by Raina Wilde
“…and of course we flew in the best caterer in the country. I’ve got a film coming up after our honeymoon and I can’t afford to jeopardize my figure.” Wyatt explained. “I can’t imagine how this town survives on all of this, so-called, comfort food. I mean, this is the only restaurant in town that even provided a tofu dish, let alone anything else remotely vegetarian. It’s disgraceful, really. Don’t you agree, Lori?”
“I… Well… I guess I’m generally more of a burger or pasta type of girl.” She shrugged. To be perfectly honest, this restaurant was not frequented by many of the locals, who preferred heartier meals at lower prices.
“I can’t believe that.” Wyatt seemed shocked at her revelation. “How do you maintain your figure?”
Lori shrugged. She was five feet seven inches tall and had been fortunate to lose all of her baby weight after Emmy was born.
“I do a lot of walking.” The answer was vague, but not untrue. Waiting tables and cleaning hotel rooms did require a lot of physical activity, however if Wyatt assumed that she was referring to recreational walking she was not about to correct him.
Wyatt nodded, as if that explained everything. Wyatt was going to stick out like a sore thumb in Norman’s Bay. Everything from his perfectly tailored coral trousers to his leather loafers screamed Hollywood actor.
Lori noticed that Ashley had become more refined as well. Josh and Ashley’s parents were a sweet, working-class couple who had done everything that they could to give their children a chance at the best life possible. It seemed as if all of their hard work had paid off.
Ashley tapped her perfectly manicured fingernails on the table and stared at Lori with wide eyes.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” She said eventually. “I haven’t been back to the Bay in so long that I wasn’t even sure that you still lived here.”
“I do.” Lori laughed with a false bravado. “I would not have missed your wedding for the world, Ashley.”
Lori noticed that Ashley looked nervous about something and she waited for her friend to speak. Slowly, Ashley pulled a gilded wedding invitation from her clutch. The ornate paper had obviously been professionally designed for the couple specifically. Lori accepted the invitation with gratitude.
“I didn’t know where to send it.” Ashley revealed a half smile. “It’s just a small little gathering, close family and friends. No press. We didn’t want to waste the time with a long engagement so, unfortunately, it’s been short notice for all of the guests.”
Before Lori could respond Ashley pressed on.
“That’s not all.” Lori felt her nerves rise. Ashley flashed a smile that Lori recognized from when they were younger. The one that she had always used when she was up to something. “There’s really only one thing left that will finish our wedding planning and I was hoping that you could help us.”
Lori knew exactly what was coming.
“It would mean so much to me if you would sing at the wedding. Just the ceremony. You’ll be able to enjoy the reception like all the other guests. We’ve hired a DJ for that.” Ashley interlocked her fingers and held her hands in front of her as she begged Lori. “Please, Lori. I’ve always dreamed of walking down the aisle to your voice, ever since we were children. Please say that you’ll do it.”
With her long-lost best friend staring at her with wide, blue eyes, how could Lori refuse?
“I would be honored to sing at your wedding.” Lori smiled. “But are you sure that you don’t want someone with more experience?”
“Nope.” Ashley’s voice was resolute. “I just want you.” The grin that covered the young bride’s face eliminated all of Lori’s fears.
This weekend was going to be much more complicated than she had anticipated, but if she could do this one thing for Ashley maybe it would make up for Lori’s actions in the recent years.
“You have to come to the rehearsal dinner on Friday. The whole family is coming and you should be there. Mom and dad would love to see you and Josh’s coming home for the first time since he was drafted.” Ashley said excitedly.
Ashley felt the blood drain from her face. The idea of spending an evening surrounded by Ashley’s family, especially Josh, was enough to give Lori nightmares.
“Unfortunately, I’m busy on Friday but I’m sure that I’ll see them on Saturday.” Lori smiled and hoped that her excuse seemed casual enough. She really had no excuse and hoped that she would not be caught in the lie. Ashley might be distracted with the plans for the wedding but the other family members, particularly Josh, would not be so easily deceived.
Lori had known that she would have to see Ashley’s family this weekend, but she had hoped to just give a brief greeting to Mr. and Mrs. Bennett before slipping off for the night. Thankfully, Ashley’s parents were so busy enjoying their retirement and traveling all over the country that they were rarely in town. As far as she was aware, they had no knowledge of Emmy’s existence.
Chapter 4
Josh closed the door to one of the guest rooms at the house that he had bought his parents. He needed a moment to himself. Every other room seemed to be filled with people he did not know. Friends of Ashley and Wyatt, the groom’s family, and people from town that he could barely recognize.
Tonight was the welcome home dinner for the couple. In addition to the raucous get-together that was going on downstairs, the yard was also teaming with hired hands, event planners, and all sorts of venue professionals.
Ashley was planning to be married in the extravagant gardens that had come with the property. Josh had made sure that the grounds had been properly maintained, even though his parents had spent very little time here in the recent years.
With their children’s financial independence, their parents had quickly retired and taken advantage of the freedom that it allowed.
Josh was used to the attention of being a celebrity. That was nothing new. Sometimes he liked it, or at least his ego did. This was not one of those times. He had not expected to be fawned over and gawked at here in this place, surrounded by his family. The small town residents and new acquaintances seemed in awe of him and were constantly asking for autographs and gossip that surrounded the professional athlete.
What he really wanted was to be treated like a regular human. For some reason today the attention was strange and a little overwhelming.
The door opened and Ashley slipped through it.
“Hey, bro.” She gave him a light punch in the arm. “Are you looking for some peace and quiet too?”
Josh nodded. He tapped his hand on the edge of the bed and his sister came over to sit beside him. Ashley rested her head on his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her.
“What’s up?” He asked.
“Nothing.” She yawned. “I’ve just had a long day and I needed a minute to regroup.”
“Are you tired of giving instructions to the Army that’s out in the yard?” Josh laughed.
Ashley looked at him in shock. “Of course not! I was born to throw parties.” She yawned again and covered her mouth with her hand.
“You hardly ate anything at dinner. Are you sure you that you’re all right?” He pressed.
“Well I had no idea that mom and dad were throwing a dinner party.” She laughed. “I had already eaten. Actually… Wyatt and I had dinner with Lori.”
Josh felt his stomach drop. Just the mention of her name was enough to send his mind reeling.
“Oh? Is she in town?” He tried to sound casual.
Ashley turned to him with bright eyes and renewed energy. “Apparently she still lives here.” Ashley shrugged. “She’s coming to the wedding! She’s going to sing at the ceremony. Josh, I’m so excited. She hasn’t spoken to me in years except for a few texts here and there. After the wedding is over I’m determined to find out what I did wrong.”
Interestingly enough, Josh’s thoughts mirrored Ashley’s exactly. Except for the part about waiting until after the wedding. For the first time since that summer four year
s ago Lori would be unable to avoid him. This was his chance. He was going to find out why she broke it off with him. He was going to find out why she had effectively cut his entire family out of her life.
For years he had gone over and over what he might have done wrong. Everything had seemed so perfect. Years had passed. She couldn’t possibly still harbor anger for whatever it was that he had done to upset her.
Josh decided that he needed more information from Ashley before he enacted his plan. He attempted to question her as casually as possible.
“I don’t know how I feel about you two being friends again.” He laughed and poked his sister in the ribs. “You two played a lot of pranks on me when we were kids.”
“It isn’t as if you didn’t get us back ten times worse!” Ashley giggled. For a moment they both sat in silence as the memories played like a video in their mind. Josh was glad that Ashley was not privy to his own thoughts. She had never suspected that any interest had passed between her brother and her past friend. For all Ashley knew, Josh thought of Lori as another younger sister. This was not the case. It had not been the case for a very long time.
It made it even more difficult to watch his sister not understand why Lori had severed ties with her. Josh was fairly certain that it was his fault. That he somehow scared Lori away. He had never worked up the courage to explain to his sister that his own feelings had ruined the best friendship that she had ever had.
“What’s she up to now?” He made sure that his tone sounded as if he did not really care about the answer. In reality, his heart was racing. What if Ashley said that Lori had met someone else? What if she had a husband, and children? Was it possible that she would have been able to find, with someone else, that elusive feeling that he had only ever experienced with her?
“That’s the funny thing.” Ashley sighed. “I have no idea. We talked for over an hour at dinner and I never really found anything out about her. She’s so mysterious. Every time I tried to ask her a question about herself she would redirect the conversation to the wedding, or my life. Of course Wyatt had no problem with this, so I was not able to push the matter.”
Josh was surprised by this. Lori had always been very open and excited to talk about the adventures that she had planned for her life. She had never been one to keep secrets.
“The only thing that I know for sure, is that she still lives here in the Bay.” Ashley stood up and prepared to return to the party. “Not that I know where.” She grumbled. “I couldn’t even mail her invitation.”
Ashley left the room and Josh was alone with his own thoughts. If Lori still lived in Norman’s Bay, it couldn’t be that difficult to track her down. With new found determination, he returned to the party. Tomorrow, he would find her. Tomorrow, she would have a lot of questions to answer and this time she would not be able to avoid him.
Chapter 5
Lori was rolling silverware into cloth napkins when he walked through the door.
Josh Bennett. As tall and handsome as ever, his life as a professional athlete had filled out his muscles making him look, if possible, even more appealing.
She sighed and continued with the task at hand. What she really wanted to do was run and hide in the back of the kitchens, but she refused to let him think that he had any effect on her any longer. It was inevitable that at some point during their stay Josh and Ashley would discover the truth about her life.
She had expected him to take a seat and wait to be served. When he made a beeline directly toward her, her heart began to race.
“You’re a hard girl to track down considering how small this town is.” He sat on a stool on the other side of the counter and leaned his elbows on the surface.
Lori wasn’t surprised that the locals were hesitant to share information. It was well known in the town that Lori preferred to be left alone. She was pleased to hear that there were some people in town who respected that. After being disowned by her own family for getting pregnant, Lori had done her best to keep a low profile. She had survived on her own, and the townsfolk respected her for that.
When she didn’t respond he continued.
“I was surprised to find out that you came back.” He said. He flashed that killer half smile that used to melt her knees and Lori reinforced the steel around her heart.
“Yeah, the music thing didn’t really work out and I guess I missed this place, so…” She shrugged and grabbed another napkin to start rolling, “here I am.”
Josh’s hands settled over her own and forced her to stop what she was doing. She pulled her hand free and looked up and with raised eyebrows.
“Can I help you?” She was proud that her voice sounded strong and reflected none of the quivering that was going on inside her.
“Don’t I at least get a smile?” Was Josh Bennett really flirting with her? Lori resisted the urge to laugh at him as she gave him a sarcastic grin. It was clear that he did not realize how funny it was that he, a man famous all across the country, would be flirting with her, a woman with two dead-end jobs and the harsh reality of single-motherhood.
“Come on, Lori.” He softened his tone and leaned closer. He smelled phenomenal. She had no idea what it was, but the cologne smelled like some ultra-masculine, exotic sent that sent her senses whirling.
She reminded herself that he had no effect on her. A little voice in her head said that this was a lie, but she ignored it completely.
“I was hoping to see you this weekend.” Josh’s interest was apparent and now that she had remembered his reputation, she was determined to make him leave. “Why don’t you let me take you to dinner? I’d love to know what you’ve been up to.”
Lori was surprised to find that he seemed genuinely interested. She reminded herself that this was a ruse that he had probably perfected on his many nights with his many women.
Josh Bennett was the king of flings and she wanted no part of that. Her heart could not handle going through that again. That tiny voice inside of her head chimed in once more and reminded her that he had not always been that way.
Despite her better judgment her memory flashed back to the month before she had graduated high school, and she and Josh had really gotten to know each other. He had been sweet, kind, and everything that she had ever dreamed of. He had set the bar so high in the short time, that Lori had never met another man who came even close to meeting those standards.
It saddened her that he had changed. She supposed that fame could do that to a person.
“Lori?” Josh pulled her from her thoughts and she realized that he had noted her distraction.
“Josh, I think you had better go.” She offered him what she hoped was a friendly smile and gathered her rolls of silverware in her arms. “It was nice to see you, and I would have loved to go to dinner with you but I’m really very busy…”
“Don’t lie, Lori. You’ve been blowing me off for four years. I think I know a brushoff by now.” He stood to leave. Lori was surprised to find his voice did not sound angry. Instead, he sounded sad. “I know that you have to work right now, so I’ll give you some space, but I’m in town all week so if you ever find a free moment maybe we could talk.”
Lori watched him walk away and it felt as if she had been punched directly in the heart. All of the other times she had been able to simply not respond to a message or a phone call. Rejecting Josh, to his face, was much more difficult than anything that she had ever done before.
Chapter 6
Josh was waiting outside of the pub when Lori got off work. The sun was still shining as he watched her take off down the sidewalk. Soon, her path would cross his, and hopefully she would talk with him. It had occurred to Josh after he had left the pub that Lori was an expert at avoidance.
She was never going to make time for him this week, of that he was certain. Whether or not she was interested in him now, he wanted answers for the past. He needed them. If there was any hope that he would be able to move on he needed to know what had gone wrong.
Lori looked up to see him sitting on a bench outside of the local café. He watched her take a deep breath before walking toward him. The action had either been as a way to prepare herself and gather her fortitude, or an expression of frustration at seeing him again. He hoped that it had been the first option, but he was fairly certain that it was the second.
She walked up to his tiny bistro table and sat her hands on the back of the chair across from him. She did not sit down.
“You aren’t going to go away, are you?” He thought he heard a hint of amusement in her tone.
He shook his head. She slipped into the chair across from him. She flagged down the waitress and ordered a Ashleymel coffee for herself.
To Josh’s utter surprise Lori made small talk with him for nearly 15 minutes. Though she kept the conversation light, and continued to be vague about her personal life, Josh took it as a small success that she was even speaking with him.
During the conversation he noted that she was not wearing a wedding ring and he felt a small flame of hope inside of him.
Lori’s phone buzzed with a text. She apologized, and quickly read the message.
“I’ve got to get going.” She opened her wallet to pay for the coffee and Josh waved her away.
“You’ve put up with me for a full fifteen minutes, the least I can do is buy your coffee.” He laughed. When Lori’s smile spread across her face and she released a note of genuine laughter, Josh felt as if time had suddenly stopped. When had she become so serious? This was the Lori that he remembered. The lighthearted, humorous, friendly girl with nothing to hide.
He watched Lori walk away and Josh mentally chided himself. Why was he doing putting himself through this? He knew exactly where this road would lead. Straight down the track of heartbreak, that was where.
It was clear that Lori was over him. She was so calm and collected while he was sitting there a bundle of nerves with his heart pounding so high in his chest that he felt as if he would not be able to swallow. What was it about this woman that made him willing to torture himself?