Page 78

“Didn’t end well?” Phoebe raised her brows sympathetically.

“We split. Decided we were better friends than spouses.”

“I’m sorry.”

Wanda’s hazel eyes widened in surprise. “Don’t be. We’re still friends to this day. He lives just down the road. He’s my best friend, aside from this one.” She jabbed a thumb toward her sister, who had sat back down next to Phoebe.

“Oh. Well, I think it’s nice, living with your sister. I wouldn’t mind growing old with mine, Kayla. Except she’s getting married.”

“What about you?” Tina slapped her hands on her knees. “You’re young and gorgeous. Ain’t got no one back home?”

Phoebe accepted the compliment with a tilt of her head. “Back home, no. There is someone here, though.”

“Here?” Both sisters leaned in curiously. “Who is he?”

“He’s from Gainesville, so not here here. You probably wouldn’t know him. But he was my best friend in college, and we haven’t seen each other since then. But now we’re, sort of, working together.”

“You say you’re working together, but you like him?” Tina cut straight to the point.

“Well.” Phoebe’s subconscious ran wild with potential answers to this question: I’m not sure if like is a sufficient word to encompass the way I feel about Jonathan Lee. We’re working together, but I would really, really like to see what it’s like to kiss him after all these years. The logical part of her brain was slightly horrified by these thoughts.

“I think there are some feelings there. But I probably missed my chance, because he asked me out years ago and I said no. Plus, I don’t want to ruin our working relationship.”

“You’re probably right.” Wanda heaved herself to her feet and started clearing plates. “Work and friendship are more important than marriage.”

“Now, hold on.” Tina held up one finger. “Easy enough for you to say, having tried it. From where I’m sitting, it might be worth taking a chance on love.”

“Was there ever anyone that you…?” Phoebe wasn’t sure how to finish the question.

Tina nodded. “She was the best thing in my life for a few short years, until the military shipped her overseas and she decided to stay there. But even if she’d come back, the time wasn’t right for—well, for two women. It wasn’t meant to be.”

“I’m sorry.” Phoebe hadn’t been expecting such a sad story. She didn’t know how to rally the conversation. “You two have such a beautiful home, though. I can tell you put a lot of love into it.”

“We do. Because there’s more to life than loving a man—or a woman, in Tina’s case.” Wanda’s voice was gruff as she scrubbed the frying pan. “There’s finding pride in your work, appreciating what you’ve got, being a good member of the community.”

“She’s not wrong. There’s a lot to life, as you’ll learn when you get to be as ancient as we are.” Tina gazed out the window at the expansive grassy lawn, then looked back at Phoebe. “But I’m guessing—from my own personal experience—if your friend loved you before, a part of him still loves you now. Or maybe more than a part of him.”

“I don’t know. It was a long time ago.”

Phoebe crossed the kitchen to the side door and looked out at the picturesque scene. Two brown horses swished their tails, swatting at flies, and chickens pecked at the grass.

“You didn’t mention that you had chickens.”

“Everyone has chickens.” Tina helped clear the rest of the dishes. “Look, since you’re here, I’ll offer you my advice. Think about what you’ll regret when you’re our age. Looking back on your life. What would you wish you had done? Even if it doesn’t work out, isn’t it worth trying?”

The response came automatically. “I think I would regret giving up on my business before it’s even left the ground.”

Tina paused, looking at her evenly. “There will always be other work opportunities. Or time to start another business, and another one after that. But there’s no guarantee you’ll find another person who means as much to you. I would have given anything for another chance.”

Phoebe’s heart fluttered. She wished she knew Tina well enough to give her a hug. But then the moment was over.

“All right, I’m heading into town for an errand. I’ll drop you back off wherever you’re staying,” Wanda said.

Phoebe thanked Tina, then followed Wanda out the door.

Back at Arden’s, Phoebe couldn’t sit still. After a couple hours of work, she could no longer concentrate. She desperately wanted to get more work done—they were so close to finishing their business proposal, she could taste it. She wanted to get to the next step—reaching out to potential investors. But they had to get the proposal exactly right before they could do that.

So why was she finding it impossible to focus?