Page 48

“Good morning.” Storm turned to smile at her, and Jessica forgot how to breathe.

“What’s happening?” she managed, hating that she sounded breathy like she was still sixteen.

“We’re celebrating.” Sarah flipped over four pieces of the toast and then plattered them on top of an already substantial pile warming in the oven.

“What?”

“Life.” Storm’s creased smile nearly had her knees knocking.

“You.” Sarah smiled. “I’m so proud of you. You’re pursuing your dream. You’re not caught up trying to please Mom and Dad anymore and you’re no longer obsessing about what other people are going to think or say.”

“Are people talking about my career change?” she asked, feeling a bout of nerves. Of course her parents wouldn’t like it. That was why she hadn’t told them yet.

Coward.

Sarah pulled out the baking sheet of French toast, removing several and plating them and then walking the rest out to the porch and arranging the pieces inside an electric warmer.

Sarah laughed. “Meghan and I have your back, Jessie, or should I say Jay?” The wink was like the old Sarah. The Sarah who hadn’t been widowed and lived a couple of hours north in Chapel Hill before finally moving home closer to her family rather than her husband’s. “Your life is your own. I have it from a good source.”

“We were drinking champagne when I was spouting that,” Jessica murmured watching Storm reach up and bring down three plates from her open shelving. Too bad he was so tall and didn’t have to stretch enough so that his shirt would ride up, and she could see if he still had the golden tanned skin and countable abs that he had as a teenager.

Objectify much?

The problem was that she wasn’t even sorry for the pervy thought.

I’m in trouble.

Or maybe Storm was. Jessica’s record with men wasn’t stellar, and she’d stopped dating the past couple of years to focus on saving as much money as she could so that she could start to restore the farm and crystalize her vision for a possible new career path.

Her attraction to Storm was disconcerting.

And thrilling.

She hadn’t felt so…alive since high school.

Storm dished out eggs on the two plates, but as he grabbed the third plate, Sarah laughed and held up her hand.

“None for me,” she said, quickly. “I have a late start at the clinic and wanted to try a Pilates class to see if my body still works. I just brought the groceries and was going to cook a nice breakfast for the two of you and a pick-me-up for your crew as part of my ‘Go Team Jessica.’”

“Pilates?” Jessica asked. Sarah was a walker, not an exerciser. Lord knew Jessica had tried to get her to try Orangetheory and yoga and Pilates with her over the years.

“None? Sure?” Storm asked.

“I’ll grab something from the coffee shop in Cramerton after. The Pilates class is there, and I think it finishes with a run around Goat Island if it’s not flooded. Do you remember, Jessica—Grandma Millie had that little paddleboat and we would pedal and pedal like we were in an iron woman competition. It seemed so far, and now with the new park and walking trail, they’ve spanned the river with a little footbridge out to the island. You used to hold Chloe on your lap, and she had that little shark life jacket.”

She smiled while she spoke but there was something in her eyes that made Jessica’s heart pinch.

“I remember,” she said softly.

“And now she’s engaged,” Sarah said.

Storm stayed quiet, seeming to read the emotion in the room.

And why did she now feel like crying? “Lots of changes.” Jessica forced cheer in her voice and hugged Sarah hard. “Thank you for the food and the breakfast.”

“Anytime,” Sarah said softly. “You know that. We’re busy but always there for each other. Who’s the cutie?” Sarah lightly touched the fairy that Jessica had propped up in the kitchen window over the sink and near the stove.

“Huh? Storm. Oh.” She realized what Sarah meant and willed her blush back and failed epically, judging by Sarah’s soft laughter. “Cool huh? I found it last night in the garden when I lost my phone.”