by Holly Jacobs
Sophie interrupted, correcting her, “He galloped away because he was a horse.”
“In either case,” Lily said in her most reassuring tone, “he’d never walk away or gallop. You two are perfect together. Absolutely perfect.”
Sophie shook her head. “I’m not perfect. I’m well aware of how not-perfect I am. But Colton pretty much is.”
Lily cajoled, “You’re the Mary Poppins of perfect.”
Sophie looked confused. “Pardon?”
“Don’t you know your Disney films?” She hummed the chorus of “A Spoonful of Sugar.”
Sophie’s blond curls bounced as she shook her head. “No. There was no time for fun movies at my house. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Disney movie.”
Suddenly, Lily felt guilty of making assumptions, which was what she’d accused Sebastian of. She had a mental vision of Sophie’s life—assuming that it was a rosy one—but she looked at her never-seen-a-Disney-movie friend and realized that she didn’t know what sort of family Sophie came from.
In the past year, she’d become close with Mattie and Sophie. She knew she could call them for anything. But there were times, like this one, when it occurred to her that they were all still filling in the blanks about their pasts and who they were.
“Really, this is an odd conversation.”
“Okay, watch this conversational segue,” Sophie said. “Speaking of odd, what’s this I hear about you at the school?’
Lily laughed. “That was good. You’re talking about me playing basketball with the kids?”
Sophie shook her head. “I’m talking about you playing basketball with Seb. Everyone’s saying—”
“Sebastian,” Lily corrected. “He doesn’t like being called Seb.”
“Seb’s what Colton calls him.”
Lily shrugged. She wasn’t sure why he didn’t like it, but he’d made his opinion of the nickname pretty clear.
Sophie accepted Lily’s lack of an explanation and carried on. “I heard you were playing basketball with Sebastian and that you had one arm tied behind your back.”
She should have known that if she played basketball on a town’s main road, people would see. “How on earth did you hear that already?”
“The joy of the small-town gossip mill,” Sophie explained to her. “So what was up with that?”
“I was proving a point. So is this a casual visit, or did you need something?”
“Yes, I did have a purpose. I came to personally invite you to a party on Sunday afternoon. Colton’s got an announcement and he wants to share it with friends first.”
“Before the town gossips get wind of it?” Lily asked.
Sophie nodded. “Exactly.”
Lily loved living in Valley Ridge. She loved being part of a community. But there were aspects of small-town life that she’d forgotten. She wasn’t sure how. When she was growing up, everyone had known what went on in her family. Not that anyone had talked about it or offered to help, but they’d all been aware of it. She’d seen it in their furtive looks.
A familiar bitterness roiled in her stomach, but she ignored it and smiled at Sophie. Here was a friend who would help if Lily needed it. And all she wanted in return was for Lily to show up at a party? That was easy. “I’ll be there.”
“And I got a call from Harper at Wedding or Knot...the dresses are in.” Sophie seemed excited enough to burst. “I mean, they’re here. My wedding dress. Your bridesmaid dress, along with Mattie’s. And the wedding is right around the corner. It’s getting so real. There’s only weeks to go, not months. Weeks.”
Lily noted that whatever nervousness had prompted Sophie’s fiancé-galloping-away dream hadn’t lasted, because all she saw before her was a woman enthralled about starting her life with her perfect man. “Do we have a fitting?”
“I was hoping some time next week all three of us could go. What’s your schedule like?”
“Other than Mondays, I can juggle most days.”
“Great. Let me talk to Mattie and then I’ll set it up.” Sophie’s expression became more serious. “About Abbey. Is she really okay? I don’t think Mattie or Finn would survive it if something happened to one of the kids.”
Lily put on her well-practiced, reassuring nurse’s demeanor. “Febrile convulsions are common in kids. It’s over. Abbey’s really and truly going to be fine.”
Sophie sighed a breath of relief. “Good. I should go. I was going to stop at Mattie’s, then I need to head over to Ripley. There’s a concert at a winery out that way, and I want some pictures for the website.”
Sophie’s job involved promoting a loosely formed group of area wineries. Lily wasn’t exactly sure what all that entailed, but Sophie didn’t seem to ever be short on cash. She’d insisted on buying Lily’s and Mattie’s bridesmaid dresses. She’d said that as long as they were doing her the honor of standing up for her, the least she could do was handle their expenses.
When they’d still protested, she’d laughed and threatened to bring them a letter from her bank, telling them that the cost of the dresses didn’t put a dent in her savings and investments.
They’d continued to argue, but eventually Sophie won. It was clear that Sophie had considerable money, but she’d never lived as if she did. Once, Lily might have felt that the financial divide was too wide to cross. She’d grown up on the poorer side of middle-class, and while she’d never gone hungry, she’d never had money to spare.
She earned a good living as a nurse, but since coming to Valley Ridge, she’d relearned old economies as she tried to get her home-health-care business off the ground as well as investing in the diner.
“I’ll try to have a time and day for the fitting for you on Sunday at the party,” Sophie said as she got up.
“That’ll be great.”
“Oh, and it’s bring a dish,” Sophie said. “Colton’s grilling. And if you think of it, you can ooh and aah over his grill. If it were alive, I might be jealous.”
Lily got up and hugged Sophie. Hugging friends—people in general—was not something that came naturally to her. She didn’t like being touched, for the most part. But as a nurse, touching was part of the job description, and over the years she’d gotten better at it. “I don’t think you ever need to be jealous where Colton’s concerned. He loves you. Anyone can see it. As for a dish, I’ll think of something.”
“Think about something sweet and decadent. Mattie will bring something healthy. Good, but healthy. I don’t want to be too good.” She gave her best wicked grin.
Lily laughed as Sophie left. No, her friend might not want to be too good, but she couldn’t help it. She reminded Lily of someone.... She sat for a minute trying to put her finger on who. “Glinda.”
“What was that?” Sebastian stood in the doorway. “Glinda?”
“I was thinking that Sophie reminded me of someone. I couldn’t think of who, then I got it.”
A lightbulb turned on. “Oh, Glinda.”
“Yeah. If Sophie’s ever met a bad mood, she probably didn’t recognize it.”
“That’s sort of the pot calling the kettle black.”
“No, there’s a definite difference between us. Sophie seems to naturally give off sunshine. She’s happy. Me, I work at it.” Rather like she’d had to work at learning to touch and hug people without pulling back.
“What do you mean?” Sebastian was still in the doorway, lurking, as if he wasn’t sure he wanted to enter the room.
She waved him in and he took a step inside.
Lily sighed. “What do I mean? It’s hard to explain to someone else.” The difference to her felt like night and day. “When I feel myself getting overrun with negativity, I force myself to think of something good. I look for that, oh, what did you call it? That sunshiny rainbow. I find it and embrace it. I choose to be happy. Sophie simply is happy. It’s not the same thing.” But even as she said the words, she couldn’t help but remember that there had been a fleeting glimpse of something when Sophie talked about
never having seen a Disney movie...something that said maybe she didn’t grow up under a sunshiny rainbow.
“I think that’s a fine line,” Sebastian said. “You choose to be happy. She simply is. Either way, you two are—”
“All sunshiny rainbows?” she teased. “Well, you’re wrong. There’s a vast ocean of difference between working at it and simply being it.”
He looked ready to run at the slightest provocation.
“You could sit down,” she offered.
He shook his head. “I wanted to see if you’re going on Sunday.”
“Sophie’s my friend. I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Hank and I are going, too.”
“I figured.” He stood in the same spot, and the silence grew to an uncomfortable level. She broke it by asking, “Did you need something else?”
“Hank asked me to check with you about getting put on the schedule. I figured as long as I’m here until the wedding, I’d help out. I don’t want to take anyone’s hours, but if you have some holes, I can fill them for you.”
“Really?” She was surprised that he’d offer to work at the diner. Given his frustrations with his hand, it seemed like a recipe for more outbursts. Things he’d done before would need to be done differently. “You’re sure?”
He shrugged. “I don’t have anything else I need to do. I’ve gone out to Colton’s and helped him with spring chores. I’ve pretty much fixed everything there is to be fixed at Hank’s. I’ve even pulled the weeds from the flower gardens. I don’t know what to do with myself, so I hope I can be useful here. I might not be as fast as I once was, but I think I can manage it.”
“Yeah, great. I’m sure we can find some holes in the schedule. Are there any time conflicts I should be aware of?”
“No, no time conflicts. I’ll probably still go give Colton a hand, but I can work around that. And I’ve done every job there is at the diner, so you can put me wherever you need me.”
Lily had a sudden image of where she needed Sebastian...in her bedroom.
More specifically, in her bed.
He was smiling at her, his arms open, inviting her to join him.
And—
Lily shook her head. She might try to be someone who was open to possibilities. She’d never say there couldn’t be aliens or Sasquatch. She wouldn’t even deny the idea of multiple dimensions. But no matter how open she was to the idea that strange things might be possible, the idea of Sebastian Bennington ever being in her bed and calling her to his side...
Well, some things could never happen.
That was one of them.
CHAPTER FIVE
LILY DROVE HERSELF to Colton’s farm on Sunday afternoon. She wanted to have her own car in case any of her patients called.
A get-together with friends was exactly what she needed. She’d had another nightmare last night. She’d woken up scared and alone.
She wanted nothing more than to see Sophie smile and know that it was only a dream. Or sit and visit with Mattie. Even play with the kids. Anything to blot out the memories.
Colton’s farm was north of Five, which in local parlance meant on the lake side of the busy Route Five. As she reached the top of one of the rises, she could make out Lake Erie. It was a deep blue today, echoing the color of the sky, which was a bright springtime blue and cloudless as far as the eye could see.
It was one of those lovely late-spring days that made you happy to be alive. And it helped ease the anxiety of last night’s nightmare.
Lily forced a smile as she drove by a large patch of daffodils that were growing in merry clumps along with other spring flowers she couldn’t identify. Everything was in bloom.
The tension eased even more.
It was spring. She was in Valley Ridge. She was going to spend the day with friends. Mattie would be there with the kids. Despite her illness, Abbey was back to her normal self, or so Lily had been told. And Sophie would be there, excited that her wedding was getting ever closer. Lily would be at that wedding and witness a perfect marriage begin firsthand.
By the time she approached Colton’s, she’d erased all but the faintest memory of last night’s dream.
Colton’s farm sat on a hill. She turned off the road and onto the long gravel driveway. The barn was to the left of the drive, the big white clapboard farmhouse to the right. She hadn’t been here since Colton and Sophie’s engagement party at the end of March. It had been colder then, but they’d held the event in the barn. It seemed most of Valley Ridge had come out that night.
What she remembered most about that party was how happy Colton and Sophie had seemed as they welcomed their friends and danced the night away. And for whatever reason, Lily could remember the song they’d danced to. “When You Say Nothing at All.” She loved the song, and the idea that sometimes not saying something could be more profound than putting it into words.
She parked near a string of cars next to the barn. “Hi, Lily,” six-year-old Abbey cried as she ran to the barn, her eight-year-old brother, Mickey, hot on her heels.
Though she’d known Abbey was fine, she loved seeing the evidence that the little girl had fully recovered.
Lily’s heart felt even lighter as she continued toward the cluster of her friends. She hummed a few bars of “When You Say Nothing at All.”
The tune died on her lips when she spotted Sebastian.
A second later, she was almost mowed over by Mattie and the kids’ new dog, Bear.
She stepped out of the careening puppy’s way in the nick of time and smiled at Sebastian. There was no smile in return. Like the song, he didn’t need words to convey the message that she was back in the...well, doghouse.
“What’s wrong now?” she asked as she approached him.
“Did I say anything?” he countered defensively.
Things had been easier for them since the impromptu basketball game, and now here they were back at odds. Lily wouldn’t mind it but she didn’t know why it was so.
“Sebastian, what is it now?”
“It’s Hank. I found some misplaced items in the kitchen. I’m trying to tell myself that it could happen to anyone. I mean, how often do you misplace keys or the like, but milk? I found it in the cupboard on Thursday and almost convinced myself it was only a slip, but today, I found the butter in the dishwasher.”
“And you blame me? Like maybe I snuck in and hid things to convince you there’s a problem?” She forced herself to stand her ground and not back up in the face of Sebastian’s palpable anger. She’d spent too many years cowering to fall into that pattern. But that sick feeling from last night’s nightmare came back with a vengeance.
“No, damn it. I’m pissed in general. I worked that shift at the diner last night and I watched him. Hank seemed fine, except...”
“Except?” she pressed.
He took another deep breath and his anger ratcheted down a notch. “He didn’t use anyone’s name. That was one of the things about Hank and the diner. He knows everyone in town. He welcomed everyone by name.”
Lily was at the diner on a regular basis, but she was in the office more often than not. She went to work on the books, or the bills, or her new goal of cleaning out the files. “Hank was still using names a month or so back, but he was mixing them up. He called Mattie Juliet.”
“My cousin,” Sebastian confirmed.
“Yeah, I know. He did it more than once and she worried.”
“I’m worried, too,” Sebastian admitted.
“I know you were mad when I pushed for this doctor’s appointment, but, Sebastian, it could be something we can treat. Some medications can cause confusion. Sometimes a combination of meds leads to an unintended mental side effect.”
“And sometimes? Sometimes it gets worse and worse until Hank’s lost. I’ve done some reading. He could be having TAI—”
“TIAs,” she corrected. “Mini strokes.”
He nodded. “But I know we’re both thinking that it’s Alzheimer’s. And if it is, he woul
d eventually disappear in the disease. I can’t lose my grandfather, Lily.”
“Seb—”
She was interrupted when Colton and Sophie got up on the front porch, along with Mattie’s brother. Colton seemed ready to make his big announcement. Evidently, he and Rich were partnering up on his winery, and Rich was considering taking on a partner in the coffee shop. Rich looked at Mattie in such a way that no one was left with any doubt who that partner would be.
Mattie and Finn were leaning together, talking quietly as Colton and Rich waxed enthusiastic about their plans. But it was Sophie who drew Lily’s attention. She looked at Colton with a soft smile playing on her lips, as if he were the only one here at the farm.
Then Colton looked over at Sophie. The zing that passed between them was tangible. It spoke of love and a connection between two people that Lily had never witnessed before.
Sophie and Colton were so obviously in love. Lily didn’t think anything could ever tear them apart. She couldn’t imagine Colton ever speaking to Sophie in anything less that soft, loving tones.
Her observations were quickly replaced when Abbey screamed for her aunt Mattie. Their dog rampaged out of the barn, a saddle dragging behind him as he charged around like an enraged bull. Lily caught a glimpse of Mattie planting a hasty kiss on Finn’s cheek, then saying something to him before they both took off after Bear.
Total pandemonium ensued as children and adults chased the dog.
Mattie had said something after that quick kiss.
Lily was no lip reader, but she’d have bet money Mattie had said I love you. Maybe it was because of the look Mattie and Finn had exchanged. It was the same look that Lily had noted passing between Colton and Sophie.
The thoughts and impressions were pretty much instantaneous. Lily joined in with the other adults as they tried to save Bear, but she knew there was more than a shared love of three kids that passed between Finn and Mattie.
They loved each other.