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“You’ll have to ask your brothers to keep you in the loop.” When Zack didn’t reply, Ethan frowned, his brows pinched together. “Because you’ll be back in the city.”
Right. He’d be back at his job for all these people knew. They didn’t have a clue that he didn’t have to be anywhere for the foreseeable future. Did that mean he was staying here though? He wasn’t sure about anything.
Lucy had said that he didn’t need to make any decisions. He could just sit back and take his time. Decide when he was ready.
I’m not ready.
“Maybe I’ll bring the wife and kids there next summer. See the sights. You could give me advice as to where we should go,” Ethan said. “We could meet up for dinner or lunch or something. We shouldn’t let another eighteen years go by again. In fact, let’s set a date for beers right now. How about tomorrow? We could meet at Tate’s at four.”
Zack and Ethan had been decent friends back in the day, so he wasn’t sure why he wasn’t happy about spending any time together. Was he really in that big of a funk? He’d worked hard for so long he didn’t know how to relax and have fun.
“Sure, that sounds great. Four tomorrow at Tate’s. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Maybe I’ll invite a few more of the guys,” Ethan suggested, reaching into his breast pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. “You know, the more the merrier. We’ve all missed you, man. It’s good to see you home.”
Ethan lit his cigarette, a billow of gray smoke in the air.
“Jenny won’t let me smoke in the house, and I don’t blame her. Nasty habit. I’m down to one a day, but I can’t seem to give that last one up. I never smoke around the kids either. I wait until they’re asleep.”
“It’s probably not easy to give it up. I probably drink far too much caffeine.” Zack caught a glimpse of Lucy as she walked by the open French doors. “It was great to see you, but I need to talk to someone. Tomorrow at four, right?”
“I’ll be there,” Ethan said. “It will be awesome. I can’t wait to hear all your stories about the big city. And the supermodels.”
Zack didn’t have many stories to tell unless Ethan wanted to hear about that time he’d worked forty-six hours straight during a big merger. Then he’d slept for two days.
He couldn’t think of anything interesting about any of the women he’d dated either. They were all hazy in the back of his mind. He was only thinking about one woman, and she was here today.
Lucy.
* * *
There was a definite buzz in the air today. Everyone at the wedding was talking about Lily and Sarah and what might have happened to the two of them. Although their disappearances were eight years apart, there were many that were conjecturing that it might be the nefarious work of the same person. After all, how many bad people could be in their little town?
But Winslow Heights, while a lovely little town, wasn’t immune from trouble. It was possible that two very awful things had happened to separate people, and they might not have anything to do with one another.
The man she was dancing with tonight, however, was on the fence. Zack was obviously troubled about Sarah and Lily. He’d told her about his conversation with Ethan, and how the other man had downplayed his relationship with Sarah. From what Lucy remembered, Ethan and Sarah had been hot and heavy for at least a year, maybe more.
“You haven’t stepped on my toe once tonight,” she said as they took a turn on the dance floor.
Dinner had been delicious, far better than the usual nuptial fare. The string quartet from earlier had gone home, and a band had taken their place. Many of the guests were on the dance floor especially when it was a slower song. Zack had declared that the faster tunes were simply beyond his capabilities. He wasn’t as bad as he’d said, though. He clearly had good rhythm and dancing with him was enjoyable.
“The night is young,” Zack laughed. “Don’t speak too soon.”
“I’m bracing myself.”
“We should get out of here,” he declared, his gaze running over the crowd. “I’ll drive somewhere. Anywhere. We can just take off and see where we end up.”
“Who is this man that I’m talking to?” she giggled. “Are you taking my advice to lighten up and not worry so much?”
“I’m thinking my brother Cooper might have the right idea. He never looks stressed.”
“Emulating Cooper might be taking things too far, but you have a point. He’s certainly living his best life.”
“So what do you say? Are you in? We can point the car in any direction you want. I’m game if you are.”
It occurred to Lucy that Zack just wanted to get out of town, if even for a few hours. That all of this had brought up his mother’s apparent death and disappearance, and he wasn’t sure how to handle it. Leaving probably looked like a good idea from where he was standing. Maybe when he came back, all the talk would have died down.
Except that it wouldn’t work that way. This town was going to be talking about Sarah and Lily for awhile. Since there was rarely anything going on, especially in summer, there wasn’t much news to take its place.
