Delaney told her about the places shed lived, and then the conversation turned to the memories each had of growing up in a small town at the same moment in time. They chatted about sledding at the base of Shaw Mountain, and laughed about the time Andrea had lost her bikini top waterskiing across the lake.

Something warm and unexpected settled near Delaneys soul. Talking to Andrea felt like finding something she hadnt even known shed missed, like old worn slippers long ago discarded for a newer flashier pair.

After Andrea, Lisa introduced Delaney to several single men who worked for Louie, and Delaney found herself on the receiving end of some very flattering male attention. Most of the single construction workers were younger than Delaney. Several were deeply tanned, had buns of steel, and looked like theyd jumped out of a Diet Coke commercial. Delaney was glad she hadnt settled for that box of Franzia. Especially when a backhoe operator named Steve handed her a bottle of Bud and looked at her through clear baby blues. His hair was like sun-bleached butterscotch, and there was a scruffiness about him Delaney might have found enormously appealing if it hadnt been so contrived. His hair was strategically tousled and too gelled to be natural. Steve knew he was gorgeous.

“Im going to check on Louie. Lisa grinned, then gave Delaney a cheesy thumbs-up sign behind Steves back as if they were still back in high school and had to approve each others dates.

“Ive seen you around, Steve said as soon as it was just the two of them.

“Really? She raised the beer to her lips and took a drink. “Where?

“In your little yellow car. His smile showed his very white, slightly crooked teeth. “Youre hard to miss.

“I guess my car draws attention.

“Not your car. You. Youre hard to miss.

Shed felt so invisible in the plain T-shirts and shorts shed worn lately that she pointed to herself and asked, “Me?

“Dont tell me youre one of those girls who likes to pretend they dont know theyre beautiful?

Beautiful ? No, Delaney knew she wasnt beautiful. She was attractive and could make herself look damn good when she tried. But if Steve wanted to tell her she was beautiful, she would let him. Because, contrived or not, he wasnt a dog— figuratively or literally. She spent so much time with Duke and Dolores that if she let herself, she could melt beneath such attention.

“How old are you? she asked him.

“Twenty-two.

Seven years. At twenty-two Delaney had been experimenting with life. Shed been like a convict on a prison break—a five-year prison break. Between the ages of nineteen and twenty-four, shed lived a life of reckless abandon and absolute freedom. Shed had a great time, but was glad she was older and wiser.

She turned her gaze to the teenage girls on the beach below waving their arms and running to the edge of the water. She wasnt that much older than Steve, and it wasnt like she was looking for a commitment. Delaney raised the bottle to her lips again and took a drink. Maybe she could just use him for the summer. Use him, then dump him. Men had certainly used and dumped her. Why couldnt she treat men the same way men treated her? What was the difference?

“Uncle Nicks back, Sophie called up to Louie, who stood in a knot of people.

Everything inside Delaney stilled. Her gaze flew to the boat slowly cruising toward the end of the dock, to the man standing behind the wheel of the Bayliner, his feet wide apart, his dark hair blowing about his shoulders. Shade from the towering pine fell across the surface of the water and bathed him and his three female passengers in shadows. Sophie shot down the dock with her friends trailing behind her, their excited chatter rising above the noise of the outboard engine. Nicks responding laughter reached Delaney on the breeze. She set her beer on the rail and turned to find Lisa several feet away, looking very guilty.

“Excuse me, Steve, she said and moved to her friend.

“Dont kill me, Lisa whispered.

“You should have told me.

“Would you have come?

“No.

“Then Im glad I lied.

“Why, so I could get here then leave again?

“Dont be such a wimp. You need to get past your hostile feelings for Nick.

Delaney looked into her childhood friends eyes and tried not to feel hurt by her remark. She reminded herself that Lisa didnt know about Henrys will or the night Nick had used her ten years ago. “I know hes going to be your brother-in-law, but there are some very good reasons why I feel hostile toward him.

“Louie told me.

A myriad of horrible questions ran through Delaneys head. She wondered who knew what. What they knew, and who had said what to whom. “What did he tell you?

“He told me about the will.

Delaney glanced over her shoulder at Louie, who was staring out at the lake. She would have preferred that no one know about the will, but it wasnt her biggest concern. Hopefully, her greatest fear was still buried in the past. “How long have you known?

“About a month, and I wish you would have told me. I wanted to ask you to be in my wedding, but I was waiting for you to tell me you were going to be here. Pretending I dont know has been really hard, but now I can ask you to be one of my bridesmaids. I wanted you to be my maid of honor, but I couldnt, so I had to ask my sister. But I—

“Exactly what did Louie tell you? Delaney interrupted as she reached for Lisas arm and pulled her to a deserted part of the deck.

“That if you leave Truly, Nick inherits your share of Henrys estate, and if the two of you have sex, you inherit his.

“Who else knows?

“Benita, I think.

Of course. “And maybe Sophie. She said something about overhearing her grandmother. Dread settled in the pit of her stomach, and she let go of Lisas arm. “This is so humiliating. Now everyone in town will know, and I wont be able to go anywhere without people watching me to make sure I dont leave town or have sex with Nick. She felt her skull tighten at the very thought. “As if that would ever happen anyway.

“No one else will find out. If youre worried about Sophie, Ill talk to her.

“And shell listen to you?

“If I tell her the gossip could hurt Nick, shell listen. She worships him. In Sophies eyes, Nick is a saint and can do no wrong.

Delaney looked over her shoulder and watched Saint Nick with his harem of females make their way up the dock. He handed a large paper sack to Sophie, and she and her friends took off toward a picnic table on the beach. In his loose green tank top, battered Levis with the large three-corner tear above the right knee, and rubber flip-flops, he looked like hed just gotten out of bed. Delaneys gaze moved to the three women. Maybe he had.

“I wonder where he picked them up, Lisa said, referring to the blond by his side and the two brunettes following close behind. “He was just going to his house to get some fireworks for Sophie.

“Apparently he picked up more than a few smoke bombs. Who are those women?

“The blond is Gail something, I dont know her married name, but her dad was Judge Tanner. The two behind him look like the Howell twins, Lonna and Lanna.

Delaney remembered Gail Tanner. Shed been several years older than Delaney, and their families had occasionally socialized. She also recognized her as the woman Nick had pick up at Henrys funeral. The Howell twins she didnt know. “Gails married?

“Divorced.

Delaney turned around for a better look. The women wore tight tank tops tucked into jeans. Delaney would have loved to dismiss them as tramps, but she couldnt. They looked more like centerfolds than hookers. “Did Gail get a boob job? I dont remember her being that big.

“A boob job and a little fat sucked out of her butt, too.

“Hmm. Delaneys gaze returned to Nick and the triangle of thigh visible through the tear in his jeans. “Have you seen them do liposuction on TV? Damn, it hurt my buns just thinking about it.