the second one, Terri climbed up to the platform and showed Nate how to do it. Everything was accompanied by laughter and the teasing they’d so easily fallen into.
By the time they finished, it was midafternoon and Nate said he was dying of hunger. Again, Terri suggested tacos, but Nate insisted on Summer Hill. Neither of them seemed to think of eating separately.
As soon as they reached the first house in town, a pretty white clapboard with a deep porch, Nate was aware of the way Terri gripped the seat. In the years he’d spent with Kit, he’d learned that subtle body movements told as much as—and sometimes more than—words did. In this case, Terri’s words had been light, sounding as though she found the town of Summer Hill too boring to even visit.
But as he watched from the side of his eye, never full on, he got the impression that Terri was... Well, afraid of something.
Even as he thought about what he was going to do, he regretted it. Damn you to hell and back, Kit Montgomery, he thought as he parallel parked on the street. Kit had created in Nate an insatiable need to know.
“The only decent restaurant is down there,” Terri said. “Are you parking here because you don’t get enough exercise at the lake?”
Smiling at her joke, he got out, went around and opened the door for her. He knew she hadn’t waited for him but she was picking up the orange peels where they’d fallen onto the floor. He liked that she cleaned up after herself, and sometimes after him. He liked—
Actually, so far there wasn’t anything he didn’t like about Terri Rayburn. He imagined a lifetime of friendship between them. He told himself that friendship was why he was doing what he was. He’d seen her reaction to the mention of the flower shop and he meant to find out what caused it. “I need to go in here,” he said as soon as she was out of the car. He watched her intently, the same way he studied people when Kit dropped a bombshell on them. Later, Kit would ask Nate what he’d read on the faces of the people.
When Nate nodded toward the flower shop, Garden Day, about half the blood drained out of Terri’s face.
“I’ll meet you at the bookstore,” she said. “It’s over—”
“I know where it is. I want you to help me pick out flowers for Jamie’s wife. I need to thank her for putting up with me for those first days. What do you think I should get for her?”
“I’ve never met her so I have no idea. Ask...them. They’ll know.”
Nate blinked at the underlying venom in her voice. It looked like someone in the flower shop had been part of something bad in Terri’s life. He didn’t want to force her to relive whatever it was. “Okay, let’s go to lunch. I’ll do this later.” He knew he shouldn’t do it in a gossipy little town, but he slipped his arm through hers.
Before Nate could take a step, a pickup truck stopped beside them. Inside was a large man, older than Terri, who looked as though he might have once been in shape, but now he had a belly and the beginning of a double chin.
“Hey, Rayburn!” he said, his voice taunting. “Good to see you finally got the courage to come into town.” He looked at Nate with a smirk. “Looks like you hooked another one.” With that, he sped off down the road.
Nate was truly aghast. “What was that about?” When he saw the truck halt at a stop sign, he took a step toward it. “I think I’ll have a talk with him.”
“It’s nothing.” Surprising him, Terri clamped down on Nate’s arm, threw open the door to the flower shop and tugged at him to go inside.
It took him a moment to adjust to the dim light, and besides, he was frowning deeply after the jerk in the truck. Even so, he could feel how Terri had stiffened beside him. Her fingers were digging into his forearm so hard it was almost painful.
It was a pretty shop and it smelled good. There were shelves of flower arrangements, a big wall refrigerator to the right. Before them was a counter and a register, a curtain behind it.
When the curtain moved, Terri’s hand gripped even harder. He was certainly glad her nails were short!
A girl, high school age, a cell phone in her hand, came out