“Hi, Daddy.” She kissed his cheek from behind and slid into the chair next to his at one of the round banquet tables. He smiled over at her as he bopped his head along to the swing dancing taking place on the dance floor a few feet away.

“This is some party.” His eyes twinkled when he said it, and that made her swell up inside. “You all did a fantastic job helping put all this together. It shaped up to be pretty fancy in here.”

“Thank you.” She threw a glance around at the decorations she’d help put up earlier in the afternoon. Jordan had been there too, and out of respect for her family, they’d kept a small distance between them. There would be a time and place to talk to the Tuscanas, but it was the furthest thing on her to-do list at the moment. In fact, due to terror, she planned to put it off as long as possible. When the time came, she’d have to plan it out carefully. Strategize. It would require a great deal of finesse. Even thinking about the concept had her feeling a little sick to her stomach. She pushed the whole idea from her head. This was a party.

“Are you feeling okay, Dad?”

“Never better. It’s nice to see all of these smiling faces in one place. I’m having a great time. Don’t worry about me, kiddo. Why don’t you go find your friends and have some fun. I’m gonna go talk to Chuck Cupper a bit. See if his golf score’s improved any.”

“Okay, but save me a dance a little later.”

He squeezed her hand. “I look forward to it.”

Molly made her way through throngs of friends and neighbors, stopping to talk every so often. All the while, she scanned the room for Jordan. And she wasn’t hard to find. It was as if a part of her was always trained on Jordan’s proximity.

She watched her from across the room as she laughed at something her old soccer teammate said. That smile lit up her whole face, and it was a stunning visual. Quite simply, she radiated tonight. Jordan wasn’t much for dressing up, so she’d gone for sleek and sophisticated. She wore a simple black dress, cinched with a thin red belt. The medium heels made her legs look long and luxurious. The outfit looked like it was made for her, and she easily stole the room.

Molly headed that way, intent on spending a little part of the evening with Jordan, because, well, she really, really wanted to.

“Molly O’Brien, I need to talk to you!”

She stopped. “Mr. Jeffries, hi.”

“You weren’t at the shop this morning.” He glared, his eyes full of accusation.

“I know. I had some things to do to get ready for the party. I’ll be back in the morning though. Back on schedule.”

“Well, good. Just seems if it’s your shop, you should be there each day. People depend on their routine not being disrupted.” He was still glaring hard, but she knew that what he just said was code for “I missed seeing you,” and she felt a smile touch her lips.

“You’re right, Mr. Jeffries. I’ll try and remember that in the future. ‘Be there every day.’”

“See that you do,” he huffed and headed off in search of someone else to snarl at.

She lifted her eyes to where she’d last seen Jordan, but she was gone.

*

The terrace was quiet when Jordan made her way out there. Guests had come and gone throughout the party, enjoying the view and the quiet tranquility of the night. She rested her forearms on the railing and looked out over the expanse of treetops that surrounded the country club. It was a picturesque overlook and she took a minute to soak it in.

She was enjoying the party and the chance to see everyone together in one place all in celebration of her father. It was a good night. Admittedly, she spent much of it stealing glances at Molly, but that was pretty much the norm these days.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” She turned. Summer sauntered her way over to the railing with two glasses of white wine. One of which she handed to Jordan. “You looked a little lonely.”

Jordan held up the glass. “Thanks. Just catching my breath for a minute is all.”

“Glad you’re back in town. Boring around here without you. How long are you staying this time?”

“Couple more days.”

Summer eyed her and smiled leisurely. “Which is plenty of time.”

Jordan stared at her curiously, very much on guard about where this was going. Summer seemed to be in perpetual game mode and it was important to stay one step ahead, exhausting as that was. “Plenty of time for what?”

“For you and me to finally spend some one-on-one time together.” She leaned in close to Jordan’s ear. “Clothing is optional. Though this outfit is a favorite.” She ran her hand the length of Jordan’s body from shoulder to thigh, inching up just under the hem of Jordan’s dress.

Bold. Summer never was one for subtlety. And if she didn’t opt out now, she had a feeling this cat-and-mouse game would never end. She turned to her. “As nice a time as I’m sure we’d have, I’m going to have to decline.”

“Because you’re seeing someone?” Summer stared at her evenly.

She decided to just level with her. “Yes.”

Annoyance flickered across her face. “Molly. Then it’s true. I wondered when I saw your car parked outside of her house at two a.m., but I gave you far too much credit for that, Jordan. ”

Whoa. “My car? What were you doing on her street at two a.m.?”

“Just checking out a theory, and this is one I am so sorry to have been right about. Molly O’Brien? Seriously, what are you thinking?”

Jordan shook her head and took a step back. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Summer.” She turned to go.

“She’ll never love you for you.”

The words froze her in place. She felt as if she’d been punched as she turned back.

“You and I, Jordan, are the also-rans of this town, and it’s important that people like us stick together. And that’s why I’m looking out for you. You’ll never matter to her the way Cassie did, and when she looks at you, she’ll always think of her. Always .”

Jordan took a minute because the words hit home. “You don’t know that.”

Summer offered an overly sympathetic smile. “Don’t I, though? I have something you don’t right now, Jordan, and it’s called perspective. You’re second place in this scenario no matter how many different ways we run it. And trust me, that isn’t going to change.”

“Stop. It’s not like that with us.” And she believed that, mostly. Well, at least she wished she did.

“It’s lose-lose, Jordan. If you’re not willing to consider yourself, think about Molly. Her life was torn apart when she lost Cassie. She deserves a fresh start, and she can’t have that with you. You come with baggage, with reminders. You’re just an extension of her loss. Another way for her to hold on to Cassie, and if she stays with you, she’ll never get that clean slate. How do you not see that?”

Jordan met her gaze and held on. There was so much logic in those words, as twisted as they seemed. But Jordan wouldn’t let herself admit it fully. “You’re wrong.”

Summer tilted her head to the side. “I’m rarely wrong.” She laid a hand on Jordan’s shoulder as she passed and headed back into the party.

Jordan was reeling.

She didn’t want the words to affect her, she really didn’t. Because what Summer had professed about her, about Molly, was resonating with her no matter how much she fought against it. She stared into the darkened trees and talked herself down one minute at a time.

Things were good in her life.

Hell, they were better than good. They were great, and it was important that she remember that. She heard the door to the terrace open and she turned. And in that moment, everything seemed to right itself.

“Hey, stranger. I’ve been looking for you. That’s some party.”

Molly stood a few feet away, her eyes shining brightly. She wore a yellow cocktail dress with thin straps. It came in at the top of her waist and fell loosely to just above her knee. Quite simply, it was stunning on her.

She held up a hand. “Before we go any further, I have to tell you how pretty you look. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look prettier.”

A soft smile touched Molly’s lips and her cheeks colored just a hint. “Thank you. I was saving it for a special occasion and tonight felt like the night.”

“Another good decision.”

Molly took the spot next to her at the railing. “I thought by now the party would be winding down, but trust me, no one seems to be going anywhere any time soon. Your brother’s about to start a conga line, I can feel it.”

“Mikey always liked a good time.” Jordan smiled and stared out into the night.

“Hey, look at me.” Molly placed her hand on Jordan’s chin and gently turned her face. “You have the most faraway look. Everything okay?”

She met Molly’s eyes and exhaled. “It feels better now. I’m just enjoying the quiet. The crickets are beginning to chirp. It’s one of my favorite times of night.”

Molly took in their surroundings. “It is pretty beautiful, isn’t it? The emergence of spring. Everything about it seems so promising. So hopeful.”

Jordan studied Molly’s profile. “It would be even more promising if I were able to kiss you. Because that’s what I really want to do right now.”

Molly’s looked at her and her lips parted ever so slightly. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, just between them. “What kind of kiss would it be?”

It didn’t take much thinking. “Soft. The kiss would be soft and slow, like the night around us right now. I would ease my hands into your hair and pull you in even closer against me.” Molly closed her eyes. “I’d feel how warm your skin was and lose myself in how wonderful you taste. And then…there would be no stopping us.”

Molly opened her eyes and held Jordan’s gaze for several long moments as the heat they felt but couldn’t express hung between them. Finally, Molly glanced behind her and then back to Jordan as if an idea were taking root. “Come with me.”