by Holly Jacobs
He pulled off his ever-present jacket and tossed it onto the pavement. “You’re so losing this.”
“Keep dreaming, Bennington.”
Fifteen minutes in, Lily was losing and losing badly. Well, losing the game. The moment Sebastian had laughed, she was winning as far as she was concerned.
A couple of teenage boys came over. She recognized one of them, the son of an ex-patient. “Hi, Lily.”
“Hey, Joey. What’s up?”
“Want some help?” Joey nodded in Sebastian’s direction. “Looks like the big guy is beating you.”
“I’ll take all the help I can get.” She turned to Sebastian. “Are you up for a team game?”
“I’m still going to win,” he teased with a grin. “You don’t need to tie your hand back. With as bad as you play, I think even with a bum hand I’m still ahead of the game.”
Lily untied her arm and flexed it, working out the kinks. Joey and one of his friends teamed up with her, the other two with Seb. And the game began again.
Half an hour later, Joey called out, “Hey, I’ve got to pick up my sisters. They get worried if I’m late.”
Lily knew how much Joey helped his dad with his younger siblings. He sounded so much older than a boy in his teens. “Send Allie and Mica my love. I’ll stop in and see them soon. I think we’re about done anyway.” Lily nodded at Sebastian and his teammates. “You guys smoked us, but I suspect it was mainly my fault. Sorry, guys,” she said to her teammates.
“Hey, you did good for a girl,” Joey said.
Lily shot him a mock frown. “I think your sisters would get you for saying something like that.”
Joey laughed. “Yeah, but I can still handle them.”
“One day soon, maybe not so much.”
Joey laughed as if he was positive that day would never come. He took off across the street to the middle school, his friends on his heels, all of them hollering goodbyes. Lily admired Joey Williams so much. He was barely in his teens and had faced such family heartache, but he could still laugh.
She glanced at Sebastian. “I won,” he proclaimed, grinning.
“Yep. I guess you’re not totally ready to be put out to pasture.” She started walking back to the parking lot.
Sebastian was right behind her. “You’re not going to let me feel sorry for myself?”
Lily shrugged. “I guess I can’t stop you from self-pity.”
“But you’re not going to indulge me,” he checked.
“No, I’m not going to indulge you,” she agreed. “Everyone has things they have to overcome. Your injury is apparent. Even when you tuck that hand in a jacket pocket, the scars are there. Some other people’s injuries aren’t as visible, but don’t assume they don’t have their own hurdles.”
“There’s my Pollyanna. So will you share what sort of hurdles you’ve had? I’m certain you climbed on your sunshiny rainbow and sailed right over them.”
Lily refused to comment on how ridiculous a sunshiny rainbow sounded. “Sorry. I’ll have to leave you guessing. Besides, I don’t have time. I need to get back home, catch a shower, go on one more call, then be at the diner. I had actually stopped home only to pick up some paperwork.”
“Do you ever slow down?” he asked.
She thought about it a moment and then shook her head. “No, because somebody’s got to work around here. See you later, Sebastian.”
Sunshiny rainbow?
Sebastian Bennington didn’t know a thing about her past.
And as far as she was concerned, he never would.
* * *
FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER, Sebastian heard the door slam of the small apartment tucked into the back of his grandfather’s house. Which meant Lily was leaving. He looked out the window and watched her disappear on foot down the street. Her house call must be in town.
He thought about going to the diner but decided to stay home and clean up his mess in the living room. He felt embarrassed that she’d seen him throwing a...well, temper tantrum was probably the most apt description.
He flexed his hand and almost relished the pain.
When he’d joined the marines, Hank had asked only one thing—don’t die.
And he hadn’t. With that thought came a sense of guilt. He was here, but his friends were still serving.
He knew he was lucky. Still, as Lily had said, knowing it and feeling it...those were two very different things.
He thought about getting something to eat. Sebastian opened the pantry door...and saw the milk container inside. It had to be from this morning when Hank had volunteered to clean up after breakfast.
Seb ignored the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. After all, anyone could make a mistake and put something where it didn’t belong. Milk in a pantry wasn’t so bad. Why, he’d put the peanut butter in the fridge more than once.
It didn’t mean a thing.
He tried to believe that, but there was more than a good chance that Lily was right about Hank needing to see a doctor.
He dumped the now-warm milk down the sink and rinsed the plastic container before tossing it in the recycling bin.
He decided to go to the diner for dinner after all. He’d stop to pick up milk before coming home.
He thought about grabbing his jacket, but didn’t. It was balmy for an early May evening. His hand felt awkward just hanging at his side, so he tucked his fingers into his jeans pocket. It by no means hid the scars, but he felt better for it.
Hank’s house was a small Victorian. Farther down the block was JoAnn Rose’s home, another Victorian that was much bigger than Hank’s. It was a bed-and-breakfast these days. Mrs. Rose had lived there for as long as he could remember. She’d seemed old when he was a kid. He’d seen her a few days ago and she’d still seemed old, but not older. He couldn’t decide if she was aging extremely well or if his perspective had changed over the intervening years.
So much about Valley Ridge seemed the same. The houses on the tree-lined streets. There were flowers in so many of the yards. It brought to mind the old saying “April showers bring May flowers.” Well, there were flowers galore. Sebastian couldn’t name them, but the bright yellow ones reminded him of Lily. Sunny. Cheerful.
What had she meant when she’d told him she had her own hurdles, and alluded to injuries that couldn’t be seen?
The thought of his dark-haired Pollyanna ever being hurt bothered Sebastian, and he wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t that he wanted to see anyone hurt. It was that he’d learned a long time ago that pain was a part of living. He knew everyone suffered some kind of trauma, but still, he didn’t like thinking that of Lily.
He liked his initial impression of her entire life being populated with sunshiny rainbows. Light and carefree. Her face punctuated with laugh lines that fell into place with ease and spoke of regular use.
He flexed his bad hand, and the spasm tore his mind away from worrying about Lily’s past. If she had her own pain, she’d certainly learned to cope with it better than he was dealing with his.
He spotted Mrs. Dedionisio down the block with two large bags in her hands. She lived a couple of blocks over, and he didn’t see how she’d carried the bags and her cane that far.
“May I?” He reached for the bags.
She did a double take. “Seb Bennington, I heard you were back in town.”
He would normally correct someone who called him Seb, but somehow his scolding died on his lips. “I am. How about you let me grab one of those?”
“I am perfectly capable of carrying my own bags.”
“You are. And I’m perfectly capable of helping...despite my injury.” Oh, it was blatant, he knew it, but he thrust his damaged hand out and watched her expression turn from insulted to sympathetic.
“Heard you got knocked around, but your grandfather was mum about where and how.”
“No big secret. Nothing really to speak of. It was a simple accident. A fluke. My hand’s still not quite what it was. And I’ll confess, I feel a bit useless now and then
. If you don’t let me help you, I’ll feel totally emasculated.”
She chuckled. “Oh, that was dirty fighting, young man.”
“Did it work?” He grinned and felt his eyes tighten at the corners, and he wondered if he had lines, too. They wouldn’t be laugh lines. He hadn’t done much laughing since the accident. But maybe they were smile lines. He didn’t mind relearning how to make them fit his face.
“Yes it worked, you rascal.” She thrust the bags at him. “You may walk me home and carry the bags. Of course, this acting like a gentleman won’t convince me you’re not up to trouble, like you were in the old days.”
He juggled the bags in his right arm and used his left hand for support. “I’m wounded, Mrs. D.”
She nodded at his arm. “Yes, you are.”
Sebastian realized that his injury had a few uses after all, and he smiled, thinking that Lily’s optimism was wearing off on him.
After he dropped Mrs. Dedionisio’s bags on her counter and was rewarded with a smile and her thanks, he decided to go to the diner. He was surprised at how quickly he could see the diner’s plate-glass window. He went inside, and the bell on the door chimed merrily. Hank was at the counter, ever-present coffeepot in hand.
Hank chuckled. “You here to eat?”
He nodded.
“So what do you want for dinner?”
Sebastian checked the board and saw meat loaf was the day’s special. “Special will do. And a cup of coffee. Do you have time to eat with me?”
His grandfather smiled. “The dinner rush is over. I can take a break. There are a few perks to being the owner.”
Sebastian got them a booth and watched as his grandfather called their order into the kitchen, then came back, drinks in hand. “Your favorite,” he said as he slid a cola toward him. “Of course, you’re going to rot your teeth with all that sugar,” he warned.
“Hank, do you mind if I trade this in for a coffee?” he asked.
“Boys shouldn’t...” For a moment, there was confusion in his eyes. “Sure. That’s what you asked for, isn’t it? I thought for old times’ sake you might like a cola.” Before Sebastian could respond, Hank took the cola and dumped it into the sink at the counter. He brought Sebastian a cup of coffee.
“Hank, are you okay?” Sebastian asked, wanting—no, needing—to hear his grandfather say he was all right.
When his mother left that last time, Hank had patted him on the shoulder and told him it was fine. They’d be fine.
He repeated the reassurance again all these years later. “I’m fine, boy. I’m the same as ever. But what about you? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Sebastian echoed. “I’ve been out helping Colton on the farm, and I’ve got your yard totally pruned and manicured. I was thinking that maybe, while I was home, you’d let me pull a few shifts here? I know it’s been a long time, but I bet I can still flip a good burger or bus a mean table.” Growing up, he’d worked pretty much every job there was at the diner.
“I’d like to work with you, Seb. You were gone too long.” Hank reached across the table and patted Sebastian’s hand. “You should ask Lily about getting on the schedule. She’s been doing most of the paperwork.”
Lily again. He seemed to waffle somewhere between being intrigued by her and being annoyed by her. Sometimes, like today, he was even slightly charmed by her.
“I’ll do that,” he promised his grandfather.
The bell above the door rang and a voice called out, “Hi, Hank. Is Lily in the back?”
He turned and saw Sophie.
Her smile increased by a kilowatt. “Seb, it’s so good to see you,” she bubbled over.
He’d thought that Lily and those damned laugh lines of hers were over-the-top happy, but compared to Sophie, Lily seemed almost grumpy. He wanted to correct Colton’s perky little fiancée. He wanted to tell her to call him Sebastian, not his childhood nickname. If it had been Lily, he would have snapped at her. But snapping at Sophie would feel like kicking a puppy. Kicking a cute, wiggly puppy who couldn’t defend herself.
Despite her optimism, Lily didn’t have any aura of defenselessness to her. There was a sense of wildness—a feeling that you could never truly know everything about her. Maybe today had colored his impression of her, but he suspected no one knew anything more about Lily than she wanted them to know.
Tall, with startling blue eyes, Lily’s long, dark hair and her weird bohemian clothes stood in stark contrast to Sophie’s cotton-candy looks. Colton’s fiancée had white-blond hair that fell into short curls and gave her an air of gentleness. Lily dared him to not find a bright side to a situation. Look, Sebastian, your hand might be wrecked, but you can still play basketball. Sophie oozed bright happiness and dragged you to the bright side despite yourself.
“I wanted to see you, too,” Sophie insisted. “And you, Hank.” She leaned over and gave his grandfather a kiss on the cheek, as if it were second nature to her. “We’re having a party on Sunday around lunchtime. Colton has some wonderful news and wants to share it with all his friends at once. And now that Seb’s home, it’s a great opportunity for everyone to get together. It’s a bring-a-dish sort of thing. Colton’s got burgers and hot dogs for the grill.” She chuckled with amusement. “That man does love his grill. I think if he had to choose, there’s a chance he’d pick it over me.”
Sebastian remembered Colton going on and on about his new stainless-steel grill. “I know he likes the thing, but I think he likes you more.”
“Well, thank you.” She shot him another dazzling smile as a reward. “So can you both come?”
“We’ll be there,” Hank assured her.
She beamed her happiness so brightly he almost needed sunglasses. “That’s great. Now, I’m going to run back and see Miss Works All The Time. I’ve got to invite her to the party and tell her that our dresses are in. I need to find a day when we can all go for a group fitting. It’s going to be so much fun.” She hurried through the dining room toward the kitchen.
“I thought Lily was the cheeriest person I’ve ever met, but Sophie is all bubbly like soda. She sort of fizzes over with happiness.”
“Like champagne,” Hank added with a grin. “After all, Colton’s got that winery. Sophie’s champagne, and Lily’s like a nice Riesling, slightly sweet, with a bit of a bite and very refreshing.”
Sebastian laughed, some of his earlier fears disappearing. If Hank could compare Sophie and Lily to wines, he had to be okay. Milk in the pantry? That was no worse than peanut butter in the fridge. Cola instead of coffee? That was simply a caretaker who found it hard to remember his charge had grown up.
A young girl arrived at the booth carrying their plates. “Hi, Seb,” she said. “Saw you the other night, but we didn’t really talk. I’m Megan. I’ve heard all about you.”
He tried to hide his irritation at the childhood name. “I’m Sebastian these days,” he corrected much more gently than he’d corrected Lily. “And it’s nice to meet you officially. I was asking Hank if he’d find a few shifts for me, so maybe we’ll work together.”
“I’d like that,” she said. “You take your time with dinner, Hank. I’ve got the floor under control.” She sped off.
“Nice girl,” Hank said. “She’s young, but she’s good.”
“Speaking of young, how about Mattie? What kind of wine would she be?” He couldn’t avoid thinking of her as still a little girl, hanging out at Finn’s house with Bridget. Finn’s kid sister and Mattie had spent a huge chunk of their childhood making him, Finn and Colton miserable. They were forever hiding in closets and under beds, trying to discover whatever secrets young girls thought older boys kept.
Mattie had been the instigator. She’d been the one who taunted him about his friendship with Maeve Buchanan, doing that singsongy chant about sitting in trees and kissing, even though Maeve had only ever been a buddy.
Sebastian recalled Mattie in her early teens and how she’d had a crush on Finn. Everything in him had wante
d to throw that in her face, but he hadn’t.
“Now, that girl’s an earthy red,” Hank said.
“An earthy red wine, huh?”
Hank nodded. “Mattie wandered the country. No one ever thought she’d come home, much less settle down. But when things got rough for Bridget, she came home to take care of her friend. And she’s stayed. Everyone in this town, including her own brothers, thought she’d leave, but Waltzing Mathilda, she’s put down roots here. She’s good with Bridget’s kids. A good earthy red...solid and dependable.”
Sebastian had a hard time reconciling his memories of Mattie with the picture Hank was painting, but he did offer, “I’m not sure that you should share your analogies with the women in question.”
“I might be old, but I’m not that stupid,” Hank told him.
Something settled in Sebastian. For this moment, he could believe that everything was all right here in Valley Ridge and, more importantly, with his grandfather.
* * *
“KNOCK, KNOCK.” Lily glanced up from the ledger and found Sophie grinning at her from the open office doorway.
“Come in and save me from figures. I dreamed I was a calculator last night.” That wasn’t exactly what she’d dreamed. She’d had the old nightmare again.
Sometimes she thought she’d outgrown it. That she’d finally put her past behind her, but then she’d slip right back into it.
Even now, in the light of day, remembering the dream made her shudder.
Dreaming she was a calculator was preferable.
Sophie came into the room and slumped onto Hank’s old couch. “I’ll save you from your calculator dreams if you save me from my nightmares. I dreamed that I was in front of the church, wearing my pajamas. Colton was wearing his cowboy hat and said, ‘I can’t marry a woman like you,’ then he turned into a horse, but was still wearing his hat, and he galloped down the aisle.”
Lily got up to sit next to her friend on the couch. “Uh, Sophie, that’s nuts.”
“That’s kind of the calculator calling the cowboy-hat-wearing-horse woman weird, isn’t it?” Sophie joked.
Lily could see that she was really shaken by the dream. “No, Sophie. The fact you dreamed your fiancé became a horse wasn’t the nutty part, even though it is more than a bit odd. I’m talking about your dreaming Colton would ever walk away from you—”
