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“I must admit, I’m really looking forward to some barbecue today. I haven’t had any like it since I left Granite Falls,” she said, smiling wide.
“Don’t forget Miss Martha’s cupcakes. Those were the best.”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “Miss Martha doesn’t make them anymore.”
“What? That can’t be.”
“Do you remember Lucy Palmer? She bought Miss Martha’s business. They’re now Lulu’s cupcakes.”
“Lucy Palmer? Really?”
“The one and only.”
“I guess that high school job of hers paid off. Does she still have it bad for your brother?”
Jacquie laughed, the sound of it warming his heart. “Oh, so bad. He’s dating Callie, though. My friend from Raleigh. You met her at the hospital.”
He remembered. “The muffin lady. She makes some really good muffins.”
“Thanks, I’ll tell her you said so. It’s funny, six months ago she had a thriving bakery in Raleigh and had never heard of Granite Falls. Now she’s settled in, running a coffee shop, and is madly in love with my brother. Things sure can change in the blink of an eye.”
She was rambling and it occurred to him that she was nervous. Talking incessantly, playing with her hair. All the tells she had when they were young. She still had them. He smiled as he realized how well he still knew her. Perhaps he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stop thinking about their kiss.
“How was the hotel last night?” she asked, cutting into his thoughts about how soft her lips were and how sweet she tasted.
“Nice. My mom and I had a great dinner at the restaurant. It was nice to catch up.”
She smacked him on the arm. “Are my ears deceiving me? Are you saying coming back home wasn’t as horrible as you expected?”
He grinned. “Maybe my memories colored my perception of Granite Falls a little bit.”
She frowned. “Your memories weren’t all bad.”
“No. Just the memories of my dad, and our home life.”
“I’m sorry he was so hard on you two.”
“Thanks. I didn’t talk about it much at the time. Maybe if I had, he could have gotten help before things escalated the way they did.”
“You were a kid. There wasn’t anything you could have done.”
“No, there wasn’t.” He was quiet for a moment, wanting to talk about anything other than his tortured upbringing. He wondered briefly if they should talk about the kiss they shared yesterday, but maybe staying on more neutral ground would be the smarter move.
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up to the park on Main Street. Even though it had been eight years since he’d been there, the park still looked the same. The large courthouse at the end of Main Street was as impressive as he remembered. The church down the block with its tall white steeple got a new wing.
“Does Reverend Carr still work at the church?”
“He does.” Several people nodded as they greeted them. Some faces he recognized, most he didn’t. How was it possible they still remembered them? Or was it just small-town friendliness? He liked to think so.
“Are you a little freaked out?” she asked, stepping closer to him and taking his arm. As if eight years hadn’t passed. As if it was the most natural thing in the world for the two of them to walk arm and arm at a barbecue in the park. Pressed up against him, warm and soft, smelling of lilacs as she held his arm, she felt more than just good—she felt right.“I suppose I am,” he admitted. “Is it obvious?”
“No. It’s just that I’m feeling the same way, too. It’s like stepping into a twisted time machine. The people, the booths, brightly colored and filled with pottery, food, baked goods, artwork, and jewelry. It all looks the same. It’s as if we never left.”
“How many times have we been to festivals in this park?”
“More than I can count. Granite Falls loves any reason to get together. Hopefully this will bring the church some much-needed funds. The turnout is fantastic. Let’s go find some barbecue.”She led him into the crowd.
He tried to focus on the faces around him, looking for his brother, or the missing girls. But he kept finding himself watching Jacquie and her adorable little crowd stopper in pink.
