Had To Be You by Juliet Chatham Page A

more J. Crew than J. Mendel.
    Moving to continue down the street, she emerged from the cool shade and into a warm bath of sunlight. The sea breeze carried the faint scent of lilacs in bloom all over the town square. Scanning all the white-tipped boats crowded into the harbor, Rory imagined he must be out there somewhere. Matt was always loyal to the things he loved.
    With her coffee in hand, she paused next to browse at the used book shop. Opening one old leather-bound novel, she reflexively lifted it to her nose. Along with the lilacs and salt air, this had to be one of her top five favorite scents.
    As she happened to glance up over the open binding, her gaze narrowed, noticing a vaguely familiar couple emerge from the local artisan gallery on the corner. Rory’s mouth dropped as soon as she realized one of them was actually quite intimately familiar to her. And if that was Matt, she had to assume the other must be Amanda.
    Her eyes darted around nervously, desperate for cover as she ducked down behind the book (as if it might shield her) wondering how obvious it would look if she simply dove into the hydrangea bushes outside the Sweetwater Taffy shop next door. Before she could make a move, however, he spotted her.
    “Rory?”
    “Oh…hey,” she called back, placing the book down. She tried for a casual, detached tone, but it came out slightly strangled.
    Matt touched his hand to the elbow of his companion to get her attention. Even that hurt to see. He said something to her, and Amanda turned.
    All this time, Rory had been trying make her out to be some kind of wicked witch nemesis, and wasn’t entirely prepared to be faced with someone more like Dorothy.
    She had dark, glossy hair, somewhat delicate features, with high cheekbones and a narrow sculpted nose. It gave her an almost fragile quality, especially with her slim figure, but her arms were nicely toned. (If it came to blows, however, Rory was still pretty sure she could take her.)
    On closer inspection, Amanda looked almost nothing like what she’d expected her to look like—only that wasn’t entirely accurate, because Rory never expected her at all.
    When they walked over, for a terrifyingly brief moment she actually thought she might throw up.
    “Amanda,” Matt said, glancing at her. “This is my friend, Rory.”
    She tightened her smile in place, trying not to be hurt, wondering why there was a sudden need for these generic labels. There was just the tiniest flicker of response in Amanda’s eyes, something quick but kind of odd. Then it was gone.
    “Hello.”
    She extended her hand and Rory kept it brief, noticing several delicate link bracelets on her wrist. She wondered if any had been gifts from Matt. She refused to acknowledge the sparkle of diamond on her finger which had most definitely been his gift to her.
    “It’s nice to meet you,” she lied.
    “You, too.”
    While Amanda seemed to stare at her a little longer than necessary, Matt did his best not to make direct eye contact with either one of them.
    “What are you up to today?” he asked, though it sounded like he felt obligated to say something.
    “Just a little shopping. And you?”
    “Same,” he said.
    His discomfort was so obvious—not to mention kind of humorous—it almost helped to ease hers.
    “You know, I believe we’ve actually met before,” Amanda finally said. Her soft, even-toned voice held the slight inflection of a regional accent.
    “I’m sorry, we have?” Rory was pretty sure she would’ve remembered that.
    “Yes, but don’t feel bad,” she explained with a serene smile that instantly tested Rory’s patience. “It was very brief, one time last summer. I just never forget a face, that’s all. It was the night of Matt’s bar opening last July. I tagged along with some family friends who were invited.” She turned her eyes up towards him. “That was actually the first night we met, as well.”
    Rory’s lips parted on an empty response. She needed a