Page 37 of The Secret to a Southern Wedding

Getting no help from him then. “Let’s sit down.”

“Imani, hey! I’m glad you came tonight,” a woman’s voice.

Imani turned and recognized Carolyn from the bakery. “Hey, Carolyn, yeah, I decided to come with my mom.”

“That’s great. The guild is so much better than it used to be when we were in high school. I’m glad you decided to come. We didn’t get to catch up at the bakery. How have you been?”

“I’ve been good. Just...getting up to speed on everything.”

“Sorry about that thing with Mattie the other day. She’s still a busybody,” Carolyn said with an eye roll.

Imani shrugged. “Thank you for distracting her.”

“No problem. You’d think that after all these years she’d learn to be more like her sister. Everyone loves Miriam.”

Carolyn pointed at Miriam. The mayor was shaking hands and smiling with a group of people near the podium. She looked like she had in high school. Average height, slim build and a bright, welcoming smile.

Cyril cut into their conversation. “Hey, Carolyn, here’s your agenda.”

“Thank you, Cyril,” she said before looking back at Imani. “Give me a call while you’re in town. We can get together for coffee or something.”

“Umm... I’ll try. It’s been busy. Wedding prep and everything.”

She liked Carolyn and appreciated what she’d done, but Imani wasn’t trying to make more connections here in Peachtree Cove. She wasn’t staying long and didn’t want to give the impression that she was going to be one of the ones who left but planned to return.

“Oh, I understand. We’re all so excited. Well, it was good to see you.”

“You too,” Imani said with a stiff smile.

After Carolyn walked away Cyril leaned forward at the table and said in a whisper loud enough for her to hear. “Why don’t you want to hang with her?”

Imani scoffed and turned away. Was she that obvious? “Mind your business.”

“I will next time,” he said with a sly grin. Her lips twitched, but she looked away before laughter would bubble up.

She followed her mom to the seats Preston had saved for them. When they were seated, she asked her mom, “What’s up with Carolyn wanting to hang out with me?”

“Who, Carolyn Jones? She used to live around the corner from Halle. Wasn’t she in that play with you back in middle school?”

Imani thought back. They had been in a play together. They’d also hung out a lot over the summer after that school year. That was the summer before her life changed forever. “We were,” she said. “I’d forgotten about that.”

Forgotten about the friends she’d had before that time. Halle hadn’t gone away because she was her cousin and Tracey had refused to be pushed out of her life, but Imani hadn’t bothered to keep any of the other friendships she’d once had. She’d been too ashamed and afraid that someone would pretend to be her friend only to hurt her later.

Her mom gave her a knowing smile before saying, “It was a long time ago and you’ve been away for a while. Want me to point out the rest of your classmates I remember?”

“Sure,” Imani said.

Linda nodded and gestured to the various people around the room. Some of them Imani remembered. Her mom also pointed out the new faces of people who’d moved into town in the years since she left. A few even came over to speak to Imani and her mom. Bringing back other memories of the people she’d liked before her life was turned upside down.

“Oh, there’s—”

“Brian Nelson,” Imani said when her mom pointed out the man who walked in. “I remember him.”

A knowing smile curved her mom’s lips. “Oh yeah, you did have a crush on him once.”

Imani glanced around to make sure no one had overheard. “You could call it that,” Imani said in a rush. More like she’d been obsessed with him. Her and half the other girls in school. “I thought he moved away from Peachtree Cove.”

“He did. Lived in Atlanta for a while and I think Dallas, too. But he came back to town about a year or so ago, opened a nursery, and won’t talk about his life away from Peachtree Cove.”

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