She shook off Del thoughts and turned her attention back to the lunch conversation.

“...super busy,” Dellina was saying. “We are a town that likes to party.”

“Which makes you the person to call,” Phoebe told her. “I’m glad I was able to get you while you still had time.”

“Me, too,” Dellina told her with a smile. “Weddings are my favorite.”

“Do you have many this fall?” Maya asked.

“No more than usual, but I sure have a ton going on over the holidays. The Hendrix family is planning a Christmas reunion blowout that is getting more complicated by the day. Score is being their usual PR selves and hosting a huge customer event in mid-December.”

Patience laughed. “Ask your handsome husband to help with that one.”

“Believe me, I will.”

“When do you get to celebrate the holidays?” Maya asked. “It must be tough with so much going on.”

“It is,” Dellina admitted. “Sam and I are going somewhere warm and beachy in mid-November. Before the madness strikes. No cell phones, no internet. I can’t wait.”

Madeline sighed. “Sounds heavenly.”

Maya leaned toward her. “What are the odds that you’re picturing Jonny Blaze on a beach right this second?”

Madeline raised her eyebrows. “Excellent, in fact. The man moves me. It makes me shallow, but I can live with the flaw.”

“I really can introduce you,” Phoebe said. “I think Jonny needs a nice girlfriend in his life. He doesn’t date much.”

Patience grinned. “I’m not sure Madeline is interested in dating him.”

Destiny turned to Maya. “I heard you used to live here. Back in high school. Is that right?”

“Uh-huh. For a couple of years. My mom and I moved here from Las Vegas. There was some culture shock for sure.”

“I would guess. Are you enjoying being back?”

“Very much. I like the small town vibe.”

“Me, too. I’m a recent transplant. There’s something about this town.”

Patience leaned toward Maya. “I heard that Eddie and Gladys can’t do their butt contest anymore. Please say that isn’t true. I love the butt contest.”

“Don’t tell them you love it,” Maya muttered. “I’m trying to get them under control.”

“Good luck with that,” Dellina told her.

“I love them, too,” Phoebe admitted. “They’re so adventurous. Remember how great they were on the cattle drive? They weren’t afraid of anything.”

“You say that like it’s a good thing,” Maya told her, then sighed. She had a feeling there was no winning on the Eddie-Gladys front. They were like bad weather. Easier to hunker down and endure than try to fight the inevitable.

“Oh, I heard you’re going to help out with the Saplings,” Patience said. “That’s so great.”

It took Maya a second to figure out what the other woman was talking about. Because she had no plans to help with trees.

“You mean the little girls in the Future Warriors of the Máa-zib?” Maya asked. “Yes, I was asked to give a talk on how to use a camera.”

Patience smiled. “I know. My daughter is a Sapling now and you’ll be talking to her grove. The first year they start out as Acorns. The second year they’re Sprouts, then Saplings and so on. We’re all excited about the afternoon. It’ll be fun.”

“I hope so,” Maya murmured, thinking she wasn’t sure she was qualified to teach several eight-year-olds how to do anything, but she would do her best.

* * *

DEL STUDIED THE two paths that cut through the forest. The one on the left headed straight up the hillside and looked a lot less used. As he wasn’t looking for company, he picked that one.

The afternoon was clear and warm. Although it was still technically summer, he’d seen more than a few leaves had started to turn. In a month or two the whole mountainside would be red and gold with changing leaves. A beautiful sight he wouldn’t be around to see.

While he was glad he’d decided to come home to see his family he couldn’t say he would be sorry to leave. He was already feeling restless. There was a whole world out there and he needed to be in it. The only question was what to do with himself when he got there.

Even as he turned over possibilities, he found himself feeling he should talk to Maya. She would have a sensible solution. Or if not, she would be willing to brainstorm with him. She was smart, with enough creativity to keep her interesting.

Thinking about Maya meant remembering their last conversation. When she’d admitted never seeing a successful romantic relationship until moving to town.

He’d grown up with parents who were embarrassingly in love with each other. Even when he hadn’t understood why his mother put up with his father’s drinking and moodiness, he’d never questioned her devotion to him or Ceallach’s to his wife. They were a single unit made up of two halves. Like a coin. Without one, there couldn’t be the other.

He might not be interested in a traditional relationship for himself, but—

Del circled around a tree and paused to grab his water bottle. There was no point in lying to himself. He did want something traditional. Maybe not exactly what his parents had—he wanted a relationship of equals—but still, the together forever appealed.

He supposed in his and Maya’s case, they’d both been too young. She’d been dealing with things he couldn’t possibly have understood. She’d reacted to her feelings and he’d been caught in the fallout. With Hyacinth, well, he’d chosen badly there.