“Yes, but do you know how many vacations I’ve spent on the North Shore?” It was a rhetorical question.
“That’s not quite the same as living here year-round,” he warned her. “I hope you’re as enthusiastic about it come January.” He grinned again and the dimple in his cheek appeared.
“If you’re here, I’ll be happy.”
He squeezed her hand. “That’s what I like to hear.” He glanced past her shoulder and said, “I see a middle-aged couple who look like they’re trying to find somebody. Do the Colliers wear University of Minnesota windbreakers?”
Paige turned and caught sight of her old neighbors, Justin’s parents. She stood and waved, then sat back down, noticing that Michael’s legs were moving even faster than before.
“They won’t bite, I promise,” she said softly.
As Paige expected, Nancy and Elliot Collier treated Michael with a warmth and friendliness that put everyone at ease. That’s why she wasn’t surprised after lunch when Elliot accepted Michael’s offer to show him the golf course at the Cascading Waters Resort.
It also gave Paige an opportunity to sit under the shade of an umbrella on the tiled patio of the resort clubhouse and have an iced tea with her former day-care provider. She wasted no time in asking Nancy, “So what do you think of Michael?”
“I think he’s charming,” she said with a smile. “And he’s very attentive to you.”
“He’s sweet. I know he talks a lot about golf, but that’s because he’s passionate about it.”
“It is his work,” she pointed out. “So tell me about the wedding.”
Paige took a sip of her iced tea. “It’s going to be at the High Falls. That’s always been my favorite spot on the North Shore.”
“Ah, an outdoor wedding…it should be lovely.”
“Did Justin tell you he’s going to be my maid of honor—or maybe I should say man of honor,” she corrected with a grin.
“He did say something to that effect,” Nancy acknowledged.
Paige glanced out across the greens and saw Michael and Elliot riding on a cart. “I’m just grateful he said yes. He’s not very excited about me marrying Michael. Neither is Kyle—but you probably already know that.”
“Actually, neither one has said much about your engagement, but I’m not surprised that they’re giving you a hard time. Ever since you three were kids they’ve put themselves in the role of being your protector.”
“Well, we’re not kids anymore and I don’t need protecting. I know once I’m married my friendship with Kyle and Justin will change, but it doesn’t have to end.” It was a concern that had been on her mind ever since Michael had asked her to marry him.
“I don’t think you have to worry about that happening. Over the years I’ve seen the way you three have handled the growing pains of friendship and I’d say yours has a pretty good foundation. It can probably weather just about anything. Now finish telling me your wedding plans.”
Paige was more than happy to do as she requested. Sitting on the terrace with Nancy talking about flowers and formal wear reminded her of all those times she’d turned to her neighbor after her mother had died when Paige was nine. It was Nancy who had taken her shopping for school clothes and helped her with her homework. It didn’t matter how many kids Nancy had in her day care, she always found time for Paige.
That’s why she was disappointed when the older woman said, “It looks like our guys are back.”
Paige could have sat and talked with her for hours.
“I’m so glad we had this time together,” she said to Paige.
“I am, too. It’s means a lot to me that you’re going to be a part of our wedding celebration.”
“I’m glad that day is going to happen, Paige. You’ve come a long way from the little girl who walked into my day care and announced she was going to hate boys the rest of her life.”
“Doesn’t every nine-year-old girl hate boys?” She tried to dismiss Nancy’s comment with a chuckle, but they both knew what had precipitated the comment. Although Nancy had never pressed her to talk about her mother’s death, Paige was fairly certain that the older woman was aware of the circumstances leading up to the automobile accident.
News of the crash had spread through the neighborhood quickly. Her father and mother had been arguing. Paige had heard them. So had many of the neighbors. What the neighbors hadn’t heard was the reason why. Only Paige knew it was because of a woman her father had met during one of his business trips. That discovery had prompted her mother to pack her bags and drive off in her car. The last words Paige had heard her say to her father were, “I can’t trust you.”
“Paige?”
She realized that she’d been daydreaming and hadn’t heard what Nancy had said. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“I said I’d like to credit Justin and Kyle as being good influences on you, but I honestly think it was the other way around.”
“Does it matter?” Paige asked.
“No, not really. I’m just so proud of all of you. I think of all of my day-care kids, including you and Kyle, as my own, you know.”
“I do, and I appreciate that.”
“Good. Because I want you to know that no matter what happens between you, Kyle and Justin, I’m always here for you.”
“Nothing’s going to happen. We’ll always be friends.”
BY THE TIME Justin Collier arrived home the sun was low in the sky. Not even the approaching dusk could hide the condition of the seventy-five-year-old house he called home. When he and Kyle had bought the place shortly after graduating from college they had intended to fix it up and sell it within a couple of years. That was seven years ago. All the money that should have gone into home improvements had been sunk into the landscape company they’d started. Now their business was flourishing and the house still looked neglected. As Justin went to get the mail from the dented box nailed to the porch, he saw an exterior badly in need of attention.
He added paint to his mental list of things to buy next time he was at the hardware store. Summer was always the busiest season for J&K Landscapes and this year was no exception. Even with the addition of several new employees, he and Kyle often worked twelve-hour days. He consoled himself with the knowledge that by late fall and early winter they would have the time to work on the house. He kicked the dirt off his work boots and went into the kitchen, which showed the same signs of wear as the exterior. Faded floor tiles, permanently stained countertops and dated appliances were fine for a couple of bachelors, but he knew why Paige had been after them to update the place.
Justin grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and sat down on a wooden chair at the table. He glanced at his mail and saw little of interest except for a neon-yellow envelope. He ripped it open and found a schedule for the Bulldog Reunion. In her usual efficient manner Paige had made all the arrangements for the weekend. Only this year there was something different. At the bottom of the invitation were the words Friends are welcome. Justin frowned.
As he folded the schedule he noticed a personal note.
Can’t wait to see you. It’s been too long. Love, P
Yes, it had been a while since he had seen her but that wasn’t his fault. She was the one who had been in a hurry to pack up her things and move a hundred and fifty miles away as soon as she’d finished her teaching job. But it wasn’t simply the distance separating them. The reason it had been so long since Justin and Paige had been together was she had fallen in love. Annoyance rippled through him at the thought of Michael Cross. Of all the men