“Of course not.” Miranda dimpled. “I invited him to my party tomorrow night, where I’ll be wearing some knockout dress to make him realize I grew up. Not that I expect it to work, but it seems worth the effort to set the record straight.”
“Even though you totally still have Pammy the Panda?”
“In the name of our decade of friendship, you will take that to your grave.”
Norah nodded soberly. “Naturally.”
“On that note, I have something for you.” Miranda unfolded her long legs from the sofa and wandered into the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later with two slices of pie and a tiara.
“You got me a breakup pie?”
“Of course I did. You know the rule. ‘When they don’t stay, it’s queen for a day.’ So technically your queenship lasts through the party tomorrow.” Miranda set the pie down and tucked the tiara in Norah’s hair.
“Don’t need to be queen. Just need my best gal pal.”
“I’m always here. How long can you stay?”
There it was. Another opportunity to spill her guts. Norah tried to gather her courage as she dug into the French silk pie, but when she opened her mouth, a lie slipped out. “It’s up in the air. I took a leave of absence. I need some time to figure things out.” The last part, at least, was true.
You are an unmitigated coward.
“Good. You work too hard. Stay as long as you like. You know you’ve always got a place with me.”
And that was why she’d come. Because wherever life took her, Miranda was always home.
Norah worked up a smile. “It’s good to be back.”
Chapter 4
Cam was late to the party and well aware he was gonna hear about it. He’d considered not coming at all, but he wouldn’t put it past his cousins to come haul him bodily out of his house, and he preferred to show up under his own steam. Hush leapt down from the truck and Cam shut the door, trudging up the car-lined street toward Miranda’s place. His dog ran ahead, darting from bush to tree to car tire to sniff. He was probably gonna hear about having brought her, too, but s
he’d been stuck in the house all day while he helped his mom prepare for her party, and Cam figured it was a good escape mechanism. Win-win.
He didn’t bother knocking, just opened the front door and stepped inside. Music pumped through the lower floor, underscored by the din of conversation. People spilled into the rooms on either side of the entryway, surrounding the buffet in the dining room, trailing into the kitchen. Libation. That’s what he needed before facing the firing squad.
“This is taking fashionably late to a new extreme, don’t you think?” Tyler Edison looked amused from her post just inside the dining room.
“Yeah, well, my date took forever to get ready. All that primping.”
“If I’d known fur was an option, I’d have brought her a playmate. Speaking of, you might want to nab her before she bowls over the impromptu guest of honor.”
Cam spun just as Hush bolted into the den, making a beeline for a brunette in a little black dress. He leapt forward, but before he could get out a command, the woman was turning and crouching in her high, high heels, arms open to receive a hundred pounds of enthusiastic canine. They collided with joyful sounds on both sides. Hush trembled with excitement, tail wagging ninety to nothing, imperiling the knees of everyone around them as the woman rubbed her down. “Aren’t you just the sweetest thing? Who’s a good girl? Who’s a cute puppy?” She threw back her head in a laugh as his dog began bathing her face in kisses, her dark hair cascading in waves down her shoulders, her mouth curved in a smile that sucker punched Cam straight in the gut. His brain stuttered to a halt.
Wow.
“I don’t think anybody would call her a puppy.” Miranda turned a disapproving glare in his direction. “Cam, why in God’s name did you bring your dog?”
“She’s not two yet. Still a puppy.” He crossed to them and grabbed Hush by the collar. “And still learning her manners, I’m afraid. Sit, Hush.”
After a moment of indecision, Hush plopped her butt to the floor, tail still thumping a steady tattoo.
The woman looked up at him, peat-dark eyes ripe with amusement. “Aren’t you confusing her with multiple commands?”
She looked vaguely familiar, though Cam knew he’d never met her. No way would he have forgotten that smile. “No. Her name is Hush. It started out Sadie, but she talked so often the first few months and got told to hush, that’s what she started coming to, so it stuck.” He offered his hand and pulled her to her feet, sorry when her slim fingers released his.
“Oh Norah, your dress!”
That explained the familiarity. He’d seen pictures of Miranda’s old college roommate. Cam looked down, noted the white dog hair clinging to the fabric and winced. “Sorry. I’ve got a lint roller in my truck. I can go get it, if you like.”