She’d caught him off guard, but it didn’t seem to occur to him not to answer. “You cut to the chase, don’t you? I don’t know your sister very well. But I…yes, I like her. She fascinates me.” He smiled and leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees, open and enthusiastic. It was contagious, like a yawn. He made Sydney smile back. “I had this dream about her. It was like nothing I’ve ever dreamed before. Her hair was short, and she was wearing this headband—” He stopped and leaned back. “I’m going to stop now before I sound any more ridiculous.”

He didn’t sound ridiculous. He sounded nice, so nice it made her a little envious of Claire. “My daughter likes her too.”

“You don’t sound happy about that.”

“No, I didn’t mean it to sound that way.” Sydney sighed. “It’s just not what I expected. Claire and I fought a lot as kids. I think we were both thrilled when I left town. She didn’t like me very much. I didn’t think she’d like Bay.”

“How long were you gone?”

“Ten years. I never thought I’d be back.” She shook her head, as if to shake away the thoughts. “Do you mind my coming over? You like my sister, not me, so no pressure. I just need to get out of that house sometimes. Want to order pizza? My treat.”

“Sounds good. I don’t think I’ve eaten today.” Tyler looked at her thoughtfully. “You can come by any time you want, but ten years is a long time to be away. There aren’t any old friends you want to see?”

Old friends. She almost laughed. Two-faced, weak-willed backstabbers, yes. Old friends, no. “No. It’s a part of that never-thinking-I-was-ever-coming-back thing.”

“Burned bridges?” Tyler asked astutely. He wasn’t nearly as oblivious as his lifestyle made him seem.

“Something like that.”

CHAPTER

4

That night, across town, Emma Clark had no idea her world was about to turn upside down as she got ready for the fund-raiser ball. She was, in fact, looking forward to the evening because of the attention she always received.

Clark women craved the spotlight. They loved attention from men, particularly. And it wasn’t hard to get, considering their legendary sexual prowess. They always married well.

Emma Clark’s husband, Hunter John Matteson, was the biggest catch in town and everyone knew it. He was outgoing, handsome, athletic, and heir to his family’s manufactured-housing empire. Emma’s mother, shrewd woman that she was, had positioned Emma to be his wife since Emma and Hunter John were toddlers. Their families mingled and traveled in the same circles, so it wasn’t hard to plant suggestions and nudge them together. Their families had even spent a month together on Cape May one summer when Emma and Hunter John were ten years old. “Look how cute they are together,” her mother said every chance she got.

The only problem was, despite her mother’s maneuvering, despite Emma’s beauty and social position, despite the fact that she had been amazing boys behind the bleachers since she was fifteen and that any sane man would want her, all throughout high school Hunter John had been hopelessly in love with Sydney Waverley.