Chapter 3
“Allie, were we really that dorky back then?”
Allie grimaced as she eyed the five-by-eight photograph her cousin Sadie McKenna held. The framed image was from nearly two decades ago and had been sitting on an end table next to a sofa, which was nearly as old but still in fairly good condition. Both fifteen-year-old girls were grinning, each with an arm over the other’s shoulder. While Sadie had the appearance of the cool, popular, athletic, and attractive teenager she’d been back then, Allie had been a nerdy wallflower. The photo was taken at the end of her sophomore year at Holden High School, two weeks before she and her parents moved to Denver.
At the time, while she’d known she would miss her Aunt Emily, Sadie, and the rest of her relatives in the area, Allie had looked forward to starting over in a new school and making friends. Anything would’ve been better than her time at HHS, being targeted by the mean girls and seeing that bastard West all the time. God, she hated the memories of those days.
Crestwood High School had been better than she’d hoped for. The rest of the summer had gone quickly with all the unpacking and decorating she and her parents had done at their new house. It’d taken a few weeks to settle into the new school and find a clique she fit into, but through it all, even with thousands of miles separating them, her cousin had been there for her. They’d often texted, FaceTimed, and called, celebrating, commiserating, and supporting each other through different life events. That was why Sadie was now helping Allie sort through her deceased aunt’s possessions.
Emily Thurman had been her father’s sister, while Sadie was related to Allie on her mother’s side, but the older woman had treated them both with the same amount of love as they grew up. She’d been widowed at a young age and never remarried or had any children of her own, but everyone close to Emily had been family to her, whether they were blood-related or not. Sadie had cried as hard as Allie when she’d heard the elderly woman had passed away two months ago. With Allie being the closest heir, most of the estate had been left to her upon Emily’s death. The rest had been bequeathed to several charities.
“I was a dork. You belonged in Teen Magazine.”
Sadie rolled her eyes. “You were not a dork—just a late bloomer. I mean, look at you now—you’re fucking gorgeous. Hell, most of the people at Aunt Em’s wake and funeral, who weren’t family, had no clue who you were.”
It was true. During the months following the move to Denver, Allie had shot up and out, adding five inches to her height and two cup sizes to her breasts. Her baby fat had finally shifted to where it enhanced her figure. Suddenly, she had cleavage, a narrower waist, and curvy hips. In other words, she’d become voluptuous. The chubbiness had left her face, showing off cheekbones and smooth, nearly flawless skin that more than one of her friends had said they’d kill for over the years. The braces had come off, and her parents allowed her to ditch the glasses at sixteen and arranged for her to get contacts. And now, she didn’t even need those since having LASIK surgery a few years ago.
All of those changes had contributed to her gaining self-confidence, especially when the boys started to notice and flirt with her, but she’d still been a bit introverted for the rest of her high school years. While she’d made more friends in Colorado than in New York, it hadn’t been until she attended college that her personality had truly emerged. Thankfully, her sorority sisters and a few mentors had helped draw her out of her shell. After she’d pledged to Chi Omega at Ridgeland University, she’d blossomed.
During her third year of college, a friend had convinced Allie to dye her hair a rich auburn with beautiful highlights, adding to her transformation from blah Allondra to chic Allie. Her mother and Sadie said the coloring lit up her face, and she loved it enough to keep it that way ever since. She was a completely different woman from the teenager she’d been, and sometimes it seemed like her younger self existed in another dimension. One she never wanted to visit again.
During Aunt Emily’s wake, many people she’d known had asked who she was since she’d been standing in a receiving line with the family. Once she said her name, most had gaped momentarily before regaining their composure and offering her their condolences for her loss. It would’ve been comical if it hadn’t been such a solemn occasion.
Bringing her attention back to the task at hand, Allie glanced around the living room. She still had so much to do and no idea where to begin. Thank goodness Sadie was more organized when it came to household stuff. Allie’s office was tidy and efficient. Her apartment? Not so much.
Sadie handed her a piece of paper. “Okay, here’s your list. Call the charity to pick up the pieces of furniture that are still in good condition, but you don’t want to keep. Then arrange for a dumpster to be delivered by Friday. I put the name and number of the company that Pete’s friend owns. Don’t forget to tell Rich you’re related to us—he’ll give you a good deal. Then, grab everything on the shopping list while running your other errands. Pete and I will be here with the kids first thing on Saturday morning to help go through all the cabinets, drawers, closets, basement, and the garage.”
Allie took the list from her cousin and mentally added a few other chores. A stack of death certificates in her aunt’s name had to be mailed to creditors, her health insurance carrier, the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Motor Vehicles. Emily’s life insurer had already been notified since that money had been used for the funeral, with the remaining amount mailed to Allie in the form of a check. Other death certificates needed to be delivered to the utility companies, the town’s tax office, Aunt Emily’s bank, her financial planner, and her insurance agent for the house and the car still sitting in the driveway. Selling the five-year-old Buick was one more thing on an extensive checklist of things Allie had to do.
“Are you any closer to making a decision about whether to sell the house or move back here?” Sadie asked.
She shook her head. “Not really. Part of me wants to—it would be great to live near you and the rest of the family again. I spoke to my boss, who said I could easily transfer to the Albany office, but it’s such a big decision. I like Denver and have friends there, but… oh, hell, I don’t know. Mom said she’d move back here if I wanted to—not to live with me, though. She’d find another senior living facility. But if I want to stay in Denver, then she will too. Anyway, I have four weeks before I have to go back to work. Hopefully, I’ll know by then what I want to do.”
Between her annual vacation allowance and a lot of unused personal time, she’d been able to take a full month off of work to deal with her aunt’s estate. That was after the week she’d taken to fly in for the memorial services, which her aunt had pre-arranged at some point with a local funeral home and the church she’d attended most of her life.
Sadie wrapped her arms around Allie in a comforting hug. “You’ll make the decision when the time is right. I’ll support you either way. I’d love to have you and your mother back here, but you have to do what’s best for you.” Releasing her, Sadie grabbed her purse and keys from the coffee table. “All right. I have to go pick up Jayne and take her to soccer practice. Call if you need anything else or think of something we forgot.”
“I will.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to come over for dinner tonight?”
She waved her cousin off. “Yeah, but thanks anyway. I’ll grab something at the hotel, then stop at the supermarket and pick up some food on my way here tomorrow. At least the refrigerator is clean now.” It’d been the first thing they’d worked on when Sadie had arrived earlier. Thank God the electric bills were on auto-pay, so it hadn’t been too disgusting to throw out everything in the freezer and fridge that’d been there for at least two months before scrubbing the interior.
After Sadie left, Allie called her mother, who picked up on the second ring. “Hi, sweetheart. I was just thinking about you. How’s it going?”
“Okay, I guess. Sadie was here for a few hours, and we’ve made a battle plan to attack everything that needs to be done.”
“I wish I could be there to help.” Her mother, Brenda, had tripped and fallen last week, breaking her left wrist. Instead of taking another trip back east with Allie, she’d stayed home since there would’ve been little she could do one-handed. Allie’s father, Patrick, had died a few years ago. Since then, her mom had sold their house and moved into an apartment in a senior living complex where she had plenty of friends who could assist her.
“We’ve got it covered. Sadie is bringing Pete, Jayne, and Matt over on Saturday, along with two of Matt’s friends. The boys can help Pete sort through the things in the basement and garage while Sadie, Jayne, and I tackle all the closets and stuff.”
Matt and his friends were all thirteen years old, while his younger sister was eleven. Allie planned to pay the kids for their time, then get Sadie and Pete a gift certificate to a nice restaurant or something, since they would never accept money from her.
“Are you staying there tonight or at the hotel again?”
“Aunt Em bought a new full-size mattress for the spare bedroom at some point—it’s still wrapped in the plastic it was delivered in, so she must’ve recently gotten it. She only had that old blue quilt on it. There are linens in the closet, but I don’t know when she last washed them, so I ran them through the laundry earlier. Tomorrow, I’m going shopping for a few things, and pillows and a comforter are on my list. I’ll sleep at the hotel again tonight since it’s too late to check out, but I’ll stay here starting tomorrow.”
She’d flown into Albany yesterday, picked up the SUV she’d rented, and driven to Holden, where she’d checked into a hotel not far from her aunt’s house. While Emily had kept her home clean, it’d been two months since anyone had been in it. Allie had decided to wait until she and Sadie could take a quick inventory of what they needed and scrub everything before she moved in for the next few weeks. In addition to the kitchen, they’d cleaned both bathrooms earlier.
“Okay. Good.”
She paced the living room. “How are you feeling? How’s the arm?”
“Better. I didn’t need the pain pills today. Tylenol was enough. Margie will be here in about ten minutes to take me to lunch, so don’t worry about me.”
After a little more chitchat, they ended the call. Her mom had such wonderful friends in Denver, which was one reason Allie was waffling about whether to move back to Holden. It wasn’t as if Brenda couldn’t make new friends—in fact, she still stayed in touch with several from when she’d lived in New York.
“Ugh. You won’t figure this out tonight,” Allie said aloud.
Making sure she had the list Sadie had given her, she gathered her purse and the keys to the rented Toyota. Two hours later, the rear of the SUV was stocked with storage totes and bags filled with everything she needed. Arriving at the hotel, she pulled up to the valet parking, thankful she didn’t have to empty the vehicle since they had a secure lot for their guests.
When a uniformed young man opened the door, she climbed out. “Is there a quiet place within walking distance where I can get a good burger or something?”
The hotel had an excellent restaurant, but it was pricey. Thirty-five dollars for a cheeseburger and fries was too much.
Holden had grown tremendously since she’d lived there, and most of the town didn’t seem familiar to her anymore. Many new malls, shopping centers, office buildings, housing developments, and condo complexes were added. A minor-league ballpark was built on the outskirts of town and was now home to an AA team affiliated with the Yankees. Her old high school was still there, but another building had been added, doubling its size. There were still businesses she recognized from long ago, but those were few and far between.
The valet pointed toward the end of the street. “Stay on this side and go past the traffic light. Another half block down, there’s a great place called the Cat & Fiddle. The food is awesome, and it shouldn’t be too crowded since it’s Tuesday.”
“Thank you.” She tipped him when he handed her a claim stub.
Glancing down at her T-shirt and jeans, she frowned when she saw how dirty they’d gotten throughout the day. Smudges of dust and grime were too noticeable for her to be out in public, so she headed into the hotel and took the elevator to her room.
Thirty minutes later, she was scrubbed clean after a wonderful spa-style shower and dressed in black capris, a celery-green V-neck top, and black canvas shoes. A light application of blush, eyeliner, and lip gloss enhanced her facial features. Her hair was still damp but clipped into a messy yet stylish knot. It was so thick that she usually let it air-dry for a while before blowing it out unless she was in a rush. When that happened, her arms tended to ache from holding the dryer and brush by the time she was done. Putting her hair up was the easiest option tonight since she was hungry and eating alone.
It was a beautiful mid-spring evening, with a temperature of sixty-eight degrees according to a weather app on her phone, so the walk from the hotel was enjoyable, and it didn’t take long to arrive at her destination. It sat between a hair salon and a small bookstore. A hunter-green awning complemented the pub’s rich dark wood exterior. Above that, an image of a cat playing a fiddle and the establishment’s name were carved into a large, decorative wooden sign. The place was inviting, and had she just come across it, she probably would’ve chosen to eat there even without the valet’s recommendation.
Glancing upward at the rest of the building, she noticed what appeared to be four floors of apartments. It was in a nice area, not too far from the train station, and she briefly wondered what downtown rents were like in Holden nowadays. The main streets had been updated over the years, and attractive lampposts, flower beds, and trees now lined the outer edges of the sidewalks. Older buildings had been replaced by newer ones, or their facades had gotten facelifts. It wouldn’t be a hardship to live there again if she decided to move back.
Opening the door, she strode in and found the restaurant’s interior was just as pleasant—cozy and welcoming. The valet had been right. It was quiet, though a few customers were scattered among several tables while others sat at the long, elaborate bar that seemed to be made from the same wood used for the front facade.
Not wanting to sit alone at a table, Allie took a stool at the bar, leaving several empty ones between herself and two older men watching a sports channel on a TV above the shelves filled with liquor bottles. At the far end, a lone bartender had his back to her as he prepared drinks for a waiting server. Beyond that was the entrance to the kitchen and a hallway that probably led to the bathrooms. Opposite the bar were two openings to another room, one at the front of the restaurant and the other at the back. She peeked through the closest one, and the room looked like another dining area. It was probably used for parties or overflow on busy nights.
A small bar menu was propped up in a holder in front of the seat next to her, and she snatched it, hoping to find something that sounded good enough to order. However, she was so famished that she would eat practically anything. She’d had breakfast around 8:30 a.m. before heading over to Aunt Emily’s and nothing since, except a few bottles of water and a granola bar she’d brought with her.
While she was perusing the menu, a coaster slid across the bar and landed in front of her. A deep, rumbling voice said, “Hi, welcome to the Cat & Fiddle. Can I get you something to drink?”
Her gaze lifted, and her jaw nearly hit the floor as she prayed her mind was playing tricks on her.
Holy shit! No, it can’t be. Please, no.
But it was. She’d recognize that handsome yet devilish face anywhere, even after all these years. Weston Lockhart. Her former crush and the source of a teenage humiliation that still stung almost two decades later. Her heart squeezed painfully at the memory.
As much as she hated to admit it, he’d aged well. He was taller than she recalled—his shoulders were broader, too—but that was to be expected considering they’d both been fifteen the last time she saw him. His jet-black hair now had a touch of gray at the temples, and his eyes were still cobalt blue. They were piercing, and it took a moment for her to realize they were aimed directly at her face, but she saw no sign of recognition. Of course, he wouldn’t remember her. She doubted anyone from Holden High would since she’d been far from popular and left after the tenth grade.
When his eyebrows inched upward, she couldn’t bring to mind what he’d asked her. “Um, I’m sorry. I zoned out there for a second. It’s been a long day.”
A smile spread across his face, making him even more attractive. And damn it, he still had those adorable dimples she hadn’t forgotten. She would’ve flirted with him if he were any other man. But her memories of the past squashed that urge in a heartbeat.
“I asked if I could get you something to drink.”
Alcohol. Yes, definitely. She needed something to calm the range of unwelcome emotions coursing through her. Glancing at the array of bottles behind the bar, she tried to concentrate on the labels and force herself to relax and act nonchalant. “An old-fashioned with Four Roses, please.”
“Coming right up.” He pointed to a chalkboard hanging on the wall to her right. “Tonight’s specials are listed there. Let me know if you have any questions.”
When he turned his back to her, grabbing the bottle of Kentucky bourbon she’d requested, her shoulders sagged, and her stomach roiled. She muttered the famous line from Casablanca to herself with a slight twist. “Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, I had to walk into his.”
It was kind of surprising to find him working as a bartender. Not that there was anything wrong with the profession, but he was on the varsity football team as their second quarterback in only his sophomore year. Even then, people had said he was destined to be drafted into the NFL one day. She didn’t follow sports and wondered whether he’d gone pro. Either way, how had he ended up working in a bar? As far as she remembered, he’d been a better-than-average student in almost every class except science. He only passed chemistry in her final year at Holden because she’d helped him. And how had he repaid her?
Nope. Don’t go there.
Her only salvation right now was that he didn’t seem to recognize her. If there’d been any hint he remembered who she was, Allie would’ve hightailed it out of the pub without a backward glance. But then she would’ve looked like the fool he thought she was in high school.
Ugh! Stop thinking about that! Have a drink, get something to eat, and enjoy the view. Her gaze dropped to his well-formed ass encased in snug black jeans. No, don’t do that… ignore him, drink, eat, and then leave and never come back.
By the time he brought the old-fashioned over and set it in front of her on the coaster, she’d managed to build up her defenses and resolve. She glanced at the specials board and picked the first thing that caught her eye. “I’ll have the sun-dried tomato grilled cheese sandwich, please.”
She nearly bit her tongue after that last word. Why should I be polite to him? Because that’s how you were raised! Ugh!
With a nod, he said, “That’s one of my favorites. Homemade potato chips or fries?”
“Um, the chips sound good. Thanks.”
“No problem.”
As he left to place her order, her gaze slid down his back, past his trim waist, to that fine ass again. Silently cursing, she picked up her drink and took a large gulp.
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