“Eggs?”
Jade nodded. “They were delicious.”
“She’s known for those. I don’t know what kind of cooking magic she does when she makes them, but they’re amazing.” He glanced at her. She had sunglasses on and the same outfit she wore to thehoedown. Her hair was pulled back with a dark green headband and her fair complexion was radiant. Kind of like he was feeling right now.Whoa. Dial it back, Hudson.
Food. They were talking about food. “There’s a café in Jasper that’s pretty popular. Excellent pie.”
“Coconut cream?”
“To die for.”
She grinned. “I’m in.”
He drove them to the Crescent Ridge Café and enjoyed a lunch of hamburgers, french fries, and of course, pie. He wasn’t into sweets, so he didn’t get a piece. That didn’t stop Jade from offering him a bite.
“Trust me, you’ll love this.” She held out a glob of white-and-light-yellow cream on her fork.
Their surroundings might be different, but everything felt familiar, reminding him of the lunches they shared at the Sports Page in downtown Little Rock. He took the bite, barely aware they were sharing a fork, something they used to do. “Not bad.”
“What?” She shoved the tines back into the slice. “This is the best pie I’ve ever had, and I thought the Clementine Diner’s was exceptional.”
Seb enjoyed watching her finish the dessert. The only hiccup was when the check arrived and she insisted on splitting it, canceling his expectation that he’d take care of the bill. They each paid for their own meals.
It was near noon when they got back in the car, and by the time they’d return to Clementine, it would be almost one o’clock. He still had a pile of work waiting on him, along with finding the ledger. He turned to her. “We need to head back.”
She nodded, glancing his way.
Was that disappointment he saw? Or, rather, wished for.
Jade slid on her sunglasses, and he started the Altima. They were both quiet on the drive back to the inn. Seb didn’t want to push conversation, and they had talked plenty today. All surface things—nothing too personal. Probably for the best.
But when he pulled into the parking lot, reality hit. She was going back to Atlanta tomorrow and this was probably the last time he’d see her. Even if she did decide to talk to Lydia and Logan again, they lived in Little Rock. There wasn’t a reason for her to come back to Clementine.
Seb pulled into a space to the left of the inn. The parking lot was almost empty, and he assumed people were out enjoying the last of the holiday weekend. This was it. Goodbye. That’s all he had to say, and then he’d be on his way toThe Timesoffice. To work. Again.
He opened his mouth. Closed it. Then shut off the engine.
“Sebastian?”
He turned to her, and the question he’d been dying to know the answer to bubbled to the surface. “Why didn’t you get married?”
Chapter 18
You’re stunning, Viv.” Kalista watched her stepmother turn around in front of the tri-paneled mirror. When Kalista got back home from work, Viv asked if she’d like to go with her to the fitting. Of course she said yes, and now they were at a bridal shop in Fayetteville, and Viv was getting the final fitting for her wedding dress. “Bo won’t be able to take his eyes off of you.”
She blushed. “That’s very sweet of you to say.”
“Because it’s true.” The stout seamstress was checking the hem that hovered just above Viv’s bare feet. “You look incredible.”
Kalista had been shopping long enough in her life to know that salespeople would say anything to get you to buy their product and keep you in the store longer to purchase more. In this case the seamstress was absolutely correct. Seeing Viv out of her country clothes and in the tasteful dress reminded her of how Viv used to look when she was married to Kalista’s father.Glamorous.
“I love it.” Viv’s voice was soft as she spoke to the seamstress. “Thank you, Eileen.”
“It was a pleasure to work with you, Ms. Clark.”
Paying close attention to the exchange, Kalista could even see that Viv’s interactions with a store employee had changed. She’dbeen young when she and Viv were on their shopping trips, but she could still remember Viv’s attitude. A little haughty, not necessarily snobby, but she definitely had a superior air about her. Kalista probably wouldn’t have picked up on it now if she hadn’t been around her for the past several days. It wasn’t just seeing her in different clothes that made the difference.
“I’ll be out in a minute.” Viv and Eileen went into the large dressing room for her to change out of the gown, while Kalista browsed through wedding dresses that surrounded the fitting area. She looked at some of the prices, stunned by how inexpensive the gowns were, even the top-dollar ones. She was used to a handbag costing more than some of them. Still, they were all pretty.
