Only Love (The Atonement Series) by Elle Chardou Page A

fall for him. No matter what happened between us, we were bound to get hurt in the process and that’s what began to break my heart even if it hadn’t happened yet.

Chapter Ten
    Colin

     
    Colin’s days were a lot more predictable than Deirdre’s though that didn’t make him miss her any less. The first few days at the coffee shop, he spent his time getting to know the employees and when he was not busy teaching them how to make proper lattes and espresso shots, he found himself on the phone with Drew.
    Their conversations were always the same. Bardot’s was doing just fine and his only objective should have been trying to get Deirdre back.
    “Listen, Drake is my cousin but I know as sure as the sun always sets, he’ll break her heart. He doesn’t know what he wants but there is a threat he won’t even see coming and it’ll shatter Deirdre’s world. You need to finesse your way back into her life—do what ever it takes.”
    Colin rolled his eyes. He sat at one of the outside tables at Ground Beans and nursed a fat-free latte and a cigarette. He had cut down until he found himself in the same city as Deirdre yet again but even though he now knew where she was, he still smoked like a fiend. A pack was nothing for him to go through in a day. Although he could somewhat assuage his guilt at such an awful and disgusting habit by the fact that he ran four miles along the beach every morning, it didn’t make him feel much better.
    “What are you suggesting?” he inquired as he flicked ash and raised the filter to his lips.
    “Listen, there is a woman Drake is still in love with but it didn’t work out and I know for a fact she is going through a divorce with some drunk Canadian she married. The divorce has cost her everything, including her business and her self-esteem. She would do anything to change the way her life has turned out. Give her the money to relocate—you can afford it,” Drew explained in a cold and heartless tone.
    “So you’re suggesting I just deliver this woman here and throw her at Drake? Isn’t that a bit underhanded?”
    Drew snickered on the other end. “Hey, man, everything is fair in love and war. Do you want Deirdre back or not? If he cheats with this woman then you know for a fact she would leave him and where would she go? She’d be right back there with you. Whether you two come back to Seattle…I don’t know if that is such a good idea. Too many bad memories. Maybe La Jolla is a better match for you two.”
    “I suppose you are going to give me this woman’s name and address.”
    Drew informed his friend of the needed information and Colin stared at it for a long time after their conversation ended. He felt conflicted because although he’d participated in a man’s death, he could use the excuse he was high on Bath Salts at the time. This was plain devious and underhanded behavior but did he want the woman he loved to end up with another man?
    The answer to that question was a resounding “no” therefore the decision seemed simple enough.
    “Hey, can I bum a smoke?”
    Colin suddenly looked up to see the most attractive barista in front of him who happened to work for Ground Beans. He thought her name was Cassie or Kelsey. He wasn’t exactly sure except he did know she was very beautiful with deep olive skin, warm brown eyes and a mole on her cheek. Angular with gorgeous features, a slim, small-boned build, she had told him she was the product of a Italian and black mother while her father was Scottish, originally from Glasgow though he’d been in America for over twenty-five years and a citizen for twenty of those years. She was only twenty—dangerous and definitely a threat—but what Deirdre didn’t know couldn’t hurt her either.
    Yes, he did want his former fiancée back but he also needed to get laid and this young lady fit the bill perfectly.
    Colin handed her a Camel Crush and she took it from him, her fingers brushed against his before she sat down across