got a favor to ask,” Wade told Steve as the men began unloading their gear. “Would you stand up with me at the wedding? It’ll be toward the end of September and we’re keeping it small.”
Wade cleared his throat. “I know it’s a lot to ask—” he added. So he’d noticed Steve’s reaction to Lily’s voice on the answering machine when she had left a message for Wade. Steve had been caught off guard, that was all, but Wade had obviously drawn his own conclusion.
Here’s the opportunity to prove she’s just a bad memory, whispered a voice in Steve’s head. Now that Pauline and Lily had patched up their differences, his ex-girlfriend would no doubt be part of her sister’s wedding and her life, but he wasn’t about to let Lily’s presence scare him away.
“Don’t talk stupid,” Steve said gruffly, ignoring the sudden tightness in his gut. “I’m honored that you asked me, okay?”
Wade’s frown cleared. “Thanks, man.”
“Hey, Frisco, you working today?” Carlos shouted, using the nickname he’d given Wade. “That means I can goof off, right, boss?”
“Wrong,” Steve replied, slapping Wade’s back.
“He’s got better things to do than pound nails.” He turned back to his friend. “Nice work. You’ve landed yourself a fantastic woman.”
The rest of it, Steve wouldn’t let it be a problem. He would deal. Lily was part of his past and that’s where she was going to stay.
Lily Mayfield and her sister stood on the sidewalk in front of Pauline’s cross-stitch shop, Uncommon Threads. It took up part of the ground floor of an old building in the historic business district in Crescent Cove.
“I still can’t get over how much everything grew while I was gone.” Lily looked down the busy street at the flower baskets and banners hanging from the ornate antique light poles. Half of the storefronts had been empty thirteen years ago.
“You’ve been home long enough to adjust to the changes,” Pauline replied as she studied the display in her front window. “Did you think everything was going to stay frozen in time until you decided to come back?”
“No, of course not.” Lily glanced at her watch. It was nearly time to pick up her son, Jordan, from his friend’s house.
“What do you think?” Pauline frowned at the window display. “Too busy? Too cutesy?”
Lily considered the plain clay pots that were arranged in front of a white picket fence. A round hoop framing an embroidered flower picture was stuck into each pot like a lollypop.
“It’s clever,” she decided. “If I wasn’t all thumbs, I’d be tempted to buy a kit myself.”
Pauline didn’t appear convinced as she fiddled with a strand of streaky blond hair that was several shades darker than Lily’s. “I hope you’re right,” she murmured. “With all the tour buses coming from Seattle and down from Canada, I’m really hoping to attract some new customers.”
“I’ve got to get Jordan,” Lily told her. “Don’t forget to make some time in your schedule to plan your wedding. September will be here before we know it.” On this bright July day, fall was hard to imagine.
Pauline gave a helpless shrug. “I thought a small backyard ceremony would be simple. If it rains, we’ll move it inside.”
Lily wanted to roll her eyes at her sister’s naiveté. The living room of the old Victorian was huge, but the furnishings were getting shabby.
“Simple and yet elegant,” Lily said with a grin. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you.” Planning Pauline’s wedding together was something Lily wouldn’t have dreamed possible two months ago, but now she was looking forward to it.
“Congratulations again, Paulie.” She gave her sister a hug. “Wade’s a lucky man.”
Pauline shook her head. “I’m the lucky one. Thanks for the ride. He’s picking me up, so I’ll see you at home.”
With a flip of her hand, Lily hurried around her car, which was parked at the curb, and slid behind the wheel. In her opinion, they were both lucky. Wade was a great guy, but Pauline was a wonderful sister.
Lily thanked the stars that she was also a forgiving one. Taking advantage of a break in the line of slow-moving traffic, Lily pulled out. She glanced back in time to see that Pauline was still standing on the sidewalk. She waved at someone coming up the street.
As the big white pickup drew parallel to Lily’s car, she looked up curiously. The driver’s face was partially hidden by sunglasses and a baseball cap topped his shaggy, sun-bleached hair, but his smile was instantly recognizable.
Even after all this time.
For an instant, his gaze seemed to meet hers despite his dark lenses. Her hands choked the wheel and she looked away, right at the black lettering on the door of his truck.
Lindstrom Construction.
She jerked her gaze back upward for another look, but she was too late. He had driven on by as though nothing earthshaking had just occurred.
Lily had known that she couldn’t live in Crescent Cove for long without running into Steve. Despite the new growth and the tourists, this was still basically the same small town where they had grown up together. She’d thought she was prepared for the first sight of him, the boy who’d captured her heart, but she’d been fooling herself. Shame and regret for the way she had treated him still rose up to choke her whenever she thought about facing him again.
And face him she would need to do someday soon. She owed him that much, but she just wasn’t ready.
Had he recognized her? She was probably nothing more to him now than an unpleasant memory. The idea made her sad as she stared at his departing truck in her rearview mirror.
“Lily, watch out!” Pauline cried out in warning.
Lily jerked her attention back to where it belonged just in time to see that the car in front of her had stopped to parallel park. Lily jammed on her brakes, barely avoiding a collision.
“Damn it,” she exclaimed, hoping Steve hadn’t glanced back and noticed what she had nearly done.
“Are you okay?” Pauline gazed at Lily through the open passenger window. “Did you see…?”
“I’m fine!” Lily snapped, irritation and embarrassment sharpening her tone. It wasn’t her sister’s fault that she had acted like an idiot.
The driver in front of her changed his mind about the parking spot, giving her an escape. With a sheepish smile and a quick wave, Lily drove away with a sigh of relief. If she was lucky, Pauline would have forgotten about the incident by the time she got home.
Too bad Lily couldn’t do the same. Feeling like the same coward she had been at eighteen, she went to pick up the boy who made everything she had gone through worthwhile—and the reason she owed Steve an explanation.
Good God Almighty! When Steve had noticed the attractive blonde and seen her shocked expression, the jolt of recognition nearly spun his head around. Two blocks down Harbor Avenue he turned abruptly into a parking lot, scaring two pedestrians who were about to step in front of his truck. Before he could hit the log barrier that prevented vehicles from driving into the bay, he braked hard and killed the engine.
A brief glimpse hadn’t been enough to indicate how much thirteen years had changed Lily. Had time tarnished her beauty, stamping her face with the same coldness that had chilled her uncaring heart? Furious with himself for giving two hoots, he slapped the steering wheel with the flat of his hand and swore again, earning himself a startled glance from an approaching fisherman. The man veered away as he walked by Steve, making him feel even more stupid.
He glanced at the cell phone next to him on the seat, tempted to call Wade, but he wasn’t