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“You told him to keep an eye on me, right?”
He paled. “Harry was supposed to be casual about that.”
“Well, I figured it out eventually. Did you really think I was going to go off the deep end?”
“I didn’t know what to think.” Jason sighed. “I felt like hell, and I assumed it would be worse for you, as the bride.”
“You can quit worrying. I’m reinventing myself. In fact, I’m buying a building in Blossom Branch and opening a trendy gift shop.”
“That was fast.” His scowl was equal parts suspicion and surprise.
“I spent some time at my grandparents’ house. It helped me take a step back and work through things. Blossom Branch has always been a special place to me. You know that.”
“I do.” Jason’s gaze settled on her face, as if he was trying to see inside her head. “Are youreallyokay, Cate? You must hate me.”
She ate one more bite and stuffed the unfinished sandwich in the paper bag, all the while trying to figure out what to say. “I don’t hate you, Jason,” she said slowly, weighing her words. “Maybe I should. I was mad at you. I was hurt. Embarrassed. Lost. But hate you? No. How could I? You’ve been a part of my life since we were kids. In fact—”
“In fact what?”
“Oh, gosh, this is humiliating. My mother said she always thought you and I acted more like brother and sister. Is that true? Was I so blind?”
He stood and rounded the table, sitting down beside her and taking her hand. “If you were blind, then I was, too. We let ourselves slide into a comfortable relationship that brought us both pleasure. It wasn’t a grand passion, but I got the feeling you didn’t want that.”
“Honestly,” she said, “I didn’t. With you, I was safe. Until I wasn’t.”
He released her fingers and sighed. “If we’d had this conversation in Key West when we were so stressed about planning the wedding, we could have avoided so much heartache.”
“Maybe we were both cowards.”
“Maybe so.” He exhaled. “Thank you for talking to me. I was half-afraid you would call the police.”
Cate laughed because she thought that was impossible. “No, you weren’t. A nice girl like me?”
He turned sideways on the bench seat and faced her. “Youarea nice girl,” he said. “And you’re an incredible woman. I think you’ll find that grand passion one day, whether you want to or not.”
Her heart wobbled in her chest.Harry...
She concentrated on Jason’s dear familiar face. “And what about you?” she said. “What’s next?”
His shook his head slowly. “Despite my parents’ vehement objections, I’m going to pursue photography as a full-time career. I know it’s a long shot, but what the hell. I won’t know until I give it a try.”
“So lots of travel?”
“Yes. Eventually. I’m making connections already. And with nothing to tie me down, I can go where the wind takes me.” He stopped short. “Damn, that sounded cold. You weren’t holding me back, Cate. It’s not what I meant.”
She patted his shoulder. “I know. I forgive you, Jason. Don’t carry that weight around. I hope you’ll forgivemefor not seeing you were unhappy. I hate that more than anything.”
He kissed her cheek. “Thank you, Cate. Your generosity of spirit means a lot.”
“Does this mean we can text each other?”
His grin was not much of a grin, but it was enough. “I think it does.”
“You saved us,” she said soberly. “From a disaster.”
“It wouldn’t have been a disaster.”
“Maybe not now. But in five or ten years when the kids had the flu and we were sick of each other...”
