A Small-Town Reunion by Terry McLaughlin Page B

loser. Not because I’d laughed at you, but because I let Bud into my car instead of you. Because we never got to have that talk.”
    Dev shifted to face her. “I can’t make up for what happened before. And I’m not sure we can ever befriends. But I’d like to try. I’d like to have a friendship with you, Addie. I came in here looking for that today.”
    He stood and reached for her hand, his palm upturned, offering to help her rise from her seat on the stairs. “Do you think we could at least pretend to be friends?” he asked. “For old times’ sake?”
    “I don’t think that would be too hard.” She cocked her head to one side. “But did we ever at least pretend to like each other?”
    “Good point.” His smile tugged up at one corner in a more familiar tilt. “That part could be an exciting new element in our pseudo-relationship.”
    He leaned in close, took her by the arms and hauled her to her feet. Tipping her off her step, off balance, until she fell against his chest. The stunning contact nearly knocked her senseless.
    He held her there for a second longer than necessary. An extra second in which she sensed his tension and absorbed his heat. The slight parting of his lips, the sharp intake of his breath, the intense yearning in his gaze.
    “Addie,” he whispered as he tilted his head toward hers.
    A door slammed nearby, and laughter blasted through the hall. Dev released her and stepped back, out of her way.
    She moved to the entry floor and headed toward the back of the house, Dev beside her. Close beside her. She imagined she could still feel his heat. “I was thinking about leaving the party earlier,” she told him. “Before our visit.”
    “I wish you wouldn’t go just yet.” He caught her wrist again, stopping her, and she didn’t have to useher imagination. His fingers stayed closed over her skin, warm and secure. And this time she didn’t mistake the simmer in his stare. “I’d like you to stay,” he said. “We could pretend to ignore each other.”
    “Sounds like a plan.”
    “Okay, then.” He closed his hand over hers and gave it a soft squeeze before letting her go. “I’ll take what I can get.”
     
    E ARLY THE FOLLOWING MORNING , Dev lifted Geneva’s bags into the trunk of her long, luxurious sedan and waited for his grandmother to make her farewells to her whining herd of Yorkies. He’d promised to take care of the dogs’ daily walk, but he’d been careful to avoid promising that he’d be the one on the other end of the leashes. Rosie, Quinn and Tess had driven a hard bargain, but he figured fifty dollars for the kid and a few afternoons spent keeping an eye on her for his cousin was worth escaping two weeks of poop-scoop duty.
    “Don’t forget to close the gate after Julia leaves this evening,” Geneva said as she settled in the passenger seat for the trip to the Cove’s miniature airport.
    “I won’t.” He gently closed her door and circled to the driver’s side.
    “And don’t forget to collect the paper each day from the bottom of the drive,” she added as he climbed in. “They won’t fit in the box if you let them pile up.”
    “I’ve got everything written down.” He pulled away and headed down the hill. “I can handle it. I’m a big boy now.”
    “I’m aware of that fact.” Geneva gave him a considering look. “And so, it seems, are several women in Carnelian Cove.”
    “Not several.” Dev shot her a pained look. “And shouldn’t this subject be off-limits for a guy’s grandmother?”
    “It’s not a subject. It’s an observation.”
    He’d thought one extra-large cup of coffee would be enough to sharpen his wits and get him through this errand without getting his butt kicked by his grandmother. He’d been wrong. “Any woman who might be aware of my presence in the Cove should also be aware that I’m not interested. I don’t live here. I don’t intend to stick around for long. And I don’t plan on seeing anyone while I’m