Almost Home (2 page)

“
Younger
sister,” she emphasized. “And you’re not toying with me. And if you think I’m too young for you, why did you come with me tonight?”

“Look, I felt really bad about your date getting in that car accident and you being left without—” He stopped and stared down at her. “That didn’t really happen, did it?”

“What difference would it make?” She avoided his eyes.

“You made that up, didn’t you? The story about the guy flipping his car over and being in a coma …”

She shrugged. “It could have happened …”

Wade burst out laughing. “You did make it all up. Here I’ve been feeling sorry for a guy who doesn’t
even exist.” He squeezed her hand. “Stef, why’d you do that?”

“Because I wanted to go to my prom with you. I told my mom and she said I couldn’t ask you because you were in college and you were too much older.” The whole sorry story spilled out. “So I told her I’d asked someone else, a guy from another school, and then three days ago I told her he was sick and he couldn’t go but I’d find someone else to take me. I knew you’d be home this weekend because I heard Grant on the phone with you about six weeks ago talking about entering Sunday’s race.”

“So three weeks ago you knew this poor guy was going to be sick and/or in a coma and wouldn’t be able to go, so you lined me up.”

“Something like that.”

“What would you have done if I’d said no?”

She shrugged. “Three weeks before the prom, I’d still be able to get a date.” She paused, then asked, “If I’d told you the truth, would you have been my date tonight?”

“Probably not.”

She pulled her hand away and turned toward the door. He grabbed her by the arm to stop her from bolting into the house.

“Stef, you are a beautiful girl …”

“Oh, please do not say, ‘Someday you’ll meet someone who’s just right for you.’ ” She closed her eyes. “Tell me you weren’t going to say that.”

“I
was
going to say that. And it’s true. Someday you will.”

“I don’t want anyone else.” There. She’d said it.
She kept her eyes closed so that she wouldn’t have to see his face.

“Stef, I’m going back to Texas in two weeks,” he said gently, “and I’m staying there. I’m not coming back to St. Dennis.”

“What? Not ever?” Her eyes flew open. “But I wanted you to come to my graduation party.”

“I’ll be here for that. And I’ll be back to see my aunt Berry from time to time, but I’m going to be living and working in Texas.”

“Why?”

“Because I have an opportunity to go into business with a friend, and it’s what I want to do.”

She could hardly speak. The thought that Wade would leave St. Dennis forever had never occurred to her.

“You’re going to have a great life, Stef, I’m sure of it. Whether you’re here in St. Dennis or somewhere else.”

He leaned down and kissed her on the temple, then reached around her and pushed open the door.

“Good night, Stef. Thanks for sharing your prom night with me. It’s been my pleasure.”

He walked off the porch and down the front steps and went right to his car. Before he got into the driver’s side, he raised his hand to wave good-bye. Pretending not to have seen, she turned her head and ran into the house.

Spring–Current Year

The wedding had been like a fairy tale, with a fairytale princess of a bride and her handsome groom exchanging their vows in the rose garden of a historic and stately inn overlooking the Chesapeake Bay. Steffie Wyler watched her best friend, Vanessa Keaton, march back down the aisle on the arm of one of the bride’s brothers. The two of them looked like they could be the star attractions of the day, with Vanessa in her bridesmaid gown and Grady Shields, her escort, handsome in his tux.

Steffie stood at the bar. It had been a perfect day not only for the wedding couple, but for Vanessa and Grady, who were so indisputably perfect for each other. It had been one of those weddings that made you say “Ahhhhhh,” one of those days so overflowing with love and romance that one could easily believe that there was indeed magic in the air.

“Hey, Steffie.” A hand touched her bare upper arm as the soft male voice spoke her name.

She turned and looked into the eyes of the man she’d dreamed of since she was a teenager.

“Hey yourself, Wade.” She smiled as she moved to one side to make room for him at the bar. “I didn’t know you were coming home this weekend.” Which, of course, was a lie. Vanessa, being the sister of the groom, had seen the guest list, and she’d clued Steffie in to the fact that her old crush, Wade MacGregor, would be back in town for the wedding.

“I wouldn’t have missed Beck’s wedding.” Wade grinned as he signaled for the bartender. “Hell, Beck getting married is almost cause for a national holiday.”

“There are some who did believe the day would never come”—she nodded—“but of course, that was before Mia Shields hit town.”

Wade watched the bride and groom pose for photos on the lawn. “She seems like a really nice girl.”

“She is. She’s super. He’s very much aware that he’s a very lucky man.”

“Good for him. He deserves to be happy. Beck’s a heck of a guy.”

“The best,” Steffie agreed.

The bartender approached, and Wade turned to Steffie. “Another champagne?”

“Sure.” She smiled. “Thanks.”

Wade ordered the glass of champagne, then asked the bartender, “Do you have KenneMac beer on tap?”

“What kind of beer?” The bartender leaned forward as if he hadn’t heard.

“KenneMac.”

The bartender shook his head.

“I’ll just have whatever you have on draft, then,” Wade told him.

“What kind of beer did you ask for?” Stef wasn’t sure she’d heard, either.

Wade grinned. “KenneMac. It’s the beer I make back in Texas. KenneMac is the name of the company. I knew he didn’t have it. We’ve barely moved into Oklahoma.”

“Oh.” She nodded. “You could probably get a few of your old cronies to ask for it. Start a trend.”

The two glasses were served, and Wade handed Stef her champagne.

“Here’s to the happy couple.” Wade tilted his glass
in Steffie’s direction, and they touched rims, drank from their glasses.

“You’re looking good, Stef,” Wade said, catching her off guard. “You always look good, but tonight you look especially pretty.”

“Thanks, Wade,” was all she could think of to say. Had he ever complimented her like that before?

It must be the dress, she thought, smoothing the skirt of water-colored silk that looked like one of Monet’s gardens. She’d bought it at Vanessa’s shop, Bling, because it had looked so damned good on her. And because it had looked so good, Ness had given her a really good discount. She’d hoped to catch Wade’s eye tonight, and after having decided that she looked like a goddess in the dress, figured it was her best bet.

It was always so nice to be right about such things. Wade had gravitated toward her like a bee to a rose.

“I saw your aunt Berry at the ceremony,” Stef said. “That’s some hat she was wearing.”

“You know Berry.” He chuckled. “She likes to make an entrance.”

Stef smiled and waved at one of her neighbors.

“So I hear your business is going well,” Wade said.

“It’s ice cream.” She shrugged. “This is a tourist town now. How could I miss?”

“I hear it’s more than just ‘ice cream.’ Berry went on and on about how it’s her favorite place in town these days. She tells me you concoct some pretty fabulous flavors.”

“Well, yes, I do,” she said with no false modesty. “I work at it, though. I like the challenge of making things that no one else does. I like playing with flavors
to—” She stopped. “Sorry. Ice cream is one of my favorite subjects. I was about to bore you straight into the ground.”

“Not at all. I feel the same way about the beer that we brew. I really enjoy making unique flavors, too.”

She watched his face to make sure he wasn’t teasing her.

“You flavor your beer?” She frowned. “I thought beer’s flavor was, well, beer.”

He smiled. “I think that might be true of most of the beers from the big breweries. But microbrewing, ah, that’s a whole ’nother story.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Think of the difference between the ice cream you make as opposed to buying prepackaged ice cream that’s made in bigger batches by one of the big commercial ice-cream makers that’s shipped to supermarkets all over the country.”

She nodded. She got it. She knew every ingredient that went into every one of her batches and where it came from. She knew she made a superior product. Milk and cream from organically raised cows, fruits and spices organically raised. No additives, no preservatives.

“You make a better product than, say, the beer you’re drinking here. Smaller batches, for starters.” She nodded in the direction of his glass.

“That’s right. And because I make it myself, I control what goes into it, so if I want a beer that has a hint of, say, ginger or some other spice or fruit or an herbal note, I can experiment until I hit on the right combination.”

“I do that, too.”

“I thought you might. I wandered past Scoop this afternoon, saw your sign, stopped in, but you weren’t there.”

“I was probably getting ready to come here. Stop in tomorrow, and I’ll give you a tasting. A little of this, a little of that.”

“That sounds like an offer I can’t refuse.”

There was more banter and the greeting of old friends whom Wade hadn’t seen in a long time, lots of catching up, lots of reminiscing and laughter. When it was time to move into the ballroom for dinner, they wandered over to the table where the seating arrangements were displayed.

“Where are you sitting?” he asked.

“Table five.” She held up the little card with her name on it.

“So am I.”

“Really?”

“Well, I am now.” Wade grinned. “I just switched cards with Ricky Davis. He’ll never know the difference.”

He took her arm, his fingers light as a whisper, and together they found their table. Throughout dinner they laughed and talked, their heads close together, and after, when the band began to play, they danced. Every slow dance, ever closer, ever slower … their bodies melting together until Stef could hear his heart beating, feel his breath against her cheek and against her neck. Visions of a long, slow, sweet, and sexy night of total magic danced in her brain, and she was all but drunk with the thought of what the night still held for them. Everything was going exactly the way she’d always dreamed it would. It took all her willpower
not to pinch her arm to make sure it wasn’t a dream.

Her body was so close to his that when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket, she could feel the vibration.

He held up the phone and looked at the number of the incoming call. Had it been her imagination, or had he blanched slightly? Whatever, he’d led her from the dance floor and back to her chair, and excused himself to take the call.

Must be business, she’d thought at the time, though what kind of business at almost midnight on a Saturday night …

And then he was back at her side, saying something like, “It’s time to leave.” She bit her bottom lip to conceal her smile, lest he realize how eager she was to get to her apartment and toss off the watercolor-silk dress that he’d admired, thinking,
Wait till he sees what’s underneath.…

He grabbed her by the hand, and after making short but sweet congratulations and good-byes to the happy couple, he all but ran out of the inn. Steffie’s long legs hustled to keep up, and she was just about to ask, “Your car or mine?” when he pulled up abruptly at a gray sedan that was parked three cars away from her own.

“I’m sorry, but I have to leave,” he was saying as he unlocked the car with the remote. “I need to get to the airport.…”

He mumbled something about flying standby but she didn’t catch it.

“The airport?” Confused, she frowned. “Seriously? You’re leaving
now
?”

“Look, I didn’t want to say good-bye to you inside, but that phone call … something’s come up,” he said. “I’m really sorry. It was great to see you, Stef, great to catch up, and I wish I could stay. Maybe next time, when I’m in town …”

“Maybe not.” She backed away from him. When he took a step toward her, she took another back. “Hey, don’t let me keep you …”

“Stef …”

“No, don’t, Wade. Just go.”

She watched with disbelieving eyes as he got into the car and backed out of his parking space and sped off.

“Seriously?” she said aloud to the empty parking lot.

She growled and opened her driver’s-side door and angled in behind the wheel. She jammed the key into the ignition, put the car in reverse—and found cars blocking hers. She banged on her steering wheel, took a deep breath, and set off for the inn, seeking the blood of the idiots who’d thought it was okay to park behind her, feeling humiliated, frustrated, and more disappointed than she’d ever felt before.

You led me on and then you let me down. Had your chance and you blew it. I don’t know what you’ve got going on back in Texas that’s so hot and heavy that it couldn’t wait until tomorrow, but you just missed out on what could have been the best night of your life and you don’t even know it
.

It most certainly would have been the best night of hers, too … but that was something else he’d never know.

Diary ~

As much as I appreciate all the business the tourists bring to St. Dennis, I must admit that I do love it most when they leave and we townies have our little town by the Bay to ourselves again. Fall arrives and most of the summer people depart. Is any place more glorious in September than St. Dennis? The weather is perfect—what’s not to love about cool nights and warm sunny days?—and the colors of summer and autumn blend in the foliage, if only for a few weeks. Yes, yes, of course I know that October is just around the bend, and the days will grow shorter and cooler, and cool leads to cold … I wasn’t born yesterday. But I think that September just might be my favorite month of all—and not just because Daniel and I were married in September
.

Dear me, that was so long ago … and he’s been gone now for …