Hilary looked down. Slowly, she turned her palm upward and clasped his hand, fingers firm against his skin. When she looked at him, her eyes were hooded. Their color stood out against the light of the day, aquamarine pools offset by the dark starbursts at their centers. Dane was hypnotized. He opened his mouth to say…what?
Her gaze dropped to his mouth. Hilary sighed. “I wish Clove and Redville weren’t so—”
“—far apart. I know. But they’re really not.” Her lips were so close. A strand of her hair tickled his cheek. “Five hours tops.”
She drew back, a small smile plumping her cheeks. “You looked?”
He nodded. “I Googled it Sunday night after I brought you back here.”
Hilary threw her head back and laughed. It was musical and airy, like the trill of a wren. Dane loved it. What he loved even more was her lips. Colored like the inside of a plum. Moist too. He reached up to trace the minute lines with his finger. If he never saw her again, he’d remember this point in time for the rest of his life. Would she take the hint if he leaned toward her?
“Hate to interrupt this little vignette of solitude and happiness, but—surprise!”
Hilary started. She looked behind them, involuntarily squeezing Dane’s hand before dropping it like she’d been scalded.
“Jorie?”
Chapter Thirteen
Jorie stood behind them, hands tucked into her pockets. There was no telling how long she’d been standing there. What had she heard? Hilary felt herself flush. They’d almost kissed too.
Hilary smoothed her hair. “What are you doing here?”
Jorie took that as an invitation to plunk herself down on the blanket too. Dane moved away, now with more of the rocky beach beneath him than the blanket.
“I didn’t want to miss all the fun,” she said with an exaggerated amount of cheer. “The updates you’ve been sending, the photos from yesterday—I’d been looking forward to this week for a long time.” She shrugged. “I couldn’t stay away.”
“But Cal. He was the reason you missed your flight.”
“Dad’s better. Tom’s keeping an eye on him.” Her gaze scanned the blanket, noting the picnic hamper.
“Hattie too?”
“She’s with my parents.”
That was a relief. But still. The shock clung to her nerves. By the look on Dane’s face, he wasn’t handling it any better. There was a stiffness to his smile.
The rest of lunch was hurried and awkward. They made polite conversation with Jorie after she was introduced to Dane. Hilary rushed through the meal. She nearly choked on the dense sandwich bread after she’d finished off her bottle of water too soon. Jorie took a few kernels of popcorn when Dane offered the bag to her and waved off the suggestion that she split Hilary’s chocolate chip cookie. Hilary tucked the cookie back into the basket. Her appetite was gone.
When it was time to board the bus for the afternoon trip to the farm, she and Jorie were the first ones in line.
“So, tell me everything. I’d like to see your notes later too,” Jorie said when they’d settled into their seat. She squinted to look through the window beside Hilary. Outside, Darcy pointed to the other bus now parked behind them. People drifted out of line to board the second one. Dane gave her a wistful smile through the window and followed the other group. “I can’t tell you how much I wanted to be here,” Jorie said.
Hilary turned away from the window after watching Dane head toward the other bus. “So Cal is doing better?”
“Much. He’s back in the thick of things.”
That didn’t surprise Hilary. Cal worked through his physical ailments more often than not. A hospital stay was the only condition that would keep him inside. He was one of those hardy, grizzled types with weather-beaten skin and a closet full of patched and faded work clothes.If I ain’t dead,I work, he liked to say often in his loud-as-thunder voice.
She studied Jorie. Five years older than Hilary, Jorie wore her age well despite a life lived in the sun without the sense for sunscreen or hats. Blonde streaks would lighten her tawny hair during the coming months and her lean arms would grow darker with a tan. Jorie helped Tom and Cal around the farm with planting and harvest when she could, toting Hallie to Tom’s parents’ home in nearby Gifford when the schedule grew especially busy. She loved the physical labor almost as much as balancing the farm’s books. Hilary envied her a little for that reason. She wished she took a little more pleasure working around the farm like Jorie did. Maybe she’d feel differently if Will were still alive.
Hilary blinked, clearing her thoughts. “I thought you were so reluctant to pay for another ticket?”
Again, Jorie looked beyond Hilary to the window and made a face. “Missing out was a greater cost. It’ll be another write-off. Anyway, you sounded like you needed me on Sunday.”
Boy, had she needed Jorie on Sunday. She’d been so full of resentment. Guilt still gnawed at her for feeling that way. Cal had been laid up—in thehospital,for goodness’ sake—and all Hilary could think of was being stuck living outside her element for a week. In a beautiful inn in the Northwoods, no less. Some punishment. Darcy and Lucy were a dream to meet, and there was Dane, of course. He was definitely the icing on the conference cake.
“Thanks for coming.” That was all she could think of to say. Hilary gave her a quick smile then looked outside again.
