Page 27 of 15 Summers Later

Out of the corner of her gaze, Ava saw Leona send her a surprised look, then her grandmother reached out and hugged him.

Cullen and her grandmother had always shared a good relationship. Why wouldn’t they? Cullen was smart, interesting, dynamic. For all his nerd tendencies and his passion for all things dinosaur, he could carry on a conversation with anyone and was genuinely interested in other people’s stories.

What had he ever seen in her in the first place? It was a question she had asked herself often over the past four years, since they started dating seriously after meeting at a party thrown by a mutual friend.

And he was gorgeous. She couldn’t forget that part.

She hadn’t seen him in nearly a week and the sight of his handsome features—already tanned and stubbled from living in primitive conditions in the mountains—seemed to steal her breath.

Something sharp and hard lodged under her breastbone and she fought the urge to rub at the spot.

“Why, Cullen. Darling!” her grandmother exclaimed. “What a wonderful surprise! What brings you to town today?”

Ava shrank farther into the shadows, wondering if anyone would notice if she sank to the ground and commando-crawled to hide under the table.

He stepped away, still not noticing Ava. “I’m working a fossil dig site in the area, up in the backcountry. I’ll be around all summer.”

“I know that part. Ava told me. I wondered what you were doinghere.”

“Oh. Right. We had to resupply our provisions and this is the closest town with a large grocery store. Our alternative is heading ten miles farther into Hailey. We were trying to make it a quick trip. I didn’t realize today was the farmers market. To be honest, I didn’t realize Emerald Creek evenhada farmers market.”

“That’s because you haven’t been back to visit often enough in the summertime. We’ve had it for several years now. It’s a great place to pick up all your fresh produce needs, especially in a few more weeks when more vegetables and fruits will be in season. Can I interest you in anything?”

He and her grandmother stood outside the circle of the umbrella, on the other side of the tables displaying Leona’s offerings. Ava stayed firmly on the opposite side of the stall, her back turned to him.

He still hadn’t noticed her. She told herself she was relieved, even as she felt a pang that apparently he hadn’t sensed her presence like she had his.

On the other hand, she had full knowledge that her husband was working in the area, while he had absolutely no idea she had packed up her suitcase and headed to Idaho after him.

“I don’t think I really need flowers right now. Not sure where I would put them. But thanks.”

“We have a lovely assortment of baked goods. The proceeds all go to help feed Madi’s animals at the sanctuary.”

“Oh, that’s nice. How’s that going?”

“It’s great. She is officially open now and will be quitting her job to start giving all her energy full time to it in a few weeks.”

“That will be great for her.”

“Everything looks delicious,” Luis said. “We can grab some cookies. You know how much the team loves treats.”

“Choose what you’d like. I’ll cover you,” Leona said.

“Don’t be silly,” Cullen said. “It’s for a good cause. We can pay for our own cookies.”

“Fine, if you insist. Ava will be happy to help you check out.”

A shocked silence greeted Leona’s words, words Ava knew had not been uttered by accident.

Left with no choice, she turned around slowly to face the man she loved with all her heart. The same man she had wounded deeply, possibly irreparably.

“Ava!” he exclaimed, looking staggered to see her. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in Portland.”

She forced a smile. “Surprise.”

She waved to Luis, who had worked with Cullen for years in the same university department and was a good friend to both of them. He had attended their wedding.

He, at least, looked happy to see her. “Hi, kiddo. Good to see you. Congrats on theNew York Timesbestseller list. You are officially a Big Deal. CapitalB, CapitalD.”

---