Was it really a stomach bug? Dahlia leaned forward. It was easier to join the conversation when it was focused on Mags. “But like you said, it’s been a few weeks. I can’t imagine you’d still be fighting something off now.” She peeked at Ike for confirmation. He had such nicely shaped eyebrows…
“Yeah, that’s weird,” he agreed. “I haven’t seen as much stomach stuff as I have respiratory this month.”
“And none of us have gotten it,” Dahlia pointed out, her worries growing. Mags hadn’t been herself the whole time they’d been at Sassy’s.
“Fine,” her sister grumbled. “If I’m not feeling better in a few days, I’ll stop by the clinic.”
It sure sounded like an empty promise to Dahlia, but she’d keep on Mags. As the eldest sister, nagging came naturally.
Mags turned her attention back to Ike. “I’d imagine things are pretty quiet for a doctor in a small town like this.”
“That’s the way I like it.” When they got to a stop sign he waved for another car to go through first. Dahlia couldn’t remember the last time she’d driven a car without rushing somewhere. Even though she was habitually early, she constantly felt like she was running five minutes late when she drove the kids around.
“How did you know you wanted to be a doctor?” Dahlia surprised herself by asking the question. Surely, he’d struggled and stressed at some point in his life. Maybe in medical school?
“My dad was a doctor.” Ike eased the truck forward, waving at someone who passed by on the other side of the street. “He inspired me.”
“I’ll bet he’s proud of you.” Mags seemed to be intrigued by Ike as well, but she kept stealing glances that Dahlia pretended to ignore. Her sister was likely assessing what kind of couple they would make.
“I’m sure he would be proud,” the man said, his eyes steadily gazing at the road. “But he passed away a month after I turned twenty.”
Dahlia gasped. “I’m so sorry.” She had no idea. In all their conversations, he hadn’t mentioned his father. But to lose him so young… “That’s awful.”
“It was pretty awful.” Those eyes that always seemed to spark and dance dulled just a touch. “He had a heart attack at the gym. And he was a heart surgeon.” Ike shook his head as though considering the irony. “He lived under too much stress. Always on call, always living for his job. He was good at it—one of the best, but it came at a cost.” The truck stopped, and for the first time in a few minutes, Dahlia looked away from Ike. They’d already made it to the bar, and she hadn’t even noticed. She’d been too captivated by his story. She was too captivated to move now. “That’s why you wanted the small-town life?” So, he wouldn’t end up like this father.
“Yes.” He turned to peer back at her. “I loved medicine, and I knew I wanted to be a doctor, but I didn’t want to end up where he did. Always stressed out, practically living at the hospital. I want to help people, but I also want balance. In some ways he gave me a gift when he passed away. I realized I get to choose what my future looks like. I get to choose what I want, but also—especially—what I don’t want.”
Those words resonated deep within her. Choose. She could choose something different for her life, too. She didn’t have to consumer herself with PTA work and committees and Pinterest projects. “That is a gift,” she half whispered. The inspiration to choose wisely. To hold your life in your hands and fight to live it the way you want to instead of waking up one morning and wondering how you got there.
Being here, hundreds of miles away from Dahlia the PTA mom’s world, she could choose. She could choose to live a little. She could choose to let go. Maybe Ike could show her how.
Chapter Seventeen
Magnolia
She should’ve chosen the nap.
Mags stepped one foot in the Crazy Moose and had the notion to spin on her heel and walk right back out. She had never been a bar snob—at least she’d never pegged herself as one, but this place was already packed and a yeasty beer smell seemed to overpower the space. “Is it usually this crowded here on a Friday afternoon?” Sheesh, listen to her. She sounded like a cranky old grandma.
Ike started to edge them through the crowd. “No, but the closer it gets to the holidays the more people around here tend to excuse themselves from work. There’s an open table over there.” He gestured to the corner over by the window and led the way, parting the crowd and greeting people as they walked through.
“Hey, doc!”
“Good to see you! Better to run into you at the bar than at your office.”
Mags lost count of the people who paused to shake Ike’s hand on their way past them. He was obviously very popular in town. She eyed her sister. Dahlia looked at the floor shyly, but in the truck, Mags had noticed a spark of interest in her sister’s gaze.
As they made their way to an empty table, an older gentleman stepped in to shake Ike’s hand. “I knew you’d make it,” he said, a big grin smoothing the wrinkles around his mouth. He looked like he’d walked straight off the mountain, dressed in fringed leathers, his long white hair blanketing his shoulders.
“Ladies, let me introduce you to this afternoon’s featured artist.” Ike swung an arm around the man. “Clyde, these are my friends Dahlia and Magnolia.”
“Any friends of Ike’s are friends of mine too,” he said, first shaking Dahlia’s hand, then Mags’s.
“What’re you going to play?” Mags checked out the set up on the small stage a few feet away. There was a guitar, a banjo, and keyboard set up behind a microphone.
“All Johnny Cash all the time.” Clyde leaned in, the pungent scent of pot circling around them. “You want to join me up there? I could use a female backup vocalist.”
“Oh, no thank you.” Mags laughed. That was the first time anyone had asked her to sing anything. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid my singing would empty the place out pretty quickly.” She glanced at Dahlia for confirmation, and the ice seemed to break away from her sister’s expression.
“You don’t want Mags singing,” Dahlia said with a laugh.
“You all can dance then.” Clyde hurried away, glancing over his shoulder. “Get everyone else out on the floor with you. I like to see people enjoying my music.”
“I’m afraid I don’t dance,” Dahlia called, backing away from Ike like she’d suddenly spooked.
“Yes you do.” Mags edged in behind her so her sister couldn’t get too far away from a little peer pressure. This was why she’d come. Mags and Rose agreed that Dahlia needed a little push when it came to putting herself out there with Ike. Though for the life of her Mags couldn’t figure out why Dally hesitated. The man obviously had a thing for their oldest sister. His eyes got as sparkly as a Disney prince’s when he looked at Dahlia. Exactly like they were now.
“You loved dancing back in the day,” she reminded her sister. Then she turned to Ike. “And she’s a much better dancer than she’s letting on.” Ignoring the murderous glare in her sister’s eyes she nudged Dally toward Ike. “She won a square-dancing trophy once.”
Her sister’s face turned red. “That was in sixth grade!”
Ike laughed. “Tell you what…we’ll settle in and enjoy a drink first, then we can dance if anyone’s up for it.”
Mags would be sure she wasn’t up for it.
“I’ll head to the bar.” Ike draped his coat over the back of a chair. “What can I get you two?”
“I’ll take a ginger ale.” She didn’t need another stomachache like the one that had been plaguing her on and off since she’d gotten here.
“Chardonnay for me,” her sister said with a distinct squeak in her voice.
While Ike headed off toward the bar, Mags plopped down into a chair.
Dahlia sat stiffly across from her. “My hands are shaking,” her sister whispered.
“What?” She gave Dally a visual assessment. She looked terrified. “What’re you so afraid of?”
“I haven’t danced with a man other than Jeff in w
ell over ten years,” Dahlia hissed. “I have no idea what I’m doing. My heart is racing. I can’t even seem to think straight!”
“Because you like him.” Dahlia liked Ike as much as he liked her. Obviously. Or she wouldn’t be freaking out right now.
“I’m a mom.” Her sister stared hard at the table. “I’m a frumpy mom who’s obsessed with spreadsheets and schedules and home organization blogs.” A look of desolation tugged at the corners of Dahlia’s eyes, and Mags couldn’t stand it. She couldn’t stand to see what Jeff had done to her sister.
“That’s not all you are,” she said sternly. “You are also beautiful, Dally. And you’re smart and resourceful and you’re devoted and you’re worthy of a good man.”
Her sister’s gaze shifted, peeking toward the bar where Ike chatted easily with the bartender. “What if he doesn’t like me? After he gets to know me, I mean? What if he doesn’t like what he sees inside of me?”
“If Ike doesn’t like what he sees in you, then he’s as blind and as foolish as Jeff is, and he doesn’t deserve you anyway.” Anger broke through the words. Back when they were younger, Dally had all the confidence in the world. But Jeff had spent so much time highlighting her flaws that now insecurity seemed to hold her back. What she wouldn’t give to have a few minutes alone with her sister’s ex-husband. How dare he make Dally question her value? Mags gazed steadily into her sister’s eyes trying to infuse her with confidence. “You are a catch. And I’m not only saying that because you’re my sister.”
“Yes, you are.” Her frown created worry lines in her forehead.
“No. I’m not. You love people well.” That was a gift not many people had. “You always have loved people well. You were always there for Rose and me no matter what. You were always everything we needed you to be.” She’d never had the chance to thank Dally for that, for being more nurturing than their own mother. It was long past time that she thanked her sister for everything she’d done for their family. “Now it’s your turn. It’s your turn to think about yourself. To embrace what you truly want in life.” Emotion seeped into her eyes. No one deserved to be loved more than Dally.
“I’m not sure I know what I want.” Her sister looked in the direction of the bar again.
“I know the feeling,” Mags muttered. She thought by thirty she’d have everything figured out. She thought she’d be a mom. She’d pictured her and Eric walking along the beach hand in hand while they watched their little ones play in the sand.
“You and Eric will work things out.” Dally covered Mags’s hand with hers. “I know you will. You two were meant to be together. I’ve always thought so.”
“I hope so.” She’d feel more hopeful if they’d been able to talk at all. She hadn’t heard much since the day he’d texted her that he missed her. He’d been working a lot of overtime, but still…
“Drinks are served.” Ike presented the ginger ale and wine and sat down with his beer just as Clyde started to strum his guitar.
“Thank you.” Dahlia picked up her wineglass in one hand and reached for her purse with the other. “How much—?”
Ike shook his head. “My treat.”
Geez-o-Pete, when the man flashed that grin, even Mags got all gooey inside. She snuck a look at her sister. Dahlia was sipping her wine while she watched Clyde play. She wasn’t pale anymore, and she didn’t keep looking down at the floor either. Well, good. In another half hour, maybe Mags would call Rose and tell her to come pick her up so this could turn into a real date for Dally.
Clyde finished the first song and leaned into the mic. “I’d like to invite the doc to the dance floor,” he said with a mischievous smile. “There ain’t no one who can dance as good as the doc.”
A murmur of agreement went around, and people started to whoop.
“Get on out there, doc,” a woman called. “Break the ice for us!”
“Nah.” He waved everyone off. “I’m enjoying a drink with these lovely ladies.”
And he was obviously too much of a gentleman to leave one of them alone at the table. Which meant Mags would have to give him a little push.
“Dally was just saying how much she’d love to dance.”
Her sister’s eyes went as wide as the rim of her wineglass.
“That so?” Ike turned his attention to Dahlia.
“Yep,” Mags answered for her. “And my ankle has been really sore lately, so I can’t dance anyway. You two should get this party started.”
Her sister rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, too.
“You up for a dance?” Ike asked Dally, with that tempting grin of his.
“I suppose so.” A lovely shade of pink colored her sister’s cheeks.
As the two of them walked to the dance floor to the sound of cheers, Mags sat back, quite satisfied with herself. Her love life might be a mess right now, but at least she could help Dally move forward.
As soon as the whoops and hollers from the crowd quieted, Clyde started to sing “I Walk the Line.” Within seconds Ike had Dahlia two-stepping around the dance floor, expertly leading her while they talked and laughed.
Dally’s whole face came alive when she laughed. Mags hadn’t seen the expression on her sister’s face in a long time. A sigh built in her chest. She remembered when she and Eric had looked at each other like that. When they’d laughed like that. She remembered when their love had been so new and exhilarating and seemingly indestructible. How had it dulled over time?
Other couples started to join Ike and Dally out on the dance floor, but there seemed to be this glow of happiness surrounding those two. A yearning brought an ache under Mags’s breastbone. She missed Eric. She didn’t miss the fighting or the uncertainty that had seemed to stretch between them lately, but she missed him. Missed the way his hand felt in hers. Missed how he always paused when they were kissing, looking deeply into her eyes. She missed the teasing way he’d touched her butt, the growl in his throat when she used to lead him into the bedroom before their intimacy had been ruled by a calendar.
“Excuse me, would you like to dance?” A good-looking cowboy approached her table. Mags glanced behind her to make sure he was actually talking to her.
“I don’t like to see a pretty lady sitting at a table by herself,” he went on.
She peered up at him in disbelief. He had to be younger than her by a good five years, and he was adorable. Dark brown hair stuck out underneath his cowboy hat, and he had dark shy eyes with long, thick lashes. She let the invitation sit for a second. It had been eons since she’d been hit on at a bar.
“Or I could just buy you a drink,” he offered.
She didn’t know where these cowboys learned how to smile, but they all seemed to have mastered the skill. And yet that charm did nothing for her. There was only one man she wanted to be smiling at her right now. Only one man she wanted to dance with. “Thanks for the invitation, but no. Sorry. I’m married, actually.”
“Ohhh.” His eyes went wide. “My bad. I didn’t see a ring—”
“I forgot to put it back on.” With all the baking she’d been doing lately, she’d taken to leaving her ring in a dish by her aunt’s kitchen sink. “But I really appreciate the offer. If I wasn’t married, I would’ve said yes.”
He simply tipped his hat and told her to enjoy her afternoon as he walked away.
She wasn’t sure she could enjoy her afternoon. That ache inside had grown deeper, hollowing her out. She checked on Dahlia and Ike again. Clyde had started crooning out a slower song and Ike pulled her sister closer, gazing down into her eyes. Dahlia peered back up at him, no longer looking shy and nervous, but smiling softly.
Yeah, they wouldn’t miss her. She scooted out of her chair and pulled her phone out of her back pocket, quickly making her way closer to the door. Zipping up her coat, she stepped outside onto the frozen sidewalk and hit Eric’s number. The rings echoed in her ear, making her feel even lonelier.
Just as she was about to shut off her phone, a click sounded.
>
“Mags?” Eric sounded out of breath.
“Hi.” Tears pricked her eyes. She would’ve liked to blame it on the cold air, but emotion churned through her at the sound of his voice.
“Are you okay?” he asked gruffly.
No. She wasn’t okay. She hadn’t been okay in a long time. A gust of wind blew against her cheeks, chilling her to the bone. “I needed to hear your voice.”
“You did?”
The disbelief in his voice made her tears spill over. “Yes.” Didn’t he know how much she loved him? “We’ve hardly talked at all.”
“You left.” There was an edge to his voice. “I didn’t think you wanted to talk.” He paused briefly. “I didn’t know what to think, Mags. I still don’t.”
“I didn’t leave. Not forever.” She turned her face away from the wind. “I…I took a break. I needed space.” What else could she say? How could she reach across the dry wasteland of pain that seemed to stand between them?
Background noise echoed through the speaker. “I have to go,” Eric said quietly. “Sorry. I’m at work. We’ve got a call coming in.”
Desperation flooded her. “Wait. When can we talk?” They couldn’t keep doing this. Shutting each other out.
“I don’t know.” He sounded far away. “I’ll try to call you later.”
Before she could tell him she loved him, the line clicked, and she lost him.
Chapter Eighteen
Rose
Getting information out of Colt was proving to be more difficult than hacking into the nation’s top-secret database.
Rose watched him up on the ladder where he was nailing a string of colorful globe lights to the white trim on the barn. For the last half hour, she’d tried to make polite chitchat while they worked to beautify the main barn where the Christmas extravaganza would be held, asking him about his family and growing up here. His answers consisted mainly of grunts and short begrudging sentences, and, so far, she hadn’t gotten any closer to figuring out how he was connected to Sassy.
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