Free Quiet as the Grave by Kathleen O`Brien Page B

didn’t. I knew she was cuter than she wanted to let on, and of course she was always a work in progress. But this—”
    â€œThere they are! Hmm…oh, dear. This may be the beginnings of a Granville moment.” Natalie scrambledto her feet, dusting off her yellow skirt. “I’d better go throw some cold water over him. Later, boys. Be good.”
    Mike had located his grandfather and Suzie, too. He watched her smiling up into the old man’s face, accepting his ridiculous flirtation with sardonic good humor. She was wearing red jeans and a halter top that had a surprisingly sexy updated-Grecian look, with ribbons crisscrossing her breasts, then falling with a seductive flare around her hips.
    She still looked different from everyone else, but she didn’t look wrong anymore. She just looked special.
    As the music swelled, Granville dipped her, in old-style ballroom elegance. He bent over her arched body, nearly putting his nose in her cleavage. Mike felt annoyance squeeze his gut briefly… Granddad, you dirty old bastard .
    But when Suzie straightened up her eyes were sparkling with laughter, and her cheeks were almost as red as her clothes. She put her hand on Granville’s chest and pushed, removing him to a respectable distance. But she didn’t look mad. She looked…
    Amazing might be an understatement.
    Parker was watching, too. He looked over at Mike. “Did you know? Have you seen her lately?”
    Mike nodded. “Actually, I saw her a few days ago, for the first time since I—left town. I was shocked. I’m like you. I knew she had something, but at the same time I didn’t know…this.”
    Parker smiled. “Obviously she didn’t want anyone to know. I guess she wanted us to appreciate her deeper qualities.”
    Mike laughed. “Like her sweet personality?”
    â€œWell, no.” Parker laughed, too, and the two of them had a moment of silence, remembering just how little sugar Suzie had bothered to apply to life. “Like her brains, I mean. Her talent. And her spunk. I never knew anyone with more spunk.”
    Both men watched as Natalie grabbed Suzie and spun her into a bear hug. The two women had always been great friends.
    When Parker spoke again, Mike observed that the older man’s voice was carefully casual. “So you saw Suzie again for the first time just recently? That’s quite a coincidence.”
    That’s exactly what Mike had been thinking. He’d been home to Firefly Glen frequently during his decade of exile. He’d brought Gavin here as often as possible, so that at least some of the magic would rub off. But he had never run into Suzie. Her parents still lived here, and he heard she was in town fairly frequently. Though they didn’t exactly run in the same circles, it was hard to believe they hadn’t ever bumped into each other—unless she planned it that way.
    She might have needed to ask him whether he’d avoided her deliberately while she painted Gavin, but he didn’t need to ask her about this. Ten years of dodging him in Firefly Glen could not have been a coincidence.
    And, hell, he didn’t blame her.
    So why, all of a sudden, would she abandon that plan and show up at this party? She had to know he’d be here.
    Somehow he dragged his gaze away from the dance floor. He couldn’t let himself get distracted by Suzie. He had something important he needed to say to Parker.
    It wasn’t going to be easy. He liked the protective oasis the Glenners had offered him. It had always been such a relief to be able to pretend, even temporarily, that there was no Justine.
    But, deep inside, he’d always known the oasis was a mirage. Now he had to give it up. He’d finally met a battle so big, so uniquely his, that no one else could fight it for him. Not even the entire town of Firefly Glen.
    â€œParker, I need your help,” he said. “I think I may be in