Sparks Fly

later this afternoon?”
    Angelina had no choice but to nod helplessly.
    Joyce grabbed her empty cup and put it in the sink, but before she wheeled herself out of the kitchen and into her bedroom, she turned back with concern in her eyes. “Suddenly I feel terrible about all of this. I’ve never been a matchmaker before. I’m afraid I’m not very good at it. I hope one day you will forgive me.”
    Angelina smiled. “Joyce, there’s nothing to forgive.” She couldn’t blame Will’s mother for the state of her heart, or even for forcing her to come out to New York. “I’m the one who decided to get on that plane. I could have said no.”
    With that, Joyce gave Angelina a wide smile, then wheeled out of the room.
    Having said as much to Joyce, Angelina had to finally face the truth. No matter what she tried to tell herself to protect her heart, she had walked on that plane because she wanted to find out more about Will from the person closest to him.
    She threw on a sweater to ward off the slight chill in the air and stepped through the sliding door and onto the back deck of the house, which overlooked the lake.
    Angelina couldn’t help but be delighted by the beauty all around her. The water was so perfectly blue she felt as if someone must have painted it. Poplar and birch trees blanketed the mountains surrounding the lake. She felt as if the mountains were wrapping their arms around her, whispering softly that everything was going to be okay.
    Throughout her life, whenever Angelina was grappling with problems, she had found her answers by spending time in nature. It occurred to her now, as she walked through the incredible Adirondack Park, that living amidst suburban sprawl in California had her on the verge of losing touch with the natural surroundings that were integral to her peace of mind and happiness. Yuppie heaven and high tech were hardly her style.
    A voice in her heart told her she wasn’t in the right place anymore. Suddenly, Angelina longed to be back in a quiet community where people were more concerned with who was throwing the weekend barbecue than who had the newest cell phone.
    As she walked past the cute cottages, people of all ages waved at her while they gardened or played with their kids on the beach. What would it be like to live on this lake? It was a crazy thought, but something about it felt so right. At the same time, Angelina didn’t know if she could trust herself to make the right decisions about her life, considering that she seemed to make all the wrong decisions about men.
    A family of ducks swam under the dock, but she was so engrossed in her thoughts she hardly saw them. Will scared the daylights out of her when he plopped down beside her on the pier.
    When her heart rate returned to normal, she asked, “How were things with Margie’s three daughters?”
    He put his head in his hands. “Worse than you could ever imagine. They had actually put together a scrapbook of articles about me.”
    In a soft voice she said, “Why didn’t you tell me the truth about who you are? Krista had to tell me to check out the latest copy of People. ”
    “I know it might sound ridiculous, but when you get to be a public person, you become suspicious about why people want to be around you.” He looked up at the blue sky, as if asking for assistance in what he was going to say next. “At first, when we met, I assumed you knew who I was.
    But when you didn’t know what I did for a living, it was such a relief.”
    “I suppose,” Angelina conceded, “it must be hard to be so well known.”
    “The truth is, I can’t remember the last time someone was interested in me, instead of what I could do for them. Until you. That’s why I didn’t want you to know.”
    “How could you think that something as stupid as how much money you have in the bank or how many magazines have your picture in them matters to me?”
    Will turned and held her heated gaze. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”
    All of her anger evaporated with that simple sentence. She was unable to drop her eyes, unable to break the fragile bond that they were building.
    “Can you forgive me?” He grasped her hand tightly in his own.
    She wondered, for a moment, what he wanted her forgiveness for. For lying to her? Or for being a better man than she had the grace to admit he was?
    Suddenly, she forgave him everything. She had no choice. Her feelings for him were that strong.
    “Yes, I forgive you.”
    She thought he