meeting.â
âHere we go again . . .â Pat adopted a wide-eyed look of innocence. âWhy, what do you mean, my dearest? How could I not remember the night I met the one and only love of my life?â
âWell, you were kind of drunk.â
âI was not!â Pat protested. âWell, maybe just a little tipsy, but not too tipsy to ignore your shining beauty.â
âYouâd been out celebrating some baseball win with Charlie Howard. The guy who used to chew on a straw all the time.â
âHe was trying to quit smoking.â
âI remember. And I never askedâdid it work? The straw method?â
âNo. Poor guy was back to the Camels about a week later. I wonder what ever happened to olâ Charlie. I havenât seen him since just after our wedding.â
âYou could Google him.â
Pat grimaced. âIâm afraid of what I might find out.â
âDo you remember what you were wearing?â Megan asked with a grin. âThe night we met?â
âNo,â Pat said, again with the wide eyes of a person who enjoyed being a player in a well-practiced game. âAt least, nothingâs coming to mind.â
Megan laughed. âYou were wearing a bright red blazer with the sleeves pushed up to the elbow and shoulder pads that made you about seven feet wide.â
âDarn the eighties! Anyway, Iâm going to show you my gratitude for your being my wife yet again, so get ready to adore me. Iâve got a special treat for Valentineâs Day.â
âA special treat? Are you going to give me a clue?â
âNope. But I promise you wonât be disappointed.â
Megan laughed. âI believe you. Oh, Pat, have you called PJ to congratulate him on getting that big job he was after?â
Her husband pulled his iPhone from his pocket. âIâll send him a text,â he said, wandering out of the living room. Well, Megan thought, a text is better than nothing . With a sigh, she finally opened her book.
C HAPTER 10
A lexis had walked into the heart of town from Honeysuckle Lane, about a fifteen-minute amble along pleasant streets lined with willow oaks and an occasional American beech tree. The weather was fine. Traditionally, February was the driest month in this part of the state, with an afternoon high of forty degrees. But this year, temperatures had climbed into the upper forties on several occasions and there had been enough rain to nourish land that might otherwise have suffered, and that made PJâs job a little bit easier.
Alexis stopped at the post office to purchase stamps for the office, and then walked on to the bakery. She was craving one of Cookies ân Crumpetsâ famous corn muffins. My secret vice , Alexis thought. Corn muffins. Life in the fast lane!
Well, she deserved a treat, didnât she? The night before, PJ had announced that they would be celebrating Valentineâs Day with his grandparents. Alexis hadnât protested, but she had been disappointed. After all, this was their first Valentineâs Day as a married couple, and though in the past Alexis would have laughed at such sentimentality, since meeting, falling in love with, and marrying PJ she put a lot of stock in romantic holidays, like the date they had first kissed. Sure, Valentineâs Day was mostly just an excuse for candy and jewelry companies to go whole hog on marketing, but still, Alexis saw no harm in celebrating the holiday alone with her lovely husband.
Alexis pushed open the door to Cookies ân Crumpets. There was a woman just inside by the display of wrapped sandwich breads, and Alexis knew immediately that she had met her before but the where, the whenâand the name!âhad entirely escaped her. Before a flush of embarrassment could invade her face, the woman put out her hand and said, âMaureen Kline.â
âOh,â Alexis said, smiling now. âOf course. Iâm sorry. I can be