was at the end of Gam’s street and I drove past it every time I went into town. But I’d see him here at the bake sale. He was still on duty and helping to run it.
I’d just set the basket of muffins down when my phone buzzed. A thrill raced through me as I pulled it out of my pocket. Even though Beau and I hadn’t been able to spend time together, we’d been texting a lot and it was always flirty and fun.
This morning he’d sent me a text when I was getting dressed that said that he couldn’t wait to see me. Since I was right in the middle of picking out what I was going to wear, I’d asked if he’d liked to see me in a jeans or shorts. His response was either as long as I wasn’t wearing panties. I told him that I’d take that under careful consideration.
As I read his message a smile pulled on my lips.
Beau: What’s the verdict?
Me: I went with jeans.
I’d barely pressed send when another message came in.
Beau: I see that, but I was asking about what is or isn’t under those jeans.
I looked up, hoping to catch his eye since he’d said that he could ‘see that.’ When I did, I saw there was a Briggs heading straight for me. But it wasn’t Beau, it was Dolly.
“Wow!” She smiled widely with her arms stretched out. “That color looks gorgeous on you.”
“Oh, thanks.” I was wearing a salmon-colored tank top paired with distressed blue jeans with holes in the knees. I chose them because the denim hugged me in all the right places and the material was soft, which meant I could comfortably go commando and not worry about irritation. My cheeks flushed at the reason I’d decided on my attire and the NSFW texts I’d been exchanging with Dolly’s son.
I was putting my phone back in my pocket when she pulled me into a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You, too.” Besides the slight embarrassment I was feeling, it actually was good to see her.
She had such a strong maternal and nurturing nature. At Lilah’s birthday party, I’d found myself gravitating to her. I told myself I was doing it as a character study. That I wanted to observe her so that I could draw on her for inspiration when I played a mom. But the truth was, I think the real reason I wanted to be near her was to absorb her maternal energy, even if it wasn’t directed at me. It was something that had always been sorely lacking in my life.
After hugging me she stared into my eyes and her gaze felt exploratory. I wanted to shrink up in a ball under her scrutiny, but I did my best to keep my head high. “I heard you’re leaving tomorrow.”
“I am.” My flight was in nineteen hours and I was doing my best not to think about it. Whenever I did, I got a sick feeling in my stomach. I didn’t want to go back to reality. I wanted to stay here. I wished that this was my reality.
“Well, I’m going to be sad to see you go. And I’m not the only one. You’ve made quite an impression on my son.”
“He’s made quite an impression on me.” I felt like that was an understatement, but there was no way I could admit what he meant to me. Especially since I wasn’t sure I could even admit it to myself.
A swell of voices rose at the other end of the table. Mrs. Briggs and I looked over to see what the commotion was about. When I saw what, or who it was, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“Did you know he was coming?” Mrs. Briggs grasped my arm.
“No. I had no idea.”
Drake Dawson was in Wishing Well and he was treating this bake sale like a personal appearance. He was taking selfies and holding court like he did whenever there was a group of more than four people gathered.
“I better…” I motioned toward my ex.
“Of course, go.” Mrs. Briggs squeezed my arm once more before releasing her hold. “I’ll be here if you need me.”
Her tone made it clear that she was on my side, she was in my corner and if I needed backup she was there. Hearing that hit an emotional nerve in me and I reached out and pulled her into a quick hug. “Thank you.”
As I walked away from Mrs. Briggs,