by Mary Manners
‘Don’t worry about tomorrow…’
****
“What do you think of this one?” Tessa asked as she exited the dressing room in a red sequined mini-dress.
“Too flashy and much too short.”
“You always say that.” Tessa spun before the mirror.
The dress exposed way too much, as far as Kate was concerned. “Because it is too short, and you’re going to be wearing it to your graduation,” Kate reiterated. “You have a beautiful figure, Tess, but you should save the show for someone…special.”
Tessa shrugged. “I don’t want someone special. He’ll just go away…or die in some freak accident.”
Kate sighed, because she knew Tessa meant every word. All through high school, the girl had turned down every date and chased away every boy who’d tried to get close to her. “Oh, Tess, don’t be so cynical.”
“I’ll be cynical if I want to.” She searched through the dresses she’d pulled off the rack. “I don’t think you’ll like any of these.”
“What about this one.” Kate took a bronze-colored linen sheath from the group. “It’s a pretty shade and it will really show off your hair—and eyes.”
“I guess it’s OK.” Tess fingered the ruched bodice. “I like the empire waist and I’ll bet these sandals I found will be a perfect match.”
“Try it on, then.”
Kate fidgeted while she waited for Tessa to reappear. The graduation was quickly approaching, and there was so much to do to get ready for the celebration she, Mattie, and Grace had planned. Spending a day dress-shopping was not on the schedule, yet she was glad for the time with Tessa.
The fitting room door swung open. “What do you think?”
Kate gasped. “It’s lovely. Just perfect. You look…beautiful.” Tears filled her eyes. “Oh, Tess.”
“Wow, you’re getting all teary-eyed.”
“It’s just…oh, you look so pretty.” She swiped her eyes. “All grown up.”
“Well, it had to happen sooner or later.” Tessa spun before the mirror, and then paused long enough to wrap her arms around Kate. “I love it, too. But the price…”
“We’re getting it. Graduation is a special occasion.”
“I know. But you need something nice, too. You deserve it, Kate.”
“I—”
“No arguing. Here.” Tessa pressed a lovely springtime-peach dress into Kate’s hands. “I found this on the rack, and it’s got your name on it. Try it on, Kate. We won’t leave until you get something, too. I have an inkling Logan will show up at my graduation, but he’ll be looking at you.”
“Did you invite him?” Kate took the dress and held it in front of her as she gazed into the mirror.
Tessa shrugged. “Maybe.”
Kate smirked and took the sandals Tess also offered. “How did you get so stubborn?”
Tessa’s honey eyes challenged. “I learned from you.”
6
“You and your sisters really know how to throw a party.” Logan tossed another spoonful of pasta salad onto his plate. “I’d forgotten—the music, the food”—he rubbed his belly—”more food.”
Kate grinned, and her soft green eyes sparkled. He longed to run a hand through the mass of cinnamon waves that spilled down the length of her back. “We aim to please.”
“Well, you do.” The scent of her—something spicy that mingled with the sweet confections on the pastry table—lured him. “And then some.”
“Thanks.” Kate nodded toward Tessa. “The graduation ceremony was, well…long and winded, as they all are. But now that it’s all over, doesn’t Tess look beautiful?”
“It’s hard to believe she’s the same kid who used to drive us nuts wanting to tag along all the time.” Logan sipped his sweet tea and studied Kate over the rim of his glass as she watched her youngest sister laugh and flit among her friends. “Do you remember when she climbed the massive oak tree down by the Donovan’s pond after church that one Sunday and got stuck in the limbs near the top?”
“Boy, do I. When she scrambled up so far, you told her not to look down, but she did anyway. And then she got scared.”
“Uh huh. And I had to climb up after her and haul her down.” He shook his head, remembering. “Nearly broke both our necks.”
Kate laughed. “You tore your new dress pants and your mom was furious, but you didn’t rat Tessa out.”
“Of course not. Your dad would have had her hide.”
Kate sighed and tossed her empty plate into a trash can. “The tree’s still there, you know.”
“No, I didn’t.” Logan reached for a cherry kiss that had quickly climbed to the top of his favorites list…at least as far as sweets went. He remembered how, just days before their own high school graduation, he and Kate had used his pocketknife to carve their initials in the sturdy trunk, surrounding them with a heart. The wood was so hard it snapped the knife tip just as the edges of the heart connected. He wondered if that was a sign of things to come.
“She’ll be leaving for college soon.” Kate’s voice broke into his thoughts. “She’s earned a full ride to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. It’s not that far away, barely a long commute if she still wanted to live at home—which she doesn’t, mind you…”
“You’re going to miss her, I know.” He nodded and refilled his cup with sweet tea from a dispenser on the table. “But she has to find her own way. It’s time.”
“You’re right.” Kate waited as he filled a second cup with tea for her. “She’s got the itch for excitement and adventure…just like you.”
“Like me?” Logan cleared his throat. “About that, Kate…maybe I used to be restless. I know it was my dream to move as far from here as possible…to somewhere exciting. I watched my parents work themselves to the bone, building up their restaurant business. The last thing I wanted was to be tied down to that. But seeing them again, spending time with them…Well, I still don’t want to run a restaurant—no way. But they’re thinking of closing it anyway, of traveling a bit now and seeing all the things they want to see.”
“I’m glad for them, Logan, really. I love your parents. They’re…amazing. But—”
“Wait. Just give me a minute here, OK?” He paced a few steps, and then turned to her. “Something’s changed in me, Katie. I can’t explain it. It’s just…this place seems pretty exciting after all. I don’t know…”
“What do you mean?”
He searched for the right words as he thought about how she made him feel every time she looked at him with those pretty green eyes. “There’s something about this place now. I’m beginning to…really like it here.”
She turned her gaze from Tessa to face him. “You think you like it here, Logan, because heading up the library project is challenging and exciting. But what will happen when that’s done? What will make you want to stay then?”
He hadn’t been thinking about the library. He’d been thinking about her…about them. The question took him by surprise, and made him think in directions he wasn’t sure he was ready for. She was right—would there be enough for him after the library was built? Did he really want to stay in Mount Ridge for the rest of his life? He twined his fingers with hers and cleared his throat.
“I’m…not sure.”
“Then we should keep our distance…as difficult as that seems to be.” She stepped back from him and lowered her gaze. “Because the last thing I want, Logan, is to fall in love with you again.”
****
“What’s the matter?” Grace settled into a lawn chair beside Kate and popped a potato chip into her mouth. She chewed, swallowed, and washed it down with a sip of diet soda. “You look like you just lost your best friend.”
The irony of her sister’s statement made Kate’s mouth pucker. She reached for one of Grace’s chips and bit into it. “I’m just thinking about all the changes we’re facing. They just seem to keep coming so fast.”
“That’s life,” Grace kicked off her sandals an
d ran her toes through the grass. “Look at Adam, growing like a weed. Another year and he’ll start kindergarten.”
“He’s a cutie.” Kate watched Adam scramble up Logan’s back for a ride on his shoulders. “He and Logan have sure hit it off.”
“The guy’s a natural with kids. Who would have thought?”
“You’re right. Just look at the two of them.” Logan galloped over the lawn like a runaway horse while Adam whooped and clung to his neck. “Adam is eating up all the attention.”
“It’s no surprise…the way he’s surrounded by women all day long.” Grace drew a wistful breath. “These are the times I miss Dan the most. Sometimes I wonder…”
“I know.” Kate touched her shoulder. They were both quiet for a moment, lost in their own thoughts as the sounds of celebration danced around them.
“I never have thanked you, Kate.” Grace’s cornflower blue eyes shone bright with tears.
“Thanked me for what?”
“For your sacrifice. You gave up a lot after Mom and Dad died. I know it was hard…that it’s been hard.” She sniffled and swiped at her eyes. “I was selfish, going on about my life. I could have helped with Tessa and the bakery more, I know.”
Kate waved a hand to shush her. “It’s in the past, Grace. Don’t dwell.”
“But—”
“Look at Tessa, so happy spending time with her friends. Even Mattie looks years younger today, the way she’s smiling and working the crowd.” Kate took Grace’s hand. “And the bakery, well, who would have imagined the business would explode the way it has? It’s grown way beyond our expectations and it’s still growing. I don’t regret the sacrifice, Grace. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Not even with Logan…the way things turned out?”
Kate drew a breath and watched Logan ease Adam from his shoulders and set him on the grass. The two scrambled across the lawn to a box of toys Kate had carried from the house to entertain the children who’d come to the celebration. Adam tipped over the box and gathered all the toy cars that tumbled out. Then Logan helped him line them up along the driveway and a raucous bout of Demolition Derby ensued.
“I’ll admit…sometimes I wonder, too.”
“Maybe he’s changed, Kate,” Grace murmured.
“No.” Kate shook her head. “He loves California—the fast pace and the challenge of designing huge buildings. Besides, it doesn’t matter if he has changed. It’s too late.”
Grace leaned forward and placed a hand on Kate’s cheek. Her gaze was filled with doubts…and questions. “Is it, Kate…really?”
“Yes.” Kate nodded stiffly.
“Why?”
The single word nearly took her breath. She just knew it was too late for her and Logan, no matter what he or anyone else thought. There didn’t have to be a why. It just was what it was…or was it?
“Kate,” Grace gave her knee a gentle squeeze. “Things can change. People change. Circumstances…well, they change. You know that’s true as well as I do.”
“I don’t want to discuss it—at least not now.” Kate stood. “I need some chocolate.” She felt a headache coming on. “And just for the record, I’m not going to start second guessing now, after all this time. So don’t you ever second guess your choices either, Grace. OK?”
“OK.” Grace stood, too, and wiped her eyes with her wadded napkin before she tossed it into the trash. “Did you know Logan asked us to cater the desserts for the library’s dedication next month?”
“He did?” Kate felt wistful. She smiled as Adam’s squeals of delight resonated across the yard. “That’s going to be a huge event. Do you think we can manage?”
“Of course we can manage.” Grace nodded enthusiastically. “And I heard Brent Peterson spoke with Logan about working together on another project here in Mount Ridge.”
“Another…what?” Kate couldn’t have been more stunned if Grace told her a UFO had landed in the front yard. “What did Logan say? Is he going to do it?”
“I don’t know.” Her eyes sparkled like the finest blue gems. “Maybe you should ask Logan about it.”
“Not now.” Kate sighed. “Right now we’re going after some chocolate and more celebration with Mattie and Tess. Tomorrow will be soon enough for questions.”
Logan might stay in Mount Ridge? Kate couldn’t believe he’d even consider remaining in the small town any longer than necessary. And she couldn’t imagine living near him, bumping into him on a daily basis, and still keep her heart from breaking…again.
How would she ever manage?
7
“I’ve come to rescue you.” Logan smiled over the pastry counter. “Pack a few of those apply-berry muffins into one of those cute little white pastry boxes, toss in a couple cherry kisses, and let’s get out of here.”
“Can’t you see I’m busy here?” Kate waved him off. “And don’t you have a library to finish building?”
“It’s five o’clock, Katie.” Dark hair spilled across his forehead, framing eyes the color of deep gray smoke. She glanced away before they drew her in. “The workers have gone home to their families. We’re done for the day—and the week. It is Friday, after all.”
“Well…um…I can’t.” Kate concentrated on transferring slices of walnut-banana bread from cooling racks into a glass-enclosed display case. The late-afternoon rush was due to hit—people passing by after work and looking for something quick to serve for dessert and to have on hand for the weekend. “There are orders to fill.”
“I’ll take care of them.” Tessa strode from the backroom to stand beside her. She’d pulled her lush chestnut waves into a ponytail and rolled up her shirt sleeves. She shook a manicured finger at Kate. “You’ve been here all day, Kate. You deserve a break.”
“But—”
“I’m not listening.” Tessa cupped a hand over each of her ears. “Mattie’s in back decorating a cake for the McConnell’s baby shower tonight, and she’ll hang around to help me get things ready for the weekend. We’ll make sure all the display cases are stocked, with plenty extra on hand. We can handle it. So go on with Logan.”
Kate hesitated. Outside the shop window, sunlight beckoned as it glittered through tree branches to spill over the boulevard while cars rushed back and forth. She could almost smell the sweet scent of freshly-mown grass that drifted from the park across the street. Spring was blossoming into summer.
“When did you become so bossy, Tess?”
“I’ve always been bossy, according to Mattie.”
“Right. How could I forget?” Kate untied her apron and tossed it into the box tucked beneath the counter. “OK, then, just make sure the laundry gets cleaned, too, and the dish towels put away. Remember that Logan installed that washer and dryer upstairs, so you don’t have to carry them home.”
“Of course I remember.” Tessa saluted smartly. “Got it.”
“Here are the orders that still need to be filled.” Kate handed over a sheaf of memos. “Call me if you need anything.”
“I won’t need anything.” Tessa reached for a clean apron to cover her white cotton blouse and faded jeans. Kate thought maybe Tessa had taken to heart what she’d said the afternoon they’d gone dress shopping for graduation—the collection of micro miniskirts had been tucked into a drawer—for now at least, and Tessa hadn’t worn one since. “So you can turn off your cell phone.” She waited, one hand propped on her hip, while Kate pulled her phone out of the pocket of her slacks and jabbed a button. A short, happy tune signaled the power had been turned off. “Now, scoot.”
****
“It’s just like I remember,” Logan said as the massive oak tree came into view over the crest of the hill. An expanse of pasture, cross-fenced, seemed to go on forever. “Like I never left. The mountains are beautiful.”
“Hmmm…they are.” Kate walked beside him, carrying the pastry box filled with goodies in one hand and a water bottle in the other. The soft scent of her perfume mingled with wildflowers scattered through t
he grass. “I never get tired of looking at the Smokies.”
“They’re different than the mountains out in California—rounder and smoother somehow,” Logan said. “It almost seems like you can reach out and touch them.”
“You can, if you go hiking.”
Logan laughed. “We should. It would be fun…just like old times.”
“Yeah…and just like old times, you’d find some cliff to jump off of or a waterfall to climb…always the daredevil.”
He nodded. “You’ve got me pegged.”
“Do you miss it, Logan?”
“Old times?”
It was Kate’s turn to laugh. “No. I mean do you miss California? You haven’t been back there for almost two months now.”
“No.” He shook his head slowly. “I don’t miss it at all.”
“Not the big skyscrapers, the bridges and the challenge of building huge, tall things in small places?”
“Uh-uh.” The fact that he didn’t was a wake-up call. “I’m happy right here, with you.”
“But your job…”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “Let’s not talk about that now.”
“When should we talk about it, then?”
“Later.” He dropped a blanket onto the ground and spread it over the grass before he took the pastry box and water bottle from her and set them on the blanket.
“Look what I found.” He ran his hand over the tree’s trunk and the bark scraped his fingers…until he felt a familiar, smooth indentation. “It’s still here.”
Kate pressed her fingers over his. “Oh, Logan, it is.”
He heard the catch in her voice and saw the way her mouth rounded in delight. “So many years…”
“Not that many. We were what—eighteen?”
“It was a lifetime ago.” Her gaze drifted out over the mountains and he knew she was remembering the day they’d done the carving, same as he was. They’d been so naïve and innocent, with no idea the magnitude of the curveballs life sometimes pitched. “How did we wander so far from the plans we made that day?”