LITMIR.BIZ

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because that would be something you’d like for a gift...” Maggie took off the ribbon and opened the box. She drew out two diamond drop earrings. “Oh, my.”

      “Looks like someone is making up for lost time.” Penny smiled, kicked off her heels and drew her already-aching feet under her. The devil himself had made those heels, but she wouldn’t tell Maggie that.

      “Brady being here now is all that matters.” The light caught in the facets of the diamonds and burst into tiny dancing lights around the room. “They are so lovely.”

      “I’m so happy for you.” And Penny meant it. If anyone deserved a happy ending, it was Maggie.

      Penny wasn’t made for marriage. Whenever she wanted a man, all she had to do was go out and find one. The clubs were only an hour away in Springfield. And if she just wanted to stay warm at night, Flicker, her new shaggy puppy, could help her out.

      Maggie put the earrings on and turned to face Penny. “How do I look?”

      “Like you are in love. Glowing. When Brady sees you, he’s going to be the happiest man in the world.” Maggie’s bliss was contagious. It radiated from her like the brightest star. Maggie had made it through all the suffering and losing her mom.

      After a moment, Maggie gave Penny a worried-momma look. “Luke made it in last night.”

      “Great.” Penny gave Maggie a grin, even though her heart beat a little heavier. “It would look a little weird if I didn’t have a best man to walk me down the aisle. Plus he’s going to be part of your family soon.”

      “Are you sure you are okay with this?”

      Penny took a deep breath and gave Maggie a reassuring look. “It was nine years ago, Maggie. Teenage puppy love. I’m sure he’s over it by now. I am.”

      “So no drama?” Maggie raised her eyebrow.

      “If there’s drama, I won’t be the cause of it.” Penny uncurled from the couch and stood, shaking any wrinkles out of the floor-length gown. The energy levels in her body had suddenly surged and she couldn’t sit anymore. Suppressing a whimper, she shoved her feet back in her shoes. She nervously checked the mirror. Her makeup hadn’t smeared. Her red hair had been pulled into a tight bun, and at least one can of hair spray had plastered it into place. With the extra few inches the heels provided, she’d at least be able to look Luke Ward in the chin after all these years.

      The noise level in the hallway picked up. Someone knocked on the door.

      “Five minutes, ladies.” The door muffled an older woman’s voice beyond recognition.

      “He’s not seeing anyone,” Maggie continued. She picked up her veil and worked the comb into her hair.

      “Too bad for him, I guess.” Penny held the end of the veil and straightened it to keep busy. “Seriously, Maggie, I’ll be okay. Luke is here for one weekend. The worst thing that could happen is that I’ll step on his foot during the bridal party dance with these fabulous heels and he’ll have to bandage himself up.”

      “If you’re sure...” Maggie didn’t sound as if she believed Penny.

      “I’m sure that if we don’t get out there soon, the groom will think you ran away.” Penny picked up the bridal bouquet and handed it to Maggie. “You worry about walking down that aisle and not about me.”

      Penny gave Maggie a once-over before picking up her own flowers. The last thing her friend should be worried about today was what would happen when Luke and Penny were in the same room for the first time since she had driven him away.

      It was not as if they had the type of love that would last forever. Teenage love never did. First loves never did.

      Luke had been heading off to college, and she’d barely earned the grades to graduate high school. If it weren’t for What Goes Around Comes Around, the only work Penny would be qualified for was as either a gas station attendant or a fast-food worker. When she had inherited the quaint store along Main Street from her grandmother, it had been bleeding money, but the shop meant too much to Penny to let it fail. After her grandmother died, she had no family left to rely on. Her father had been a no-show since she was born, and her mother had ditched her years ago to continue boozing without a child in tow. But Penny was an adult now. She had managed to turn the shop around and make it a tourist attraction in their little one-stoplight town.

      Through it all, she’d always had Maggie’s support. Maggie and her daughter, Amber, were her family, and she wouldn’t dream of making a fuss on one of the happiest days of Maggie’s life. Even if that meant putting up with Brady Ward’s younger brother.

      The moment she stepped into the hallway, she saw him.

      Luke stood about a dozen feet in front of her. The air around her crackled with energy. Dark hair, blue eyes, towering height, these were all features shared by the Ward brothers. Luke wasn’t as tall as Sam, the oldest brother, but he still towered over her even in her three-inch heels. The lankiness of high school was gone, replaced by a filled-out but trim figure his tuxedo suited just fine. His dark hair curled slightly at the ends, where it touched his collar. If this were any other man, Penny would be placing bets that she would have him in her bed before the night was over.

      But this was her Luke. At least he had been hers. Behind the bleachers, in the backseat of her car, in the field on a blanket looking up into a night sky that seemed to go on forever. They’d made promises neither of them were old enough to keep. Things had seemed so clear to her then. He loved her. He’d promised forever, but she knew forever was just a word. Love didn’t matter. Back then it had been only a matter of time. And when—not if—he had left her, she would have been the one picking up the pieces. She straightened her shoulders and loosened the death grip on her flowers.

      Plastering a smile on her face, she stepped forward.

      “Penny!” Amber’s voice burst out from behind Luke and the speeding golden bullet of eight-year-old energy raced toward her. “Penny! Penny! You have to meet my uncle Luke. I have two uncles now. And he’s a doctor.”

      Penny was powerless as Amber grabbed her hand and dragged her toward Luke. Not exactly the image she’d wanted to project, but Amber didn’t wait for graceful entrances.

      “Amber, I’ve met your uncle Luke. We went to school together.” Penny managed to not fall off her heels as Amber stopped in front of Luke.

      “She’s got quite the grip, doesn’t she?” Luke smiled down at Amber as Penny tried to compose herself.

      Amber spotted Maggie and took off in the direction of her mother.

      “You should see her with my puppy, Flicker.” Penny held her breath as Luke’s gaze floated over her dress up to her face. She wasn’t eighteen anymore. What if he didn’t like what he saw?

      Nonsense. She never let a man make her feel insecure.

      Luke finally met her eyes. “I’m supposed to walk you down the aisle.”

      Her world was lost in a sea of blue, so rich and inviting that if she could, she would strip naked and dive into their warm depths. Warmth soaked through her body and her knees felt loose in their sockets.

      She shook herself out of his spell and managed a smile that didn’t feel entirely plastic. “Yes, you are.”

      “Or from the looks of those heels, keep you from falling on your ass?” That mischievous twinkle she’d always loved lit in his eyes.

      “Oh, these little things?” Penny lifted her shoe to contemplate it.

      Apparently the past was where it belonged: in the past. She smiled easier. Luke hadn’t changed much since high school, but his shoulders seemed less tight. Maybe he’d finally learned to let things go. When she’d first noticed him as more than just another classmate, he’d been filled with anger and grief after the death of his parents. She knew what it was like to be left by the ones you loved. And even

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