by Joan Kilby
She was glossing over the years after he left town when she’d felt somewhat adrift, but she’d gotten over that so what was the point in dwelling on the past?
“I love my new role,” she went on. “I get to work with lots of great people, promote our awesome town, and do a bit of IT on the side. If the cherry blossom festival is a success, I’m hoping the town council will make it a fixture on Sweetheart’s annual events calendar.”
“I bet you’re terrific at the job,” he said. “I hope you get everything you want.”
She glanced at him sideways. Was he being genuine? Of course he was. Angus had always thought she deserved the very best. In fact, it had been a little embarrassing at times how he put her on a pedestal. If she felt defensive, it was because she’d hoped her career would have advanced more by now.
“I’ll get back to full-time IT when the right opportunity comes along,” she said, and turned the focus on him. “You’ve chalked up some serious career successes. You went from night school courses in business to studying architecture at a top university.”
“Architecture was always my ultimate goal.”
“I hear you have a new job in Sacramento,” she said.
“That’s right,” he said. “Coates Construction is a big company out there, growing even faster than the parent company in Polson.”
“You always were ambitious,” she said. “Sweetheart can’t offer the same kind of career path as a major urban center.”
“True,” he agreed. “I have to go where the jobs are.”
Whereas she put family and friends above her career. She liked being part of a close-knit community, where she found meaning by contributing to its well-being. As hard as it had been to lose Angus, she’d done the right thing in letting him go five years ago.
“So, what do you think? Do I have a chance?” Angus turned back to her with a smile that momentarily made her forget what they’d been talking about. “To do this build, I mean.”
Brianna walked a few paces away, pretending to be surveying the property. She needed to pull herself together and think logically, not emotionally. It was one thing to acknowledge that she’d been right to let Angus go but how could she have so blithely told Sarah she felt nothing for him? Half an hour in his presence and she was a gibbering mess. He’d gone away a sweet boy and come back an alpha male. He was more attractive, more mature, more confident, more experienced, more everything.
But he hadn’t come back for her, and he wasn’t going to stay. In three weeks he would leave, and she would be left behind—again.
However, he would be perfect for the community hall job. They needed him. And it would only be three weeks. Angus had the qualifications and the experience, plus he knew her father’s company and how everything ran. It made total sense and she should be grateful he was even considering taking it on when he’d come here on vacation.
Brianna clicked her pen open and shut, open and shut. Anyway, telling him no wouldn’t be professional on her part when she needed his expertise. If she refused to hire him, everyone would think she was still hung up on him. People had said they would never last the first time around because he’d been a factory hand and she was Gordon Renton’s daughter with a fancy IT degree and a bright future. Their relationship hadn’t lasted but not for that reason.
A fragment of hope wormed its way into her brain. Was Angus only here to see his mom and kill time till he went to his new job? Or had he come back to find out if there was anything left of their romance?
No, she wasn’t going down that rabbit hole. If he still cared for her, he wouldn’t have been silent all these years. Anyway, his motives weren’t her concern, and her emotions shouldn’t factor in the decision. What mattered was doing what was best for the town, and for her father’s company. She’d be fine. He’d taken her by surprise that was all. She’d had five years to toughen up where he was concerned and now she had to draw on that.
She would give the go ahead to hire him, but first, she had to crack his confidence just a touch or she’d never be able to hold her own with him.
Brianna slid her pen back onto the clipboard. “Thank you so much for offering to help us out with the community hall. I’ll have to talk it over with my dad and Blake. One of us will get back to you.”
Before she turned to head back to her car, she had the satisfaction of seeing his mouth drop open in surprise.
*
What? Angus shut his mouth, and then with a chuckle, he started after her. She hadn’t given him an outright yes, but she hadn’t said no, either. Was she playing with him, trying to assert control? If so, maybe she wasn’t as indifferent to him as she was pretending. Working together could turn out to be awkward, or it could be fun. Either way, he wouldn’t have traded places with anyone else on the planet right now.
Brianna looked adorable stomping away in her gumboots. Her bright hair was so long now it blew him away. When he’d known her it had been chin length. Now the mass of curls fell well past her shoulders, lifting in the slight breeze off the lake, and bouncing lightly with every step. He could still recall the silky feel of it between his fingers. It was her smile he’d missed the most, though, that huge cheeky grin that lit her whole face, from her generous mouth to her shining blue eyes.
He blinked away the memory mirage. He hadn’t seen that ear-to-ear grin once this morning. Instead, her smile had been forced, and she’d held a clipboard to her chest like a shield, her elfin features set in a mask of professionalism. Even as she strode away from him, she was still nervously clicking the pen she held at her side.
He caught up quickly but she didn’t look at him, keeping her gaze fixed on their vehicles parked up ahead. He’d sensed her wariness from the first moment, had almost heard the invisible barriers clanging into place. It killed him to think that he might have hurt her. He’d suffered, too, leaving her behind. The boy he’d been then hadn’t had the words or the confidence to tell her how he felt, or that he was going to college so he could be worthy of her, and give her a good life, like the one she was used to.
Maybe he should have kept in touch. After all, they’d been friends, too. But seeing on social media and hearing from mutual friends that she was dating had been so painful.
Plus she’d broken up with him. He’d never understood why but he couldn’t forget it.
Was it too late for them? Maybe it wouldn’t be easy but he had to try. He’d never given up believing in them as a couple. Now, with his life entering a new phase, he had to know once and for all if what they’d once had together was real and lasting, or if it was time for him to give up hope and move on.
A breeze wafted his way with the fragrance of spring blooms. Angus inhaled deeply. “I’ve missed this place.”
“Have you?” she asked sceptically. “A person would never know it by how long you stayed away.”
Angus studied her blank face then noted the fingers curled into her palm. Deliberately, he softened his voice. “If there’s any bad feeling between us let’s get it out into the open, deal with it, and move on.”
His suggestion to unpack their past right here and now caused a flash of panic in her bright blue eyes.
However, instead of retreating, Brianna gave him another pinched smile. “There’s no bad feeling. You wanted to go away to college. I respected that. Not just respected but admired you for it. There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Talking doesn’t have to mean fighting,” he said.
“I certainly don’t want to fight with you,” she said, still in a calm, maddeningly neutral tone.
What would it take to get her fired up and passionate? He longed to see her throw her head back and laugh uproariously or pretend to tear her hair out when he exasperated her, as he used to do sometimes on purpose just to rile her.
He didn’t want to rile her up now. She could still send him packing. “So, we’re good, then?”
“Absolutely,” she said. “However, if you come to work for Sweetheart Log Homes has to b
e on the condition that you don’t bring up the past or remind me of what we once were to each other. No heart-to-heart chats about what went wrong.”
“Okay, but—”
“Nothing went wrong,” she continued. “We dated for a while, it was lovely, and then you had other things to do. We have nothing to discuss. Ours would be a professional connection.”
“Professional. I can do that.” He added his own stipulation. “But not unfriendly.”
She hesitated, then said, “Of course not.”
There was a moment of silence while he absorbed the boundaries of their new relationship. The possibilities, the limitations.
“I’d like to hear more about your plans for world domination through green technology,” Angus said. “Can I interest you in a cheeseburger and a chocolate shake at the Cherry Pit? It would be a business lunch.”
Burgers and shakes at the Pit had been part of their dating ritual in the past. It was a sneaky attempt at the thin edge of the wedge, and the side-eye she threw him told him she knew it. He ducked his head to hide a smile. One way or another, he was going to crack her facade.
But not today, apparently, because she said firmly, “Thanks, but I have work to do. I need to get back to the office.” As they resumed walking back to the car, she added, “How’s your mom? I see her now and then in her Realtor’s jacket, looking very smart.”
“She’s fine,” he said. “Says to say hello.”
At the vehicles, Brianna pressed the remote on her car, shucked off her boots and put on a pair of white sneakers. She handed him her business card. “I’ll talk things over with Blake and my dad and let you know our decision. If you do go ahead, we’ll want you to get started right away.”
“I’m available immediately,” Angus said, palms open. “My fate is in your hands.”
She looked at his spread fingers and frowned. Was she remembering how they used to hold hands while walking or watching TV? If she was, she didn’t say, just got into her car without another word.
He watched her drive off. Professional but not unfriendly wasn’t the joyous reunion he’d hoped for. But it was a start.
Chapter Three
Brianna called Sarah as soon as she’d left Angus. “Can you meet me for lunch? Anywhere but the Cherry Pit.”
“I’ll reserve a table at the Montreau Hotel, in the courtyard,” Sarah said. “How did it go?”
“I’ll tell you when I get there.”
At noon, Brianna ran up the steps of the heritage hotel, waved to Jeannie at the front desk, and continued through the lobby to the outdoor eating area.
Sarah was already seated at a table flanked by leafy potted plants. Soft piped-in music and a trickling water feature provided plenty of privacy.
“I’m screwed.” Brianna sat down and picked up a menu. “Totally, utterly screwed.”
“Because he was so awful?” Sarah guessed, her mouth twisted in sympathy. “Was it worse than you expected?”
“Because he’s so awesome!” Brianna exclaimed. “I thought I knew Angus. Small-town cute, sweet and laid-back—although admittedly with overachiever tendencies.”
“And now?”
“He’s all that still, but with an overlay of GQ. He bowled me over.” She swept a hand wide. “Knocked me right off the pedestal he used to put me on. Not by making me feel less, but by him being somehow more.”
Sarah signaled to a waitress. “Two margaritas, please, stat.” Then she turned back to Brianna. “Go on. What do you mean by more? I thought he was pretty great before.”
“He was, but now…” Brianna waved a hand, searching for the words. “He’s taller, handsomer, more virile. He has a take-charge attitude, and oozes confidence and charm. He’s like a… a prince in a modern fairy tale. If we do work together, I’ll end up calling him, Your Hotness, and curtseying every time he comes into a room.”
Sarah’s eyes twinkled. “Ooh, I can’t wait to see the new Angus.”
Dramatically, Brianna dragged her hands over her face. “What am I going to do?”
“Were you brisk?” Sarah asked. “I hope you were brisk. Cool and detached?”
“I was a zombie,” Brianna said. “I didn’t dare crack a real smile or show any emotion or I would have melted into a puddle at his feet.”
“I take it this means you’re not over him?” Sarah inquired sweetly.
“It means I’m screwed,” Brianna repeated. “No matter what I do, I can’t win.”
“Tell your father you don’t want to work with him,” Sarah advised.
“I can’t do that. He’s perfect for the job. And Dad says he’s willing to work for free. I have to take him. I have no choice.”
Their drinks came and they both ordered salads. Brianna slurped a big gulp of tangy tequila mix. Midday drinking wasn’t something she normally did, but life wasn’t normal anymore now that Angus had come to town.
“I’ve never seen you like this,” Sarah said, sedately sipping. “For five years, you haven’t gone out with anyone for more than a few months. Even with those guys it seemed as if you could take or leave them. Angus comes along and suddenly you’re losing your mind.”
“I may have been a bit melodramatic,” Brianna admitted as the margarita worked its calming magic. “It was a shock to see him, that’s all.”
Her strong attraction to him had catapulted her right back to the days and weeks after their breakup when she’d been heartbroken and vulnerable. But she was more mature now, too, and more certain of her place in the world. She had made her choices and she stood by them. She could handle this.
“Did you love him?” Sarah asked, her brown eyes full of sympathy.
“I thought Angus was the one. I was this close to telling him I loved him.” Brianna pinched her fingers together. “And then he got the scholarship to go away to college, so I didn’t say anything. How could I? He would have cut his dreams short for me. I couldn’t do that to him. So I pretended I didn’t care.”
“I remember you had a crush on him in high school that never led to anything, but I was working in Marietta when you were going out with him,” Sarah said. “How did you two get together?”
“I was working in Billings after college when Dad called and said he could use my help at the office. It was Christmastime and I was homesick so I said yes. Angus was working at the factory and one day he came into the office and I fell for him all over again.” Brianna smiled slyly. “I thought, finally, this was my chance to find out if he liked me, too, so I asked him out. We started dating but we kept it on the down low for a while. It was exciting, intense. I thought it was the real deal.”
“You kept your relationship a secret?” Sarah asked. “Why?”
“It was silly,” Brianna said with a dismissive wave. “Angus was afraid Dad wouldn’t approve of him because he worked in the factory. Like I would care if Dad, or anyone else, thought Angus wasn’t good enough for me. What mattered was how I saw him.”
“Well, of course,” Sarah agreed.
“And I thought Angus was terrific,” Brianna said. “He treated me really well and was fun to be with. He was smart, too, always trying to get ahead, going to night school, working weekends, you name it.” She sighed. “He had so many dreams, so many plans. He would make all these spreadsheets with five-year plans, ten-year plans.”
“Why didn’t you go with him when he went to California?” Sarah asked.
“I was updating Dad’s software systems and covering for a receptionist who was on maternity leave.” Brianna’s mouth twisted. “Not to mention the fact that Angus didn’t ask me to.”
Into the glum silence that followed that bald statement, the waitress brought their Caesar salads.
“Two more?” the waitress asked, collecting their margarita glasses.
“No, I’m good,” Brianna said. “Water, please.”
“So what now?” Sarah asked. “Do you think you and he will take up where you left off?”
“Nope, not going to happen,” Briann
a said. “In three weeks, he’s off to a shiny new job in Sacramento.”
“He might have hooked up with someone else, anyway,” Sarah mused.
“Not according to his Facebook status.”
Sarah cocked an eyebrow. “So you checked.”
Brianna’s cheeks warmed. “His single status doesn’t necessarily mean anything. He’s never been one to post personal information. Unlike me, who informed the world I was unattached the first Christmas after he left while bingeing on ice cream and wallowing in our old playlists at three a.m.”
“Did it give you closure?” Sarah asked.
“No, all I got was an ice cream headache.” Brianna speared a piece of chicken and lettuce. “It’s only three weeks. I’ll avoid him as much as possible.”
“You don’t have to hire him,” Sarah pointed out.
“We’re running out of time,” Brianna said. “The festival is coming up, the blossoms are at stage one. If the community hall gets built, I look good, Dad and Blake look good, Angus gets kudos, and the town has an awesome meeting hall. Win-win-win.” She thought a second and added, “Win.”
“But if working with him is going to be hard for you, is it worth it?” Sarah said.
“I have no excuse not to hire him, and every reason to do so,” Brianna said. “Besides, the last thing I want is for him to think I’ve spent the past five years pining for him. That I’m still so hung up on him that I couldn’t handle working with him.”
“Then you’ll just have to learn to live in the glow of His Hotness,” Sarah teased.
Brianna tossed a crouton at Sarah who ducked. Then Brianna smiled and relaxed. Making the decision had taken a weight off her shoulders. Angus might be a challenge for her to deal with emotionally, but he was the miracle she needed to make the cherry blossom festival happen.
And maybe there was a little more to her sudden sense of elation. Despite the fact that nothing was going to happen between them, Angus’s reappearance in Sweetheart had woken her from a kind of slumber.
