Coming Home To You (Man From Yesterday 1)

by Barbara Lohr

  She sat up straight. “You mean you felt guilty?”

  His jaw shifted. “Course I did. You were only a sophomore.”

  “I thought you’d ask me to prom.” Her admission came out a sigh.

  Cole sucked in a surprised breath. “Oh, Katydid. I am so sorry. I was going with Samantha back then.”

  “Yeah. I didn’t get it.” Embarrassment heated her cheeks, and she was glad for the darkness.

  “I was so young and stupid. Full of myself after winning that competition and way too careless. I’m so sorry, Katydid.”

  Wasn’t she the stupid one, reading way too much into that one night? What did it matter anymore?

  “Forgive me?” His eyes were dark, troubled caldrons.

  “Yeah. Of course.”

  “Besides, you were too good for me in so many ways.”

  Now, that stung. “What?” Jerking upright, she pulled her legs under her full skirt.

  “Come on, you have to know that. So smart and confident. We wouldn’t have won that debate if you hadn’t pointed out that historically head trauma went, what was it you said, ‘unreported and untreated’ so the numbers the La Porte team was spewing weren’t accurate.”

  “Really? That’s how you saw me?” But she’d wanted to be pretty in his eyes, not a brainy geek who was “too good.”

  His kiss surprised her, but she sank against his chest, crazy for the taste of him. Cole took her face in his hands and she clung to his wrists. Her stomach muscles hurt from trying to stay sitting upright, and her body ached to stretch out on that sand the way it had in high school.

  But this felt so very different than back then.

  Cole’s lips sealed over hers, tentative at first and then more certain. She let herself fall into his crazy kisses. Drank in his heat, the faint taste of his beer. Loved the calloused hands on her skin. The fireworks had stopped. Down in front of her families were folding blankets and lifting sleeping children. He drew back, surprise sparking in his blue-black eyes. “Katydid, you’re all grown up.”

  “It happens.” Felt like the stars were spinning drunkenly overhead.

  “I was wondering…” He traced her lower lip with a finger. “Want to go to the Firemen’s Ball with me? Will that make up for the prom?”

  “Sorry. I already have a date for the dance.” She watched his expression turn to disappointment and her own heart echoed that feeling.

  Cole’s hands fell from her face, leaving a burning imprint. Even in the darkness, she could see his frown. “Hmm. Can I ask who’s the lucky guy?”

  “Will Applegate. From the care center? Seems nice.”

  Cole nodded. Was he hurt? Angry?

  Why did she have to explain this?

  “So are you. Nice, I mean.” Kate leaned toward him. Just one more kiss?

  “Nice? Give me a break.” He pushed up, brushing the sand from his jeans. “Come on. I’ll walk you up.”

  Heads down, they followed the crowd. Disappointment and delight washed over her in troubling waves. Will was such a great guy. Was she terrible for wishing she were going to the dance with Cole instead? When they reached Whittaker, she flitted off into the darkness toward her car. “Good night. See you!”

  When she turned, Cole stood there, shaking his head. “Oh, yes. You certainly will.”

  She shivered all the way home.

  Chapter 23

  Kate’s cheeks hurt from laughing by the time they reached Second Hand Rose, the resale shop on Red Arrow Highway. In high school, Sarah and Chili had been lots of fun. Now? Her old friends were hilarious.

  “So what color dress?” Sarah asked, pulling into the parking lot.

  “Anything that makes me look like a goddess.” Sure. Like that could ever happen.

  “Oh, Kate. You are a goddess.”

  “Sarah, you should see the men check Kate out at her flower stand.” From the backseat, Kate could see Chili make suggestive wavy gestures with her hands.

  Kate’s cheeks heated. “Right, while their wives pick out vegetables to cook for supper. Not a lot of single men beating their way to my door.”

  “So why does Cole Campbell hang around all the time?” Chili asked with a sly smile.

  “We have business to take care of.” Besides, Cole hadn't stopped by since the Fourth of July, almost two weeks now. The veiled threat in his parting comment had come to nothing. Getting out of the car, Kate squinted at the bright yellow building with a beachscape on the side. “Remember when this place was a jewelry shop? We all bought ankle bracelets.” Did the shops change hands continually now? She hated it.

  “The artist used crystals in her designs. She told us all sorts of wonderful things were coming our way, remember?” Chili giggled.

  “And she was right.” Sarah heaved her purse onto one shoulder. “Why do I feel like we’re shopping for prom dresses?”

  “Remember prom?” Chili wiggled her eyebrows. “Ignacio looked so hot in that bright pink cummerbund.”

  Sarah and Chili laughed as the three of them piled into the shop. They’d both had dates for senior prom with guys they were dating at the time. Finally, Kate had been invited by Tim Johnson, a sweet guy who sat next to her in Spanish class. A nice time but no chemistry and they hadn’t gone to Chicago for the post-prom party. The trip would have been so costly and Tim had looked relieved when she told him she really didn’t want to go.

  A young girl with springy reddish curls looked up from the counter, flipping her magazine closed. “Hi, can I help you?”

  “Are these your prom dresses?” Chili marched over to the rack of long dresses shimmering along the side wall.

  “Are you looking for next year?”

  “Chica, we’re way past prom, no?”

  They burst out laughing, and the girl joined in. “I sort of figured.”

  “No prom. Just the Firemen's Ball. Kind of like an adult prom.” Hangers screeched on the rack as Sarah turned to the task, flipping through dresses in a size that may have fit Kate in high school. Not anymore.

  Kate tugged at the waist of her cutoffs. So hard to resist her mother’s cooking.

  “In your dreams.” Kate nudged Sarah into the next size.

  “We’ve had some women come in for that dance.” The girl’s nametag read “Beth.” “My parents always go.”

  “Will you look at this? Totally hot.” Chili held up a black number cut high in the front with hardly any back. The floor-length skirt was a slim tube.

  “Way too dramatic. I’m not that brave.” Ignoring the look Chili gave Sarah, Kate searched for blue or green, always a safe bet.

  Meanwhile, Sarah plucked dresses from the rack with brisk authority.

  Kate’s discomfort grew. “Are those for you?”

  “Of course not,” Sarah snorted.

  “Sarah, er, I don’t think I’d wear those.” The low necklines were slipping from the hangers, and side slits would leave nothing to the imagination.

  “Why don't you just try on some of these?” Arms full of gowns, Chili raised her eyebrows at the salesgirl.

  Kate was being railroaded, but she did need a dress.

  “Right this way.” Beth led them to the back.

  Chili's hand was planted firmly on one of Kate’s shoulders with Sarah right behind.

  Sweeping a curtain to the side, the girl ushered them into a fitting room with two chairs that didn't match. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  Sarah and Chili got busy, hanging up the dresses.

  “We don’t have to find something today,” Kate murmured. “I can wear one of my old peasant skirts and top.”

  “Oh, no, girlfriend. No cotton skirt. Not for Firemen's Ball.” Chili shook her head in disapproval.

  “Are you and Ignacio going?” Kate asked, and Chili nodded. “Well, what are you wearing?”

  “My sister was in a wedding last fall, and she wore a bright pink dress that will suit me just fine. Ignacio is just happy that he doesn't have to wear a tux. Sarah’s coming with us
.”

  “No, no, I’m not,” Sarah protested, pausing with hangers in hand.

  “Of course you are.” Chili looked determined.

  Kate checked the price tags. The dresses were reasonable. She could buy one just to get them off her back.

  Quickly, Chili worked out a dressing room system. She helped Kate with the zippers, and Sarah sat shotgun next to a three-way mirror in the main room. Beth ran go between, grabbing new sizes and finding replacements. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  Slipping off her T-shirt, Kate reached for a pretty blue gown with a deep ruffle along the bottom.

  “Let's leave that one for last.” Chili grabbed the hanger.

  “But it's pretty. It's like something I'd wear.”

  “Exactly.” Chili fixed her with those deep chocolate eyes.

  Kate loosened her hold, and the dress ended up on one of the hooks. “So I'm just a pawn today, right?” She cast a longing look at the gown that hadn’t passed muster.

  “Right.” Chili unzipped the black gown.

  “Any progress?” Sarah called out.

  “In a minute.” Chili held up the dress.

  “The backless look is just not me.” Still, Kate climbed in. The air vent up above her skimmed her bare back, and she shivered. “What high school girl would wear something like this to her prom?”

  “A smart girl. Times have changed.” Chili stepped back, giving Kate the same eye she gave to oranges and bananas when shipments arrived. Were they plump enough, firm enough?

  Slipping into the black sling heels she’d brought with her, Kate plodded out to do a tight spin for Sarah in front of the mirror. She’d need a shawl with this number.

  “I hate those bras that attach around your waist for backless dresses,” she muttered.

  Arms folded, Chili had joined them. “You don't wear a bra. Not with that material. Just those adhesive cups.”

  Kate snorted. “That sounds comfortable.” She’d gone to way too many business events with Brian, who always preferred black, less on the slinky side and leaning toward sedate.

  She’d been his backdrop, she now realized. The crutch for his career. Her shoulders drooped.

  “A woman from Chicago brought that dress in,” Beth mentioned, while Kate shook herself free of the latest realization about her marriage. “You know, summer people. The back seat of her sports coupe was packed with dresses from her friends in Glen Ellyn.”

  Sarah’s eyes glowed with approval as Kate twirled. “Very stylish. Will seems like a man who appreciates style.”

  “Will?” Chili's jaw dropped.

  “Right. Will Applegate, the care center administrator.” Kate turned to face her. “My date for the dance.”

  “Aye, caramba, chica.” Chili fell back, hands pressed against her mouth. “I thought you were going with Cole, the way he hangs around all the time.”

  “No, Will invited me.” Kate skimmed her hands over her hips. Definitely too slinky.

  “He’s been great for my mother.”

  “Then let him take your mother to the Firemen’s Ball,” Chili snapped.

  “Cole and I did run into each other on the Fourth of July.” Kate made another turn.

  “What happened?” Sarah and Chili were totally focused on her now. Beth turned the music down lower. Was she listening too?

  “We watched the fireworks. You know, just ran into each other.” The shimmy in her stomach must’ve shown in her face.

  “Oh, yes, I just bet.” Chili grabbed the top of the zipper and unzipped the dress. “No sexy black dress for Will. No, no, no.”

  “That’s it? You just watched the fireworks?” Sara didn’t look convinced. After all, she remembered high school and how Kate had mooned over Cole.

  “Yes, we just watched the fireworks.” But the sizzle that burned through Kate’s body sent her flying back to the fitting room. Cole’s kisses, his warm breath on her skin. Vivid memories had been awakening her from dreams, leaving her sleepless.

  Blue, she definitely needed to try on the blue. Chili and Sarah were murmuring quietly together when Kate reappeared, kicking out the ruffled hem with one sandal.

  “Aye, caramba.” Chili put one hand over her eyes.

  “It's just not you,” Sarah said on a defeated sigh.

  “I love this dress.” The fabric felt so sleek, the ruffles so soft.

  Chili leveled one long, orange-tipped finger at Kate. “We're looking at second-hand prom dresses, but this dress is not for a prom. You’ve graduated.”

  Shoving more hangers at Kate, Chili jabbed a finger toward the back and Kate retreated to the fitting room. Yellow wasn't her color, and neither was peach. Dresses flew and the room heated. The air conditioning wasn’t turned up high enough. Her face was flushed as she slipped in and out of dresses. One was too ruffly, the next too skinny. Too clingy, too swirly, too dotty, too twirly.

  This was like playing Dr. Seuss with dresses.

  Beth shuffled the rejects back to the racks and grabbed new options. Although Kate kept the blue ruffled dress as a backup, Chili weighed in for the vampy black number. Her waist hurt just thinking about how that bra would feel. And the thought of Will’s hand on her bare skin with that low back didn’t turn her on. Not one bit.

  A lilac number with a flowing skirt had been worn by a bridesmaid, or so Beth told them. The hem fluffed around Kate’s ankles as she came out into the main room. She didn’t even make it to the mirror before a quick veto from Sarah and Chili.

  Standing in the middle of the store, Kate felt tired and frustrated. “Maybe we’re not going to find a dress today. Nothing’s right.”

  Chili gave Sarah the lifted brow. “Maybe your date’s not right.”

  Hands on her hips, Kate faced them. “Don't start with Will. He's perfectly fine. A very nice date.”

  Now even Beth was giving her the fisheye.

  “Fine?” Sarah echoed in a shrill voice.

  “Nice?” On Chili's lips, nice was a bad word.

  Swirling around with a loud harrumph, Kate stomped back to the dressing room. Only two more gowns to go. A long, casual skirt was sounding better all the time, and Diana must sell tons of them. She wore beautiful skirts all the time.

  Chili was unzipping the lilac bridesmaid's dress from hell when Beth appeared at the door. “What about this one?” In her hand a red gown glowed with a satiny luster. The neckline made the breath catch in Kate’s throat.

  Chili's mouth fell open. Behind Beth, Sarah quivered with excitement. “You have to try this on,” she pleaded. “It has your name written all over it.”

  “It does? No. Try Kate Hudson or Keira Knightley. They’d wear a dress like this.” Was that her hand reaching out?

  “Sorry this wasn't on the rack. A woman from Chicago dropped this off and I just didn’t get it out on the floor yet.” Beth’s eyes clung to the dress, like she wished she had some place to wear it.

  The three friends exchanged glances that ricocheted with excitement.

  “She wore it to a gala and didn't want anyone else in Chicago to show up in it again, so she brought it here. We get a lot of that.” Beth gave a little laugh.

  “How much?” Kate flipped the tag over and sucked in a breath. Bargain didn’t begin to cover it.

  “She said she was writing it off as a charitable donation.”

  The dress was a steal. Not a reason to buy it but still.

  Chili had already unzipped her. “Clear the room, please.”

  Then Chili disappeared too, leaving her with the dress.

  The slinky material slid seductively against her skin. The neckline? Kate slapped a hand to her chest. All she felt was soft skin.

  Could she… would she dare wear this?

  “We're waiting,” Sarah sang out.

  “Show time!” Chili’s voice joined Sarah’s.

  Kate shivered. Her stomach doing a salsa, she edged out of the dressing room and down the narrow hall. Sarah and Chili stopped talking.

  �
��Wow,” Beth said, her lips a perfect oval.

  “I look ridiculous, right? I just can't wear this in public.” She turned to Chili and Sarah for confirmation, both hands pressed over her wildly beating heart.

  “Can't wear it? Girl, are you crazy?” Chili circled her.

  “You look beautiful,” Sarah murmured on a sigh of appreciation.

  The dress sang a siren song.

  Peeling Kate’s hands away, Chili aimed her toward the mirror. “Looking at yourself. Magnifico. You are looking so fine.”

  “Hot, damn. Wish it looked like that on me.” Obviously Beth tested the merchandise.

  Who was this staring at Kate from the mirror? Not the beaten down, recently divorced woman who’d driven home from Boston. Kate moved her hips. The dress followed.

  “She’ll take it,” her friends said in one voice.

  Chapter 24

  Summer slumped into a muggy late July pocket. The air hung over Lake Michigan like a damp beach towel instead of whisking up to the cottages in cooling waves. Leaves didn’t shimmer on the trees anymore. Only the high keening of locusts slit the airless days. Pick blueberries? Unthinkable.

  At the July town meeting, the Downtown Development committee proposed putting Cole’s motion to a vote. “Since the entire town will be impacted by whatever happens on Whittaker, the town should vote on it,” Billy Cramer announced.

  From her seat in the back row, Kate could see that the decision frustrated Cole. He wanted quick approval. Her guilt mounted. Had she decided Cole was wrong without knowing all the facts? One night, she took a trip up Red Arrow, stuffing a handful of the remaining flyers in any trash can she found in Harbert and Stevensville.

  Business slowed. People were finished planting their flowers. A Michigan grower made fresh cut flowers available, and Kate put small bouquets together. Red and pink zinnias. Bachelor buttons and marigolds. Sweet Williams and Queen Anne’s lace. Customers snapped them up on their way to buy cucumbers and zucchinis from Ignacio.

  “How beautiful, Kate.” Her mother promptly buried her nose in a bouquet of zinnias Kate had brought home. Laughing, Kate gently wiped the pollen from her mother’s nose, glad she was back in the big bedroom upstairs. Their lives were slowly returning to normal, although climbing the steps took time.