Preston rolled down the window, his wide eyes fixed intently on the park.
Behind him, a line of cars began to back up, horns blaring impatiently. Only then did Preston pull over to the curb, slowly bringing his car to a stop.
He was certain he hadn’t imagined it.
Niamh was there, standing with a man.
That man had to be her old high school classmate. Preston had heard a thing or two about him–he knew the two of them went way back.
But seeing this guy, in broad daylight, wrapping his own scarf around Niamh’s neck–Preston couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
He got out of the car and strode purposefully into the park.
“Niamh! What a coincidence!” he called.
Niamh turned, clearly surprised to see him. “What are you doing here?”
As far as she remembered, this little park was out of the way, tucked behind a half–finished development. Even in summer, it was never crowded–on a snowy day like this, it was practically deserted.
Preston grinned, feigning nonchalance. “I was just passing by and saw you two having a snowball fight. Mind if I join?”
Niamh blinked. Since when were snowball fights this irresistible?
She glanced instinctively at Elmer. She didn’t mind letting Preston join, but Elmer
and Preston didn’t know each other.
Preston marched up to Elmer, frowning, chin lifted in unmistakable challenge.
Standing off to the side, Niamh watched, bewildered. She couldn’t understand why Preston was so openly hostile toward someone he’d just met.
“This is my old friend from high school, Elmer, Niamh said, quickly making introductions. “And this is Preston–Jonathan’s good friend.”
“Your good friend, too,” Preston interjected, puffing up indignantly.
Niamh forced a tight smile. Was she really that close to Preston?
“Preston, don’t you have work to do? Isn’t your office waiting for you?” Niamh
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asked, genuinely curious. In her experience, Preston had never been particularly ambitious.
“I wasn’t planning to go to the office….” Preston waved her off. “By the way, Niamh, did you know Jonathan’s in the hospital?”
Niamh froze.
Elmer spoke up, “What happened?”
“He collapsed from stomach pain.”
“When did this happen?”
“This morning!” Preston replied.
Elmer lowered his gaze, thoughtful.
“So you didn’t know,” Preston said, a little sharply. “No wonder you’re still out here having a snowball fight.”
Niamh folded her arms. “Well, now that I know, I can still have a snowball fight,
can’t I?”
“You’re not going to visit Jonathan?”
“Nope.”
Her answer was blunt and final.
Preston opened his mouth, but didn’t press her. Niamh and Jonathan were divorced now–she had no obligation to visit him, and Preston couldn’t really fault her for
that.
Seeing how Niamh seemed to have truly let go of Jonathan actually pleased him, in a way. But the thought of her moving on–especially into Elmer’s arms–left him strangely unsettled.
Just as they were about to start the snowball fight, Niamh’s phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID, her expression tightening.
“Sorry, I need to take this,” she said to Elmer and Preston, then walked deeper into the park, clearly wanting privacy.
Left behind, Preston and Elmer exchanged an awkward glance.
Preston studied Elmer’s face. The guy was handsome–more striking than any leading man on TV these days.
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But the longer Preston looked, the more his frown deepened, and the less he liked
what he saw.
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Chapter 400
