Author: Kristan Higgins

So she’d been cleaning, which was rather uncharacteristic. Not that the church was a sty or anything, but it was cluttered with stuff she thought she might want someday—a gilt Victorian mirror, a bank of post-office boxes, the statue of the elephant. She moved what she could onto the truck, called Mac for help—at least he would never ask her about her love life—and brought some stuff to Irreplaceable. The rest—the angel with the broken arms, the shabby little lead-paned window, the sundial with no dial—she took to the dump, and even though it was hard, she left it there.

Not everything was worth holding on to.

“Posey, the right guy will come along,” Kate said with uncharacteristic gentleness. “Now, do you want James to give us pedicures? James! Come here, hon!”

The boy appeared in the doorway. “Mom, no. No pedicures. I’m establishing boundaries.” He smiled at Posey. “Hi, Pose.”

“Hi, James,” she said. “You’re a good kid.”

“So I hear. I was eavesdropping.”

“An underrated life skill.”

“Tell Brianna I said hi,” he said.

“Will do.”

Eventually, Kate pointed out that the Bruins game started in twenty minutes and called Henry to fetch his sister. A few minutes later, he pulled up in his immaculate Volvo and honked the horn. “Thanks for the sympathy,” Posey said, hugging her friend.

“You’re welcome. Buck up, okay?”

“Does the dog have to get in, too?” Henry asked as she and Shilo went out to the car.

“Yes. Any other questions?”

“I guess not,” Henry said, wincing as Shilo squeezed in the backseat, leaving a trail of drool on the headrest.

Posey closed her eyes. Kate was right—enough was enough.

“Heard you broke up with what’s his name,” Henry said, pulling away from the curb.

Posey opened one eye and looked at him. “Yeah.”

“Sorry.”

“Thanks.”

“I heard about the other stuff, too. The birth-mother stuff.”

This warranted the opening of both eyes. “Did you?”

Henry nodded, his perfect features as hard to read as ever. “How are you handling all that?”

“Did Jon tell you to talk to me, Henry?”

He cracked a small smile. “Actually, no. Look, I know you two are close, and that’s great. But I’m your big brother. You can, um…well, whatever little sisters are supposed to do. Talk to me or whatever.” He pulled into her driveway, turned off the engine and looked at her. “I just… I don’t know, Posey. I don’t know what I have to offer, aside from a free knee replacement.” He cleared his throat and reset the odometer. “But you know…you’re my sister. I love you. I’m proud of you. The guy who dumped you is an idiot, and you deserve better. If you need anything…you know.” He glanced at her. “Okay?”

“Henry.”

“What?”

“I love you, too.”

“I know. Now shoo.”

She kissed his cheek and went inside her strangely tidy house, made a sandwich and gave half to Shilo. Went upstairs to finish the model, which she’d brought home to paint. Played “Brother Love’s Salvation Show” on her iPod over and over. When the bell went off at nine, she managed to ignore it pretty well.

“BOSS! HI! YOU LOOK…great? Right? Good to have you back!” Elise gave her a peachy-scented hug, and when she pulled back, her eyes were teary. “Sorry,” she whispered, fumbling for a tissue. “I thought he was, like, super nice.”

“Thanks, hon,” Posey said, touched at her reaction.

Elise blew her nose. “So I took your advice. Registered on Match.com last night.” At that moment, Mac opened the front door. “’Morning, Mac!” Elise sang, not looking at him. Her voice wobbled.

Mac nodded and headed for the back room. Elise looked down.

Posey’s heart twisted. What would it be like, to fall in love with someone who was pathologically shy? Who could barely look at you, let alone speak to you?

“Mac, stop,” Posey said.

He obeyed, turning to see what she wanted.

The phone rang. “Irreplaceable Artifacts, good morning!” Elise chirruped into the receiver. Posey took the phone from her and hung it up.

She looked at them, her faithful employees. Her friends. “Mac. Elise likes you. She has for the past two years. Have you somehow missed this?”

Mac’s cheeks flamed. “I…noticed.”

“So?” Posey demanded. “Do you like her? She’s beautiful, she’s cheerful, she’s got a huge heart. Any interest?”

Elise’s mouth was hanging open, her eyes wide. For once, she didn’t say a word.

“She’s pretty young,” Mac said, his voice barely a whisper.

“Right. How old are you, Elise? Twenty-eight?”

Elise nodded.

“And you’re forty-two, Mac?”

He nodded.

“Elise, you like older men, I’m guessing?”

“Well,” she whispered, blushing furiously, “I totally like this one.”

“Would you like to go out with a younger woman, Mac? A beautiful, sweet younger woman who’s been crazy about you since the first week she started here?”

His eyes went from Posey to Elise, then back again. “Um…okay.”

“Seriously?” Elise breathed. “Oh, my gosh! Right? That’s great! How about tonight?”

Mac swallowed audibly. “Sure,” he said. He looked back at Posey. “Can I get to work now?”

“Yes. Please do,” she said, smiling. Mac’s blush extended all the way up to his bald head. He looked at Elise—it took some effort, but he did it—and said, very quietly, “See you later, then,” and fled.

Posey held up a finger to Elise and trotted back to the shop. Mac was leaning against the wall, his shirt blotchy with sweat. “You okay?”

He nodded.

“You really want to go out with her?”

Another nod.

“Are you having a heart attack?”

He cut her a glance. “I think so.”

Posey grinned. “I think it’s love,” she said, and Mac shook his head, but a little smile crossed his face.

Assured that he wasn’t about to drop dead, Posey went back to the counter.

“You’re totally the best boss, like…ever?” Elise said, throwing her arms around Posey. “I thought I was gonna have to come in here naked and handcuff him to me!”

“Now, see, that would’ve worked, too,” Posey said, smiling. “Now, go easy on him. Be gentle. He needs time.”

“Time. Roger that.” Elise beamed, and Posey’s heart lifted at her friend’s happiness.

“Okay, I have to run out to the candy factory and talk to the owner about what he wants to keep. And then I have an errand. I probably won’t be back today.” With that, she chose two aging wicker chairs whose cushions didn’t smell too moldy and hefted them in the back of her truck, whistled for Shilo and went off.

WHEN VIVIAN ANSWERED her door a few hours later, her wrinkled old mouth fell open. “Posey! What are you doing here?”

“Hi to you, too,” Posey answered, shifting the box in her hands.

“But…but I thought you…” Viv closed her mouth. “I thought our business had concluded,” she said, enunciating carefully.

“Well, we’re still friends, right?” Posey asked. “And it’s Monday. Our day for lunch?”

Vivian blinked. “Aren’t you angry that I went with Down East?”

Posey hesitated. “Well, not angry. Disappointed. But it’s your property, as you said. Can I come in? This is heavy. It’s a present, by the way.”

Viv held the door wider, and Posey came in, the familiar musty smell of lavender and old lady greeting her. She put the box on the table, and, knowing Viv’s old hands weren’t strong enough, took out the gift.

Vivian stared at it for a long minute. Then her faded blue eyes filled with tears. “Posey…”

It was the model, of course. The Meadows in miniature and Posey’s best effort to date. She’d even found an elm tree to put in the side yard.

Vivian bent down to look more closely. “This was my bedroom when I was a girl,” she said softly. “I used to look out this window first thing every morning. There was the noisiest family of wrens in that tree.” The old lady’s mouth quivered, and she straightened abruptly. “Do you think the Vultures might…save it?”

Posey looked at Vivian, once a great beauty, once somewhat feared and revered in this town, once a beloved wife. A woman who’d never had a child and whose few relatives visited her only to ensure they were kept in the will, who would rip apart what was most precious to her. “They might, Viv,” she lied. “They just might.”

Vivian looked at the model again. “They won’t,” she said. “But they’re family, and you forgive them, even if they are the human equivalent of hyenas. Because that’s what you do, Posey. Forgive.”

“I guess so.”

“Well, I know so. And I’m older and far wiser than you.” Her voice was sharp and familiar once more. “Thank you for this. It’s quite accurate.”

“Would you like to go out for lunch?” Posey asked.

Vivian looked at her, her eyes returning to the present. “Is that what you’re wearing?”

“Yup. Care to be seen with me in public?”

Vivian’s lips twitched. “I suppose. Where are we going?”

Posey smiled. “I thought we’d have a picnic.”

DRIVING HOME that night, Posey found she was whistling. When Vivian had seen the model, that had been pretty great. But when she’d seen The Meadows…well. That had been even better.

Both of them had a good cry, sitting in the wicker chairs Posey’d brought, breathing in the scent of the peonies and lilacs. It had been wonderful hearing Vivian’s stories about parties and games of hide-and-seek, snowstorms and holidays, the maid who’d fallen for the cook, how Vivian’s husband had proposed under the chestnut tree.

“I’m glad you brought me, Posey,” Vivian had said as they trundled slowly down the long drive of The Meadows. Her voice softened, and she swallowed. “But I don’t want to come back again, dear.”

“Me, neither,” Posey said, taking her hand. “This was goodbye for us both.” Vivian squeezed her hand, and if both women were teary-eyed, they pretended otherwise and chatted about the weather for the rest of the drive.

“See you next week,” Posey said as Vivian unlocked her door.

“Try to dress like a woman,” Viv said, and with that, she went inside, leaving Posey laughing in the hallway.

But it was hard to keep thoughts of Liam from seeping in. The way his hands felt on her skin. His low, smooth voice, the way her name rolled in his mouth like he was tasting it. The way he kissed her, as if she was the first woman he’d ever kissed, that slow appreciation, building into something deeper and more intense—

“Okay! Shilo! What do we want for dinner?” Maybe she’d pop a Stouffer’s French bread pizza in the oven, since her deal with Jon didn’t start till after she’d chaperoned the prom. Great. Another thing to look forward to.

As she pulled into her driveway, she saw Gretchen sitting on the back steps, long legs crossed, a good three-quarters of her br**sts heaping out of her neckline as if for inspection. Shilo galloped over, and before Gretchen could move out of the way, gave her a slobbery kiss.

“Ew! Disgusting!” Gretchen said, scrambling up.

“Well, you’re just sitting there like a big piece of raw meat,” Posey said. “So. Here to set fire to my house, Gret? Since you like ruining things and all?”