for the bake sale.”
“Oh.” A crease appeared between her brows and confusion clouded her features.
“Do you know where I can do that?” I pressed on, not knowing what else to do.
“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t know anything about that.”
“Oh, okay.”
“I was here to see Beau.”
Beau. That was the name Gam had mentioned, she’d said that I owed him an apology and the way she said his name made me think that he was significant. I just had no idea why. So I just grinned and nodded, like an idiot.
When I didn’t respond, a sadness filled her eyes and she lifted her hand and started to walk down the driveway. “Nice seeing you again, Sasha.”
“You too.” As we passed one another a light, floral scent wafted through the air that fired up my memory. I blurted out. “Rachel!”
“What?!” She jumped, startled by my outburst.
“Oh no, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say your name like that. I just…yesterday at the wedding it’s all kind of a blur. When I saw you just now, you looked familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then when you walked by, I remembered. We met during the bouquet toss. Rachel, right?”
She nodded her expression once again turning guarded.
As soon as Gam got home I was going to ask her to tell me everything that happened at the wedding. I’d never gotten drunk before, so I had no clue if I was a happy drunk, or a mean drunk, or even worse, a sloppy drunk.
Rachel probably had the information to enlighten me, but I sensed there was a strange tension between us.
“Well, anyway, it was nice seeing you again,” I said awkwardly.
“You, too.” She grinned.
As I continued on, I stepped over a green hose and walked into the station through the large, rolling bay door. My interaction with Rachel had left me with a strange feeling. I couldn’t shake the sense that something had gone wrong, or that I’d done something.
Why had I taken those last two shots? I remembered that I was buzzed after my second double shot punch. I remembered telling Gam that I wasn’t feeling well and needed to leave. What could’ve possibly caused me to crack open those final two bottles?
“Hello!” I called out when I didn’t see anyone.
Besides there not being a soul in sight, there were also no signs of any bake sale. I noticed a large circular clock hanging from the far wall. It was ten past eight. Was I too late? Gam had made it clear that I needed to be there by eight. Maybe they were all meeting at the fire station, but then the actual sale was somewhere else.
Not knowing what else to do, I turned back the way I came in. I’d just stepped back over the hose when I heard a deep, gravelly voice behind me. One that caused a tickle to race down my spine and the tiny hairs on my arms to stand up.
“Can I help you?”
When I turned around and saw the source of the deep voice I was overwhelmed by a wave of déjà vu. In the blink of an eye, I was transported back to the wedding reception where I’d locked eyes with a sexy stranger in a white button-down with the sleeves rolled up revealing several tattoos on his forearms, black slacks, and gray tie. This time he was wearing a blue T-shirt with a white Wishing Well Fire Department logo on the left side of his chest and cargo pants. His hands were resting above his head on the doorframe and dear Lord, the back of his muscular arms had my body purring with appreciation.
Answers to the questions I’d just been asking myself flooded back to me. Flashes from the day before populated my mind. Missing puzzle pieces clicked into place, but I still didn’t have the whole picture.
He was the reason I’d had a third drink. I’d wanted to speak to him. I’d told Gam I wanted to stay for one more drink. Then I’d poured and downed that drink. A woman with long red nails asked me for a selfie. We took the selfie. The DJ asked all the single ladies to go to the dance floor. I met Rachel and caught the bouquet.
Beyond that, everything was blank.
“Are you okay?” he asked when I didn’t speak.
Even though I knew that Wishing Well was a small town, I couldn’t believe that he was here. That I was seeing him again. Part of