He slapped his knees before he got to his feet. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”
Dane gazed around the tent.The line at the buffet grew again after Darcy’s husband put out the call for seconds. Pushing his plate away, he stood to stretch, again feeling the effects of not moving around as much as he was used to. Darcy still made the rounds among her guests and was now held hostage by Yandi and Meg at their table. He smiled as Darcy kept nodding, probably resigned to not getting a word in between them. That was quite the concession for Darcy. She was used to leading conversations.
He’d wanted to ask Darcy about Hilary. Dane doubted she’d offer anything he didn’t already know, anything more than what he’d found out from Hilary on the two-hour ride back to Hendricks. And Darcy might take his questions as an opportunity to play matchmaker too. No, thanks. He’d been on the receiving end of one too many match attempts since he and Felicia imploded. Besides, what was the point? She wore a ring.
Hilary sat two tables away, poking at the food on her plate, wearing a polite-looking smile. Flanking her, Meg and Yandi were back to entertaining the whole table with their mother-daughter act. Their raucous laughter carried throughout the tent, earning smiles from people at the fringes of the crowd. Yet despite the happy sounds, Hilary hadn’t looked up, hadn’t talked to anyone at her table, or changed her expression from the frozen smile. What was it about her that made him unable to tear his eyes away? She was beautiful, yes. The downward slant to the corners of her eyes lent a sadness to them. But when she smiled, laugh lines framed her eyes and a dimple appeared high on each cheek. Her shoulders were drawn forward as if she might fold into herself if someone looked her way. Dane wondered why she was here when she so clearly looked like she wished she were someplace else.
He cleared his spot, walking the empty plate over to the garbage before he stopped at the bar. Dane ordered another whiskey sour, then he stood off to the side to watch the crowd. He should have been up in his room preparing for the keynote, but he’d had trouble wrapping his head around his presentation so far.
Hilary looked up, catching his eye. Dane smiled.
His heart jumped as she got up from the table with her half-filled plate and dumped it into the trash. When Dane realized she headed his way, he discreetly tucked his shirttail into his belt and squared his shoulders.
She gave him a quick, fleeting smile when she stopped next to him, a swish of her sweater brushing his arm.
“Hi there,” she said. She crossed her arms and looked in toward the middle of the tent. Her voice was louder, more direct than it had been in the car.
“Are you feeling better?” Dane looked down at her. The string lights overhead made the top of her auburn head glow like a copper kettle.
Her face registered surprised. “How did you know?”
“I asked Darcy when I didn’t see you on the bus for the Hendricks tour.”
Another small smile. “Yes, I am. Traveling messes with my head.”
There was more to it than that, he knew.
“Any more news from your sister-in-law?” Dane sipped his drink, wondering again if he was too intrusive with the questions. He already knew she liked her privacy.
“She’s not coming after all.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Her dad’s been in the hospital.”
“Will he be okay?”
“Yes, he will.” Hilary uncrossed her arms and one hand flitted into the air dismissively. She turned slightly. “Anyway, thanks again for the ride today.”
Was that what she’d crossed the tent to tell him? It felt a little anticlimactic. “You’re welcome.”
“I wasn’t very talkative.”
He almost nodded but caught himself.
A breeze snapped the tent flap behind them and they startled. He caught the scent of lavender from the table arrangements. Or was it her?
“Well, have a good night,” Hilary said over her shoulder as she walked away.
He watched her cut across the lawn toward the house, hands clasped behind her back, taking her time. He could still see Hilary’s silhouetted figure once she was inside the house until she disappeared farther into its depths.
“You too,” he said to himself.
Chapter Five
Hilary didn’t care for professional conferences. When she’d worked in Canyon County schools, she attended a few every year. People tended to find their tribe within the first day, and that never worked well for quiet types like her. The vibe wasn’t much different at this one. It didn’t help that she’d nursed her headache yesterday in her room while everyone else was bused around town, making connections. Small talk was hard enough when headaches weren’t part of the equation. She couldn’t pretend to listen when the only thing she could hear was the pounding in her ears.
She was acutely aware of how alone she was as she sat in the sunlit room downstairs in Blueberry Point Lodge the next morning. She counted at least sixty people seated at the round tables scattered around the room. When the breakfast buffet opened at seven, she’d taken a plate back to her room to eat in peace, not thinking most seats would be filled before she returned for the start of the conference. It was her own fault. Going out of her way to not meet anyone cost her.
