To Love Again: A Sweet Romance (Forty and Free Book 1) (3 page)

She closed her eyes for a moment, then reminded herself that she had a flight to catch. She rushed back inside to grab her own suitcase. Twenty minutes later the taxi pulled up.

On the way to the airport, she added something to her original post on
Forty and Free
—an update that she was on her way to try out a fabulous resort and that, though there were tears in her eyes, there was also plenty of excitement in her heart.

The flight wasn’t too long, and the seat beside her was empty. It gave her time to think, but also reminded her that there was an empty space in her life. Did she really want to grow old without a partner? She certainly felt ready to date.

At forty-two, she felt like her looks had faded. She’d found her figure again while trying on new clothes, but it was nothing like it had once been. Even a stray compliment from a stranger in the store hadn’t been enough to boost her confidence.

It didn’t help that Jake’s new soon-to-be wife was barely out of her twenties. Her skin had that fresh look, and there was not a crease or a wrinkle to be found. She hadn’t had babies or scrubbed her hands raw to get a stain out of a carpet. She hadn’t worn callouses into her feet from playing baseball with the kids on hot summer days. Those were the marks that a woman gained as she aged—worn-out places that would never be young again.

Still, Nicole didn’t feel as old as her driver’s license claimed.

She’d spent most of her twenties dreading becoming an adult, and all of her thirties waiting to feel like an adult. The day she’d turned forty, she realized that her mind didn’t age—just her body. She still longed for the same things she did as a young woman—when she really took the time to think about what she wanted.

When the plane touched down she was jarred out of her thoughts.
 

“Alright, Nicole, if you’re going to do this, you have to do it with the right attitude.”

An idea came to mind. Maybe—just for this trip—she’d be that woman she was before she said yes to Jack’s marriage proposal. Maybe she’d be unattached—with no past, no kids, no worn-out places. She’d spend ten days with strangers that she’d never see again. Maybe turning off part of her life would allow her to blossom into someone brand-new.

She felt a pang of guilt while collecting her luggage as she thought about pretending not to be a mom. But that guilt faded as she watched a young mother struggle with three kids and a pile of luggage.

No, she didn’t want to be that woman. Just for a week or two, she wanted to be only Nicole—fresh and eager to see what the future would hold.

A driver was holding up a sign with her name on it—waiting to take her to the spa. It took some time to get out of the city, but once the buildings were left behind there was nothing but trees and glimpses of mountains in the distance. To Nicole it was beautiful.

When the car stopped, she was a little surprised. The white building was an uneven three stories tall with boxy architecture and odd angles. It looked like it belonged on the cover of an architectural magazine, not in the middle of the woods with a backdrop of a mountain.
 

“Would you like help with your bags, ma’am?” The driver looked in the rearview mirror at her.

That one ma’am was enough to remind her of her age.
 

“No thanks, I can get them.”

She tipped the driver, then walked around to the trunk and grabbed her things. As she walked up to the clear double doors she was a little startled by the lack of decoration. Everything was stark. The name of the spa was not even on the front of the building or the doors. She wondered if she’d made a mistake.

She turned back to ask the driver to wait, but he was already headed back down the long driveway. Only then did it strike her that she’d hopped a plane to a place she knew nothing about.

She fished her cell phone out of her purse to make a call to let a friend know that she’d arrived. When she did, she found she had zero service. Her stomach twisted. She was in the middle of nowhere with no car and no phone.

What had her impulsive decision gotten her into?

Chapter 6

The glossy pages of the magazine soothed Gavin. His work consisted mainly of print advertising, though he was involved in digital and commercial as well. Still, something about the shiny smooth pages of a magazine relaxed him. He wasn’t fooled by any advertisement, though. He easily detected photoshopped scenes and airbrushed models. Some were good, some made him wonder who paid for such garbage.

When his flight was announced he stood up and grabbed his carry-on. It was time to get this over with. Although he traveled often for business, the idea of getting settled on an airplane was difficult for him. He combated his nerves with headphones and music. It drowned out the safety speech and prevented people from attempting conversation. Luckily this flight wouldn’t be too long.

As the plane took off, Gavin wondered what the spa would be like. Never once had he taken a vacation with Amy, though she’d pleaded with him time and again. Even their honeymoon had been cut short by the demands of his work. He’d never considered how that must have hurt her. To him, work came first. There was no other option.

He already planned to spend most of his time in his room at the spa, e-mailing and calling clients. Lance said he had to take the vacation—that didn’t mean that he had to participate in it. As long as he remained at the spa for the duration, he’d be fine.

A woman dropped down into the seat beside him. He looked over at her with surprise, as everyone had already been seated. Her bright brown eyes were framed by thick dark lashes. Her red hair fell in ringlets against her shoulders. She looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties.
 

“I’m sorry, I just had to come over here.”

Gavin studied her for a moment, then tugged his headphones off.
 

“Why?”
 

“I just get these feelings about people. I got this great feeling about you.”
 

“About me?” He smiled. “I don’t think anyone has ever said that to me before.”
 

“Where are you headed?”
 

“Oh, some resort in the mountains.”
 

“Cielo?” Her eyes widened.
 

“Yes.” He gritted his teeth. He already wanted to turn his music back on.
 

“Oh, me too! This is my third time. How many times have you been?”
 

“Just this once.”
 

“Oh, don’t worry. If you don’t find someone on the first try you get a discount on follow-up stays.” Her smile faded a little. “It’s not always easy to find someone who can handle my boisterous energy.”
 

“Wait. What?” He narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean find someone?”
 

“The love of your life, silly—or at least someone to have fun with.” She winked at him. “The staff are really great about matching people up. They have good instincts, and the dates are so much fun.”
 

“I think we must be talking about two different places.” He raised an eyebrow. He really thought she might be a little crazy, and started to look around for a flight attendant.
 

“Cielo Spa & Resort, right? There’s only one of them. Trust me, I’ve checked.”
 

“Sure, I’m vacationing there.”

She canted her head to the side and pursed her lips. “But it’s not just a vacation. You’re hoping to meet someone, right?”
 

“Uh—no, actually. I’m not interested in that kind of thing.”
 

“Oh, great.” She sighed. “Just my luck. Why would you even bother to go to Cielo if you weren’t serious about finding someone? I’m going to tell Tony when we get there that you’re just there to mock other people.”
 

“What are you talking about?” Gavin shifted in his seat.
 

“I’m talking about going to a match-making spa, with no intention of being matched.”
 

“A what?” His heart dropped. “I thought it was just a resort.”

“It is a resort—for singles. Mostly divorced people over thirty. They set up dates for people and make sure that everyone has a good time in the hopes that someone will make a real connection.” She frowned. “You really have no idea what you signed up for, do you?”
 

His hands curled into fists. Leave it to Lance to mess around in his love life—or more accurately, lack thereof. Now he had wasted his time on the flight, and he’d have to pay out of his own pocket for a ticket back home. No way was he going to stay at some matchmaking resort.
 

“The only thing I know is that I’m not the one who signed up for it.” He set his jaw. “I’m sorry, no offense to you, miss, but I have no interest in being set up with anyone. I didn’t know that was the purpose of the resort.”
 

“Well, they do keep it hush-hush. It keeps away the people that aren’t genuinely interested. I’m sorry that you were duped into this. But maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe you’ll end up finding the love of your life.” She grinned.

The plane began its descent.
 

“Not much chance of that.” Gavin stared hard out the window. He couldn’t wait to get Lance on the phone and tell him what he could do with his singles resort.

After the plane landed, the woman excused herself. Gavin sat in his seat. He waited for everyone else to fill the aisle. Only when he was one of the last people on the plane did he stand up. He left the plane with his cell phone already in his hand. One quick tap connected him to Lance’s phone.
 

“Are you there already?”
 

“What gives you the right to meddle in my life?”
 

“Decades of friendship?”
 

“Lance.” Gavin clenched his jaw to hold back the furious words on the tip of his tongue. “You shouldn’t have done this. I’m catching the next flight home.”
 

“Wait, you can’t do that.”
 

“What did you think? That I would get here and everything would be just fine? That I’d fall for some eager-eyed newly single woman and live happily ever after?”
 

“I just thought that maybe you’d wake up and realize that Amy wasn’t the only woman on earth.”
 

“She was for me, Lance. That’s what you’ll never understand. I waited a long time to find the right woman, and then I crushed what we had like it was nothing. I’m not going to put another woman through that. I’m not going through that again. You had no right to do this to me.”
 

Lance was silent for a long moment. When he spoke his voice was softer. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how much you were still struggling. I’ll buy you a ticket home for tomorrow. Just spend the night at the resort tonight, alright?”
 

Gavin didn’t answer. He just hung up the phone.

Chapter 7

“As you can see, we have a wide assortment of guests staying with us this week. These are the adventures that are available to share. All you have to do is pick a person, and an adventure, and the fun begins.”
 

The man smiled so broadly at Nicole that she could hardly stop herself from counting his teeth, while he went on with his enthusiastic explanations. It was his second time explaining the tablet that he held out to her.

But she still didn’t understand a word he said.
 

“What do you mean?”
 

The man’s smile faded some. “Were you not aware of the purpose of the resort before you booked your room?”
 

“Relaxation?” She lifted an eyebrow.
 

“Well, yes—that is a big part of it. We have an indoor heated pool, onsite masseuse, and daily yoga and meditation classes. But this resort serves as a place for people to meet and form lasting relationships.”
 

“Like a matchmaking service?” Nicole’s heart began to pound. What had she gotten herself into?
 

“Just like that, yes—only it’s a little more fluid than most. Here, we believe that personalities can be different and still mesh, so we put the opportunity to choose solely in the hands of our guests. No tricks, no quizzes, just good old instincts.”

 
“I’m sorry, I had no idea. I thought this was just a regular resort. I’m not interested in dating.”
 

“Oh, aren’t you single?”
 

“Well, yes.” She frowned. “But that doesn’t mean I want to date. I came here to relax and enjoy my vacation, not to go on blind dates.”
 

“I understand the confusion. I apologize for it. Normally guests come to us through recommendations, and they’ve been informed about the nature of the resort by the person who referred them. You see, we don’t advertise these services as we only want people to come here that are genuinely interested in connecting with other people.”
 

“Well, then—” Nicole looked up at the sound of a deep—quite aggravated—voice. “You’d better refund my stay right this second.”

The man’s dark brown hair was out of place and the tie around his neck had been loosened. He gripped the handle of his suitcase so tight that she thought he might rip it off, and his frame supported that possibility. His plain blue dress shirt did nothing to hide the sculpted state of his arms and chest. He didn’t even look at her; instead his gaze was focused on the man behind the counter.
 

“Are you Tony?”
 

“Yes. You must be Gavin.” He cleared his throat. “I received a call about you.”
 

“About me?” Gavin grinned. “Let me guess—from the woman who sat beside me on the plane? Look, I’m not trying to give anyone a hard time, but I need to get through to someone here. I was tricked into this stay, and now I’ve wasted valuable time to fly here, only to find out that it’s not a real resort.”
 

Nicole couldn’t help but smile as she listened to the exchange. Although Gavin’s tone was rather abrasive, she was amused that they had ended up in the same situation.