“I think that was more than Anthony and I needed to know, dear,” Lola muttered.

Cady delighted in the fact that her grandmother and Anthony looked flustered.

Lola shooed her away with her hands. “You should take a nice bubble bath now and start getting ready for your big evening. It takes at least three hours to get ready. Remember what I told you. When you look good, you feel good. Looking good and feeling good at the same time enables you to control situations. Like dinner this evening. If you think you’re nervous, imagine how Chief Ward must feel.”

“Three hours!” Cady yelped. “I can be ready in ten minutes. And who said anything about me being nervous. Being jittery isn’t the same as being nervous. Is it?”

“Wrong! The old Cady could be ready in ten minutes. The new Cady needs three hours. Jittery and nervous are the same thing. Go!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Cady said smartly.

He’s good-looking enough to pose for a Gap or Banana Republic ad, Cady thought as she watched Boomer Ward make his way up the walkway to the front of the house, where she was waiting with Atlas. Even from where she was standing she could see the look of approval in his expression. After an hour’s deliberation, she’d finally chosen a misty green shift with three-quarter sleeves and a huge yellow sunflower appliquéd on the patch pocket. If the evening turned cool the way it did sometimes in the spring, she didn’t have to worry about a shawl or a sweater. The pearls Lola had given her on her sixteenth birthday were her only jewelry.

Atlas growled at her feet.

Boomer looked better than great in his perfectly cut jeans and crisp white button-down shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. For some reason she’d forgotten that his dark hair was curly. It was slicked back now, but eventually the tight curls would escape whatever he used to plaster them down. She couldn’t remember if he’d had curly hair when they were kids because he’d always worn a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball cap. She did remember his eyes though. They were dove gray. Twenty years ago those dove gray eyes had always looked worried. Just like now.

He smiled. Her heart fluttered. She smiled back. Atlas growled and stepped between them when Boomer reached the porch.

“I thought I was supposed to ring the bell to make it official.” The smile turned into a wide grin. It disappeared when Atlas nosed him backward. “Is this the killer dog I heard you brought with you?”

“Where did you hear a thing like that?” Cady demanded. What was wrong with Atlas?

“In town. I was having lunch in the diner one day, and I overheard two women talking. One of them either owns or works in the bakery. Your dog doesn’t appear to like me right now. Were you by any chance planning on bringing him along?”

That hadn’t been her intention at all. “Actually, I was. My grandmother is having a guest for dinner, and I didn’t want him to be in the way. He’s very attached to me. He gets separation anxiety when I’m not around. Are you saying it will be a problem if we take him?”