Page 5 of Love in the Details

The three of them laughed at that, and Kassidy chuckled at the thought.

“Thanks, you two. This is a fun hobby, for sure. I just need to find something else to do in the meantime. Now that I’m not at the bank, I mean.”

Aunt Wendy leaned forward. “Not the most creative thing, but Wakefield Fabrication is hiring.”

That was definitely a creativity crusher. Standing in lines and pushing parts through the machinery was the last thing she wanted to do. But it might be something she had to do just to stay out of debt. Her parents wouldn’t save her from using hard work to get to where she needed to go, and it was nice to have a plan to fall back on.

“How are things down there?” my mom asked her sister. Aunt Wendy had worked on the lines for the past thirty years. She’d been promoted to line supervisor recently, which was more than Kassidy had done at the bank.

“It’s going all right. Production is down, and there have been rumors that the corporate office is going to close us down.” It had been a while since Aunt Wendy was serious about anything, but not even a hint of a smile crossed her face.

Kassidy gasped. “Closing down the factory would mean most of the town would be out of work, wouldn’t it?”

Aunt Wendy nodded, frustration ebbing across her features.

Kassidy’s parents had spoken about the importance of the factory to the valley from time to time, saying that the town would practically die if the factory ever shut down. There weren’t enough jobs within commuting distance to make it worth sticking around.

“What’s changed that makes them want to shut things down?” Kassidy asked.

Aunt Wendy shrugged. “I’m not sure, to be honest. I just overheard Darrell saying the CEO of the company was going to be meeting with all the managers and supervisors next week.”

That’s why Dustin Wakefield had come back to town.

There was only one family in town with the billion-dollar status to dress the way that man did and even to drive the type of car he drove. No one in their right mind would drive a Maserati this close to winter in Coldwater Creek.

She focused on the mental picture of his face, his turquoise eyes and the strong cut of his jaw. Even after several years, he’d only aged for the better. Not like she had a chance there. He’d been witness to her leaving the bank.

“They’re probably meeting with Dustin Wakefield, then,” Kassidy said slowly, focusing on pulling a piece of the sandwich apart so she didn’t see their reactions. Many a notebook had been signed with Kassidy Wakefield in the wishing of a teenage girl that an attractive older guy would notice her. And it seemed like no one would let her forget it.

“You saw him?” Kassidy’s mother asked, that knowing smile crossing her face.

“He came into the bank yesterday. He was the customer I was helping when I quit.” She raised her finger to her lips. “I know what you’re going to say, and I think you should just…not say it. He was just a teenage crush, and we’re not even on the same playing field now.”

Her mother and Aunt Wendy giggled, trying to hide it behind sips of punch. Kassidy rolled her eyes, wondering how it was possible to grow up but still be sent back to her fifteen-year-old self with the mention of one guy’s name.

“I just hope the rumors aren’t a sure thing. But Dustin coming back to the valley is probably more of a sign of the apocalypse than anything, I’d wager,” Aunt Wendy said when they’d composed themselves.

Kassidy’s interest perked up. “Why is that?”

“I overheard his grandfather when he came to the factory a few years ago—before he died, of course—say that when Dustin came to Coldwater Creek again, it would be either a miracle or a sign that things were ending.”

Some kind of prophecy? They weren’t in a magical world by any means. What had happened to the Wakefield heir that made him not want to come to their small town?

There were definitely more exciting places to be, and LA had plenty to entertain, if that was where he still lived. She’d seen articles about him from time to time, but she’d realized that dating him had a slim-to-none chance of happening after she’d seen him posing with a different woman at each event he went to, all refined and looking like runway models.

Kassidy was well acquainted with the beauty queens who rode horses and competed in rodeos. She was to those girls what Coldwater Creek was to LA, where the two-screen movie theater took an extra two months compared to the rest of the world to get the latest movies playing in it.

She couldn’t worry about that now. She needed goals, something to aim for that was actually achievable.

A hand rested on her shoulder, and she glanced up, seeing Natalie’s mother smiling at her.

“Kassidy, you’ve done an amazing job with the party. Thank you for doing this for Natalie.” She reached out her arms, and Kassidy stood, stepping into the hug.

“It was a pleasure to plan it for her.”

“We’ve been trying to convince Kassidy that she needs to start a party-planning business,” Aunt Wendy said, her sly smile causing Kassidy to laugh.

Natalie’s mom nodded. “I think that would be a great idea. We have events with my husband’s work all the time, and you’d be worth the hire after some of the disasters from years past. I’ll let him know for the next one.”

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