Page 30 of The Secret to a Southern Wedding

“Don’t tell me you’re a true country boy now?”

“Not all the way, but I’m halfway there.”

“I can’t imagine coming back to live here forever,” she said. “I’ll admit, the town has grown and the revitalization efforts are great, but it’s still a small town.”

The door to the bakery opened and Imani glanced that way. She saw the person entering and grunted softly. She had no problem recognizing Mattie Bryant, the mayor’s bougie sister. Imani shifted in her seat so her back was to the door and tried to hide her face with her hand.

“Cyril, what are you doing here?”

Cyril groaned before pasting on a tight smile. Imani guessed he also wasn’t a fan. “Hey, Mattie,” he said dryly. “I’m just tasting cakes.”

Mattie walked closer to the table. “Oh, that sounds like fun. And who’s this with you?”

Imani dropped her hand and looked up. Mattie was average height with curly auburn-colored hair that brought out the sienna tone to her complexion. Her dark eyes widened, and her manicured brows rose nearly to her hairline. “Oh, my goodness, it’s Imani Kemp.”

“Hello, Mattie,” Imani said with a tight smile.

Mattie looked from Imani to Cyril and then back. “Are you two tasting cakes for the wedding?”

Imani nodded. “We are, and we just got started so—”

“It’s so nice that your mom is getting married again. I swear I never would have imagined that she’d ever be ready to do that. Not after what happened.” Mattie tilted her head to the side and eyed Imani expectantly.

The words hit, but because Imani was always on guard in Peachtree Cove, she didn’t give the desired reaction. Mattie used to love pretending to give comfort through sly remarks and barely concealed insults.

“Mattie,” Carolyn called from the front of the store.

Irritation flashed across Mattie’s face before she turned to Carolyn. “What?”

Carolyn held up a cake box. “The cake you ordered is ready.”

“I’ll be there in a second.” She turned back to Imani.

Cyril pointed to the cakes in front of them. “We’ll get back to what we were doing. You have a good day, Mattie.” Cyril’s firm voice quickly dismissed her.

Mattie looked at Imani. “I was hoping to catch up.”

“Maybe some other time,” Imani said, not bothering to sound sincere. “Which one do you want to try next?” She looked at Cyril.

Mattie huffed before turning and walking away. Cyril and Imani tasted cake until she was out of the bakery. Imani looked at the door then at Carolyn, who gave her a smile before focusing on the register again.

“Mattie is a character,” Cyril said.

“That’s putting it nicely.” Imani sighed and speared a piece of cake with her fork. “She’s why I like the anonymity that comes with living in the city. No one in my business or trying to bring up my past.”

Cyril swallowed his cake before speaking. “When you have a community in the city, anonymity goes away. Those people can hurt you just as much as people in a small town can.”

She looked back at him. Their eyes met. There was pain in his eyes. A pain that resonated with the hurt in her heart. Had his community back home turned on him the same way Peachtree Cove had turned on Imani and her family before?

“What happened?”

His eyes shuttered and he looked back at the cakes. “Things just weren’t the same after Mom passed. What do you think of the cakes? I’m good with whatever they choose. Besides, I need to get back to the bar.”

She wanted to push. The fact that she was looking for a reason to call off the wedding urged her to push. The hurt in his voice as he talked about his mom stopped her questions. Just like she hadn’t wanted to go there with Mattie, she wouldn’t be the person who pushed him to delve into the pain in his heart reflected in his eyes. She felt a moment of solidarity with Cyril that she couldn’t explain. As if he also felt the same loss she’d felt. She nodded and pushed the plate away. “I’m done. Let’s go with whatever they choose.”

twelve

Cyril had to do a double take to believe what his eyes saw as he left his house the next day. Even though he initially passed by, a glance in his rearview mirror confirmed what he saw. That was Imani, kneeling on the side of the road, working on a bicycle. The unexpected sight caused a multitude of questions to pop into his mind.

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