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Everyone would be fine.
Okay, that was a lie. She was miserable and missed Cory so badly she’d had to remove his number from her phone to keep from calling him. When her final copy of Simply Home had arrived yesterday, with her own beaming face on the cover and a handwritten note from Cory inside, she’d had to fight her impulse to see if the paper smelled like his aftershave. Then she’d analyzed his note.
Victoria, here’s your first-edition copy. I appreciate all of your hard work on this. I couldn’t have done it without you. C.
Yeah, not a lot to go on there. She probably didn’t need to call in the CSI team yet. She was in danger of seriously losing it if she thought two hastily scribbled lines could reveal someone’s emotional state.
Did he miss her, even a little?
Sighing, she glanced around the banquet hall near the Santangelo farm that she’d helped decorate for the going-away party. She had no intention of actually staying for the event, but she hoped they’d understand. Doing her absolute best on preparing the hall had been her gift to them, and hopefully she’d get to stop in at the farm before they left next week. She’d only be gone a few days.
She just couldn’t handle being there with Cory. Not tonight. Maybe not ever.
At least the place looked great. Fall-themed decorations were everywhere. A square for dancing was sectioned off with white lights, and the seating area looped around the loaded buffet table. A gigantic ornamental tree—purchased from Value Hardware’s garden section—stood in one corner, and a chugging train wound around the base. She’d remembered that Cory’s stepfather was a train aficionado so she’d scoured the shops for the perfect set. She hoped he’d want to take it with him to Arizona.
More glittery potted trees dripped with twinkling lights, and each table held a lit arrangement of cinnamon pinecones and fresh fall flowers, thanks to Lex. On the portico off the main room stood another smaller tree, its lights a warm beacon in the night. Now if the promised rain just held off, it would be perfect.
Jill appeared beside her, a vibrating laser beam already set on stun. She wore a slip dress that proved she had way more curves than Vicky and little hesitation in showing them off. “Your studly brother didn’t come with?”
“No. You know he’s not in town now. Stop trolling.”
Jill’s laugh made Vicky impulsively draw her into her arms. Jill hugged her back. “Hey, what’s this for?”
“I needed a hug.”
“You okay?” Jill stepped back. “We’ve been running around trying to get this place ready, and there hasn’t been much time to talk lately.”
Vicky smiled and wrapped an arm around Jill’s shoulders. She truly was the little sister she’d never had and she’d break the fingers of any man who ever hurt her. “I’m fine. You’re sure you can handle all this?”
Jill gave her a thumbs-up. “Under control, boss. Are you sure you have to go?”
“I have a whole wardrobe of bikinis that say yes.” Vicky grinned and stepped away. “Thanks for taking care of this. You’re the best.”
Jill nodded, her blue eyes surprisingly bright. “Look, you know I hate mush, but I wanted you to know that I appreciate your trying to stand in for my mom. You don’t have to do it, and you never give up even when I make you crazy. I love you, Vick.” She sighed heavily. “I promise not to do anything bad while you’re gone. Well, within reason.”
Vicky guffawed out a laugh and drew Jill into a hug. “You silly girl. I love you, too.
Jill edged back and glanced at her watch, a rare move for her party-all-the-time best friend. Time usually meant little to Jill. She reminded Vicky of how she’d been as a girl, and the parallels really made her nervous. The cops still foot-patrolled the water tower. Maybe because of her.
Probably because of her.
“Shouldn’t you be going? It’s getting late.”
Well, yeah, she had been about to head home, but why did it feel like Jill was hurrying her to leave? “I still have hours until—”
“There are new regulations. If you’re late to the airport, you never know what will happen with the security peeps.” Jill tugged on her arm. “You better hustle.”
Shaking her head, Vicky grinned. Maybe Jill really was that worried she’d miss her flight. How cute. “Fine, I’m outta here, brat. Be good.”
She rushed home to finish packing. She’d gotten a good start on it last night. Now if she could just find her white slip-on shoes, she’d be all set.
At a loss, she shimmied under her bed to see if they were there. Instead, she found an unsticky sticky note bearing familiar handwriting.
Hey babe, so sorry I couldn’t talk to you before I left. There’s a problem that can’t wait, and I didn’t want to wake you. I wore you out last night. Call me when you get up, okay?
And then the pièce de résistance—a smiley face. From Cory.
Her throat clogged and she rolled on her back, holding the note to her chest. This changed things. It wasn’t a declaration of love, far from it, but he’d tried to keep the lines of communication open. He hadn’t just ditched her as if nothing important had happened the night before.
