Talulah was so caught up in the afterglow of a wonderful evening spent sitting on the shore of the lake, watching the sun go down with Brant, that it took her a moment to snap out of that heady, euphoric zone when she returned home at seven thirty and found a beige Altima in her drive. At first, she thought the car was sitting empty. But as she pulled past it to reach the garage, the driver lifted her head, and by the time she’d parked, Averil had gotten out and taken her little boy from his booster seat in back.
Talulah felt the smile she’d been wearing for the past several hours slip from her face, and a lump grew in the pit of her stomach. “Averil.”
“Surprise!” Averil said with an uncomfortable chuckle. “Sorry to just...show up. It probably would’ve been less awkward to call, but I felt it was only right to pay you a visit.”
Talulah could still taste the kiss Brant had given her when he’d walked her to her car. Because she knew how Averil would feel about their being together, guilt washed over her as she knelt to speak to Averil’s child. “This is your little boy? I mean, I know it is. I saw him at the funeral. What a cutie!”
Averil ruffled his hair. “Yeah, this is Mitch. Can you say hi, buddy?”
“Hi,” he mumbled shyly, staring at his feet.
Talulah tilted up his chin. “I can see so much of you in him,” she told Averil.
Averil continued to smooth his hair. “He looks a lot more like his daddy than he does me.”
“Where does his daddy live?”
“Cash is in California, doing his own thing.” She sighed. “We don’t hear from him very often.”
It’d been so long since Talulah had looked Averil square in the face that she couldn’t help noticing the slight changes a decade and a half had wrought in her former friend—the crow’s-feet starting to form at her eyes, the faint smile lines around her mouth, the few silver strands of hair mixed in with the brown. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for the two of you. Divorce is never easy. Where’d you meet him?”
Averil didn’t seem comfortable holding Talulah’s gaze and watched her own fingers move through her son’s hair as she responded. “At Montana State. He was on the baseball team. I thought he was such a good catch—pun intended,” she said with the quirky expression Talulah remembered so well. “But he was a player all the way around.”
Despite their differences since the botched wedding, Talulah hated the thought of Averil being hurt. “He liked the ladies?”
She nodded. “And they liked him.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I’m mostly over it,” she said with a shrug and glanced at the house. “Do you mind if we come in for a few minutes? I think it’s time you and I had a talk.”
Talulah’s mouth went so dry she could hardly speak. She was expecting Brant in an hour, as soon he’d helped take care of the boat and grabbed a shower. She’d been planning to shower herself and then bake a carrot cake, since he hadn’t gotten either of the two she’d made for him this week. But how could she deny Averil a few minutes, when this was the first friendly overture she’d made in fourteen years? “Um... Sure. Of course. The house is a bit of a mess... I’ve been...packing.”
Averil made a face. “I don’t care about that.”
“Okay.” Talulah withdrew her house key, and as they started up the walk, Averil gestured at the cardboard-covered window.
“I’m sorry about what happened, by the way. And I’m aware of the rumors that’ve been going around. But I want you to know it wasn’t me who threw that rock.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” She knew Averil had been unhappy with her, but unhappy enough to do something like that? This was the friend who, besides Jane, had been closest to her. The three of them had spent almost every Friday night together. Talulah had even received her first kiss at Averil’s house—and not from Charlie. Allen Bond, a boy in their Spanish class, had snuck over to play spin the bottle when they were only thirteen. Talulah had her first period that same week, and it was Averil who’d shielded her all the way to the girls’ bathroom and then gone to the principal’s office to call Talulah’s mom.
Talulah had so many fond memories of Averil, including the planning and shopping they’d done together for the wedding. They’d been excited to become sisters as well as best friends—until Talulah had ruined it, of course. But Averil was part of the reason Talulah hadn’t been able to back out sooner. Their friendship had held her fast. And once she did break the engagement, she’d felt so adrift she’d grabbed on to two different men, one after the other, searching for an anchor—her place in the world—and wound up realizing they weren’t right for her, either.
She’d had to learn how to make it on her own, separate from her family and her hometown and her longtime friends, and without the security of being with a man who was in love with her. Now she’d accomplished that, but she was still so traumatized by her early foray into adulthood that she wasn’t convinced she could promise anyone forever. She already knew she’d never felt anything like what she felt for Brant—that level of excitement, the deep satisfaction that came from just looking at him. But she had no idea whether it would or could last. She’d have to give up so much to be with him, only to find herself right back in the same town she’d left. And he could easily “bail out,” as he put it, before things got too serious, all of which meant the decisions she was making were more difficult than they should’ve been.
Would it be a mistake to risk losing Averil again for two weeks with Brant? Or did what she felt for Brant deserve a chance, no matter what it did to her odds of reconciling with Averil?
“Would you like something to drink? A glass of wine?” Talulah asked, unlocking the door and flipping on the light. “I have some orange juice for Mitch.”
“That’d be great. Thanks.”
Averil gestured at the settee in the living room. “Have a seat. I’m going to run up and change, but I’ll make it quick.”
“You’ve been swimming?” Averil seemed to notice her bikini for the first time. It’d been dark outside, and her mind was probably on other things. After all, showing up here meant she was breaking ranks with Charlie and the rest of the family—which wouldn’t be easy to do.
“Jane and I went to the lake.” Talulah held her breath, hoping Averil would let it go at that. A lot of people went up to the lake to hang out, swim and barbecue. But if Averil knew that Jane’s sister and Kurt were starting to see each other, she might’ve made the connection to the Elways’ boat, and Brant, which was why Talulah hadn’t mentioned Kate’s name.
Fortunately, Mitch reached for a porcelain rose Phoebe had displayed on a side table, distracting Averil. “No, buddy. Don’t touch. That could break,” Talulah heard her say as she hurried up the stairs.
Talulah was eager to get out of her suit, which was damp and uncomfortable, especially given the cooler temperatures at night, but she also craved a moment of privacy she could use to text Brant.
Hey, you’re never going to believe it, but Averil was sitting in my drive when I got home. She wanted to come in and talk. Do you mind holding off for a while?
Hoping for a quick response, Talulah tossed her phone on the bed while she changed.
Fortunately, he’d answered by the time she’d yanked on a pair of yoga pants and a Pike Place Market sweatshirt.
I can wait. No worries. Hope it goes well. Are you going to tell her about me? [grimace emoji]
If I tell her about you, it won’t go well. I think I’ll just see what she has to say, at least for tonight.
Okay.
Talulah pulled her hair into a quick ponytail before leaving her phone in her room—on purpose—and hurrying back down to the living room.
Averil was looking at the photographs of old relatives that lined the walls, including one of Talulah’s grandma and grandpa. “What are you going to do with the house once you get everything packed?” she asked.
“Put it up for sale.”
“That’s kind of a shame, isn’t it? This is such a cool place.”
Talulah had been so focused on burrowing through what she had to get done that she’d taken little time to consider the house itself, only the clutter inside it. She had to admit, however, that refurbished and updated, it could be as nice as some of the farmhouses depicted in decorating magazines. “It doesn’t have a master bedroom, but that could be fixed.”
“I wish I had the money to buy it.”
Talulah went into the kitchen to get Mitch’s juice and pour them each a glass of wine. “How’s it going living with your folks again?” she called out.
“It’s not easy. I mean...it’s great that I have people around who can help with Mitch. My parents watch him while I’m working at the bank. But being home has its downside, too.”
“It would be difficult to go back once you’ve been out on your own.” Talulah knew she wouldn’t like it, either.
“Exactly. If I give Mitch a treat, I feel like they’re thinking he shouldn’t have it. If I let him stay up past his bedtime, I can feel their disapproval. If I don’t wake up to feed him breakfast right away, they jump up to do it, then get mad at me, when he would’ve been fine for thirty minutes without their intervention, you know? I hate not having my own place.”
“You’ll get out on your own again soon.”
“I hope so. For now, staying with them is helping me a lot—especially with babysitting and my finances—so I feel bad even complaining.” She threw up her hands. “There’s no winning.”
“Here you go, honey,” Talulah said to Mitch as she gave him a small plastic cup partially filled with orange juice.
Averil tapped his shoulder. “What do you say?”
“Thank you,” he murmured, mostly into the cup.
Talulah handed Averil her wine in a tumbler. “These aren’t wineglasses, but they’ll have to do.”
“No problem.” She took a sip. “This is good. So was that carrot cake you made, by the way.”
Talulah sat on a side chair and tucked her legs underneath her. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Charlie came by. He had some, too.”
“He did?” Talulah said in surprise. “Did he know I made it?”
Averil sank onto the settee across from her, and Mitch demanded to be pulled into his mother’s lap. “He did.”
“I’m sorry about the wedding, Av,” Talulah said. “I hurt Charlie, and I hurt you, too, and I feel terrible about it.”
“You know... I was up most of last night thinking about the wedding and everything that led up to it.”
Talulah caught her breath. “And?”
Averil stared at the carpet for a moment before responding. “We were so young—just kids, really. It’s hard to get anything right at that age. Heck, getting things right can be hard as an adult. Take my marriage, for example.” She lifted her gaze. “I owe you an apology, too—for holding you so accountable for your mistakes. Lord knows I’ve made a few of my own.”
Talulah smiled, but she wasn’t sure how or what to feel. She was so torn. She was grateful for the forgiveness Averil was offering her and eager to welcome someone she’d loved so much back into her life. And yet...what did making up with Averil mean for her and Brant?
Despite having her five-year-old with her, it was almost eleven by the time Averil woke Mitch, who’d fallen asleep while they talked, and left. Talulah thought it was probably too late to see Brant. She was disappointed, and yet it had been cathartic catching up with her old friend, hearing about Averil’s marriage and motherhood and sympathizing with the part of Averil’s story about returning to Coyote Canyon with a broken heart. Talulah had dreamed about a conversation just like the one they’d had, sharing their joy and pain as if they’d never lost their friendship.
She loved Averil and Brant, she realized—loved Brant in a way she’d never loved Paul. But after finding it hard to fall in love, she was skeptical that what she was feeling could be real. Could it happen that fast and that easily? Or was this another false reading, the excitement of a new relationship snatching her out of the doldrums? Something she’d regret later?
She sighed as she watched Averil’s taillights disappear down the road. Then she climbed the stairs to check her phone. It’d been four hours since she’d messaged Brant, and yet he’d texted her only once in all that time.
I hope everything’s going okay with Averil. Heading to bed. Left a key under the mat for you, if you’re interested. [heart emoji]
Instead of being mad at her for not getting back to him sooner, he’d been kind and understanding and supportive. She was trying to find the place where she truly belonged—if it wasn’t with Paul in Seattle—but she didn’t want to hurt anyone. Brant seemed to take her good intentions for granted, to assume the best, and didn’t feel the need to rail at her because of his own disappointment or the inconvenience she’d caused him. Maybe that wouldn’t have been a big deal to anyone else, but Talulah knew Paul would’ve complained that she hadn’t told Averil she had previous plans, and was grateful for Brant’s generosity. It made her love him all the more.
“What am I going to do?” she said with a groan. She had no answer to that question. But she knew that for now, she was going to risk a visit to the ranch, even though someone could see her and tell Averil. She craved Brant’s warm body pressed reassuringly against hers.
His text had come in at ten. He was most likely asleep by now. But she wrote him back, anyway: I’m coming.
The moment Talulah climbed into bed with him, Brant reached for her. He hadn’t planned on waking up, not fully. He was just going to pull her into his arms. But she was completely naked. That was the first thing he noticed. And the way she kissed his neck and face let him know she was interested in more than sleeping.
“Everything go okay with Averil?” he mumbled.
“Yeah.” She nuzzled his neck. “It lasted longer than I expected, though. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. What happened?”
“It was actually good. She seems willing to move on and forgive me.”
But they both knew if they kept seeing each other, that probably wouldn’t last. Which reminded him... “Where’d you park?”
She pressed her lips to his temple, his forehead, his jaw. “I pulled around behind the barn. I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s fine. I’d be willing to camouflage your car with tree branches, if I had to,” he said.
“You think Charlie might be watching us that closely?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him. But let’s not talk about Charlie.” He kissed her arm where she had her stitches, still angry that Charlie or Averil had thrown that rock.
“I’m sorry for waking you up. I should’ve waited until tomorrow to see you, but I couldn’t,” she admitted.
He let his hands slide up over her soft curves before rolling her beneath him. “Believe me, I’m glad you’re here.”
“Do you think we’re out of our minds to trust each other?” she asked, catching his face so he had to look at her.
It was dark, but moonlight cast everything in a silvery glow, providing just enough light that he could see she was worried. He couldn’t blame her. When it came to love, she didn’t have the best reputation and neither did he. “Who said I trust you?” he teased.
“You don’t?”
“Hopefully trust will come for both of us. I am crazy about you, though, so there’s that.” Pinning her hands above her head, he pressed inside her and was shocked, as her body accepted his, by the strength of his own emotions. He’d been joking around, but there was something very serious going on between them. How could she have come to mean so much to him—and in such a short time? Charlie’s runaway bride?
“Yes, this is what I need.” She drew his face down to hers. “I need you,” she said, and kissed him.