"How was your flight?"

Hunter's tanned face filled the screen of Mary's phone, those golden eyes rimmed with dark circles. "Bit bumpy." The image jiggled, revealing the corner of the window of the limo. California scenery screamed by. At least Mary assumed it was, she'd never been to east of Ohio. "How's Bridgetown?"

With effort, Mary suppressed a frown and added a lightness to her voice. "Pretty much the same." Tucking her feet into her pink flats, she couldn't believe she was back in her old room. Of course, it didn't look like her bedroom from those days. The previous owners remodeled it as a nursery, pale yellow walls replacing the pink of her time. She didn't find the irony of the situation funny. "One stoplight and sadly still lacking any sushi options."

"How about this? I promise as soon as I'm back in town I'll whisk you away from there. I know a great sushi spot."

This time a genuine smile touched her lips. Good-looking and considerate, Hunter was a gold coin in a world full of pennies. The night they'd discovered her apartment flooded, he jumped into action. Found the source of the waterfall, called the insurance agency, and even offered her a place to sleep that night. His bed. Unfortunately, he hadn't shared the bed with her, instead camping out on the couch. Such a gentleman. He told her to stay at his place while he's in California for the next two weeks.

She'd considered the proposal, but her father advised against it. Phillip Montgomery was a stickler for image and perception. If the press got wind of her shacking up in Hunter's apartment, it would simply not look good. For her particularly. He wanted his daughter's courtship to be pristine, peaceful, and perfect.

"It's a date." Even though it had only been a day, Mary couldn't wait to get back to Washington. The insurance company provided an allowance for a hotel to stay in during the renovations, but she opted to pocket the cash and stay with family. Her father's condo was too small. Beth and Lance had plenty of space but also came with two children under three. She loved her niece and nephew but preferred them in small doses.

Emily was her last hope. Her younger sister still owned a condo in the city, the one she lived in before meeting Finn but was currently subletting it. That left the new house outside of Bridgetown. The lake house had plenty of room, a lovely spot in the middle of the summer. Warm days spent by the water, plenty of quiet and fresh air. If she tried, Mary could almost convince herself she'd be at some swanky resort.

Noise filtered up through the open window, the crowd gathering for the July 4th BBQ Emily and her husband were holding. Ah, Emily's husband. Drawback number one of staying here. Mary didn't blame Finn for his not so warm... okay, downright cold welcome. Still, he did welcome her. They'd never be friends, but Mary secretly hoped if they spent some time together, they could come to some kind of truce. For Emily's sake.

Off the phone with Hunter, Mary left her sanctuary, made her way down the hall to Sophie's room and knocked. Glad her friend was staying for the weekend, Mary depended on her support with the crowd downstairs. There were few Mary admirers on the guest list.

"Come in."

Mary cracked the door open. An odd sensation washed over her as she took in the gaudy wallpaper adorning what used to be Beth's room. Emily had restored certain parts of the main floor of the house to the way it was when their mother was alive, but the bedrooms hadn't been touched yet. Against the bold flowered pattern, her friend wore a towel, her still damp, straight black hair clinging to her face, standing before the bed with two dresses on it.

"Which one?" Sophie pointed to the outfits. "I'm not sure either is appropriate for this crowd."

"Don't be silly. It's a bunch of locals and a few of Finn's army buddies. A decided lack of Harringtons. No need to impress."

Sophie didn't look convinced, her mouth a small thin line. "Indulge me."

"The red one is patriotic." Mary regarded both garments. A patterned long black and white shift and the aforementioned red sundress with a short skirt.

Sophie rarely wore colour. For years she'd been petrified in mourning, like a butterfly in amber, her clothing matching her widowed status. Even though Sophie and Thomas hadn't had a chance to get married before he died, everyone regarded her as if they had. It had been years. Was this small purchase, a splash of colour an indication of a change? Mary wanted to encourage the shift and complimented the red option. "And the neckline will help accentuate what you've got going on up there."

"Goodness knows my chest needs all the help it can get. Too bad I can't fill out a dress like you can." A chuckle from her friend. "You look stunning by the way."

"This old thing?" It was an old dress, but it had miracle qualities. The material didn't require expensive dry cleaning like so many of her outfits, had the uncanny ability of looking casual yet sophisticated and, as Sophie pointed out, emphasized her breast in the best possible way. Best of all, the deep rose made her eyes pop. "Doesn't hold a candle to this."

Sophie winced. "I don't know."

"I do." Mary plucked the red dress off the bed and shoved it towards her friend. "Trust me."

With a head nod, Sophie took the offered item and headed for the ensuite. "So, who is coming then?" asked her friend through the partially closed door.

"No one you know, I suspect. Mostly locals from town."

"Finn's brother? What's his name?"

Mary's stomach flipped at the mention of drawback number two. "His name is Simon." She picked up a book from the bedside table, then without glancing at it, put it back.

While she'd assumed there'd be awkward family gatherings in the future where he'd be present, she'd hoped having Hunter on her arm would act as a shield. Spending the next few weeks in his town would inevitably lead to bumping into Simon. Her one solace had been the idea Finn was as irate with his brother as he was with her, so there wasn't much chance the older brother would be around the house. If she could stay away from town or specifically the Waterfront Restaurant, she figured she could avoid bumping into him.

She'd figured wrong. On the drive home from the train station, Emily broke the news of Simon's Monday night dinner invitation, the thaw happening between the brothers and the presence of Simon at today's party.

"Yes. He'll be here." Mary didn't feel up to talking about the man who haunted her dreams. Night after night she relived their library liaison. She'd hoped to replace the movie reel with a hotter version involving Hunter, but her upstairs neighbour's toilet had different plans for her. Mary switched topics. "As will a bunch of Finn's army buddies. Pretty sure the short guy from the wedding, the one 'built like a tree trunk' I think is how you described him, might be among them."

"Really?"

Mary turned at the excitement in Sophie's voice. Donned in the red dress, her dark hair pulled into a sleek ponytail, her friend looked younger, vibrant, and buoyant.

"Yup," she popped the p in the word. Tucking her friend's arm in hers, she dragged them out of the room. "You might get to swing on that branch after all."

Mary and Sophie skipped down the stairs. Right into Simon.