Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
“ B eau, really?” Blaise sighed as she realized she’d just stepped in a puddle of regurgitated grass.
She’d been about to leave for the book club meeting. And before she did that, she wanted to drop off the brownies she’d made for Brick.
She pulled off her soiled shoe and cleaned it in the kitchen sink, dried it with a paper towel, then pulled a few more sheets off the roll to clean up the mess Beau had made.
Beau was in his bed, looking innocent.
She shot him a look. “Behave while I’m gone, would you?”
She was going to be a few minutes late to the book club meeting. She detested being late, but it couldn’t be helped. With the cleanup taken care of, she washed her hands, grabbed the tray of brownies for Brick, and went out the back door.
He wasn’t at his house; he was at her gate with a screwdriver. He looked up as she came toward him, his gaze once again sweeping over her.
The latch was fixed. “Did you just replace that missing screw?”
He pocketed the screwdriver. “Mm-hmm. That all right?”
She smiled, extra glad she’d made him the brownies. “It’s very all right. Thank you.” She held out the pan. “I hope you like brownies.”
He frowned. “You know someone who doesn’t?” He took the tray. “You made these?”
“I did. I’m not the best in the kitchen, but I know how to make brownies. I use Katherine Hepburn’s recipe.”
He glanced at the foil-covered pan in his hands, something that might have been suspicion in his eyes. “Why’d you make them?”
“Because you were understanding about Beau’s… violation of your yard. And we’re neighbors. Thought it would be nice.” She was second-guessing that thought now.
He nodded. “Thank you.”
She gestured back toward her house. “I have to go. Already going to be late, which I hate. Have a good night, Brick.”
He grunted, staring after her like she’d breached some unknown rule. Or maybe he just wasn’t used to people being nice to him.
She could see that. She went back inside. He didn’t exactly invite interaction, but she was touched that he’d replaced that screw for her. Of course, maybe he’d done it so Beau wouldn’t trespass again, but so what? It was still a nice gesture, and it saved her the trouble of calling maintenance.
She grabbed her purse, the other pan of brownies, locked up, and climbed into her golf cart. As she drove, she checked the time. She was going to be six minutes late. Six . She rolled her eyes at herself. She didn’t like that at all. But it had been worth it to hand those brownies over to Brick.
And she wasn’t showing up to Paige’s empty-handed. That should help.
She found Paige’s house easily enough. Four other golf carts were parked outside. She hoped that didn’t mean she was the last to arrive.
Through the sheers covering the sliding doors at the front of the house, she could see women laughing and drinking inside, all standing around. Maybe the actual club part hadn’t started yet. That would be good.
She took her things, went up to the front door, and rang the bell.
The door opened instantly. “Blaise, right?”
Blaise nodded. “Yes. You must be Paige. I’m so sorry I’m late. My dog— Anyway, here, these are for you. Katherine Hepburn’s brownies.”
“Fantastic.” Paige took the pan with her free hand, the other occupied with a glass of something bubbly.
“And you’re not that late. We’re still getting to know each other.
Come on in.” Paige had a slim figure artfully displayed in a great little dress.
“Ladies, our final member has arrived. Everyone say hello to Blaise Monroe.”
The women turned. Cece smiled. “Hi, Blaise.”
“Hi, Cece.” It was nice to see a familiar face.
The youngest of the group, wearing a fitted black tank top and a gauzy peasant skirt, gasped. “Hey, you’re the actual Blaise Monroe.”
Having all eyes on her was nothing new. Blaise nodded. There was no point in denying who she was. A simple Google search would show the truth. “Yes, I am.”
The younger woman grinned. “That is so cool. Nice to meet you. I’m Maude Harrigan.”
Blaise smiled right back. “The actual Maude Harrigan?”
Maude laughed. “Well played.”
Paige touched Blaise’s arm. “Would you like a drink?”
“I’d love one. Is that prosecco in your hand?”
“It is. I’ll get you a glass.”
“Wonderful.” Blaise moved closer and met Essie. Paige put a glass in her hand. Blaise took a sip. “Thank you. That’s nice.”
“This is all of us, then. I hope you’re all going to fix yourselves a plate.” Paige reached for one herself, as if setting an example.
Blaise had eaten a salad with chicken earlier but didn’t want to be rude.
She cut a wedge of brie for herself and broke off a small cluster of grapes.
From the large glass platter, she selected a petit four and a chocolate-covered strawberry.
She took her glass and went into the living room, which was fairly similar to hers, though bigger.
She glanced back at Paige. “Does it matter where we sit?”
“Not in the slightest. Make yourself comfortable.”
Blaise took a seat on the couch, setting her plate and glass down on the coffee table. Paige’s tiny house wasn’t that tiny. Her furnishings were beautiful and, at least to Blaise’s eye, well made without being covered in logos. Which usually meant money.
Blaise didn’t care if people had money or not, but she was always interested in how those with money treated others. So far, Paige was making a good impression.
Maude seemed fun. A real carefree spirit who didn’t take herself too seriously. Very pretty without trying and very much like some of the models Blaise had known in the early days. Blaise liked her immediately.
Blaise had only ever chatted with Cece a few times in passing.
In this setting, Cece had a way about her that made it seem as if she was absorbing every molecule of information that came her way.
Not calculating, exactly. More like her brain was filing away everything there was to know about the people she’d just been introduced to.
There was something so curious about her.
Blaise looked forward to getting to know her neighbor better.
Essie was delightful. Happy, fun, smiley.
Like nothing could bother her. Blaise envied that outlook on life.
The enormous diamond on her hand was interesting.
Either her husband had money, or he’d splashed out to make a big impression.
The funny thing was, Essie came off as a woman who would have been just as happy with a small diamond.
They all came over with their plates and drinks. Blaise was pleased to see brownies, which she’d cut into smaller than usual squares, on everyone’s plates.
Cece sat next to her. “Are these really Katherine Hepburn’s recipe?”
Blaise nodded. “They are. At least that’s what the chef who gave me the recipe said. I suppose I should do an internet search and see if he was telling the truth.”
“She was famous for her brownies,” Essie added. “I read her autobiography. I remember the book mentioning them.”
“Good to know,” Blaise said. “I hate to think I’ve been lying to people all these years.”
Paige laughed as she joined them. “I think most people would forgive you.” She settled into the sleek club chair that Blaise suspected was actually a recliner. Paige lifted her glass. “Now that we’re all here, thanks again for coming. Here’s to our new book club.”
They raised their glasses. “To book club.”
Blaise sipped her prosecco, then exchanged her glass for her plate. She had a bite of cheese followed by a grape.
“There’s only one rule to this book club and if you don’t agree to it, you can’t be a member,” Paige said.
That got everyone’s attention.
With a smile, she said, “What happens at book club, what gets discussed here, stays here. All of it. I don’t want this just to be a book club. I want it to be a safe space. Is everyone good with that?”
Blaise quickly said yes and the rest of the women followed.
“Fantastic.” Paige balanced her plate on the arm of her chair. “Then let me officially welcome you to the Queen Bees Book Club.”
Maude stuck her hand up. “What about new members? And what about the woman who couldn’t make it?”
Paige smiled. “I love your enthusiasm, and your forward thinking. We can talk about new members when we get to that point, but one or two more people is really all I can comfortably fit into this living room. For now, I’d like to reserve that space for Althea, if she decides to join us once her husband’s health is no longer a concern. Everyone all right with that?”
They all nodded. Blaise thought it was going well.
“Why don’t we all go around and introduce ourselves? I’ll start, since I’m the one who made you come. I’m Paige Wheeler. I love to read and talk about the book afterwards, but since my divorce, which was incredibly hard, I’ve gone through a lot of change.”
She cast her glance downward a moment. “It’s like I’ve become a different person. All good, I assure you. I’ve made a whole TikTok channel about it and have nearly forty thousand followers who like my posts.”
“That’s more than my stepdaughter,” Essie said. “And she thinks she’s a big deal.”
Paige quickly smiled. “I wouldn’t say I’m a big deal. But it’s been a great outlet. What it hasn’t done is help me make friends. All the changes I’ve been through really have been good for me. But it’s left me without the kind of close friends I crave.”
She took a breath, the sudden lines around her mouth making her look nervous. “In the interest of full disclosure, I invited you all here because I need friends. How’s that for honesty? I thought books would give us some common ground. I hope that doesn’t make me sound desperate.”
“No,” Essie said immediately. “It makes you sound honest. And I love honest. I think you’ve been very brave. I’d like some friends, too.”
“Yeah,” Maude said. “Seriously brave. I don’t have many friends, either.
My own fault, I suppose. What fifty-five-year-old moves into a retirement community?
I mean, really? I don’t care about age, I just wanted a decent, affordable place to live, but I’ve seen the way some of the other women here look at me. Like I’m out to get their husbands.”
She rolled her eyes and snorted. “I’ve made it this far in life without one. Why would I change that now?”
Cece’s mouth came open. “You mean you’ve never been married?”
“Nope,” Maude said with pride. But there was something in her eyes that put a defensive shine on the word.
“Marriage isn’t for everyone,” Paige said. “Maude, tell us more about yourself.”
“Well, I have my own business. I create and maintain websites. Most of my clients are spread out around the world, but I do the one for Beechwood Bakery in town. And I run my mom’s website for her stained-glass business, Glasslights.
My parents live in the Keys. I spend as much time as I can on the beach, I love to read, and I stay up late playing video games.
Oh, and I have a betta fish named Pixel, who is the most beautiful fish in the world. ”
She laughed. “I’m kind of strange, I guess.”
Blaise smiled. “I don’t think that’s strange at all. I think you sound pretty interesting. I’d love to see your fish.”
Maude’s grin was genuine. “Thanks. Not as interesting as being a supermodel, though.”
Paige nodded. “Come on, Blaise. We’re all dying to hear about you. Tell us about yourself.”
Blaise took a breath. “It’s true, I was a model.
I will readily admit it was a privileged life.
Hard at times, in ways that seem superficial now.
It’s how I met my late husband, who was the love of my life.
” Nerves crept over her at the words that waited on the tip of her tongue.
“And I suppose it’s also how I ended up losing nearly everything I worked for. ”