Her father insisted on ordering champagne and telling anyone who came over to their table about the wonderful news of his imminent retirement. The congratulations and good wishes he received from the townsfolk were both sincere and well meant. It was only when Faith was brought into the conversation that she could see a hint of reservation in their eyes. But Dave was still not viewed in the same way as his father was, so there was hope for her yet.
She smiled and made conversation with anyone willing to engage with her, laughed at all the jokes and didn’t answer any leading questions. To her delight, the food was excellent, and she exited the café feeling even more optimistic than she had before. Looking around the bustling, prosperous little town, her thoughts turned to a satellite clinic on Main Street looking after people’s small domestic pets....
“Excuse me.”
Someone bumped her shoulder and she instinctively moved out of the way. “Sorry.” She did a double take. “Nancy?”
“Yes?” The spiky haired woman looked her over and went still. “Faith McDonald. What are you doing back in Morgantown?”
“I’m coming back to work with Dave as Dad is retiring.” Faith hesitated. “Look, I know things ended on a bad note between us, but it was a long time ago, and I’m sure as adults we can get along, right?”
Nancy raised an eyebrow. “Sure, once you get around to explaining why you dumped your best friend, broke Danny Miller’s heart, and left without a word.” Her gaze swept over Faith. “On second thought I’m not sure I’ve got the time or the interest in hearing your excuses.”
“Wow, way to bear a grudge,” Faith said. “I see you haven’t changed a bit.”
“I’m still as honest as I ever was if that’s what you mean.” Nancy stepped around her. “Have a great day, Faith.”
Nancy crossed the street and went into her mother’s store without a backward glance, her silver piercings glinting in the sunlight. It took Faith a few moments to gather herself and follow her brother and father to the parking lot. The faint look of dislike in Nancy’s eyes had surprised her. They’d been inseparable once, best friends even though Nancy was older than her, but Faith hadn’t dared trust her with all her secrets and had run away without explaining herself.
Nancy liked everyone and had no compunction in telling you when you messed up, so why was Faith surprised she’d received a reprimand? And, Nancy wasn’t wrong. Faith had let her and Danny down. She stared at Maureen’s and made a decision.
“Dave?” she called out to her brother. “I’ve just got to pop into Maureen’s, okay?”
“Sure, Dad thinks he left his phone at Henry’s.” Dave rolled his eyes. “We’ve got to go back and pick it up before we get to the car. We’ll meet you there.”
Faith went into Maureen’s, took off her sunglasses, and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dim interior. The front of the store was like a normal supermarket and the back was full of stuff for the ranchers like jeans, boots, Western wear, and horse paraphernalia. As a teenager, she’d worked in the store on weekends with Nancy and had a wonderful time.
“Faith!” Maureen, Nancy’s mother, who was sitting at the cashier’s station, put down her phone and stared at her like she was a ghost. “I’d heard you were coming back, but—”
“Hi,” Faith said, smiling. “Is Nancy out back? I’d really like to talk to her.”
“She went through there.” Maureen pointed to the interior of the store. “I think she said something about sorting out the jeans.”
“Thanks.” Faith marched toward the archway. “I won’t be a moment.”
As Faith came up behind her, Nancy was taking pairs of jeans off the shelves and muttering to herself.
“Hey,” Faith said, and Nancy stiffened. “I know I let you down badly. It was a horrible thing to do, and I should at least have written to explain.” She paused, but there was no response. “All I can say in my defense is that back then everything was so overwhelming and frightening that I panicked. By the time things settled down I was too ashamed to write to anyone and convinced that you’d all hate me.”
“Well, you got that part right.” Nancy set another load of denim on the floor. “But you’re also right that I’m stupid to bear a grudge.” She finally turned around to look at Faith. “We were just kids.”
“Thank you.” Faith held her gaze. “And, even though you probably think this is a worthless apology, I really am sorry for hurting you.”
Nancy shrugged. “It’s okay. It’s not as though I lie awake every night plotting evil schemes to bring you down—well, not for the last ten years or so—I accept your apology.”
“Thanks.” Faith kept it simple.
Nancy pointed at the jeans. “I have to get on. I’m due back at work at six.”
“Where do you work now?”
“The Red Dragon.”
“That’s still open?” Faith pictured the run-down dive bar on the corner of Main.
“Yeah, Jay Williams owns it. You should pop by one evening. Bring Dave.”
“Maybe I will.” It was Faith’s turn to nod. “Okay. Dad and Dave are waiting for me in the parking lot.”
“Are you really coming back for good?” Nancy asked.
“Yes, we just signed the paperwork today. I’m looking forward to it.” Faith half turned to go. “Thanks for hearing me out.”
“No problem.” Nancy was already reaching for the next stack of jeans.
Faith let out a relieved breath and smacked right into a solid wall of someone’s chest who grabbed her arm to steady her.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.” She raised her gaze to the man’s face and went still.
“Oh crap.”
“Hey.” Danny Miller looked down at her, his gray eyes full of wry amusement. “Long time no see.”
He let go of her arm and took a step back, giving her plenty of room to escape. She even considered it before she told herself to act like an adult.
“H—How . . . are you?” Faith stuttered.
“Pretty good.”
It was strange looking at him all grown up. He had the same gray eyes and facial features, but he’d filled out his frame and was now tall and lean. As the silence lengthened, she realized she’d been staring at him for way too long and that it was her turn to speak.
“I got your text.”
“I saw that.”
Man, he wasn’t going to help her keep the conversation going. He’d never been much of a talker, even as a teenager.
“I am going to stay in Morgan Valley and run the practice with Dave, so I suppose we really should get together and talk.”
His glance shifted over her shoulder and he lowered his voice. “Probably not here.”
“I can still hear you, Danny Miller!” Nancy called out.
“Can I call you when things are more settled?” Faith asked.
“Sure.”
She pointed at the exit. “Dave and my dad are waiting for me in the parking lot.”
“So you said.” He touched the brim of his hat and moved completely out of her way. “Nice seeing you again, Faith.”