Page 197

The irony was that if she asked him to go with her to Seattle, he would consider the move. He would think about giving up his dream of buying the auto shop, of living close to his family, because being with Shaye was more important than both. But she didn’t ask, and he knew better than to offer.

There was nothing to do but endure the rest of the day, then head home and wait for the worst of the pain to pass. It should only take a couple of years. But even then, he knew he would spend the rest of his life sure that Shaye had been his true soul mate. He didn’t think a guy ever got over something like that.

The morning of the twenty-fifth dawned with a perfect blue sky. By ten, the temperatures were already close to eighty degrees. Shaye sat in the window seat and stared out at the beautiful mountain view. Just one more thing she was going to miss when she left Wishing Tree.

She’d accomplished a lot in not very many days—mostly because she wasn’t sleeping and could work late into the night and start again early. The Mustang was back together and looking glorious with its candy-apple-red paint job.

She’d started the engine two days ago. It had caught immediately and had rumbled just the way it should. There was nothing so satisfying as the growl of a V-8 in a beautiful car.

The moment should have thrilled her—it was the culmination of so much hard work. Only, she’d been alone in the garage. Kathy had been out with friends, and there had been no one else to share her triumph. No one to cheer with, no one to join her on that first drive.

She hadn’t heard from Lawson—not since she’d sent her breakup text, and he’d responded with a gentle I’m sorry, too, but I’ll respect your wishes. You won’t hear from me again. Which was just so like Lawson. He wouldn’t push, he wouldn’t yell. He would simply let her go.

She missed him. Not just with working on the car but in every other way possible. She missed seeing him and thinking about seeing him. She missed laughing with him and having him kiss her. She missed them. And while she was thinking about missing things, she was also missing Paisley and Dena. She’d been a total coward and had joined them for dinner without mentioning that she was planning on leaving. A truth that made her feel small, but she hadn’t been able to face the questions and the hurt she knew she would see in their eyes.

Instead she’d lied to them, then had gone home and cried herself to sleep.

Leaving hurt. She was already packed and had loaded most of her things in her truck. But every trip downstairs had been like a blow to her heart. She would miss Kathy and the house and her room. She would miss her job and the silly town.

She stood and gave the room one last check to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. Once she got to Seattle, she would feel better. Once she started her new life, she could forget about this one. She would get used to being lonely. The alternative was to . . . to . . .

She stood in the middle of the bedroom, trying to figure out what the alternative was. To care? To risk losing again? Did she really want that? Was it worth it?

“Shaye, it’s time.”

Kathy’s voice drifted through the open door. Shaye grabbed her purse and stepped out on the landing, then carefully closed the door behind her. She was done. There was no going back. Only forward.

The classic car parade was bigger—or possibly longer—than Shaye had expected. There were at least three dozen entries. Everything from a sputtering Model T to an elegant 1934 Buick Eight to an iconic 1955 T-Bird, made famous in the old movie American Graffiti.

The lineup was arranged by the owners drawing a number from a hat. Kathy’s Mustang was number fifteen, right in the middle of the parade. Kathy had arranged for the car to be driven by a very excited high-school senior whose hands practically trembled as he ran his fingers along her glossy hood.

“She’s a sweet ride, Mrs. Vieira.”

“Thanks, Elliot. I think so, too. Shaye here finished the restoration my husband had started.”

Elliot’s face showed his shock, but he managed to nod and say “You did a great job.”

“Thank you.”

“We’ll be riding in back,” Kathy said, pointing to the car. “And aren’t the booster seats clever? See how they get locked in with the seat belts? And there’s a place for us to hang on. We’ll be up a bit and able to wave at the little people.”

Despite her heavy heart, Shaye laughed. “The little people?”

Kathy grinned. “You know. The ones who can only watch us sail by.”

Shaye and Kathy climbed into the back seat and strapped themselves in. The booster seat was secure, but Shaye felt like she was riding a camel. Still, she was determined to enjoy her last day in Wishing Tree. When the parade was over, she was leaving town.

Elliot started the engine, then flashed her a grin. “I love this car.”

“Me, too,” Shaye admitted.

They waited a few minutes, then the car in front began to move.

The parade route started and finished in The Wreath. They went north on West Mistletoe Way, by the park that had the ice-skating rink in winter, along Red Cedar Highway and around to String of Lights Park, then back to The Wreath.

Crowds lined the entire route, and right away Shaye saw people she knew. That nice couple from Nevada, the ones who’d been buying lunch from her for the past three days and tipped so well, waved and called out to her. A block later she saw Paisley, who hooted as Shaye drove by. She saw Dena with an older couple. Her parents, Shaye guessed. They looked happy together.

She saw families she recognized by sight if not name and dozens of tourists. Everyone was smiling and waving, having a wonderful time on the beautiful summer day. Everyone but her.