2

I wondered how long it would take for his name to come up. Not long enough. The mention of my first and last love made my heart skip several beats. Shit. He wasn't supposed to still have an effect on me. I broke up with him for Pete's sake. Kade Taylor's name shouldn't still make me break out into a sweat, yet here I was, experiencing deodorant failure.

"Good," Courtney said, grabbing my toiletry bag. "I mean, I don't believe you, but I'm glad you're trying." Ugh, there she goes, always calling my bluff.

"I'm more or less going with an out of sight, out of mind approach," I told her slamming the trunk shut. Shouldering my bag, we walked to the house.

"I'm sure in a town with a permanent population under five thousand, that's going to work swimmingly," she replied, holding the door open for me.

"What will?" Lola asked coming back from the dining room. Instead of answering, I started up the stairs to my room.

"Avoiding Kade," Courtney said, following me.

"Oh wow, we're already talking about him?" Lola seemed surprised.

"I thought it best to get it out of the way," Courtney said with a shrug.

"No, it's good. Bold approach. I like it," Lola assured her and I rolled me eyes.

"Okay but what if I don't want to talk about him?" I asked. "You know since he's my EX?"

"That's exactly why we should talk about him," Lola replied. "Since you fled the state to get away from him."

"Hey, I didn't leave to get away from him. I was not about to pass up a job with the biggest hotel franchise in Southern California," I grumbled as we walked down the hall to my room. It was at the very end and when I stepped into it, I felt transported back to junior high when I picked the pale pink color to paint it. Everything was pink, from the carpet to the curtains to the bed linens. It was a cotton candy nightmare and I still loved it.

"Besides," I continued, dropping my duffel bag on the floor, "I broke up with him, remember?"

"Yeah you did, you big fraidy cat. The guy you'd been crushing on for years falls in love with you and you ran like he tried to set you on fire," Lola snorted.

"For the last time, it was not going to work. We were way too different and…"

"It was going to end one way or another," they said in chorus, both of them rolling their eyes. I put my hands on my hips, completely done with this topic.

"Mock me all you want, but it worked out didn't it? He got back with Katy and now aren't they engaged? That's what Ciara told me." My brothers ran in the same social circle as my ex since they were close to the same age. While neither of them were interested in my relationship with Kade, especially since it was over, Jake's wife would mention something every now and then when I talked to them. She had been a part of the Kade Fan Club with Courtney and Lola and thought I might still have feelings for him, despite my avid denial.

Courtney and Lola shared a look.

"Katy's saying they're engaged but Kade hasn't confirmed it," Courtney admitted.

"He hasn't denied it, though, right?" I asked, crossing my arms. They didn't answer. "Look I've been home for like two minutes and I haven't been in the same state as you guys let alone the same room in years. Can we just let this go, have dinner, and be together?" I begged.

"Yes but only because we have a super fun surprise planned for you," Lola said rubbing her hands together in a sinister way. Courtney blanched and mouthed the word "sorry" to me.

"What surprise? Why?"

"Because we love you of course." Lola grabbed my arm and started to pull me out of my room.

"Yeah but what's the surprise?" Lola was freakishly strong and I practically tripped over my feet as she dragged me down the hall.

"How are you a college graduate and don't know the meaning of the word 'surprise'?" she asked.

"I was a C- student," I said pulling my arm away from her as we descended the stairs.

"Don't worry, it's going to be awesome," she assured me and then walked off to the dining room.

"Did she plan a welcome back party?" I asked Courtney.

"Of course she did. It's Lola," she replied. I groaned. Lola was always looking for an excuse to have a party.

"I told her I didn't want one, remember?"

Courtney nodded.

"Oh I remember, but again, this is Lola. Did you honestly think she was going to listen?" I mean, I hoped she would but deep down I knew better.

"Is it at Darby's?" Darby's was the local bar that anyone under the age of dead frequented. It was the only bar in town that offered any semblance of a club atmosphere, which was a draw for the tourists who came to our town to spend time on Lake Michigan. Cadence was a very popular vacation spot year round since our Chamber of Commerce had caught on to marketing success with events for every season.

"Where else?" Great. Awesome.

"And this is happening when?" I asked, praying it was far enough in the future I could create an adequate excuse not to go. Like I was dead.

"Oh it's tonight. She already has your outfit picked out and everything." Shit. Of course she did.

"Come on you two," my mom called. "Dinner is getting cold."

Courtney and I joined Lola and my family at the table. I sat between my mom and Hannah. It was the first meal I'd had with them in years and it felt good to be there, listening to all the stories of things I'd missed, hearing about things that were coming up, and answering questions about my new job.

When my brother Chris had sent me the listing for the GM position at the historical bed and breakfast, I was surprised. I had worked my way up from front desk to rooms manager to department head to assistant GM in just four years. My sights were set on going even further, so a very sudden shift in geography was out of the question.

But then Jake had called to tell me that he and Ciara were having another baby, a sibling for the nephew I hadn't met yet. Then Hannah talked about getting engaged and Chris said he was going to be coaching soccer and baseball at the local high school and while I was thrilled about all of these things, a sadness settled into my chest. The final straw was when Courtney's mom was hospitalized after a major heart attack and I couldn't get time off of work to be there when my best friend needed me the most. My parents, Hannah, Lola, hell even my brothers took turns being at the hospital with Courtney and her family and the guilt I had for not being there made me realize climbing the corporate ladder I was on was not what I wanted. I dusted off the email Chris had sent me about the Wisteria Inn and after a thorough reading, I was shocked that the package they were offering was comparable to what I would have in the same position in my current company. After a phone interview and then a video interview, I received the official offer letter to join the Wisteria Inn team.

Now I was sitting at my parents' dining room table listening to them laugh at one of Lola's stories while Hannah and Courtney added details she forgot. I felt lighter than I had in months. When my mom reached over and squeezed my hand on top of the table, I covered hers with my other hand squeezed.

It only got better when she brought out a pan of fresh brownies with peanut butter icing.

"Can you go away for another four years and come back, so mom will make these again?" Hannah asked, shoveling her second piece into her mouth.

"Hannah," my dad said with a warning tone and my mom frowned.

"How about I just make them more often?" Mom suggested. We all just nodded, our mouths too full to speak.

"Oh man, that was the best meal, but we need to get ready to go girls," Lola said pushing away from the table.

"Really? Cuz I'm pretty sure there are still brownies in that pan," I said reaching for my third (or fourth) helping. Lola smacked my hand away while Hannah pulled my chair back.

"Don't worry, I'll save them for you," Mom promised. "Go have fun." Fun. Yeah, that's not the word I was going to use.