"Look," Mia said, looking as serious as she ever got, "I heard all that stuff you said about not wanting to be distracted by a guy right now, but you and I both know that your store is going to do really well whether or not you’re dating someone. I think the real reason you blew off what sounded like a super-hot, super-great guy was because your ex made you lose faith in all men, rather than just him." Mia’s expression turned fierce. "Rob didn’t deserve you while you were dating, and he sure as heck doesn’t deserve to ruin your next relationship, too."
Mia pulled her cell phone out of her purse, scrolled through the numbers in her contacts, and put it to her ear. Before Colbie could tackle her friend and make her drop the phone, she was saying, "Hey, Rafe, Colbie needs to talk to you about something really important."
She had no choice but to take the phone Mia shoved into her hand. "Hi, Rafe."
"Colbie, it’s been too long." She knew he was grinning, just from the sound of his voice. "How are things?"
Every one of Mia’s brothers was good-looking and charming, but she’d always felt the most comfortable with Rafe. Which was a good thing, considering the very embarrassing favor Mia wanted her to ask of him.
"Mia’s helping me get my new store ready to open tomorrow morning."
Okay, she told herself as she answered his questions about the store, even if Rafe did find Noah, it didn’t mean she had to marry him. She could just ask him on a date and then, depending on how that went, they could see if it made sense to go on another one. Really, there was no need to be so nervous about seeing him again. It wasn’t like he was going to declare his undying love to her, or anything.
Besides, given that Mia would never let her hear the end of it if she didn’t bite the bullet—she knew her friend was only trying to look out for her, even if her methods were a bit unorthodox—Colbie took a breath and barreled ahead.
"The thing is, Rafe, I was wondering if you could help me find someone."
* * *
An hour later…
Mia was surprised to find her brother waiting in her real estate office when she got back from helping Colbie a short while later. Not, of course, that any of the Sullivan Realty staff minded keeping Rafe entertained in her absence. Fortunately, her brother knew she’d kill him if he so much as looked at any of her employees the wrong way. As far as she was concerned every woman in Seattle was fair game except for the six women who worked for her.
"I’m glad you’re here," she told him when he finally extricated himself from her staff and closed her office door behind him. She handed him a color printout she’d been saving for him. "I found the perfect summer cabin for you."
"I don’t need a summer cabin," he told her, but when he looked at the picture of the cabin and started reading, she smiled and sat back in her chair to watch him. As kids, their parents used to rent a cabin on a lake in the Cascades every summer. All of them had a good time swimming and fishing and hiking, but Rafe had loved it more than any of them.
Sure, Mia thought, Rafe might not need a summer cabin, but it didn’t mean his life wouldn’t be better for owning it. He tucked the paper into his pocket before sitting on her leather couch.
"I’ve got a funny story to tell you," he said. "You remember that guy I went to college with? The one you were all drooly over when you were in high school and you came to visit us one weekend? He works with the Maverick Group now."
Mia thought about it for a second before snapping her fingers. "How could I possibly forget Noah?" She heaved a sigh of remembered appreciation. "Tall. Dark. Gorgeous." She shook her head. "I’ve always thought it was too bad he wasn’t into fifteen-year-old girls."
"I would have killed him," Rafe growled, before telling her, "He hired me to find a girl he met a week ago in Lake Tahoe."
Mia’s eyes grew big. "No way. He’s the guy Colbie bailed on at the top of the mountain?"
Rafe grinned. "And now she’s hired me to find him, too. About time I had a couple of easy cases like this."
Mia grinned back, the wicked spark in her eyes matching her brother’s perfectly. "Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day, you know."
He raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"How about instead of just calling them with the info, we have a little fun with this? Because I think I’ve got the perfect plan...."
Chapter Five
February 14, Valentine’s Day
At 7:15 p.m., a full hour and fifteen minutes after her store should already have closed, Colbie rang up a beautiful pair of handmade earrings for an extremely relieved looking man.
When she waved goodbye and finally locked the door behind him, she sagged against the glass. Her feet were killing her and she was miles beyond exhausted, but she couldn’t stop smiling.
Because it had been the best day of Colbie’s life.
Her girlfriends had been the first ones inside the store, and she’d been touched by how sweet it was for them all to drop by. Even her old co-workers from came by to see what Indulgence was all about. More than one of them had bought a gift for his girlfriend or wife. Just that alone would have been enough to make it a great first day. But her friends had gone one step further and told their friends about her store. And, of course, Mia had spent half the day on Twitter and Facebook letting everyone on the planet know about the new store they simply had to check out.
She’d barely had a chance to think about Noah all day. Or to wonder if Rafe had made any progress in finding him. Or to daydream about how right it had felt when his arms were around her and she was—
Colbie had to laugh at herself as she grabbed her purse and shut off the lights. Mia was waiting for her at the swanky new cocktail bar down the street to celebrate, so instead of cleaning up now, she’d come back early the next morning to restock.
Stepping out the back door of her store into the damp, cold Seattle night, she took a deep breath. She loved the Pacific Northwest, and even when a steady stream of cloudy days had her praying for slivers of blue sky, she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
There were red and pink hearts plastered to every store front in honor of Valentine’s Day. Last year she’d spent it with Rob at an overpriced restaurant with food that had been far too rich for her taste. Of course, her ex had loved it because it was the hottest place in town. If only she’d had the confidence then that she had now, she would never have wasted her time with him.