Chapter Three
After an epic browbeating by Dr. Baxter, and an impressive showing of calm, cool, and collected by Lila, she headed home. Though her “home” was less a home and more a rented apartment over Annie-Jean Carlisle’s garage. The older woman liked to stop by unannounced, but since she was part owner of AJ&P Bakery, she always brought over pies or cookies or freshly baked breads for Lila to try. Then she’d grill Lila about her life.
She suspected Annie-Jean, who had always been spunky, was not so much nosy as she was lonely. It made Lila wish she could find Annie-Jean a man. In fact, she was adding that to her list.
At the next stop sign Lila paused, because it wasn’t like anyone was coming from one of the other directions anyway, and pulled her planner from her bag. She flipped to her CK goals page and read through the list.
1. Beg Dr. Baxter to hire her.
Success! Or . . . kind of. Of course, he still insisted that she was going to get him sued and that she couldn’t actually touch an animal. But in time, she’d impress him with her charm. Or if that didn’t work, she’d call Mrs. Baxter.
2. Find a place to live.
Sort of a success. Annie had agreed to let her live there as long as she needed, but Lila hoped to be in her own place within the next six months. She wasn’t vying for love anytime soon, maybe ever, but she sure couldn’t imagine bringing a man back to Annie’s house, when Annie might pop in without warning.
3. Scout out a place to open her own business.
She needed a solid year in at Baxter’s to really learn what Crest-ler’s Key’s business traffic was like, but in that year she intended to explore all her options, get her financing in order, and then she’d let Baxter know she was quitting. Of course that was assuming he didn’t fire her first. And that she acquired some regular clientele. See item 1 about charming Baxter.
4. Go to the shooting range and buy a gun. Or maybe a Taser. Or maybe just a can of pepper spray.
Lucas had been on her ever since the incident in Charlotte that she needed to protect herself, that he wasn’t around all the time, and he’d feel better if she was carrying. The problem wasn’t that Lila didn’t know her way around a gun—her daddy and Lucas had insisted she learn how to shoot. But she wasn’t as well-trained or comfortable with them as Lucas. Plus, he just liked guns. They were interesting to him, fascinating, like a hobby. To Lila, they were a mistake waiting to happen, and she refused to carry one or even own one until that fear had been overcome. Which, let’s be honest, might never happen. She wasn’t anti-gun. She was anti-Lila-with-a-gun.
5. Call Charlie Littleton.
She wasn’t sure why Charlie had found his way onto her list, but she knew that she wanted to see him. She wanted to see if he was still the free-spirited boy she remembered. Though he owned the farm with his brothers, she suspected that wasn’t his thing, and she was eager to learn what he was up to now. Even if he were Lucas’s best friend, and Lucas would freak out if he knew she was having any thoughts at all about Charlie. Of course, the calling hadn’t happened—yet.
But she had seen him.
Her thoughts drifted back to the hospital and seeing him outside on the porch, wearing nothing but a pair of gym shorts and worry on his face. Her attention went immediately to the dog, and for a beat she didn’t realize that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. But then he set Henry on the exam table and stepped back, revealing an impeccably built body, and suddenly Lila forgot how to breathe. Her eyes scanned down his bare chest, hills and valleys and contours in all the right places, and her brain refused to work. She was transported to that fateful day when she’d almost kissed him, that crush of hers taking over, and for a second, she thought he wanted to kiss her back, she could see it on his face, and her pitiful heart surged. But then he looked away, his head down, his eyes closed tightly before returning to hers, and she could see the rejection on his face long before he opened his mouth.
Shuddering, she forced her thoughts away from Charlie and his name and down to the number six, which had been empty. Quickly she wrote out her sixth goal and task.
6. Find Ms. Annie a man.
She was reaching over to put the planner back in her bag when a horn sounded from behind her and she jumped, her eyes darting to the rearview mirror, another memory bubbling up before she could push it back. Darkness. Someone approaching. Fear so real it sucked the oxygen from her lungs.
Her hands clenched around the steering wheel as the horn honked again, and then the door of the car behind her opened, and Lila started to take off, before she caught the person waving her arms frantically, and Lila’s fear-stricken face quickly switched to a smile. She pushed her own door open and stepped out, taking off, until she reached the woman and then they were talking all at once.
“When did you get here?”
“How did you know it was me?”
“I can’t believe you’re finally back!”
“I can’t believe it’s you!”
Hugging the woman tightly once more, Lila stepped back and peered down at her tiny best friend, Audrey, the spitting image of the famous Audrey Hepburn even all these years later.
“You scared the crap out of me.”
Audrey’s brown eyes narrowed as she pulled back.
“Lord, why would you be scared here? Did you forget where you are? This isn’t that big city life you had in Charlotte.”
Big city life in Charlotte? Most people wouldn’t consider Charlotte an especially big city. Midsized, maybe, but nowhere near the population of Atlanta or Boston or New York. Which was maybe why Lila never worried over her safety there, but she learned the hard way that insanity can live and breathe anywhere. In Crestler’s Key, though? Maybe not. She hoped not, but all the same she would be on her guard. Always.
Lila released her friend and ran a hand over her face. Audrey grabbed the hand and held it out, staring as it continued to tremble despite Lila’s strict instruction to stop.
“You’re shaking.”
The sky had long since turned dark, with gray storm clouds hovering overhead, the look ominous and threatening. Besides the occasional car passing in the distance, there were no other sounds around them. Perhaps, the occasional cricket or wind through the trees, but otherwise it was quiet, peaceful. Nothing about Crestler’s Key suggested danger, and Lila knew that, yet she couldn’t get her heart to slow down. In truth, it hadn’t slowed down in more than six months, and that single problem was one of the reasons she’d moved back to Crestler’s Key in the first place. She needed to find comfort, to remember how to breathe again, to close her eyes without fearing what she’d find when she reopened them. And only one place brought that kind of relief. Or more specifically, only one person.
Charlie.
Lucas also made her feel safe, but once he joined the army and moved up to the Special Forces divisions, she found herself more afraid for him than comforted by him. Which left only Charlie, the boy who’d always been around, always looking after her, always able to slow down her racing heart and remind her that fear lived in your chest, not in the world. Only that wasn’t really true, something Lila would never forget.
“Lila.”
Snapping herself out of the daze, she waved her hand through the air and tried to laugh, playing off the reaction as nothing. “Stupid nightmare last night still has me freaked out.”
She could tell her friend wasn’t convinced, but Audrey had always been the kind of person to listen, never push. “All right. Well, I was heading over to Maguire’s to meet up with the girls. Want to come?”
“The girls?”
Lila tried to ignore the sting of jealousy in her chest that her best friend now had new girls to call best friends. It wasn’t Audrey’s fault that Lila left for college, then vet school, then work. What did she expect, her friend to never befriend another person? No, she would never want that, but still . . .
“Yeah, Harper and Sophie are new to town since you were here, but you know Ella. Kate and Emery were supposed to join us, but something came up with their kids.”
Lila nodded. She hadn’t seen Kate Littleton in a long time, but she was always very sweet. A teacher now, Lila thought, and there couldn’t be a better profession for her. Zac, the eldest brother, was always domineering, forever a leader. He ran the farm. And then Brady, the youngest, always pretended to be wild, but really he was a lot like Charlie. Charlie wasn’t wild in the least, but he was a true free spirit, a creature of nature. Both he and Brady could have been happy on some beach somewhere, a drink in their hands as they stared at the water, waiting for their next adventure.
Lila wasn’t sure if any of the Littleton brothers had married, though she knew Kate had married a Hamilton from Triple Run. And then at the animal hospital, Lila didn’t notice a ring on Charlie’s finger, which gave her more joy than it should.
“So you’ll come? Please come.”
Glancing back at her car, then up at the night sky, Lila contemplated what she wanted to do. In truth, she wanted to go back to her apartment at Annie’s, change into PJ’s, and get lost in an episode of Gilmore Girls. Nothing about her life was flashy now, and though she knew her idea of “fun” would be classified as old and boring to anyone else her age, she liked to make it inside, check the closets and under the bed, lock the doors. It gave her comfort, something in short supply these days. “It might rain,” she said finally, knowing it was a thin excuse.
“Not inside the bar,” Audrey said with a smirk.
Lila’s lips twitched. “You always were such a smartass.”
“You love me.”
“I do. And I’ve missed you.”
Audrey reached out and grasped her hand. “Me, too, love. Please come hang out. I want to catch up. Lots to discuss since you left. Just a drink or two and they have fantastic wings. It’ll be fun.”
Fun sounded like something in a book or movie at this point, nothing that could be real in Lila’s world, but what the heck. The only person she’d hung out with since she arrived in Crestler’s Key was Annie, and though she adored the woman and her cooking, Lila could use some true girl time. Besides, eventually, she would have to push herself outside of her comfort zone; otherwise, she might never recover enough to become her old self again.
“Okay, I’m in.”
They decided for both women to drive, so Lila could leave if she wanted, which—let’s face it—was a very strong possibility. She needed to get out, but she also liked to be alone. Well, alone until Annie chose to use her spare key and make herself at home in the apartment, whether Lila was up for a visit or not.
Parking around back of Maguire’s beside Audrey’s red convertible, Lila stepped out, locked her car, and then came to a halt. Her eyes traveled down, from her too-dressy blouse, to her too-professional skirt. She was not at all dressed in bar-appropriate clothes. Or even dinner-appropriate clothes.
“Um, I’m a mess.” She motioned to her clothes and then Audrey, who was perfectly trendy in an easy skirt and tank top, sandals completing the look. No one in Crestler’s Key would dress skimpy, even at a bar, but still, there was an expected easiness that went with a bar look—fitted jeans, heels, cute top. Skirt, tank, sandals, like Audrey. Something.
But Lila was still dressed in her work attire—dress skirt and blouse, heels. Boring.
Audrey scanned her up and down, cocked her head in thought, then snapped her fingers. “Okay, we can work with this. Totally work with it. Do you have a tank under that shirt?” she asked and Lila couldn’t help but grin that her friend still knew her so well.
“Always.”
Audrey beamed. “I knew it. Okay, good, shed the outer layer.”
Lila unbuttoned her work blouse to reveal a black tank top, and then she remembered with a touch of horror that below the black tank, she’d worn a new black lace bralette. She’d bought one from Victoria’s Secret after the second time Annie had popped in unannounced—this time with Marty, the mailman—and found Lila in her PJ shorts and white tank top without a bra.
Double embarrassment.
She vowed then to wear a bra at all times, but no woman could comfortably wear a devil-bra all the time, so she bought the bralette. Only when she received it, it was so comfy that it spoiled her. She quickly ordered four more and hadn’t worn a devil-bra since.
Now Audrey’s eyes bulged, a slow smile spreading. “What is that adorableness? Turn around.”
Lila did as instructed and remembered the high-neck back with intricate lace detailing.
“That is so pretty! Where did you get it? I need one.”
Lila grinned. “Victoria’s Secret, but I’ll warn you, you’ll never wear a normal bra again. They’re addictive.”
“Yeah, that settles it. I’m ordering one tonight.” She eyed Lila’s outfit again, then went back to her car, popped the trunk, and pulled out a pair of sparkly black sandals. “Same size as me, right?”
God love her. What had Lila done without Audrey for the last several years? Clearly, her fashion sense had suffered, but what else? It had been a long time since she’d hung out with girls and talked about girlie things.
Slipping on the pretty sandals, she stared down at her new outfit—black skirt, black tank, and black sandals. Not half bad. It worked with her tan, and at least she didn’t have her work outfit on anymore. Mostly.
They walked around to the front of the bar, taking the sidewalk, and with each step Lila felt her pulse speeding up, her nerves twisting. It had been a long time since she’d been here. What would the town think of her now?
Music poured out from the bar as they reached the front door, already open from someone else slipping inside before them. Thankfully, Charlie wouldn’t be here, so at least she wouldn’t have to be on her A game. If she even had an A game, anymore.
Audrey waved to a group of women around a raised-top table close to the bar, and they started over, Lila’s nerves twisting again as she peered around.
This is Crestler’s Key, she told herself. Safer than safe. Plus, her brother was in town, and he could drop a person by look alone. Everything was okay.
“Lila!” Ella stood and started for her, and Lila grinned as she hugged her old friend. “We’re so excited you’re back. Are you here for good? I heard Old Baxter is giving you grief.”
Wow, talk travelled fast. She’d forgotten how quickly gossip spread here. Back in Charlotte, no one knew anyone else’s business. It was nice, and she’d enjoyed her time there, until . . . I’m not going to think about it. Not now.
Lila shrugged. “I’m working him down. But yes, back for good.”
“This is Harper,” Ella said, motioning to the red-headed woman beside her, her look natural and very Crestler’s Key. Lila imagined she fit in perfectly the moment she stepped foot inside town limits. “And this is Sophie.”
Lila’s gaze cut over to the woman beside Harper, her ultra-blond hair flowing down her back in waves, her face perfectly made up, a wicked glint in her eyes that Lila suspected never went away. It must have been an experience to watch the town’s reaction to her.
“Hey, you,” Sophie said, like they were old friends. “I was wondering when I’d get to meet the famous Lila Jacobs.”
“Famous?” Lila’s eyes widened.
Sophie’s ruby-red lips spread into a smile. “Yeah, Charlie talks about you and Lucas all the time.”
Her heart clenched. “You know Charlie?” Sophie didn’t look like Charlie’s type but then Lila didn’t really know Charlie anymore, now did she? His type could have changed. He could have changed.
But then before she could dwell on it more, Audrey piped up. “Sophie’s engaged to Zac Littleton,” she said, likely sensing Lila’s unease. Though they rarely talked about it, Audrey knew Lila had crushed on Charlie all her childhood and teen years.
“Wow, that’s amazing. Zac is a great guy,” Lila said, unable to hide her relief, and a knowing look crossed Sophie’s face.
“This is going to be fun,” she said, and Lila looked around as though she’d missed something.
“What’s going to be fun?” Maybe she meant the wedding planning, that sort of thing.
A look of absolute glee took over Sophie’s face, like she’d just found herself in the middle of a challenge she couldn’t refuse. “Oh, nothing.” Then she nodded to the bar. “I’ll get you a drink. What are you having?”
“She’ll have a Corona with lime. Same as me,” Audrey said, then she paused and looked over at Lila. “Or I guess that could have changed. There’s so much I don’t know about you now.” Her mouth turned down in a frown, but Lila quickly spoke up.
“Sadly, I haven’t changed all that much. Terrible, isn’t it? But yeah, a Corona would be great.”
Sophie beamed. Clearly her resting face was a smile. “Two Coronas coming up. Anyone else need anything?” She eyed the table, but Harper was still nursing a fruity drink with an umbrella and Ella shook her head.
“I’m good. I think Maguire put double the alcohol in this thing,” Ella said, shaking her cocktail. “It’ll be a miracle if I don’t have a hangover tomorrow, and this is my first drink.”
They all laughed, and then Sophie bopped over to the bar, her move almost giddy.
“What’s she so excited about?” Lila asked, glancing over at Sophie with intrigue.
“She’s like a town matchmaker on steroids,” Audrey said. “It’s like she’s happy now so she wants everyone else to be, too.”
“Aw, that’s kind of nice,” Lila said. “Who’s she trying to fix up?” She was still watching Sophie, so she didn’t notice that all three women were staring her down until she peered over at Audrey, then did a double take at the grin on her face.
“No. Not me. I just got here. Who would she want to set me up with?”
Audrey laughed. “You’re kidding, right? You’re back in town, the only girl Charlie Littleton has ever talked about with any real interest, and our fine matchmaker, Sophie, is marrying his brother. It’s like kismet.”
“What?” Thank God Lila didn’t have her drink yet, or she would have spit it everywhere. “Me and Charlie? No, no, no. That’s crazy.” Jerking back, Lila stared around the bar, hopeful no one had heard what she’d said. Especially someone by the name of Charlie. Or a friend of Charlie’s. Or anyone who might at all know Charlie. Which, crap, described everyone in the town.
Her cheeks burned and she tried to clear her face of any unwanted emotions that might reveal how very much Lila would have loved the idea of being with Charlie . . . six months ago. Now she wasn’t—couldn’t—well, she didn’t really know what she was anymore, but dateable certainly wasn’t on the table. Not now, maybe not ever if she couldn’t shake the panic in her chest every time she thought about it.
“The way I see it, it’s crazy y’all haven’t gotten together yet,” Sophie said as she set down the two beers and took her own seat, some pink concoction in her hand that Lila suspected Maguire had never made prior to Sophie requesting it. She read as the kind of woman who knew who she was and wasn’t about to stand down on her wants for anyone. Zac was in trouble.
“No, seriously. It really isn’t like that.” Lila took a long pull of her beer, then two, because clearly she needed alcohol in her veins to survive this conversation.
“But you like him, right? Or is that in the past?”
She choked on her beer, sputtering as she glared over at her old best friend. The key word there old, because Lila might not talk to Audrey again after this outing. Clearly, Harper, Ella, and Sophie were trustworthy people for Audrey, but Lila didn’t know them. Not really, and certainly not enough to talk about Charlie.
“It’s been a long time since I thought about Charlie like that.”
Lie.
“Honestly, I didn’t think he still lived here.”
Lie.
“Charlie’s the furthest thing from my mind.”
I am so going to hell.
Sophie’s eyes flashed with excitement, like Lila had said exactly what she wanted to hear. Clearly, she’d need to work on her poker face around these ladies if she hoped to hide her true feelings. “Well, you might not have thought about him, but he’s definitely thought about you. Probably thinking about you right now, by the way he’s looking around this bar.”
This bar? Did she just say this bar?
Lila spun around so fast she almost fell out of her chair, but not before Sophie threw her hand into the air and called out, “Charlie!”
And suddenly his eyes snapped to the table, scanning, until they landed on Lila, and then he was coming toward them.