LITMIR.BIZ

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and indigo, the photos will stand out. I’ve made a photo montage and coupled it with their favorite songs. Simple yet elegant. I want the focus to be on them and their family and friends, a celebration of two lives merged and what comes from that.”

      “That sounds amazing! I’ve got some frames here I could send.”

      “God no, then I’ll be arrested for stealing or something.”

      “Good point. Well, let me know if I can find anything around town and ship it over.”

      “Thanks, Amory. Ship yourself here, that’d be good.”

      “Be careful what you wish for.”

      ***

      I’d left Kai in one of the upper rooms of the lodge, poring over the fire inspection report with promises to meet later to discuss it. It was good to be back inside, and as I walked sedately down the stairs I couldn’t help but shiver at how close we had come to losing everything. Still, time marched invariably on and it was time to catch up with my old gang of friends.

      Micah honked the horn and I went outside, shrinking as the cold hit my skin.

      I figured I’d be subtle when I mentioned Isla. Take it slow and not scare him off. I jumped in the car and fastened my seatbelt. “So-o-o, anything you want to tell me?” Whoops. Perhaps subtle wasn’t in my vocabulary. Micah had been discharged from the hospital early that morning, but I’d insisted he take the rest of the week off, no matter how much he protested, so now was my chance to grill him.

      “Well, I’m glad you asked,” he said, grinning, “This morning I had waffles for breakfast, with strawberries and cream, and I hiked up the bluff to work the sugar out of my system, since I’m banned from returning to work, when I am perfectly fine. That what you wanted to know?”

      I slapped his arm playfully. “You know it isn’t! I was going to tell you Isla was walking around Cedarwood all moony-eyed and dazed; if I didn’t know better I’d say she was lovestruck but I won’t bore you with any details…” I made a show of gazing at my nails like they were fascinating while Micah’s driving became a little too erratic for my liking.

      “She was? What did she say?”

      I smiled. “Eyes on the road, Micah! She couldn’t form words. Just mumbled and wandered around in circles, pruning, chopping, shaping plants, even though her mind was clearly elsewhere.” Luckily for me, Isla worked at four times the speed of any normal person, so even in her love bubble she was still doing a great job.

      “Maybe she’s homesick?”

      “Lovesick, more like. You can give up the act, Micah. I saw you at the hospital.”

      A blush crept up his cheeks. “Why didn’t you say?”

      I laughed. “It was fun to watch you squirm.”

      Micah shook his head, and grinned. “It was certainly unexpected. I…” He grappled with what to say. “I was lying there thanking God Cedarwood didn’t burn down, and she walked in with coffee. I thought she’d come for the ambulance ride, to make sure I was OK, and then hightail it. But she stayed, and she kept giving me this look – like I was already gone. As if it was a much closer escape than it was. And the next minute she was kissing me. I didn’t fight it.”

      “Aww, love after a near-miss is always more powerful. Makes you realize there’s no time to waste. I really like her, Micah.” His driving slowed back to a normal pace, just slightly over the speed limit.

      “Me too,” he said, his voice soft. “But this morning she pulled away from me. Like she’s regretted acting on impulse or something.”

      Her past… maybe she was still scared about confiding in him? “It’s been a big week for everyone, Micah. Don’t read into it. There’s no way in the world that girl is not smitten with you. She was probably zapped from no sleep. I told her to take some mornings off, but, like everyone else, she refused. You’re a stubborn bunch.”

      “You’re the stubborn one!” He tapped the steering wheel and seemed to ponder it all. “So, you ready for this, the grand old high-school reunion?”

      “Sort of.” What if we’d all changed so much I didn’t know what to say? What if the conversation was stilted? “There’ll only be the old gang, right?”

      “Right. It’ll be fun. Besides, you can wow them with stories about your fast life in New York, and all the celebs you rubbed shoulders with. They’ll eat up every word.”

      “Yeah.” God, I hoped New York didn’t come into it. Imagine if they’d read stories about me? It didn’t bear thinking about.

      “Timothy’s divorced, you know?”

      “Oh look, we’re here,” I said, as Micah pulled into a car bay in front of Shakin’ Shack, the local bar.

      He didn’t move to get out, just gave me one of those beseeching looks of his.

      “And what’s that face for?” I asked.

      “I know there’s a reason you came home – and it wasn’t just to buy the lodge. I can tell by the way you purse your mouth when I mention New York. But I want you to know, you’re not taking a step back coming home. Or taking a leap back if you choose to date someone from your past.”

      “Firstly, there was something, yes, but it’s not the time or place to go into it. And secondly, I don’t think it’s a step back. I haven’t acted like that, have I?”

      He shrugged. Had I? Acted like some big-city upstart?

      “I don’t think I have, Micah. And Timothy could be married, divorced, gay or straight and it wouldn’t bother me one iota because I am not interested.”

      Micah put his palms up in surrender. “I was simply stating a fact. And that’s a little hypocritical of you, since you were all set to play Cupid with me and Isla, were you not?”

      He had me there. Still. “So?” I said, petulantly.

      “So?”

      “So what?” I said.

      “So be that way. It’s your life.”

      “Fine.”

      “Fine,” he said, crossing his arms.

      The ridiculousness of the conversation hit me, and I burst out laughing. “Oh God, we’ve regressed back to high school.”

      Micah unfolded his arms and groaned. “You were even more stubborn then. This argument would have continued for a few hours at least.”

      “What are we even arguing about anyway?”

      “I don’t know. Maybe we’re both scared of plunging into new lives… in your twenties, nothing really matters, but in your thirties, you suddenly feel the need to weigh up every choice. You ever feel that way?”

      I sighed. “All the time. I thought I had life pretty well sorted out, but it turns out I didn’t. Makes me wonder if I know myself at all sometimes.”

      “You know what we need?”

      “What?”

      “Beer.”

      “And lots of it.”

      We ambled inside. The dimly lit bar was almost empty, and a part of me hoped they’d cancelled and I could go home and do midnight yoga, and forget about it all… but then Timothy stood and waved us over to a corner booth.

      “Hey,” Timothy said, giving me a chaste kiss. “Micah. Like the new do.” He pointed to Micah’s closely shaved hair. Poor Micah hadn’t had much choice after the fire had torched his locks.

      Micah ran a hand over the stubble. “Yeah, you know me, always leading the way in the grooming department. Bet I wander into town next week and see clones everywhere.” Everyone laughed and I hovered

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