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parents, too. It would be good to see them and spend time with someone other than my medical textbooks and sleep-deprived colleagues for a change. I didn’t let myself think about who else I might run into.
    “Shana! You’re home!”
    I whirled around at the sound of the squeal just before Becky launched herself at me. She wasn’t an overly touchy person, which was why hugs from her were extra special. “Hey! I was going to call you when I got back home.”
    “Jesus, what are we, Facebook friends? Call me before your plane lands, you know better! Girl, let me have a look at you.”
    “That bad?” I asked, straining to see my reflection in the store window.
    “Gorgeous,” she said, with the easy confidence of someone who loves you.
    “Are you in the wedding? Tiffany didn’t mention it.”
    “No-o.” She rolled her eyes and leaned forward conspiratorially. “She’s three months pregnant and I accidentally spilled the beans to Mommy Dearest.”
    My eyes widened and I clasped a hand over my mouth to smother the gasp. “You didn’t !”
    She grinned wickedly. “What can I say, I had one too many that night. Now, turn around.”
    I spun around obediently. “So, what are you doing here then?”
    “I was just going over to Johnson’s for a bite to eat when I saw you. I had to stop by and say hi.”
    At the mention of food, my stomach rumbled loudly. “Mmm, Johnson’s,” I sighed wistfully. Old Man Johnson had been cooking at his own restaurant for as long as anybody could remember, an old Mom and Pop joint that he’d run with his wife until she passed a few years back. At one point, it had looked like he would have to sell the place, but instead he’d converted it into a Waffle House, which didn’t require much more than a new sign and a coat of paint. Still, everyone called it Johnson’s.
    “You should come! It’ll give us some time to catch up!”
    “I wish I could, but I really need to make sure this dress doesn’t need to be altered.”
    “It looks like it just needs to be shortened an inch or so in front and pulled in at the bust.”
    I blushed as she so casually mentioned my small boobs.
    “I could do that for you.”
    “Really?”
    “Sure. It’d save you forty bucks, too, you old miser.”
    We giggled together for a moment before I gratefully accepted her offer. “Just let me get changed and I’ll meet you over there.”
    It didn’t take me long to change out of the dress and ten minutes later I was headed for the restaurant. As soon as I hit the door and smelled the hash browns and bacon frying, I knew I was home. I inhaled deeply, as though I could suck in the comforting smell of grease and sweet tea that permeated the air, storing it away for the next time I got homesick.
    “Hey, Shan. Over here!”
    I spotted Becky and ambled over, sliding into the booth across from her. After we placed our drink orders—water for her, another diet I suspected, and sweet tea for me—we got right down to the gossip I’d missed out on. In a small town, everyone knew everything about everybody. No person’s business was their own.
    “So, do you know who else is in the wedding?”
    Becky sat back, eyeing me speculatively. “Didn’t Tiffany fill you in?”
    “Yes,” I admitted. “But…”
    “Shana, if you want to ask, just come out and ask.”
    “OK.” I took a deep breath, smiling sheepishly. “How’s Brody?”
    She rolled her eyes at me. “Now was that so hard?”
    Yes , I replied silently, which she must have seen on my face, because she took pity.
    “He’s fine. Good looking as ever,” she added ruefully. “He’s… seeing someone.”
    I nodded. It didn’t come as a surprise and didn’t hurt nearly as much as I’d expected, either. Sure, there was that familiar pang of loss, but I wasn’t allowed to have that. Not when I’d been the one to turn him down. “‘Course he is, and why not?”
    She rolled her eyes at my attempt at indifference. “Because he loves you, dummy,