Bittersweet Creek by Sally Kilpatrick Page A

form the words, she reached to push back a strand of hair, and the sun caught the solitaire on her finger, flashing a kaleidoscope of color on the opposite wall.
    Nope. No way I could top that show.
    I scrawled my name in each and every place she pointed out, then pulled myself up straight. “That’s it?”
    â€œWell, except for this.” She chewed on her bottom lip as she handed me the small box. I knew what was inside, but popped the lid open anyway. My mamaw’s ring sat sternly against the velvet but looked as though it’d been recently cleaned. Irrationally, I wanted to tell her to keep it, but it had belonged to Mamaw and had never fit Romy’s ring finger anyway.
    I took the ring out of the box and crammed it in my pocket before setting the box down. No need for anyone downstairs to see me return with a ring-sized box. “All right then. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
    â€œMe, too.”
    We stared at each other for what seemed an eon. Richard’s muffled voice echoed off the window above the porch. A dirt dobber whined in the window, batting against it while trying to reach the sunlight.
    â€œThis is good-bye, then,” I said over the lump in my throat. “I’ll do my best to stay out of your way.”
    She nodded, something glistening at the corners of her eyes. Breaking up with someone was always sad no matter what, right? I had this irrational urge to beg her to rip up the papers, to go all Julia Roberts in Notting Hill . I’m just a hick, standing in front of a girl—
    Hell, I wasn’t going to sissy out like that.
    Instead, I kissed her softly on the cheek, telling my heart not to race at the familiar scent of her pear shampoo, a scent made all the better by the hint of sweat from an honest morning’s work in the garden.
    â€œGood luck, Rosemary Satterfield.”
    As I went down the stairs, practically crouching because the stairwell was so narrow and steep, I ran into Richard on his way up. We shimmied past each other as best we could.
    â€œCongratulations,” I said, leaving off the jackass that I wanted to add.
    â€œThank you,” he said with a grin full of impossibly straight and professionally whitened teeth, a politician’s smile—or a shark’s.
    I should’ve left it at that, but I couldn’t resist adding, “Hurt her in any way, and I’ll hunt you down and kick your ass.”

Romy
    â€œT here’s the future Mrs. Paris!” He was all straight white teeth and perfect hair with a slight curl. Dear God, I should’ve been swooning. Instead I was sick to my stomach.
    â€œRichard, I—”
    He pulled me close and kissed me gently before resting his chin on top of my head. “You have made me the happiest man on earth! Although I should’ve come up with a better proposal. Is it too late for a mulligan?”
    Oh, I hope not.
    I twisted off my ring and handed it back to Richard, whose face deepened into a dark frown. “I was just kidding, darling.”
    â€œRichard, there’s something I have to tell you before I can accept your ring.”
    He ran a hand through his hair. “You’re still in love with him, aren’t you?”
    â€œWhat? No.” Most certainly not. Never again. “But there is something I have to tell you.”
    Richard put his hands on his hips and trained his chocolate eyes on me. “I’m listening.”
    My hand was halfway to my mouth before I realized I was about to do that disgusting thing where I chew on my hangnails. Seems like my accent wasn’t the only bad habit I’d picked up since coming home. “Remember how I told you I was engaged to Julian?”
    â€œMm-hmm.” Richard’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t like the direction this was going. For what it was worth, I wasn’t too keen on it myself. Better to take a deep breath and get it over with.
    â€œJulian and I secretly got