was hungry for her. A hunger he hadn’t admitted to himself in a really long time. But there she stood, close enough to touch and he couldn’t.
And he had no one to blame but himself.
Chapter Two
Lily walked out to her car after six meetings with six teachers. A whole rasher of begging and apologizing and a lot of promises had been given. The principal liked Chris and believed in him, which was a huge help.
But the state was already giving them the evil eye about all the absences, and Lily had to sign an official warning saying that if he continued to cut class, he’d be expelled and have to be home schooled and they’d have to deal with child-protective services too.
That was the last thing any of them needed. The general store on Main should carry some of the organizational supplies she’d need for his room. A trip to Atlanta or one of the bigger towns closer in would be necessary to get the rest. Or she could order off the internet.
Seeing the Honey Bear, she pulled in and parked. Once she’d grabbed some carbs, she decided to hit the bookstore to see if they carried any of the books Nathan had listed for his extra-credit assignments.
They did and they had some calendar stuff she needed as well.
“Hi there. Wow! You look fabulous.”
Lily turned to see the freaking fashion model behind the counter holding a toddler with pale blonde hair and big green eyes to complement her wicked grin. That was new. Not babies, but the woman wasn’t someone she recognized.
“Um, thanks.”
Glamazon smiled, looking even prettier. “I’m Cassie and this is Meg, my niece.” A greedy little hand plopped a big plastic horse on the counter and soon, another set of big green eyes and a mop of dark brown hair showed themselves. She laughed. “Not a daycare, I promise. That’s Ward, my son. Sorry, my sister-in-law ran to grab some lunch. You new around here?”
“No, actually. I grew up in Petal. I’m Lily Travis. Just moved back. This week in fact. Is Penny around?”
“She sold the store to me a few years back. She’s married now, with two kids. Lives in Atlanta. Lily? You and Beth Murphy are friends, right? Your mom is Pamela Travis?” The brief look that flashed across Cassie’s features told Lily the entire town knew about her father.
“I’ve known Beth since first grade. I’ve liked her since third.” Lily laughed. “And yep, Pamela is my mother. You’re not from around here. I’d remember that hair.”
Cassie laughed, and the little girl she held laughed and clapped as well.
“Thank you. Not originally. I didn’t plan to end up here. But a few minutes after I drove into town, I was rear-ended by the woman who turned out to be my future mother-in-law. I was a goner when I saw all eleven feet of handsome gorgeous that was her son. Oh and look, it’s my sister-in-law. Well, more than one of them.”
Lily turned to see a petite blonde with a baby so clearly her own in one of those baby-carrier things women wore, her hands full of bags. Next to her a sleek-looking, visibly pregnant brunette holding the hand of a preschooler.
Suddenly the place was awash with Chase wives. Lily smiled at the blonde. “Hey you.”
Tate Murphy, or rather, given the pictures her mother had taken at her wedding reception, Tate Chase, hugged her around the baby in the sling. “Oh my God! Lily! You’re here. Beth said you’d be in town a bit.”
“You look fabulous.” She looked her friend over after they broke the hug. “Marriage suits you. Then again, if I was married to Matt Chase, I’d look satisfied and a little bit smug about it too.”
Tate grinned. “I have a very good life and that includes a pretty tasty-looking man to come home to every night. It’s good to see you. Olivia? You remember Lily?”
Lily looked around Tate and smiled at the woman she remembered from back in the day. “Marc Chase I hear. My mom keeps me apprised of all the comings and goings. Congratulations to you too.”
“You were a few grades down from me. I was in Nancy’s class.”
Olivia sent a raised brow to Tate, who laughed. “It’s okay, Lily knows what her sister is.” Tate turned back to Lily as they moved to put all the bags of food on the counter. “Give me an update. What’s going on with things?”
She told them a little, just the basics. If Nathan was