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“My dad,” she said, knowing she needed to give him a warning. “He’s not easy. Most ­people don’t like him. And—­”
“Don’t worry about me. I have charm on my side, remember?”
She frowned. Maybe this was a horrible idea. “It won’t work on him.”
“Go meet Georgia and Katie.” He nodded to the salon. “Talk wedding plans. I’ll swing by and pick you up for dinner later. Around six?”
Lena nodded, her hand brushing Hero’s coat.
“And Lena, stop worrying about Thursday.”
He turned and headed down street, waving to Trish as she set the picnic tables for the lunch rush.
Chad walked as if the road in front of him was paved with rainbows and sprinkled with fairy dust. He lived in a fairy-­tale world, one she’d caught a glimpse of but could no longer enter. The land of once-­upon-­a-­time was in her past, divided from the rocky, uncertain path in front of her.
Lena glanced down at the dog leaning against her legs as if trying to hold her up. Kneeling, she wrapped her arms around Hero. “I’m OK,” she murmured. “Just daydreaming about following Chad Summers to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I know he’ll find his way. He’s got charm on his side.”
Hero licked her face.
“And I’ve got you,” she added, tightening her hold on the dog. “We’ll get where we’re going. But I have a feeling success for us looks a little different than it does for him.”
She stood and headed inside the salon. Later, she could worry about the medal ceremony. Right now, she needed to focus on white dresses and wedding cake. If she let her friendship with these two women slide, her future in Independence Falls would look bleak and lonely when Chad Summers reached the end of the road with her and went on his merry way.
TWENTY MINUTES LATER, Lena sat in an overstuffed chair, sipping green tea. The recent dose of fall weather ruled out sitting on the salon’s back patio while Georgia and Katie waited for their nails to dry. Instead, they’d claimed a quiet corner inside Ariel’s Salon.
“I’m moving up the wedding,” Georgia announced. “Eric plans to log all winter now that the helicopter operation is up and running. He says he makes more per log this time of year, so I said go for it. We’ll get married in December, time the wedding with the year-­end accounting when everything slows down.”
Katie nodded, admiring her shiny red nails. “It does. But December is weeks away. You need to find a dress and a venue. Unless you’re thinking Vegas?”
“No.” Georgia shook her head. “I think we’re going to have a small ceremony and reception in the backyard by the pond.”
“You still need a dress,” Katie pointed out.
“I was hoping to do some shopping when I’m in Portland on Saturday.” Georgia looked at her. “I thought I could use a little pick-­me-­up after our group therapy session.”
Running a finger over her nails to check if the polish had dried, Katie nodded. “I’m in. For the shopping, not the therapy.”
“I can’t make it to the group meeting this week,” Lena said. “We’re driving back from the medal ceremony on Saturday.”
“We?” Georgia wiggled her red toes. “Is your family bringing you back?”
Lena shook her head. She’d told her friends about the Silver Star—­Georgia had jumped up and down with excitement, threatening to throw a party to celebrate—­but Lena had left out some of the details.
“Chad is going with me,” she said.
Katie stopped blowing on her fingernails and stared at Lena as if she’d announced her plan to run down Main Street naked. “You’re taking my brother to meet your parents?”
“He volunteered to go to the ceremony,” she said. “And I can’t exactly leave him in the motel room while I eat with my family.” Although that plan had merits. Then she wouldn’t need to explain.
But he’d see her father and brother the next day, and then he’d know.
“That a big step,” Georgia said, her brown eyes sparkling with delight.
“Do you think your father will hate him?” Katie demanded.
“Yes,” Lena said.
Katie pointed one perfectly manicured nail at her. “Promise me that if you run off to city hall, you’ll call first. I want to be there when my brother gets married. And you’ll need witnesses. Lots of them if Chad’s tying the knot.”