so not late. You, however, are half an hour early.”
“Miss Macy!” the girls shouted in unison. Their ponytails, one brown, one blonde, flew behind them as they scurried over from the pond. They crashed into her, knocking her back a few steps as they threw their arms around her waist.
“Whoa there!” she laughed, hugging them back. “Glad to see someone appreciates me.” She cast an exaggerated glare at Jared over the tops of their heads.
“You’re appreciated, all right. Always have been.”
Macy let his flirting go right over her head. “What brings you out?”
“Thought I’d see how you’re doing, catch up…take you out to dinner with us, if you’re interested.”
“Oh…that’s really sweet of you, Jared, but I have plans after we’re done here.”
The grin turned a little sad, but he comically slapped a hand across his chest and took a step back. “Still shooting me down after all these years.”
“Stop that, now. Maybe I’ll take a rain check, okay?”
He nodded without further comment and set out to help her saddle up Rose and Trinity for the girls. The familiar rituals were so much like old times, it unnerved her. If things had been different, and she hadn’t been such a bitter über-bitch, maybe they’d be doing this for their own kids by now.
She slapped that thought aside before it could drag her down. She’d made her choices. Maybe they hadn’t necessarily been good ones, but she would own them now. Too much had changed to go back.
“You look incredible,” he said later, after they’d finished up and the girls scampered off for the duck pond again. It always took forever to wrangle those two up. The sun was just dropping behind the distant pines, and a chill breeze nipped Macy’s cheeks before they warmed with his compliment.
“Thanks. You look pretty great too.”
He propped the heel of his boot on the bottom rung of the fence and leaned his elbows back on the top. “You never did dance with me the other night.”
She laughed, certain her blush deepened as she thought about what she’d been doing that prohibited any further contact with him. “You actually remember? You were three sheets to the wind.”
“Naw! I had it handled.”
“Suuure you did.” Just like I did.
“I guess it’s my fault. I should’ve grabbed you up right then.”
She had absolutely no idea what to say to that. “I was…um, blocked in.”
“Yeah, if that guy beside you could’ve killed me with looks alone, I might not be standing here right now. Is he…surely you’re not with him, are you?”
“He’s…ah…he’s a friend. Of a friend. Friend of a friend’s boyfriend, actually.” Who I happen to be sleeping with. “We hang out.”
“Is that who you’re seeing tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Macy. Seriously?”
He was starting to piss her off. “What, Jared?”
“He’s just…not someone I’d imagine you would deal with very well.”
“I think I know who I can deal with and who I can’t.”
“I know Candace is dating Brian Ross.” He scoffed. “There’s an apple that fell way far from the tree…and then got punted across the yard. I never thought you would get mixed up with any friends of his, though.”
“I can’t believe you’re being so freaking…”
Judgmental. The same damn thing she’d been all this time. Not so long ago, she’d have agreed with him. She’d have chimed right in. Brian’s a thug. Look what he’s doing to my best friend, filling her full of ink and turning her into a pin cushion. He’s not good enough for her. He’s going to hurt her.
All thoughts she’d entertained, washed away with one simple statement from Seth the other night.
Brian is the brother I should’ve had.
And Candace loved Brian more than life. Candace wouldn’t love someone who wasn’t good enough for her.
“Look, Brian is great. I might not have realized it at first, but you know what? I couldn’t have picked a better guy for her if she’d asked me to.”
He held up both hands as if to fend her off, and she realized she was getting in his face. “I don’t mean to piss you off. I just…” He straightened and took her shoulders gently in both hands. Always such a gentle touch, sometimes frustratingly so. She hadn’t felt it in years. The sudden stark reminder made heat gather behind her eyes. “Macy, I always regret I didn’t fight harder for you. I regret that I left when you told me to leave. I always hoped you didn’t really mean it, or at least that you would someday realize you didn’t mean it. But then