Her Best Friend's Wedding. Abby Gaines

me down.”

      The turn of the millennium had also marked one hundred years of Cordova being called Cordova, after a succession of other names hadn’t stuck. The dance had crowned a week of Fourth of July celebrations and had been the biggest event in a generation.

      Trey winced. “You’re not still steamed over that, are you? You only asked me to the dance because you were desperate.”

      “You knew that?” she said, disconcerted.

      He rolled his eyes. “You thought I’d believe my sister’s best friend, who clearly thought all football players were morons, had suddenly developed a crush on me?”

      “I did think you were moron enough for that,” she admitted.

      He laughed, his ego undented. “It wasn’t my fault your parents reacted by phoning all over town to find you a date. But back to the current desperate state of your love life—” He paused. “Hey, do you sense a recurring theme here?”

      “Two repetitions are insufficient to form a pattern,” she said stiffly.

      He grinned. “Here’s a thought. Kevin McDonald will be at Mom’s lunch today, and he’s divorced. A definite contender.”

      “I can tell from that gleam in your eyes there’s something wrong with him.”

      “Let’s just say that if you liked Kevin back then, there’s a whole lot more of him to like now.”

      Trey could afford to scoff at someone else’s spreading bulk—he was still in great shape. Muscle corded his forearms, and his legs were lean and strong. Unlike her, he hadn’t broken a sweat on their run. Sadie peeled her tank away from her damp skin to admit some air. When she caught Trey watching, she dropped the fabric.

      “Maybe Lexie Peterson has spread, too,” she suggested. Lexie had been one of Meg’s friends, a cheerleader, the perfect girlfriend for the quarterback. These days, she had her own party-planning business in Memphis.

      “Lexie’s still hot, she emailed me photos recently.”

      “Ew.”

      “Swimsuit shots,” he said.

      “I expect it’s her uniform for those pool parties she organizes,” Sadie said kindly. “Poor girl probably catches endless chills.”

      He laughed. “I used to think you were boring, Sadie Beecham. Being thwarted in love suits you.”

      Tears leaped to her eyes before she could banish them.

      “Way to ruin a moment,” he said, disgusted. “Forget the doctor, cupcake.”

      The cupcake jolted both of them. She stared.

      “Figure of speech,” he explained.

      “I knew that,” she said.

      Trey stood. “Are we agreed you’ll stay away from Daniel?” He stuck out a hand; when she took it, he pulled her to her feet.

      “Meg and Daniel are my friends, so I will continue to spend time with them,” Sadie said. “And I’ll be there for both of them when this thing ends.”

      Trey growled.

      Sadie brushed her hands against her shorts as she started back toward the road.

      “I’ll be watching you at lunch today,” he said. “If you do anything to hurt Meg…”

      “I wouldn’t!”

      “Then why are you wearing sexy clothes?”

      She glanced down at her tank, darkened by a damp patch between her breasts.

      “At the barbecue last night,” he clarified. “You didn’t used to wear stuff like that.”

      “You didn’t used to look. Those clothes weren’t new.”

      “And when you arrived yesterday you gave me that flirty smile.”

      “That fake smile,” she corrected. “I was putting on a cheerful face for my family.”

      “You can trot out all the excuses you want,” he said. “I don’t believe you.” With his hand he applied pressure to the small of her back. “Come on, you’ve had a rest—time to run some more.”

      She started to move. Her lungs protested immediately, her breath rasping.

      Trey looked down at her in disgust. “I’d better get you home before you collapse.”

      “If I do, Daniel can give me mouth-to-mouth,” she said, unable to stop herself from goading him.

      “I’ll give you mouth-to-mouth,” he retorted.

      His gaze alighted on her lips. Energy crackled in the air. Not the kind of energy her exhausted limbs needed.

      “I meant if it should become medically necessary,” Trey said lightly.

      Was it her imagination, or was he a little red in the face?

      “Thanks, but Daniel’s better qualified,” she said.

      His eyebrows drew together, all lightness gone. “Don’t mess with me, Sadie. If you don’t keep away from Daniel, I’ll warn him and Meg you’re in love with him.”

      She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Probably because his threat had stopped her heart.

      Before she could recover, he was gone, running effortlessly away from her.

      TREY HAD JUST GOT off the phone from an orchid breeder in Florida on Monday morning—he was negotiating an exclusive agreement to sell the guy’s award-winning new orchid in Tennessee—when Daniel arrived in his office doorway.

      “Dan, come in.” Trey went to shake his hand.

      “Thanks.” The doctor took one of the vinyl seats that dated back to Trey’s dad. “Actually, I prefer to be called Daniel.”

      “Sure.” Trey perched on the edge of his dad’s desk, a rough-hewn pine top mounted on two trestles. “Hope you don’t mind me asking you here, but I wanted to talk.”