Putting her arm around Poppy, she turned and they started to walk through the trees up to the clearing beyond, which led to the backyard of their houses. Ryan looked down to see Charlie beside him, frowning as he stared at their retreating backs.
He looked as stunned as Ryan at their abrupt departure. And he couldn’t blame him one little bit.
*
As they trudged through the trees, their feet squelching against the freshly fallen leaves, Poppy kept up a constant stream of chatter about the tree house, and her plans for it.
‘Do you think we can sleep in the tree house?’ Poppy said. ‘We could take our sleeping bags up there and have a campfire.’
‘Maybe. But it’s probably going to be too cold at night now.’
‘Oh poop. We’ll have to wait until summer. Maybe we can do it then.’
Juliet opened her mouth to tell her daughter that Ryan and Charlie would be gone by next summer, but then she shut it again. It wasn’t her story to tell. She didn’t even know if Charlie was aware of Ryan’s plans to move to New York, and she certainly didn’t want to be the one to spill the beans.
When they emerged from the woods and into the clearing, her heart was still pounding in her chest, the same way it had been since Ryan had kissed her arm. Her mind was a mess, too, full of thoughts and questions that were almost impossible to answer.
From the look on his face as she left, Ryan must have thought she didn’t like the way he’d touched her. The truth was, she’d liked it too much. Just a simple brush of his lips against her skin had been enough to set her on fire, making her body feel sensations she hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Maybe she’d never experienced them. Not like that.
She took a deep breath in as they came in sight of the bungalow, but her lungs refused to play ball. Poppy ran ahead, leaving Juliet walking alone, and the thoughts came crashing down on her again.
It would be so easy to fall for somebody like Ryan Sutherland. He was funny, strong, and as handsome as they came. But there was something else, too – a vulnerability that touched her, a softness inside that contrasted greatly against his hard exterior.
Yes, it would be easy to fall for him. But there was no way she could let herself. Not after everything she’d been through. If her marriage to Thomas had taught her anything, it was that she threw herself into love too quickly, and paid the price later. This time, she needed to guard her heart.
‘Can we go to the shop tomorrow?’ Poppy said, dancing on the step next to the back door. ‘I want to pick out some flowers for the tree house. Cool ones. Like the purple asters that scare snakes away.’
Juliet smiled. ‘Of course we can.’ Catching up with her daughter, she reached out and ruffled Poppy’s hair. This was what it was all about. She was a mother and a business owner, not a teenager who couldn’t control her emotions.
Ryan would be here for a few months, and then he’d be gone. They were short-term neighbours and nothing more. She could cope with that, couldn’t she?
10
He capers, he dances, he has eyes of youth
– The Merry Wives of Windsor
‘Lily, can you pass me the asters?’ Juliet put her hand out to Lily, the other keeping the bouquet together.
‘The asters?’ Lily sounded confused. ‘We’re not using asters.’
‘I meant the alliums.’ Juliet frowned. ‘Did I say asters? This damn wedding is driving me crazy.’
She had asters on the brain, thank you, Ryan. Or rather, she had Ryan on the brain. She hadn’t been able to think about much else, after the way he’d kissed her wrist last weekend. Every time the memory took over her mind she found herself blushing. Feeling his soft lips on her skin had been such a shock, and yet every time she thought about it she could remember the way it had sent a shot of pleasure through her.
It was so damn confusing.
‘Weddings really don’t bring out the best in people, do they?’ Lily mused, passing the bucket of alliums across the counter to where Juliet was standing. ‘If it’s not the bride having a meltdown, it’s her mom being overly demanding. And then there’s the mothers-in-law … ’ She trailed off, grimacing. ‘Why is it the guys have it so easy? They just have to turn up and pin a flower to their lapel. They let the women do all the work.’
Juliet grinned, her eyes meeting Lily’s. ‘That’s marriage for you.’
‘Ugh. Don’t say that. You’re such a cynic.’
‘I just got burned a little, that’s all.’ Juliet wrapped twine around the stiff stems of the bouquet, cutting them off with her craft knife. ‘Anyway, would you want the guy to choose the flowers? It’s the best part, isn’t it?’
‘Yeah, guys and flowers, I guess they don’t match.’ Lily took the bouquet from Juliet and carefully slid it into a box.