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“Not yet, but I’m going to. I have no choice.”

Nicole and Lindsey exchanged glances. Then Nicole pursed her lips. “Someone ought to hit that Coop over the head with a baseball bat. Wake him up a bit.”

It was so unexpected, they all laughed. But the truth was, Taylor had put herself out there with Coop a couple of days ago and he’d rejected her. Her pride could only take so much. Nobody had to hitherover the head to figure he wasn’t going to change his mind.

“I will be back, though. I’m determined to see my family more. Job or no job, I’m not going to let my career get in the way of seeing the ones I love.”

“That’s great,” Lindsey said. “So, we’ll be seeing you?”

“Yes, I promise.”

“Well, a promise from you is good as gold.”

And it was. She was only sorry she couldn’t follow through on a crazy notion she’d had to buy the Purple Pansy and make a life here in Last Stand. Blake had put the bug in her ear, and she’d let the idea simmer in the back of her mind. But she couldn’t live in the same small town with Coop and not be welcomed as a part of his life. It would be too hard. So that notion was only a wistful dream that had blown away with the slightest little gust.

*

On Saturday afternoon,Julie and Miguel returned from their honeymoon. After a round of hugs and kisses, they took a seat in the living room where the newlyweds shared fun stories about the islands. Taylor was happy for them, they were the perfect complement to each other and it was good to see Julie and Miguel’s love shining so bright. But their homecoming was bittersweet because tomorrow Taylor would be leaving. It felt like not only would she be saying goodbye to her cousins, she’d be leaving the town she’d grown to love all over again.

Julie and Miguel lavished her with a water pearl necklace, a floral beach cover-up and plumeria-scented bath oils and lotions. Muffy wasn’t left out either in the gift department, they’d brought her pineapple- and banana-shaped chew toys.

“Thank you both,” she said, taking a whiff of the flower-scented lotion. “You know me so well. These are things I will definitely use, but it’s too much.”

“It’s not too much,” Julie said. “Not compared to what you’ve done for us, coming early to the wedding, being the best maid of honor ever, helping my friends with their wedding gowns, and then watching the house and Muffy while we were gone. I hate the thought of you leaving.”

“I do too,” Miguel said. “It’s nice to have family around, you especially.”

“Ah, thank you. I really have mixed emotions too. I’ll be going back to my life in New York, but I’ll be leaving so much behind too.”

“You promised to come back to visit, right?”

“Yes, I did and I will. And you can come up to New York for a girls’ weekend.”

“Sounds like fun. I’ll do that. I guess I don’t feel horrible now that I have your promise you’ll visit more. And you’ve got that brand-new job waiting for you.”

“Yes, I do.”

“You don’t sound happy, honey.”

“I…am.” She couldn’t fake any enthusiasm.

Julie sensed her mood and hugged her tight. “Remember I’m only a phone call away.”

She nodded, grateful for the comfort. “I know.”

“How about we all go out to dinner tonight?” Miguel said cheerfully to change the mood.

“No way,” she told him. “You two must be exhausted. I made dinner for all of us. And it’ll be done in an hour so you guys have a chance to rest and get settled in.”

“You didn’t need to cook, hon.”

“Hey, after I finished Nicole’s gown, I had nothing but time on my hands.”

She didn’t go to Cassie’s game yesterday and it had bothered her all day. According to Coop, the bond she’d developed with his daughter could stand to hurt her. And that was the last thing she wanted to do.

The roast she cooked came out a bit overdone and the potatoes were not nearly as tender as she’d hoped, but the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies were pure perfection, so all was not lost. Still, Julie and her hubby were good sports about the meal and they tried to keep her spirits up as they dug into the food.

After dinner, Taylor excused herself to begin packing. In her room, she gathered up her belongings and stuffed them into the suitcases rather haphazardly. It was so unlike her, but she didn’t care about wrinkles right now. She had other issues. She sank down onto the bed and closed her eyes. She couldn’t leave town without saying goodbye to the Coopers. It was one stop she had to make, one stop she couldn’t neglect as images of a recuperating Joe came to mind. And of Cassie, the adorable blond-haired tomboy she’d befriended, and then there was Coop.