“Ha, ha.” Jayce reached into the back of the truck to retrieve the bottle for the last baby.
“For what it’s worth, you were right about Caroline. I should have listened to you sooner.”
Jayce paused and looked at him across the bed of the truck. “I’m sorry for what she put you through, man.”
Christian could almost hear what he wasn’t saying. “At least you finally figured it out though.” All along, Christian had refused to believe Jayce’s claims that Caroline had been using him, but eventually, the truth was too irrefutable to ignore.
Christian shook his head. “No one’s fault but my own. I don’t have to worry about her anymore. I’ve moved on.”
Jayce paused halfway over the fence at the last baby’s pen. “You’vemovedon?”
Shoot.“Not like that. I just mean I’m over Caroline.”
Jayce eyed him while dropping down into the pen and straddling the calf. “And I don’t suppose a certain cousin of mine had anything to do with this?” Jayce arched his eyebrows in a way only a friend who had a knack for reading into everything could.
“I like Hugh, but he’s not really my type.”
Jayce laughed. “For the record, I only told you Maizie was off-limits because I know how much you want what you can’t have.”
Christian’s smile faded. Why did that statement cut so deep? Because he wanted his dad back? Or because he really did want Maizie, and that scared him more than he dared to admit. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He scowled and loaded the empty milk buckets into the truck then shut the tailgate with unnecessary force.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to admit I’m right. Yet.”
He was not going to be right about this. “Oh, look at the time. 7:45.”
“Crap.” Jayce jumped out of the pen with an empty bottle. “We’d better hurry. Grandma wants us to save seats for everyone.”
“Save seats? I thought this was a parade.”
“Dude, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Jayce said, hopping into the driver’s seat and speeding toward the farmhouse.
That was by far the fastest they’d ever done chores. Apparently, all Jayce needed to work faster was a small-town parade. Who knew?
* * *
Maizie took slow deep breaths.She couldn’t forget to breathe in this dress. It had only been a few months since she’d last worn it, but it felt tighter than she remembered. Particularly in her chest area.
She pulled up to Rob’s house, the designated senior float area, and grabbed her shoes before heading out barefoot onto the driveway.
“Lindsay!” she shouted, spotting her best friend up ahead. Lindsay paused and waited for her to catch up.
“Jayce is ticked at you,” Lindsay said as soon as Maizie was within ear-shot.
“I know.” Maizie squeezed her eyes shut.
“What are you going to do?” Lindsay asked, fixing the bust of her pink dress.
Maizie tilted her chin to the side. That wasn’t the dress she’d worn to prom. It was a new dress, and it looked amazing on her.
“Whoa, where did you get that dress? You look gorgeous.”
Lindsay grinned and spun in a slow circle, letting the skirt flare. “Do you like it? Jayce bought it for me.”
It was simple and understated in the best way, highlighting the beauty that was her best friend. It was perfect.
Maizie blinked. “Jayce? As in my cousin Jayce?”
“Yeah.” Lindsay beamed. “We were shopping in Richfield, and I was staring at this dress nonstop. He bought it for me while I was in a different store and surprised me with it after dinner.”
