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“She had to leave to catch a plane.”
    “I didn’t miss her. I ran into her coming up the lane.”
    “So you had a chance to say good-bye,” Grace said. “That’s good. It was nice seeing you dancing together at the wedding the other night.”
    When Clay didn’t respond, she continued: “Nice that the two of you had some time to catch up.”
    “We didn’t really catch up all that much.” Clay set the basket back on the ground. “She was working. You know, trying to keep everything running smoothly.”
    “I wish she’d …” Grace began, then stopped.
    “Move back and take over the event planning here, I know.” Clay finished the sentence for her.
    “I just don’t understand.” Grace shook her head. “Especially since we need her …”
    “I guess she’s made a life for herself in California and she’s happy out there.”
    “Did she tell you that?” Grace asked.
    “More or less.” Clay bent again to pick up the basket. “You know Lucy, Miz Grace. She’s going to do what she wants to do.”
    “True enough.” Grace sighed and walked with Clay to the door of the inn.
    “Clay.” She reached out a hand to touch his arm. “You and Lucy used to be so close. You were inseparable all those years—then it seemed like one of you pulled the plug on your friendship. If you don’t mind my asking … what happened?”
    Clay shifted the basket in his arms. “You’re going to have to ask Lucy, Miz Grace. I wasn’t the one who pulled the plug.”
    “I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have even asked.”
    “It’s okay. I’ve asked myself the same question for years.” He turned toward the service area. “See you later.”
    He was almost to the kitchen door when she called to him.
    “Have you ever thought of asking her?”
    Clay went on into the kitchen, pretending not to have heard.
    He wasn’t trying to be rude. The truth was, he had tried to work his way into asking Lucy on Saturday night, but every time he thought he knew exactly what to say, something intervened. When they’d been dancing and he thought he finally had her attention—and captive, it had occurred to him—the slow song had stopped abruptly and the band started to play some line-dance thing he’d never heard before and Lucy excused herself “to see about the cake cutting.” And later, when he found her alone out on the portico looking chilly, he’d slipped out of his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
    “Did you see where they remade The Karate Kid ?” he’d asked casually.
    “I did see that.”
    “You saw the announcement or you saw the movie?”
    “Just the trailers for it.”
    “Reminded me of how much we both loved that movie when we were kids. Remember how we went to see it over and over?”
    Lucy had nodded.
    “And we made your dad buy the video when it came out and we sat in the lobby and played it over and over again on the TV in there because it was the biggest one in the inn.” He’d glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “We were both going to take karate lessons and become black belts, remember?”
    “I remember.”
    “Did you ever …?”
    “Earn a black belt? No.”
    “Me neither.”
    Clay had leaned both elbows on the railing and followed her gaze out toward the Bay.
    “Beautiful night,” he’d said.
    She’d merely nodded.
    “Everything seemed to go very smoothly today.” He’d thought to try a different tack. “With the weddings, I mean. Must have been some job, getting two weddings off without a hitch.”
    “The day wasn’t without its challenges,” she’d admitted, “but that’s my job.”
    He’d started to say something but she cut him off.
    “I need to get back inside and keep this show moving,” she’d said.
    “Any chance we could get together for one more dance before the night’s over?” he’d asked.
    “We’ll see how it goes,” she’d told him.
    “You’re the wedding planner. Don’t you decide how it goes?”
    “There’s a schedule.”