“Good luck,” Evelyn called after him.
He smiled and gave her a wave, pretty sure he was going to need all the luck he could get.
8
BELLA
Bella walked down Maple Street with Cash Law by her side, trying not to notice the curious looks they were getting from townsfolk as they passed by.
For his part, Cash ignored the adoring glances and double takes, and focused his attention on the town itself.
“Wow, the toy shop got a glow-up,” Cash pointed out. “It looks amazing.”
“That was a while back,” Bella said, nodding.
Every two seconds, the man pointed out something else that was different in town. For no reason she could identify, it was making Bella feel angrier and more frustrated than ever.
You’re scared,she reminded herself.This man is going to hurt Cody.
All she wanted was to tell him she’d changed her mind and he had to leave. But she kept hearing Lois’s words.
This is about Cody and what he wants.
She refocused her mind on her nephew. Nothing else mattered. If she had to listen to Cash Law identify all the ways Sugarville Grove had changed, she would.
Besides, any word out of the man’s mouth could wind up being a clue as to who he was today, and what he wanted from Cody.
After thinking about it some, she was pretty sure that his visit was just something that had to happen for publicity reasons. If the entire internet was going bananas saying Cash Law had a kid, then he would have to make nice if he wanted hisbad boy with a heart of goldimage to be untarnished.
He was probably planning to show up, shake Cody’s hand, take a photo or two, and then leave again.
And if she was right about that, it would be best if she could warn Cody in advance. That would be less likely to hurt him deeply and set him back.
“It’s too bad you won’t be here for the tree lighting day,” she remarked carefully, trying to get some info out of him without coming out and asking for it. “They have a big snowball fight now.”
“That sounds like fun,” he said. “I might still be here for it.”
“Really?” she asked, forgetting in her surprise that she was trying to act casual. “How long are you planning to stay?”
“Guess that depends on your nephew,” he said with a thoughtful expression. “But a while, I hope.”
They had reached the diner as they talked, and she pushed open the door without replying, sending a swirl of warm, deliciously scented air in motion.
“Great to see you, Bella,” Tara, the owner, said warmly before turning to look up at Cash. “And, oh, hi… hello.”
“Hi. I’m Cash,” he said with a friendly smile. “This place looks amazing. It wasn’t here last time I was in town.”
Bella resisted the impulse to roll her eyes as Cash pointed out one more thing that had changed in her hometown, and Tara gawked at him, apparently pretty amazed to have a celebrity in her restaurant.
“Could we get that booth by the window?” Bella asked quietly, eying one of the few empty spots on that side of the diner.
Tara tore her eyes from Cash at last and nodded.
“Yes, Bella, of course,” she said, her cheeks flushed. “Please, sit anywhere you want. I’ll be right over with menus.”
The diner was practically filled, mostly with older folks and caregivers with small children. Bella headed through the crowded dining room with Cash at her heels, the people going silent in waves as they passed.
They reached the booth by the big plate glass window that overlooked the park, where anyone walking on Maple Street or Moose Avenue, or hanging out on the pavilion side of the park would be likely to see them.
