by Holly Jacobs
And it bothered him.
As they sat on the glider, tipping back so they could look at the stars, he realized that it bothered him a lot.
* * *
THE NEXT DAY, Lily listened to Sophie and Mattie chatter happily on the hour drive into Buffalo. She tried to keep up her end of the conversation, but it was tough.
She couldn’t help remembering sitting with Sebastian last night. She’d almost told him about her parents.
Almost.
She’d worked so hard for so long to keep her past separate from her present. Oh, she spoke to her mother religiously every weekend, but they were perfunctory calls. She tried to make the distinction between supporting her mother without supporting her choices, but sometimes it was hard. So she kept things superficial. She wished it was different. She wished she had the kind of relationship with her mother that she’d witnessed between Mattie and her mom.
At least it happened for other people.
“We’re here,” Sophie announced with a squeal, pulling Lily from her thoughts.
They parked in front of a brick building that looked more like a home than a store. The sign out front was the only indication it was a place of business. It read Wedding or Knot, and the o’s were Celtic knots.
“Let’s go.” Sophie practically vibrated with excitement as she got out of the car and hurried into the shop with Mattie and Lily right behind her. Lily entered the shop and had an Oz-like moment. Instead of stepping out of the black-and-white house into the colorful Oz, à la Dorothy, she had stepped into a sea of white. So many shades of taffeta, chiffon and silk. She had never known there were so many shades of white.
Mattie made a small gagging motion, and Lily gave her a poke with her elbow and simply took in the beauty that surrounded her. This was why she was here. To share this with friends. So she forced herself to put thoughts of Sebastian, Hank and even her parents aside and concentrate on Sophie and Mattie.
Growing up she’d hidden in her books. She was on the fringe of school society—not part of any crowd, but tolerated by all. In college, she’d been so busy working and studying that she hadn’t really had time for real friendships.
She’d had a few casual acquaintances at work. People she’d call for an evening out or a movie. But Mattie and Sophie were the first real friends she’d ever had. Today was about Sophie—about the three of them. So she shook her head and scolded the still-gagging Mattie. “How on earth did you get like this? You are not a normal woman. Bridal shops are meant to set our hearts aflutter. You didn’t even know that bridal showers required pastel colors.”
Lily wasn’t sure why it had mattered so much to her, but she had needed Sophie’s shower to be perfect. She’d wanted her friend to be excited when she saw the decorations and the cake. And Lily hadn’t been disappointed. Sophie loved every pastel-colored winery-themed moment that the party had to offer. And finding pastel wine decorations had been no easy task.
“Showers have to be pastel?” Sophie asked, obviously unaware of the ongoing pastel squabble Mattie and Lily had.
“Aha.” Mattie pounced on Sophie’s innocent question. “I think that bridal showers require pastel colors only in your head, Lily... What’s your middle name?”
“Claire. Why?”
“I’ve found with the kids using their middle names gives the right emphasis. Watch—that pastel requirement is only in your head, Lily Claire Paul. We don’t need to worry about a Bridezilla because we have Bridesmaidzilla.”
“I’m not that bad.” Lily waited for Sophie to back her up.
But Sophie had obviously wised up and said, “Pastels or not, it was a beautiful shower thrown by two very good friends.”
“A perfectly good argument killed by diplomacy,” Mattie groused unconvincingly.
“When you get married, I promise, not a pastel in sight,” Lily said. “Sophie and I will figure out something very Mattie-esque. Maybe a coffee-themed wedding? Little coffee-mug favors, and—”
“Bridesmaidzilla strikes again,” Mattie moaned dramatically.
The shop’s consultant was busy talking to an older lady and held up a finger to indicate she’d be with them in a minute. They took seats by the fitting rooms.
“I’m not that bad,” Lily said again.
Sophie remained silent, but her grin said it all.
Mattie obviously caught Sophie’s expression, because she gloated. “See, even Sophie’s not saying anything. That means she agrees with me.”
“I do not agree or disagree. I am the pastel version of Switzerland because I am not getting in the middle of this battle. It was a lovely shower. A lovely day. I don’t think you both understand how rare it is to have found friends like you. I’m so very lucky.” Sophie looked as if she was on the verge of tears.
Lily was desperately trying to think of something joyful to say, when the bridal consultant approached them.
Sophie’s tears dried up and she scolded, “Now, behave, both of you. Here’s Harper.”
Lily had met Harper Akina when they’d all gone dress shopping. The woman had been wonderful to work with. She hadn’t made them feel pressured; she’d never once asked if this was the dress. She’d simply asked questions about what they were looking for and then worked to find it.
She was petite. Shorter than Sophie, who at five-two was tiny. But both times Lily had seen her, Harper had been wearing towering heels that helped disguise her lack of height. She was today as well, but she wasn’t smiling as she had been on previous visits. She was pulling her sleek, dark hair back into a severe ponytail, twisting the band with far more force than required.
“Problems, Harper?” Sophie’s expression became concerned. “Tell me there’s nothing wrong with our dresses.”
Harper took a long, deep breath, then shook her head. “Sorry. It was only a rude customer.”
“Ugh, Harper.” Mattie’s voice was awash with understanding and sympathy. “I work with the public, and while most of our customers are lovely, some are...well, not so much. I had a guy come into the coffee shop the other day and yell at my mom because she put whipped cream on his hot chocolate. Mom’s been working at the coffee shop, learning the ropes so that she can fill in more readily if I need her. She learned how to make the whipped cream and was treating everyone to a sample.”
“You make your own whipped cream?” Harper asked. “That sounds like my kind of place.”
“Park Perks, in beautiful downtown Valley Ridge.” Mattie grinned. “Of course, our downtown is only a few blocks long, but still, we have great coffee, whipped cream—”
“And homemade muffins,” Sophie added.
“Thanks, Soph,” Mattie said. “We buy our cream locally. Anyway, Mom’s customer was a jerk. I finally stepped in and told him he had three options. He could scrape the whipped cream off, drink it as it was or I’d make him a new one.”
“Which one did he pick?” Harper asked.
“He slunk away, whipped cream on the cocoa.” She smiled at Harper. “Most people are lovely. That’s what I remind myself.”
“Most are,” Harper agreed. She scowled as she looked over her shoulder where the older woman had been, as if the lady had left some bad smell behind. When she turned back to them, she offered a genuine smile. “You three are quickly becoming my favorite customers. That woman won’t be coming back anyway. She kept me hopping for two hours and finally told me she wasn’t interested.”
“We won’t keep you that long,” Sophie promised.
“That’s not what I meant at all. To be honest, I’ve been so anxious for you all to get here. Wait until you see the dresses. Follow me.”
The woman’s good mood instantly restored by the thought of the dresses, Harper hurried them into a spacious viewing room where three dress bags were hanging on hooks.
“Start with the bride’s,” Lily said. She felt as excited as Sophie looked as Harper unzipped the bag and took out a knee-length, white silk wedding dress with thin, wispy straps. Sophie had com
plained that since she was so tiny if she tried to go with a traditional princess-style dress she’d get swallowed in it. Still, she’d worried that maybe Colton would be disappointed if she went with something less traditional, but Lily had assured her that Colton wouldn’t care what Sophie wore as she came up the aisle as long as she came up the aisle.
Sophie and Harper disappeared into a dressing room. Lily found herself tearing up as she waited with Mattie, which was ridiculous. Sophie hadn’t even come out yet.
“Are you okay?” Mattie asked her.
“Fine. It’s stupid. I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help it. I don’t cry as much as Sophie, but I do cry at weddings and, apparently, at bridal shops.” She brushed at her eyes with the back of her hand.
“If you’re this emotional over Sophie’s wedding, imagine how you’ll be when it’s your own.”
“Maybe I’m so invested in Sophie’s because I’ll never have a wedding myself.” Once, Lily had thought differently. She’d thought she could forget her past completely and marry. But that short-lived moment passed and she knew the truth—she’d never be able to trust someone enough to give them her whole heart. A marriage without that kind of love wasn’t a marriage.
She wouldn’t settle.
But thinking about relationships made her remember the strange vibe she’d gotten off Mattie and Finn when she’d witnessed that kiss. If it had been Sophie giving someone a quick peck, she wouldn’t have thought anything about it. But Mattie wasn’t a casual-kiss kind of woman.
Lily was going to ask Mattie about kissing Finn, when Mattie asked, “What do you mean...” However, she was also interrupted as Sophie came out of the dressing room.
Lily felt the tears well up again, and even Mattie seemed moved.
The dress was perfect in its simplicity. It was the wedding dress Sophie belonged in. “Sophie, you look so beautiful.” Lily dug in her purse for a tissue.
Sophie walked over to the large three-way mirror and admitted, “I do.” Then she turned around. “I didn’t mean that to sound like—”
Lily stopped her. “Don’t apologize for stating a fact. That is the perfect dress. You are going to be the perfect bride. And your wedding is going to be—”
“Let me guess, perfect?” Sophie teased.
“Yes,” Lily and Mattie said in unison.
Harper whisked Mattie away next, and finally, it was Lily’s turn. Soon all three of them were wearing the dresses in front of the large mirror.
Lily studied her reflection. The dark blue fabric made her eyes look bluer. She hadn’t been sure she’d like the one strap, but she had to admit that it was a good choice. Sort of Grecian. Mattie wore a different style of dress with two straps, in another shade of blue that bordered on navy.
“I won’t need anything blue for my wedding. I’ll have you both bookending me.”
“Blue?” Mattie asked.
Lily knew that Mattie wasn’t very girly, but still, she hadn’t grown up under a rock. “Really? You don’t know ‘Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’?”
Mattie shook her head.
“You are bridally challenged,” Lily concluded. “The bride’s supposed to have all four represented for luck.”
“I grew up with brothers,” Mattie said, as if that explained everything. “And Bridget and I were far more interested in keeping up with my brothers and hers than messing with stuff like weddings.”
They all laughed. A split second later she realized something important. They were talking about Bridget and able to laugh about it. Lily knew they’d all miss her at the wedding, but the pain wasn’t as fresh. It wasn’t so sharp that they couldn’t find the good memories and share.
“Well, I have you two for the blue,” Sophie repeated, “my grandmother’s locket for the old, the dress for new. I’ll have to find something to borrow.”
“It’s perfect,” Lily insisted. “The wedding and you and Colton...perfect.”
Mattie scoffed, “Nothing’s perfect. Don’t let her build up your expectations. Something could go wrong.”
“Mattie,” Lily scolded.
“No, seriously, something could go wrong,” Mattie maintained. “What you have to remember is the wedding...well, it’s only a day. As long as you and Colton say I do, the wedding will be perfect enough simply because you’ll belong to each other.”
“Mattie, I apologize,” Lily said. “That sounded almost romantic. Could it be that Cupid’s shot another arrow in Valley Ridge?”
This time she had Mattie on the spot, but Mattie didn’t have a chance to answer because Harper announced they had to be back in their civilian clothes.
“Time for lunch,” Sophie proclaimed.
Lunch would be an ideal time to ask Mattie about what was up with her and Finn Wallace.
Because something was definitely up.
Lily might not be planning any romance for herself, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t meddle in her friends’ romances.
And meddle she would.
CHAPTER SEVEN
SOON LILY AND HER FRIENDS were being seated at a table at Betty’s, a fun, funky restaurant in Buffalo. The place made her think of Sebastian. His grandmother had been named Betty. She remembered him looking at the old article about his grandparents and saying he wanted to save it and some of the other historical things she’d found.
She didn’t like the way her thoughts seemed to find their way to Sebastian so often.
She was here with her friends. It was such a beautiful early May day. That was where her mind should be.
They opted to sit at one of the outside tables. The restaurant’s brick exterior was painted red, and the trim was green. The umbrella of their table was a darker green, and the trimmed bushes beyond the railing gave their table a feeling of privacy.
The waitress had served their drinks when Lily took her opening salvo. “So, Mattie, how are things with you and Finn?”
“He’s been around more for the kids’ sake,” she said. “Zoe, Mickey and Abbey really need to have him involved. I’m so glad he’s making them a priority.”
“And how about you?” Lily asked.
Mattie looked confused. “Pardon?”
Lily spoke slowly, enunciating every word. “How. Are. You. And. Finn. Getting. Along?”
Sophie looked as confused as Mattie, who answered, “Fine. We’re getting along fine, despite a rocky start.”
With utter delight, Lily dropped her bomb. “I saw you kiss him.”
Rather than immediately deny the possibility, Mattie took a long sip of her drink before replying, “When did you see me kiss Finn?”
“At the picnic the other day. You and Finn were talking, but the kids had put that saddle on Bear, and as you rushed off to help, you kissed his cheek.”
Mattie blushed, though Lily didn’t think her friend knew it.
“That was nothing,” she said. “I kiss the kids on such a regular basis that it’s almost second nature to me now.”
“If I’d seen you kiss Zoe, Mickey or Abbey, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it. But Dr. Finn Wallace isn’t a kid...not by a long shot. Until recently, I didn’t even think you liked him.”
Sophie glanced at Lily, then at Mattie, then back at Lily. “How on earth did I miss the fact that Mattie went and fell in love with Finn?”
Lily had wondered that same thing. Sophie even had romance on the brain, so how had she missed Mattie falling in love? But Lily hit on a reason. “You’re in a wedding fog. You’re not expected to notice things like that.” Lily turned to Mattie. “So spill.”
Mattie sputtered, “There’s not—”
Lily waggled her finger at Mattie. “Uh, uh, uh. Friends don’t fib to friends.”
“Today is about Sophie. It’s not about me,” Mattie tried.
Sophie shook her head. “Today is about friends sharing a day. Listen, I’m not the kind of bride that thinks the entire universe has come to a halt because of her wedding. I’m still
me. I still work. I still go out with friends. I still care what’s happening to you two. I cared when Abbey was sick. I care that Lily’s worried about Hank even though she hasn’t said much about it. I care. So tell us.”
Mattie sighed. “I’m not used to this.” She waved her hand at Lily and Sophie. “I always had Bridget, but she was almost more of a sister than a friend. She knew all my stories. She never had to pry. And when I moved around so much, sure, I always had people I was friendly with, but they never pried, and I never pried.”
“You explained the difference in those sentences. You were friendly with them. Friendly isn’t friends. You’re friends with us. Friends pry. They get to the bottom of things, even when others wouldn’t. Listen, I get it. I was never one of the cool kids at school,” Lily said. “I kept to myself. I studied.”
Being friends didn’t work for her as she grew up. If you were friends with people, they invited you to their homes, and they expected you to reciprocate. Only, Lily wouldn’t—couldn’t—have anyone at her house. In college, she’d had a roommate who had come to school more for the parties than for studying and was always encouraging her to do the same. Lily studied and worked...worked and studied. After a while, her roommate didn’t ask her to go out with her anymore.
At the hospital, she’d been pleasant and friendly with the other nurses, but when she punched out, she went home to her quiet, peaceful house. She wasn’t sure she could ever explain to anyone else how much looking forward to going home meant to her. She hadn’t cultivated friends in Buffalo because she reveled in spending time with herself.
Maybe she’d done all she needed to do with that, because when she agreed to work for Finn and come to Valley Ridge to care for his sister, she’d become friends with her patient, Bridget Langley. And through Bridget, she’d met Sophie and Mattie...and they’d all become friends. When Bridget died, having someone to lean on, to count on, was novel.
“I understand,” Lily told her. “I’ve never had friends like the two of you before.”
“Me, either,” Sophie said.
Mattie chortled. “Soph, I find that hard to believe. You are one of the most open, loving people I’ve ever met.”
