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He hadn’t thought of Reggie in years, but in the past few days, she’d been on his mind. Memories, most of the excellent variety, had haunted him. When he’d left Wishing Tree, she’d been the person he’d missed the most—even more than his grandmother. While his plans had been vague, he’d always assumed he and Reggie would stay together forever, eventually getting married and starting a family. But she’d broken up with him, and he’d left town, and he’d never intended to see her again.

Funny how that had suddenly changed.

He walked in the back entrance to the pie shop, prepared to give Reggie a bit of a hard time before accepting whatever plan she’d come up with, but she wasn’t the one waiting for him. Mrs. Somerville, Reggie’s mother, stood by the pie case and smiled when she saw him.

“Hello, Toby.”

“Mrs. Somerville.”

She waved her hand. “Leigh, please. Thanks for taking a minute to speak with me. I’m sure you’re busy running your empire. I know what Vince is like when he has to deal with the business side of things instead of working with the guys on the cars. It’s consuming.”

She nudged several grocery bags sitting on the floor next to her. Chips and a pineapple stuck out of one of them.

“I was doing my Thanksgiving dinner shopping when it occurred to me that it would be nice to have friends around the table. Usually it’s just Vince and me and our girls, but I was wondering if this year, you’d like to join us. With Harrison and your grandmother, of course.”

Toby felt like a cartoon character. He wanted to hit the side of his head to see if anything was lodged in his ears. Reggie’s mom was inviting him and his family over for Thanksgiving? Sure, he knew them well enough to say hello, and she and her husband had been pleasant enough when he’d been dating Reggie—after the initial grilling. She was a regular customer in the store, and they lived in same town, but Thanksgiving dinner was a whole different level.

Unless the invitation hadn’t come from her. Was this Reggie’s way of spending time with him without making a big deal of things? Had she sent her mother rather than come herself?

That had to be it, and to be honest, he was more than a little interested in spending some time with Reggie. He didn’t know much about her life now. He knew she lived in Seattle and had some kind of design business, but nothing other than that.

“I’ll need to check with my grandmother,” he said. “If she’s up to attending, then we’d be happy to join you. Thank you for asking.”

“My pleasure,” Leigh said with a smile. She handed over a piece of paper. “That’s my cell and also Reggie’s. Just let me know what you decide. We eat about three.” She laughed. “A ridiculous time, according to my husband, but it’s tradition. I hope we’ll see you Thursday.”

With that, she picked up her bags of groceries and headed out. Toby held the door for her, then closed it. Shaye stared at him quizzically.

“Was that as weird as I think it was?” she asked.

“Yup.”

“You don’t really know her or her family. I mean, you used to date Reggie, but that was in high school. Or am I missing something?”

“You’re not.”

“But you’re going?”

“That’s up to my grandmother.”

“Okay then. Lawson was right—this is the oddest little town ever. You going back to work?”

Toby glanced at the clock. “I think I’ll take a break and swing by the house.”

Shaye grinned. “To ask your grandmother if she wants to join you with your ex-girlfriend for Thanksgiving?”

“Something like that.”

When Toby and Harrison had first moved to Wishing Tree, they’d lived in the house where Toby had grown up. Getting the business started had taken all his time, so he hadn’t bothered to look for something bigger until the store was open, but once that happened, moving had become a priority.

Judy had protested that she would be fine on her own, but Toby had insisted she move with them. She was getting older, and he wanted her to be around people. Plus, she was family.

He’d found a great house just north of the central part of town. There was a huge en suite bedroom downstairs, perfect for Judy. She had access to the family room and kitchen without having to navigate the stairs. He and Harrison had taken over the second floor, using the bonus space as a media room. Their bedrooms weren’t above Judy’s, so her space was quiet. An intercom allowed her to call them downstairs whenever she needed them.

He drove home and walked inside. His grandmother was in her favorite chair in the family room, reading a book. While she used the tablet he bought her for things like Facebook and email, she preferred to read the old-fashioned way.

She looked up when he entered. “You’re home early.”

“I’m going back to the office. I just wanted to talk to you first.”