Kate walked closer and then sat down on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. "I had no idea you knew Cooper."

"Oh yes, I definitely know Cooper."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"What did he tell you?"

“That he was an idiot and bullied you.“

Mia laughed. "Oh, is that all he told you? Typical Cooper."

"I feel like I'm completely in the dark here. Can you tell me what's going on?"

Mia sighed and sat down on the other stool. “Cooper was the ringleader of a very bad four years of my life. He and his cronies taunted me to no end, making up nicknames and just generally making my life miserable. I cried every single day after school.”

“Oh my gosh, Mia. I’m so sorry. I would never have brought him here…”

“I guess I should get over it. I’m thirty-four years old, after all. But when I saw him standing there, I just lost it. I was taken straight back to those days.”

“Has he tried to apologize?”

“He has a few times over the years, but I just walked away. I didn’t want to hear it.”

"I had no idea. If I had even known there was a possibility you knew him…"

Mia put up her hand. "It's okay. I know you didn't know, and honestly maybe I should give him a chance. We've all grown up a lot since then, but it just all came rushing back when I saw him."

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, you don't ever have to see him again."

Mia smiled. "What are the odds that the guy you have the hots for would be my high school bully?"

Kate laughed. "Well, in a town this size, I'd say the odds are pretty good. There's not exactly a hot singles scene here, is there?"

"You really like him?"

Kate shrugged. "Not as much as I thought I did. I mean, at first he came off as cocky and kind of abrasive. But when I went to look at his work, I saw a whole different side of him. I think he puts up some kind of wall, but I'm no psychologist."

Mia nodded. "As I got older, I often wondered whether something was going on at home that was causing him to act that way. But, when you're the one being bullied, you don't really care what's going on at the bully’s house."

"Well, for right now, we need to figure out who we can get to come out here and do this work. Maybe we could call in some contractors from a little further away."

Mia sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "We don't have time for that. If we don't get on this, like tomorrow, we are going to lose this wedding. Maybe…"

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe Cooper could come back out and give us an estimate. If you say his work is good…"