“This fine automobile was Harrison’s old car,” he admitted.
“He’s your brother, right?” Riley asked.
Hayden opened the trunk. “The oldest one. He lives in Missouri now. Wife and two kids. The boys are cute as can be, but I’mtheir uncle, so I’m biased.” He held out his hand. “Can I put your bags in the trunk?”
She nodded and handed him the duffel and suitcase. After stowing her luggage and shutting the trunk, he went to the passengerside of the car and opened the door for her. Riley stared at him as if she’d never seen anyone open a car door before, thengot in. He closed it when she seemed settled.
The ride back to Maple Falls would be an interesting one. He made his way to the driver’s side. Riley was still pretty, buthe could see that her personality hadn’t changed much over the past decade. She’d been a grade ahead of him, a loner who hadan art talent he could only envy. She never hung out with the popular girls or any clique at all. She had kept to herself,and in a small-town high school where everyone knew everyone, she was an enigma, and he had been intrigued. He’d also beentoo busy with baseball to get to know her better. But baseball wasn’t standing in his way anymore, and he had to admit Rileystill intrigued him.
* * *
What is Mimi up to? Riley had been sure one of the Bosom Buddies would pick her up tonight. Probably Bea, her grandmother’s closest friend, followedby Myrtle. The last person she expected to see was Hayden Price.
She’d been so surprised she couldn’t speak when she first saw him. She would recognize him anywhere, and not just becausehe was Maple Falls’ most famous resident. In high school all the girls fawned over him, but she had kept her distance. Notbecause she didn’t find him attractive. She absolutely did, and that was the problem.
And because life could be extremely unfair, he managed to be even more handsome at twenty-six than he was at seventeen. Hehadn’t lost his athletic build, despite his horrible accident a year ago when he’d injured his shoulder so severely pitchingin his first major league game that his career had been over before it started. Mimi told her, of course, but what no oneknew, not even Melody, was that she had followed Hayden’s career through the newspapers and internet. Now she was sittingnext to him, looking like trash after a long day and flight, in need of a shower and some sleep, and totally unprepared forriding in a car with him for an hour.
He climbed in the driver’s seat, and she caught the scent of his cologne. Wow, he smelled as good as he looked. Great, she’dbeen in Arkansas a little more than ten minutes and already she was acting like the high school outcast with a secret crushon the most popular jock in school. Which was exactly how it had been back then. She slid down in her seat.
“Comfortable?” he asked, his voice deep and smooth.
Did this man have a single flaw? She doubted it. Despite his popularity, he had always been nice, and that attracted her farmore than his sun-bleached blond hair and light-gray eyes. Then there was that body . . . Her face started to heat.
“I can turn on the air conditioner if you’re hot—”
“Yes! I mean, that would be fine. I am a bit . . . warm.”
“You know how muggy it can get in May.” He flipped on the air conditioner, then backed out of the parking spot. “Summer’sarrived early this year.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything. She and Hayden had never had much of a conversation before. He’d been in her art classjunior year, but they sat at different tables, and other than him mentioning that her projects were “really good,” they hadn’tinteracted. They lived in different worlds, even though their town was barely a blip on the map. He was small-town royalty,and she was the hermit who stayed to herself with art keeping her company. Riley was the last girl Hayden would notice.
He headed down I-30, and as they passed green interstate signs, she had a weird feeling that time stood still. It was onlyyesterday that she left for New York, brushing the dust of Maple Falls and Arkansas off the soles of the brand-new sneakersshe’d bought just for the trip. She glanced down at the worn Birkenstock sandals on her feet. She’d purchased them with themoney from her first and only real art sale five years ago. The money had run out quickly, but at least she’d been smart withher choice of footwear.
“I’m sorry about Erma,” Hayden said, jerking her out of her thoughts.
“How is she really?” Riley knew her grandmother downplayed things sometimes.
“Ornery as ever, but she is in pain.”
She grimaced. “When I find the idiot who didn’t hold her up at second base, I’m going to lay into him.”
“Um,” he said, his voice quiet. “That idiot was me.”
Forgetting she was supposed to be aloof, she turned to face him. “What were you thinking, letting an old woman run the baseslike that?”
“I know, I know. I guess I forgot how old she was. She’s athletic for her age and has a competitive spirit. If she’d madeit home, we would have won our first game. I lost my head for a minute.” He threaded his hand through his hair.
The gesture caught her attention and cooled her anger a bit. Which made her even more irritated—this time with herself. Shefaced forward again.
“I’m going to make it up to her,” he said.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Is that why you picked me up tonight?”
“She
