Page 47 of Mateo & Nicole

Her lungs filled slowly, and she exhaled as she moved with purpose to the door and pulled it open. She ignored the line for coffee, her stomach swirling too much to allow her any sort of food or drink, and she marched right up to the woman who had only ever done more damage than good.

Caroline’s eyes darted upward as soon as Nikki’s shadow crossed over the table. Her eyes brightened, and her perfectly painted, red lips curled into a grin that Nikki knew all too well.

Nikki opened her mouth to let her have it, but Caroline cut her off.

“Did you know that Mateo lives here?” Caroline didn’t wait for an answer. “It’s insane. I never thought he’d be the kind of guy to settle so far from his folks. He’d always talked about working on a ranch… butowningone?” Her voice was tainted with a sort of desire—no, coveting—that only made Nikki’s stomach turn more. “He’s done really well for himself.” Caroline’s shrewd gaze flitted up to Nikki. “Well? Are you going to sit down? You’re hurting my neck making me stare up at you like that.”

Fingernails bit into Nikki’s hands, a deep-seated sense of protectiveness pulsing through her body. Caroline didn’t want Mateo back because he was the one who got away. She wanted him back because he had some other value to her. “You’ve seen him?” Nikki said, her voice holding an edge that apparently Caroline didn’t hear.

She nodded, her smile widening even more. “Today, actually. We got coffee. And he gave me these.” She reached for the bouquet of flowers at her side and brought them to her nose, inhaling deeply. “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”

Nikki stared at the flowers skeptically. “He did?”

For once, Caroline looked offended. “You don’t think he would get me flowers?”

Oh, how Nikki wanted to wring this woman’s neck. Instead, she feigned nonchalance and shrugged. “You did leave him at the altar.”

Caroline’s eyes narrowed venomously for a moment, and then she flashed a wide smile. “There’s something to be said about irresistibility. You see, some guys know what they want, and even if their heart is ripped from their chest, they’ll keep going back to it. I’m that something for Mateo.”

Nikki scoffed. She’d see about that. The second she had a chance, she’d ask Mateo what he thought of Caroline.

But hadn’t she already tried bringing up his ex before? He’d brushed her off so many times she’d lost count. Did that mean something? Was he hiding how broken up he still was over her?

Caroline’s sharp gaze cut through Nikki’s defenses as she let out a bark of laughter. “What is that sound for? Do you think you’d have a chance with him?”

Nikki avoided Caroline’s gaze. Once upon a time, she’d thought she had a shot. But looking at those flowers, she wasn’t so sure anymore.

The wretch of a woman must have noticed her attention on the flowers because she waved them in front of Nikki’s face. “You don’t believe that he’d get me flowers, do you?” She plucked the card from the little plastic holder that had been shoved among the arrangement and flicked it in Nikki’s direction. “All you have to do is read that to know I’m telling you the truth.”

The card had landed front side down. Nikki itched to flip it over and read what he wrote to Caroline, but she was too terrified to reach for it.

Caroline groaned, her patience worn thin as she reached forward and turned the card over. “See? It’s there in black and white. For the girl from my past, and the one I want in my future.” It was undeniable. And the worst part was that he’d signed his name at the bottom. “That’s me. Who else could it be?” Caroline sniped.

She made an excellent point. Mateo hadn’t dated anyone else in high school. Nikki couldn’t recall anyone else who would fit the note.

“I’m gonna win him back. Because who wouldn’t want someone like me?”

At that, Nikki eyed the woman who used to be her friend. Caroline was still beautiful. She might have had some work done—Botox, maybe. She was still slender or toned, and she was nothing like Nikki. If she was who Mateo wanted, there was no way Nikki would stand a chance. That knowledge deflated any ounce of fight she had left.

“I see you haven’t really taken care of yourself.” Caroline’s words snapped Nikki from her despair. Her eyes swept over Nikki with a curl to her lip. “Maybe if you did, you would be married by now.”

“I was married,” Nikki muttered.

A huff of laughter escaped from Caroline. “But you’re not anymore?”

“We got a divorce. What about you? Doesn’t seem like the guy you chose over Mateo is in your life anymore.”

Caroline flipped her hand dismissively. “Yeah, well, I lefthim. A long time ago, actually. She returned her focus to Nikki with curiosity. “You dating anyone? Or is the divorce still weighing on you?” She pouted out her lower lip as if she really cared, but Nikki knew better. She was fishing for more information—more she could hold over Nikki.

“I am dating someone, actually.” Just the thought of Mateo, though, struck her in the chest with an ache that wouldn’t ease. Nikki rubbed at the spot above her heart, but that didn’t help matters at all.

“Well, if you’re not careful, it could end the same way your divorce did. Maybe you should go to the gym more. Cut some calories.” She gave her a pointed look. “Guys like it when you take care of yourself, you know. They might humor you in the beginning, but if they can tell that you’re not going to change, they’re on to the next person.”

“Is that how you felt about Mateo?”

Caroline cast such a dark look in Nikki’s direction that it might have burned her if she had been any closer. “Mateo didn’t want to change. He was content to let life pass him by. He didn’t have dreams or plans for his future besides working with his folks on a ranch with other guys who didn’t graduate from college.” She shrugged. “So I left. And guess what? It worked. Mateo picked himself up by his bootstraps and made something of himself.”

Nikki hated how Caroline could rationalize what she’d done to Mateo. She’d cheated on him, for heaven’s sake. This wasn’t just a matter of her leaving. “Have you ever considered that Mateo might have gone and made something of himself with you by his side?”

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