months," Amy said, not even bothering to hide the smugness in her tone. "I hope that won't make things awkward between us."
Ellie drained her cup, forcing the red wine past the lump lodged in her throat. "Of course not. Damon and I are ancient history. Another lifetime." Maybe if she kept telling herself that she'd start to believe it. "Even so," Ellie said, reaching past Amy to refill her cup, "when has it not been awkward between us?"
Ellie flashed her a tight smile and made her way across the lawn where Molly was chatting with a group that included her fiancé, Josh, and her best friend, Sadie, who spotted her and waved enthusiastically. As she wove through the crowd she smiled and waved at several people she recognized from high school.
The old crowd, she thought with a little pang. It felt like a hundred years ago.
She heard Josh's booming voice well before she reached the group. "...and then no sooner had I talked him into upping his homeowner's policy to five hundred thousand than his irrigation system sprung a leak and created a sink hole that nearly swallowed up his house! "
Ellie sidled up next to Molly, barely suppressing the urge to roll her eyes at Josh's bluster. He was a senior manager for his father's insurance business, but he talked about work like he was facing a life or death crisis nearly every day. "Wow, sounds like a pretty major day down at the insurance office," Ellie said.
Apparently she didn't manage to keep the sarcasm out of her tone, if Molly's sidelong glare was anything to go by. Sadie picked up on it too, and flashed Ellie a conspiratorial grin.
Though she'd seen Molly's best friend from high school several times since she'd been home, Ellie couldn't help but marvel at the transformation Sadie Thornton had undergone. Five foot ten by the time she was thirteen, Sadie had been so tall and skinny the other kids called her Giraffe girl.
Her awkward body, a face dominated by large, heavy-framed glasses, an abominable wardrobe better suited to a woman four times her age, and her shy, studious nature, meant Sadie had gone virtually unnoticed by the male population of Sweetgrass County High School.
That wasn't the case now, Ellie noticed as she watched nearly every male at the party sneak glances at the glorious creature standing in front of her. Still enviably slim, Sadie had finally filled out her lanky frame, ditched the glasses, learned to use makeup and finally started dressing like a woman in her twenties instead of her seventies.
According to Molly, Sadie had even done some modeling in Denver while she was in college at University of Colorado, using the money to start her wildly successful business building fashion-focused apps for mobile devices. Fortunately she could run her business from anywhere, which came in handy when she was called back to Big Timber to care for her ailing father.
Josh, bless his clueless, narcissistic heart, didn't pick up on Ellie's sarcasm. "A lot of people don't think of insurance as exciting," he said earnestly, "but seriously, you put together the wrong policy for a client, it's scary business." He took long drink of his beer as though even the thought of all that excitement made him thirsty.
"Right," Ellie said and sipped at her wine. Josh continued to speak, gesturing wildly with his hands. She watched as he wordlessly held his empty cup out to Molly, dumbfounded when her sister automatically took the cup and trotted off in the direction of the keg.
"What the hell?" she whispered to Sadie, who crossed her long bare arms over her chest and watched her friend's retreating back with a resigned expression on her face. Molly had always been willing to do whatever it took to keep Josh happy and interested, but this was going too far.
"Tell me about it," Sadie said out of the side of her mouth. "I think she thinks if she turns into June Cleaver he'll stop postponing the wedding."
Ellie's reply was cut off by a masculine voice behind her rasping, "Hey
Ellie drained her cup, forcing the red wine past the lump lodged in her throat. "Of course not. Damon and I are ancient history. Another lifetime." Maybe if she kept telling herself that she'd start to believe it. "Even so," Ellie said, reaching past Amy to refill her cup, "when has it not been awkward between us?"
Ellie flashed her a tight smile and made her way across the lawn where Molly was chatting with a group that included her fiancé, Josh, and her best friend, Sadie, who spotted her and waved enthusiastically. As she wove through the crowd she smiled and waved at several people she recognized from high school.
The old crowd, she thought with a little pang. It felt like a hundred years ago.
She heard Josh's booming voice well before she reached the group. "...and then no sooner had I talked him into upping his homeowner's policy to five hundred thousand than his irrigation system sprung a leak and created a sink hole that nearly swallowed up his house! "
Ellie sidled up next to Molly, barely suppressing the urge to roll her eyes at Josh's bluster. He was a senior manager for his father's insurance business, but he talked about work like he was facing a life or death crisis nearly every day. "Wow, sounds like a pretty major day down at the insurance office," Ellie said.
Apparently she didn't manage to keep the sarcasm out of her tone, if Molly's sidelong glare was anything to go by. Sadie picked up on it too, and flashed Ellie a conspiratorial grin.
Though she'd seen Molly's best friend from high school several times since she'd been home, Ellie couldn't help but marvel at the transformation Sadie Thornton had undergone. Five foot ten by the time she was thirteen, Sadie had been so tall and skinny the other kids called her Giraffe girl.
Her awkward body, a face dominated by large, heavy-framed glasses, an abominable wardrobe better suited to a woman four times her age, and her shy, studious nature, meant Sadie had gone virtually unnoticed by the male population of Sweetgrass County High School.
That wasn't the case now, Ellie noticed as she watched nearly every male at the party sneak glances at the glorious creature standing in front of her. Still enviably slim, Sadie had finally filled out her lanky frame, ditched the glasses, learned to use makeup and finally started dressing like a woman in her twenties instead of her seventies.
According to Molly, Sadie had even done some modeling in Denver while she was in college at University of Colorado, using the money to start her wildly successful business building fashion-focused apps for mobile devices. Fortunately she could run her business from anywhere, which came in handy when she was called back to Big Timber to care for her ailing father.
Josh, bless his clueless, narcissistic heart, didn't pick up on Ellie's sarcasm. "A lot of people don't think of insurance as exciting," he said earnestly, "but seriously, you put together the wrong policy for a client, it's scary business." He took long drink of his beer as though even the thought of all that excitement made him thirsty.
"Right," Ellie said and sipped at her wine. Josh continued to speak, gesturing wildly with his hands. She watched as he wordlessly held his empty cup out to Molly, dumbfounded when her sister automatically took the cup and trotted off in the direction of the keg.
"What the hell?" she whispered to Sadie, who crossed her long bare arms over her chest and watched her friend's retreating back with a resigned expression on her face. Molly had always been willing to do whatever it took to keep Josh happy and interested, but this was going too far.
"Tell me about it," Sadie said out of the side of her mouth. "I think she thinks if she turns into June Cleaver he'll stop postponing the wedding."
Ellie's reply was cut off by a masculine voice behind her rasping, "Hey
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