Page 27 of The Making of Mila and Blake
“What?”
“She slipped down a crick one day and lost her shoe in the water. I waded right in there to find it, and she didn’t even offer me any thanks! I disliked her even more, yet I couldn’t get her out of my mind. She was a real peach, and when she wore her hair down with the red lipstick. . . My God. She caught my eye across a diner on Broadway one night and I knew if I didn’t ask her out there and then that I would regret it. I thought I couldn’t stand her, but I just couldn’t stand the way her smile made me feel. Ain’t that right?” He glances to the sky as though my grandmother is up there watching us now, smiling that smile of hers as she listens to him speak of her with such loving fondness. Popeye gets so emotional whenever we talk about her, an unfounded pain in his eyes that can only be from a love so deep that the hurt is worth it. “I didn’t choose her,” he says. “My heart did.That’show you know you’ve found the one.”
“Wow,” I breathe. The profoundness of his statement renders me speechless.
“Does that make things clearer for you?” he asks.
I nod. “Crystal.”
It has felt so unexplainable until now, the way I still feel about Blake. After two solid years of no communication, it should have been easy to move on. His rejection left me wounded and his silence scarred me deeply, yet there’s this magnetic pull between us even now. There is no reasonwhy I should still feel so connected to him, but there is no reasoning when it comes to what your heart wants. It choosesthe one.
The sound of voices carries through the trees and from one of the many walking trails, a group of suited professionals materialize. Popeye is a little too hard of hearing to notice, but over his shoulder, I study them. Who wears formal business attire to a nature park? There’s a journalist with a professional camera strapped around their neck following behind the group. At the front, a man and woman are engaged in intense conversation as they lead the way. I squint harder.
“Popeye, is that. . . Is that Mayor Avery?” I ask, pointing.
Popeye cranes his neck to look, but scoffs and turns back. “Now how do you expectmeto see that far away when even you can’t?”
Good point.
I remain entranced by the authoritative elegance of the group as they stroll closer, making their way back to the parking lot. ItisLeAnne Avery. Her hair is still that silky, shining brunette color that I remember, just cut shorter. She’s wearing suit pants and a crisp white blouse, and I am amazed at her ability to trek through park trails in stiletto heels.
As they pass by the lake, LeAnne catches my eye and very discreetly does a double-take. She slows to a stop and shakes the hand of the man she’s been talking to, then the others’ following behind, and finally the journalist’s. They nod their goodbyes and the group disperses off to their parked cars, but LeAnne twists on her heels and starts toward Popeye and me.
“Hello, Wesley,” she says, gently squeezing Popeye’s arm in greeting. Her dark eyes, identical to Blake’s, set on me and I expect her to ice me out with contempt, just like she always did before, but she does something miraculous instead. She brandishes a genuine, polite smile. “Hi, Mila. It’s been a long time.”
“Mayor Avery,” I say with a nod. Even after two years, I still don’t know to which degree of formality I’m supposed to greet the mayor.
“Mila, please,” she says with an airy laugh. “Just LeAnne.”
“Sorry,” I say, biting the inside of my cheek. She doesn’t seem all that surprised to find me here in Fairview. “Did Blake mention I was back in town for the summer?”
“No,” she says, and her relaxed features tighten at the sound of Blake’s name. I think Blake is the last person she would expect me to bring up so casually. I’m sure she was ecstatic when he called off our relationship and never spoke to me again, but now I can see the gears in her mind shifting. She’s wondering what being back in town means for me and her son.
“Here for business, LeAnne?” Popeye asks, patting the bench next to him.
LeAnne gracefully sits down but doesn’t quite relax. “Oh, yes. Just a discussion with Mayor Smith regarding the new subdivision plans for the edge of the park. Not my jurisdiction, of course, but he values my opinion.”
So, the suits make sense now. She was talking with the Fairview mayor and town council members. LeAnne is so glamorous, I forget sometimes that she has important work to do.
Popeye tuts. “I’ve voiced my opposition. Who wants to ruin the beauty of a nature reserve by building homes overlooking it? I hope you set him straight!” With a grumble, he shoves his hand into the bag of nuts. “Almond, LeAnne?”
She holds up her hand to decline. “No, thank you. However, do you mind if I steal Mila for a second?”
My brows shoot up in surprise as Popeye reads my expression. Despite my clear astonishment, he tosses the almonds into his mouth and says, “You guys go ahead!”
LeAnne excuses herself from the table and I follow suit. She walks to the very edge of the lake and observes the geese dipping their heads beneath the water, fishing for food. I stand next to her and mentally prepare myself for whatever she may throw my way. Knowing LeAnne, she’s probably stringing together a warning right now.
“I need to apologize,” she says.
The rare softness to her tone shakes away all of my anxiety. “What?”
“Iwantto apologize,” she corrects. Her focus shifts from the geese to me and there’s a struggle behind her expression, a hardship of having to admit to a mistake. “The way I treated you before was wrong. It was your parents I was angry at; not you. But I couldn’t see past that. I’m sorry, Mila, for always being so dismissive of you.”
I stare at her while I let the apology sink in. There are many things I didn’t predict about this trip back to Fairview, but LeAnne Avery sayingsorryis by far the most astounding. It’s so out of left field that I can’t muster a reply.
“I should head back to Nashville now, but I’m glad I bumped into you,” she says, clearing her throat and finding her more distinguished tone again. She turns her back to the lake and places her hand on my shoulder. “And I know this probably means nothing now, but I think it’s a real shame that things turned out the way they did with you and Blake. I think you would have grown on me, Mila.” Her mouth hints at a smile before she walks away.
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