Page 72 of One Kind Soul

Women in front of him.

Gorgeous redheads.

Twins.

Seductive smiles on the women’s faces.

Christian leaning between them.

A shapely female leg up against his.

A date and time stamp in the corner with yesterday’s date.

There were several pictures from a few different angles, but the sexy tone was the same in each of them. As she flipped through them, a handwritten note slid free of the stack and landed in Nicole’s lap. She picked it up.

He needs more than you, Princess Uggers.

That was it. A single sentence.

Nicole let the photos and note drop in her lap. She stared out the windshield, unseeing as tears stung the corners of her eyes.

Tessa picked up the stack and let out a groan, passing them back to Aliza who did the same.

“Do you know them?” Nicole asked, her voice scratchy.

“I’ve never seen redheaded twins around here,” Aliza said.

“Me neither.” Tessa grabbed Nicole’s forearm. “Anything could be happening in these photos. You don’t know for sure that it is what it looks like.”

Slowly, Nicole turned her head to meet her best friend’s worried gaze. “You warned me.”

“I did, but . . . but he’s different with you,” Tessa said. “He cares about you.”

“Maybe,” Nicole said, “but that doesn’t mean I’m enough.”

“Oh, honey.” Aliza’s hand rested on her shoulder from the back seat and she squeezed.

Nicole looked at Aliza’s face in the rearview mirror. “Would you have warned me away from him too?”

Aliza hesitated for a beat before stuttering, “N-no.”

“You’ve seen him with lots of different women, Aliza. Just like Tessa has.” She glanced down at the photos Aliza had rested on the console between them. “This is exactly what it looks like.” She hit the note with the back of her hand. “And this is absolutely true.”

“Where did they come from? Who took them?” Tessa asked.

“Oh, this is Lynda.” Nicole snatched up the note. “Princess Uggers? She called me that all the time. And now she’s given me photographic proof it’s true.”

“You need to talk to Christian,” Tessa said. “He wouldn’t say he loved you if he was . . .”

“Fucking twins?”

Tessa cringed as Aliza said, “Shit.”

“Lynda is definitely messing with me.” Nicole squinted out the windshield. “But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s with these two and it’s more than friendly and that I’m not enough for him.” She rubbed her head which pounded now. “I’m not enough for anyone.”

****

Christian whistled a tune while he sanded the banister on the porch stairs. The day was too gorgeous to work inside the farmhouse and actually, he had little left to do in there. A few minor projects and the interior would be finished. It was more than ready for additional furnishings and he daydreamed about picking out a dining room table and kitchen appliances with Nicole.