that I avoided him, and he proved to be as scrappy, combative, and tough as he looked. Yet I melted like candle wax under a flame whenever his eyes met mine.
Spotting me at the door, Emmet called out his usual greeting, “Hey, Honeycutt,” and I responded with “Hi yourself, big guy.” My vexation of the previous day was forgotten, and I went into his arms, loving him again.
My joy was short-lived. To my surprise, Emmet announced that he had invited the gang over for drinks that evening, only a few hours away because I’d slept so late. At least he had the grace to look apologetic when I went into full panic mode. I reminded him that we’d just arrived, that we hadn’t even unpacked the car, and that I couldn’t possibly entertain on such short notice—I didn’t even know my way around the kitchen! Emmet knocked down my arguments one after the other. He promised to get us unpacked, and to help me get ready for the gathering. He’d already ordered a cheese and fruit tray from the caterer in town, and was about to make a run to the wine store. Plus, we’d entertain on the side porch, not inside the house, so I need not fret about fixing it up. With a defeated sigh, I gave in.
It had been surprisingly cool that evening, and I’d ended up changing clothes twice before our guests arrived. I’d never tell Emmet that the oh-so-smart black sundress I’d splurged on at one of Fort Lauderdale’s ritziest boutiques had been with this occasion in mind, hoping to impress his friends. As it turned out, I might as well have saved my money. The only sweater I brought was coral colored, which made the black dress look like a Halloween costume. Didn’t matter; I still had to wear it. Packing up, Emmet’d warned me about mountain nights being cool, but I hadn’t understood that to mean freezing-ass cold.
Taking pity on me, Emmet built a fire. The fire made the open, spacious porch cozier, especially after he lit the wall lamps, which gave off just the right glow for a twilight evening. As the time for our gathering grew nearer, my trepidation gave way to excitement. I’d wanted time to throw an impressive party, to wow everyone with my entertaining skills, but conceded that Emmet’d been right. His friends were as eager to meet me as I was them, and they’d understand that our getting together was the important thing, not a fancy spread. Or so I told myself as I awaited their arrival. Emmet watched me with such amusement that I dared not look his way at the sound of a car in the driveway. Instead, I busied myself at the wicker table rearranging Willa’s yellow zinnias, the only centerpiece I had.
Tansy was the first to appear. Emmet’d instructed everyone to park on the side and come directly to the porch, which would be easier for Linc than trudging all the way through the house. I had my back to Emmet, who was at the makeshift bar setup in the corner, when I heard him call out, “Tansy!” I turned to see him moving forward to greet the woman who was coming up the porch steps, her arms outstretched.
I watched as Tansy hugged Emmet, then stepped back to take his face in her hands and kiss him right on the mouth. Laughing, she used her pinkie to wipe the dark red lipstick from his lips. Their greeting gave me time to study her before she turned to me. As I’d feared, she was every bit as intimidating as I’d imagined from our brief, unsatisfactory phone conversations. As tall as Emmet, with glossy black hair in startling contrast to her magnolia-white skin, Tansy was the epitome of glamour and sophistication, the kind of woman who’d always made me tongue-tied and knock-kneed. Twirling around in a side-tied dress that showed off long, slim legs, she made her way from Emmet to me, and I gulped.
“So you’re Helen,” Tansy said as she eyed me with unabashed curiosity. “I’m Tansy Dunwoody.” Her black eyes boring into mine, she grasped my hand with a grip as strong as Willa’s had been.
“I guessed that,” I said with a laugh. I hated my nervous little laugh, which I seemed to have no control over, especially in situations like this. “It’s wonderful to meet you at last, Tansy.”
With my hand still held firmly in hers, Tansy glanced over her shoulder at Emmet and hissed, “Cradle robber.”
I was so taken aback I was speechless, but not Emmet. Eyes glittering, he raised his glass to her in a mock salute and said, “Ah, yes. My child bride.”
I gasped and freed my hand from Tansy’s as I cried out, “Oh, no—not at all, Tansy! I’ve always been told I look younger than I am. Emmet’s just teasing you . . .” My voice trailed off and I looked toward Emmet helplessly.
To my further surprise, Tansy waved off my protests, swung her head back to me, and said as casually as if we had been discussing the weather: “So, Helen. How do you like Moonrise?”
I took a deep, bracing breath before spouting out such overwrought hyperbole in praise of the house that I cringed hearing it. Mercifully, the rest of the gang appeared before I could make a complete fool of myself, and I stopped to wait for them. Their entrance was preceded by much laughter, and the sound of shuffling feet and scraping wheels on the stone walkway that led from the driveway to the side porch. The deep, cultured voice I recognized as Noel’s boomed out of the darkness: “Jesus, Linc—I’m dying here. Speed your ass up, man.”
Linc’s response was muffled, as though he held his head down, but we heard him say, “Hey, you wanna drive? Be my guest.” When a woman gave a sharp retort that I didn’t hear, Emmet and Tansy exchanged amused glances, and Emmet murmured, “Some things never change, do they?”
My initial impression of the others, Noel, Linc, Myna, and Kit, was a confused blur because everyone was talking at once when they emerged into the yellow circle of light spilling out from the porch. Pushing his walker, Linc led the way with Noel close behind as if to catch him if he got tripped up. Myna was at Linc’s side, and slightly behind her was a shadowy figure that must be Kit Rutherford. My eyes swept over them rapidly as I sorted out who was who and wondered if their greeting to me would be as unsettling as Tansy’s had been.
Emmet moved swiftly down the steps to help Noel get Linc onto the porch, pausing first to give Linc and Noel the back-pounding kind of greeting that men give each other, followed by a hug for the two women. Seeing Linc, I understood why Emmet’d been so concerned about him. Hunched over the walker, Linc appeared so frail that I wouldn’t have known he was the same man in the group picture by the waterfall. Since that photo was taken, he’d grown a sparse little beard that, like his hair, was heavily streaked with gray. Although his thin arms were still trembling with the effort of the walk, Linc threw back his head and whooped with laughter when Emmet and Noel picked him up, walker and all, and deposited him on the porch.
Noel Clements was a stunner, so impossibly good-looking that I had to tear my eyes from him to search out the others. I didn’t exactly recognize Myna from her photo, but knew she was the one climbing the steps while Kit remained in the shadows. Even if I hadn’t seen her picture beforehand, I would’ve picked Myna out as the artsy one of the group. Rail thin with a pale, sharp face, wire-rimmed glasses, and wild, frizzy hair, she had the look. I wasn’t sure what she was wearing, but it appeared to be some sort of coarsely woven dashiki, set off by a bronze cross and dangling earrings much too large for her small frame. Studying her, I understood why she wasn’t particularly liked by the others. Her strangeness set her apart.
Noel reached me first, wowing me by saying my name softly before bending his fair head to kiss me on the cheek. I flushed and fluttered like a schoolgirl, then took the arm he extended to lead me over to Linc. With a saucy toss of her head, Tansy left my side and headed toward the fireplace. I held out both hands to Linc, who had moved from his walker to sit in a sturdy wicker chair. “Helen!” Grinning, Linc grabbed my hands as though we were long-lost friends. “We meet at last. Please forgive me for not getting up.”
Linc Varner was a small, fine-boned man; his twinkling eyes, playful expression, and wispy beard made him look like a leprechaun. When he introduced Myna, who was putting away the walker,
