it could still hurt so much. She thought she’d dealt with it, put it behind her, forgiven herself. And him. But maybe facing hurtful memories and being able to forgive were skills that needed to be practiced.
Sitting on the sofa, she ran her fingers over the design of flowers and birds carved into the top of the trunk. This wasn’t a piece she would refinish. That would be a travesty. It had come to America with the Bayer family when they fled Nazi Germany eighty years ago, but she didn’t know how old it was. The faded paint held only a hint of the beautiful colors that had once decorated the piece and the nicks and scratches spoke of years of everyday use. This had been treasured by Wendolin and her family, and Carly would continue that tradition.
She was tempted to lift the lid to see what was inside, to examine the precious items that had made it so heavy, but a glance at the clock reminded her she should have left ten minutes ago.
She patted the trunk lid. “I’ll be back,” she promised.
Hurrying to her bedroom, she grabbed her purse, along with the outfit she would wear to the Sandersons’ and a pair of highly polished boots. The restaurant owner to whom she was delivering her produce wouldn’t mind if she used their ladies’ room to change clothes and freshen up for the party. Gemma and Lisa would probably laugh because she never dressed up, but having seen Luke, she was glad she’d made the decision to do so tonight.
* * *
“GLAD THAT’S OVER,” Luke murmured as he rolled down the highway toward his aunt and uncle’s house. He had done his duty to Omi by delivering the trunk and putting it where Carly wanted it. Now it was time to go see what kinds of jobs Aunt Frances had for him to do before tonight’s barbecue.
He couldn’t keep his thoughts from returning to Carly, though. The lush prosperity of Joslin Gardens had been amazing, so different from the scrubby acreage on which her parents had first experimented with organic vegetables. It had been tough going since the ground below the thin topsoil was shale. Luke was sure the garden’s current success was entirely due to Carly’s hard work.
He’d never forgotten how beautiful she was with her deep brown eyes, strong features and shining black hair, and maturity had made her even more beautiful. He hadn’t seen her in all these years—had never been to the annual barbecue—because he hadn’t wanted to run into her... He didn’t want to bring up bad memories for her, but that’s what he’d done this afternoon.
He wouldn’t have come this year if he hadn’t been caught in circumstances he couldn’t change. He would tell her all about it as soon as things were settled. After that, he would deal with the consequences. And the hurt.
* * *
THE BARBECUE AT the Sanderson ranch was everything Carly remembered from the past few years, and everything she had hoped it would be this year—crowded, busy and fun. Best of all, the food looked delicious. Frances and her helpers had outdone themselves. Carly took that as a personal favor because she liked to eat and hadn’t had anything since breakfast.
The owner of the restaurant where she’d made her delivery had offered to have the cook fix her something, but Carly’s only interest had been in changing into her new red skirt and top and pulling on her boots. These were her dancing shoes and she intended to have fun tonight. She deserved it after the jolt she’d received today.
She greeted the people she knew, met a few more, and stood in line at the buffet table. Unashamedly, she filled two plates then turned to look for a place to sit. Spying an empty spot at a table where Lisa Thomas sat with several others, she headed in that direction.
Once she was seated, Lisa turned to her with her eyes wide and spoke quietly. “Did you know Luke is here?” She nodded to a spot across the patio where Luke was talking to his aunt and uncle. The three of them appeared to be deep in a serious discussion.
Tom and Frances Sanderson had held this barbecue every Memorial Day weekend since they had moved to Reston a few years ago. The news of the property for sale had come from Carly’s own father, a longtime acquaintance of Tom’s even before his daughter had met and married the Sandersons’ nephew. They had proved to be huge assets to the community because they were tireless fund-raisers for local causes. Their current passion was reopening the county hospital, which had been closed for several years. Carly knew Tom and Frances had plans to charmingly convince people to donate to the hospital fund, or twist a few arms if necessary.
“Luke?” she asked, bringing her thoughts back to Lisa’s question. “Yes. He came to my house.”
Lisa’s eyes rounded. “Seriously? Why?”
Around bites of food, Carly told her about the trunk.
“Wendolin remembered you in her will? How sweet. She was a wonderful person.”
“She was.” Carly smiled as she remembered. “So warm and funny...and random.”
Lisa smiled. “Yes, I remember the stories you told Gemma and me of how she’d start one thing, abandon it, start another, come back to the first, go to another.”
“Somehow she got a great deal done. Usually helping other people. And she was always fun to be around, even if her way of thinking was confusing.” Carly sighed. “She was delightful.”
Her eyes full of laughter, she asked, “Did I tell you about how she used to go to the end of her sidewalk every day and blow kisses to the kids on the school buses that went by?”
Lisa snickered. “Yes, and one day she failed to notice the passing bus wasn’t bright yellow and blew kisses to a load of county prisoners heading to pick up trash on the side of the highway. That must have been the best part of their day.”
“No doubt. She was a little...odd, but in the sweetest way. I’m sure she was the best thing in Luke’s life for the past dozen years.”
“Oh, why do you say that?”
Carly chewed thoughtfully, “Because after his mother died, she was the biggest positive female influence in his life—”
“Until he met you.”
Carly gave a small shrug. “We both know that didn’t turn out to be very positive for him.”
“Not your fault,” Lisa insisted.
Carly knew that wasn’t true, but she didn’t want to talk about it anymore. She was grateful when Lisa’s attention was snagged by someone else.
Before Carly had finished eating, Lisa and a couple of people left the table and others took their places. Carly looked up from her salad to see Luke, along with Tom and Frances, settling into chairs opposite her. Both men were looking anxiously at Frances, whose face had gone pale.
“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, Frannie?” Tom fussed at his wife as he handed her a glass of ice water. “When was the last time you had something to drink or eat?”
“Right now,” she answered, dutifully gulping some water and then digging into the food Luke placed in front of her.
Once Tom and Luke were sure she was eating, they glanced around the table. Luke gave a start when his gaze met Carly’s.
