Page 29 of The Secret to a Southern Wedding

Cyril leaned forward. “You don’t remember her, do you?”

Imani blinked. “Who?”

He nodded his head toward the front of the bakery where Carolyn was now talking to a customer who’d walked in. “Carolyn.”

“I think we went to high school together or something.”

“She grew up here. She spoke as if she knew you, but you looked confused.”

She picked up a fork and cut off a piece of the lemon cake sample. “I didn’t look confused.”

“Yes, you did. You know a lot of people around town remember you.”

“A lot of people around town know my mom and like to pretend as if they know me, too. That’s all.”

“No, a lot of people remember you.” He took a bite of the pound cake. He licked a few crumbs from the corner of his mouth and Imani quickly focused on the cakes in front of her.

“And I’m sure they have a lot to say about me,” she muttered. She could only imagine the gossip they continued to spread about her and what happened with her family.

“Most aren’t surprised that you’re a doctor. A lot are proud of what you’ve done. Your mom will sing your praises to anyone who’ll listen. Most of the members of the Business Guild know about your work as a doctor.”

“Is that all they say? They’re proud of me?”

“What else do you think they’d say?”

He looked so clueless, as if he had no knowledge of the scandal or what her dad did before. She couldn’t believe it. Her family had been the talk of the town. But as he continued to look at her as if he were waiting for her to say something else, she wondered if enough time had passed that people no longer talked or cared about what happened to her family.

“They don’t talk about my mom and dad?”

“If they do it’s not to me. Plus, I don’t get involved in town gossip. I run my bar and do what I can through the guild to help the town. If it’s not that or related to my dad, I don’t care.”

She frowned, took a bite of the yellow cake. She liked the lemon better. “You care about the town.”

“I do.”

“But you’re not from here?”

He shook his head. “I’m not. Does that mean I shouldn’t care?”

“Why do you care? You’re from Baltimore, you can’t tell me that Peachtree Cove is more interesting.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Not more interesting. I’ll admit I do miss the hustle of the city. I never thought I’d want to stay here forever when me and my dad decided to move. In fact, I kind of hated the idea of starting over here.”

“Why did you come to Peachtree Cove versus Charlotte, Atlanta or Augusta?”

“My mom’s grandmother was originally from this part of Georgia but moved to Baltimore and stayed. She remembers coming down for vacations as a kid before her great-aunts died off and the rest of the family moved away. After my mom died...” He swallowed hard before continuing, “My dad wanted to go somewhere that had been a happy place for her. So, this is where we ended up.”

“And you were okay with that?”

He shook his head. “Not at all. I hated it at first. Too quiet, stores closing at nine, everything moved slow.”

“What changed your mind?”

“Honestly, the people here. They were friendly and welcoming. They asked why we were here and as soon as they found out my mom’s people originated from this area, they took us in as if we belonged. I met Joshua and told him of my dream to open a bar. He introduced me to Miriam Parker, the mayor, and she told me of her efforts to revitalize the town. One grant later to redo a storefront downtown, and a small business loan, I was opening the bar. Finally living a dream I’d had for years. Before I knew it, I was a member of the guild and a part of the community.” He grinned and the wonder in his voice washed away the last remnants of her irritation. “Peachtree Cove became home to us.”

“So you’re never moving back to the city?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought I’d always be a city boy, but I spent a weekend in Atlanta with Joshua a few months back and couldn’t wait to get back to Peachtree Cove.” He shook his head and laughed.

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