“But I want some of Aunt Tilley’s pie,” he whined.

“Oh, I’ll bring you some, sugah,” she said.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I whisper-shouted as we made our way to the door.

I had grown up with Parker, thinking of him as that annoying younger boy who wouldn’t leave me alone at church. I mean, he had always been cute, obviously. But I wasn’t a member of his fan club, one of the hordes of girls that swooned over him.

No one had been more shocked when one of my idols had chosen to marry him. I wanted to call Greer up and say, Parker Thaysden? Do you realize that this kid used to hang worms out of his nostrils?

But I had gained a new respect for Parker when Greer had died. He had loved her in the way that every woman dreams of being loved. He honored her every day during and since, some might say too much. But I thought people were too cynical. They had forgotten that true love never dies. I guessed I would never know what that was like.

“Amelia, you can’t tell a man that you have something really important to talk to him about and then leave him hanging like that,” he said as Aunt Tilley wordlessly delivered a piece of pie to him and slipped away as best one could in a five-foot hoopskirt.

I rolled my eyes. “This is a little bit insane.”

He shrugged. “I tried to tell you yesterday that I was on my way here, but you hung up too quickly.”

“Ohhhh…” Well, that made more sense.

We both sat down, and he looked at me expectantly. I hadn’t planned what I would say yet, how I would deliver this earthshaking news. I had other earthshaking news I’d been preoccupied with delivering.

“Hey,” he whispered between bites. “I’m really sorry about Thad.”

“Parker!” I hissed, looking around.

“I know, I know. I figured you came home to tell them. But it’s a small town. Word gets around.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s been, like, a day.”

He shrugged. “Chase does my copy editor’s hair.” He added, behind his hand, conspiratorially, “And if it makes you feel better, word around the salon is that he had no idea that Thad was married, and he is pissed. They are done. Chase isn’t anyone’s side piece.” He looked at me very seriously.

While he worked hard to hold a straight face, I had my first good laugh since yesterday morning. That maybe Thad wasn’t going to get his happily ever after made me feel the tiniest bit better.

“Thank you,” I said. “That helps. Even though there is no way in the world he didn’t know Thad and I were married.”

“Okay,” Parker said impatiently. “We’ve done you. What about me?”

I took both his hands in mine and looked him in the eyes. Something like panic crossed his face, and I dropped them. “Oh my God. This isn’t like a confession of love or something. You wish.”