Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Town
“Is time moving backwards?” Hadley asked as I opened the door to Sweet Teeth.
“Uh, no?”
The bakery was nearly empty since it was just after the lunch hour, but the scent of butter and sugar made my mouth water.
“The wedding is in a week,” Hadley said. “And I’m so damn excited I swear the earth is rotating backwards just to punish me.”
“I love that you’re excited,” I said. “Seriously, that’s everything.”
She beamed.
Her excitement only reinforced that I’d made the correct decision to keep the pregnancy between me and Cas.
And Muddy.
I worried that Hadley would lose a bit of her sparkle when I told her I was pregnant too.
“Morning, kids,” Gracie greeted as she popped out from the back kitchen with a tray of fresh baked goods.
“What do you have?” I asked, gesturing to the tray.
“Lemon curd tartlets,” she said. “Topped with meringue and huckleberries.”
“Yum.” Hadley licked her lips. “I’ll take five.”
Gracie raised her brows. “Five?”
“Oh, you’re right, they’re small. Better make it six.” Hadley looked at me. “Don’t leave me out here all alone.”
“I’ll take three,” I said.
“You’re no fun.” Hadley stuck her tongue out at me.
“We’ve got to leave some for other customers,” I said. “We ordered three quarters of the tray between us.”
“I’m eating for two,” Hadley said.
“Yeah, that excuse only lasts so long,” Gracie said as she plated our tartlets. “What are you drinking?”
“Nothing too sweet,” Hadley said. “So how about a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and caramel drizzle?”
“And I just became a diabetic,” I said. “I’ll have an herbal tea. Hibiscus if you’ve got it.”
“I’ve got it,” Gracie said.
“No coffee for you?” Hadley asked in surprise.
“I’m coffee’d out,” I lied.
“You guys take a seat and I’ll bring you the drinks,” Gracie said.
“And we’ll take the rest of those tartlets,” Hadley said. “To go. For Dad and Jane.”
“Uh huh.” Gracie grinned.
“Five bucks says they’re gone before we get home,” I quipped.
“Why would I bet against you?” Gracie asked.
Hadley and I took our tartlets to the corner table and sat down.
“This is nice,” she said. “Just you and me, out and about. We hardly get to do that anymore.”
“That’s because you’re too busy sucking face with your fiancé to want to do anything else,” I teased.
“Hmm. He’s just so delicious, I can’t help it.”
“Can I change the subject?” I asked.
“Sure.” She picked up a tartlet and bit into it. And then she moaned.
“I’m telling Declan you cheated on him with a lemon curd tartlet,” I said with a laugh at her reaction.
“After he has one, he’ll understand. You want to talk about something?”
I nodded.
Gracie came over to the table and dropped off our drinks. “I meant to tell you I met the Monroe brothers the other night at the Copper Mule. The whole fleet of them.”
“Oh yeah?” Hadley took her hot chocolate and licked off the top of the whipped cream peak.
“Yeah.” Gracie looked at me. “Harlan has a thing for you.”
“No, he doesn’t,” I protested.
“Then why did he ask me questions about you all night?” she asked. “When he found out we were friends from school, he held me hostage and asked all about you.”
“Harlan would be perfect for you!” Hadley said to me. “At least while you’re home. No muss, no fuss.”
“I’m not interested,” I said.
“Why not? He’s cute,” Gracie said.
“He is cute,” I agreed. “I’m just not interested.”
“So unlike you,” Hadley said. She looked at Gracie. “I invited him and his family to the wedding.”
“Yeah, he said that. You should bring him as your date,” Gracie said to me.
“Why are you guys trying to foist him on me?” I asked.
“Because I think you need a little . . . foistage.” Hadley picked up another tartlet. “And by foistage, I mean—”
“I know what you mean,” I said. “We all know what you mean.”
The door to the bakery opened, momentarily stealing our attention.
“Hey, welcome to Sweet Teeth,” Gracie said, addressing the two women who’d just walked in.
Hadley and I both jumped up from our chairs, sending them crashing to the floor.
“Oh my God!” Hadley gasped. “What are you guys doing here? You’re not supposed to be here for another two days!”
Wyn grinned and looked at Poet. “Told you her reaction would be worth the surprise.”
“You were right,” Poet agreed. “We came early. God, this bakery is even cuter in person.”
The four of us hugged and laughed and my heart lifted in my chest at seeing my two best friends in my hometown.
“Gracie,” I said, turning with my arm around Poet’s shoulders. “This pint-sized fairy is Poet. And the Viking over there is Wyn.”
“You have one shield maiden who pillaged towns in your family history and suddenly no one will let you live it down,” Wyn quipped. Her sunglasses were perched on top of her blonde hair as a makeshift headband.
“Oh, I’m so glad to finally meet the both of you,” Gracie said. “You two sit, and I’ll bring you a variety plate.”
“Thank God, I’m starving,” Wyn said. “We’ve been up since three a.m.”
We grabbed two more chairs and the four of us crowded around the small table, our knees bumping together underneath it.
“Okay, so, you decided to surprise us,” I said. “Best surprise ever.”
“How did you manage to swing it?” Hadley asked. “Or has this been the plan all along?”
“It just worked out,” Wyn said. “I miss Mildred, though.”
“Who’s Mildred?” Gracie called from behind the counter.
“I nanny for a family. It’s their dog,” Wyn said. “Though I’m the only one who takes care of her.”
“She’s usually at our apartment,” Poet added. “On the nights that Wyn actually gets to sleep in her own bed, that is. Mildred is right next to her.”
“What kind of dog?” Gracie asked.
“Miniature long-haired dachshund. Cream colored. She looks like a mini golden retriever in a way,” Wyn said.
Gracie brought over another plate of baked goods. “I forgot to ask what you’re drinking.”
“That,” Wyn said, pointing to Hadley’s hot chocolate. “I need the sugar.”
“Same for me,” Poet said as she pushed up her tortoiseshell frames.
“And you?” I asked Poet. “How did you skip out of town early?”
“Candace took Alma to a conference,” Poet explained. “So, I bounced.”
“Wait, how did you guys get here?” Hadley asked. “We were going to pick you up from the airport.”
“We rented a car,” Wyn said.
“No, you rented a car. I don’t drive,” Poet said. “It’s okay we came early, right?”
“Oh my God, of course it is!” Hadley said with a huge smile. “But we do need to talk about some lodging logistics. The house is currently full since Bowman is staying in my childhood bedroom.”
“We can book you some rooms at The Regal Beagle,” I said.
“The what?” Wyn asked, her lips twitching.
“The Regal Beagle,” Hadley repeated. “It’s a bed and breakfast that used to be a brothel.”
“There’s a lot of chintz and rosebud wallpaper,” I warned. “But they have a good breakfast. Not as good as Muddy’s, but it’ll do. Plus you’ll be able to sleep in and not have to deal with ranch hours.”
“Hey, we’re easy,” Poet said.
“Spread that around, would you?” Wyn asked. “I’m looking for a hot cowboy to have a fling with while I’m here.”
Gracie brought the drinks over. “We’ve got plenty of those in this town.”
“Thank God,” Wyn said. “Manhattan is a veritable cesspool of men.”
“They’re not that bad,” Poet remarked.
“The last one I went on a date with asked me what I brought to the table. I just got up and left,” Wyn said. “It was like being at a job interview.”
“Where did you meet him?” Gracie asked.
“The apps.” Wyn sighed. “I have no hope for the future.”
“Guess you’re going to have to meet someone the old-fashioned way,” I said. “Mail order.”
“Ah, the OG of dating apps,” Wyn lamented. “Salem, you look really good.”
“Thanks?” I said with a laugh.
“No, I mean it. The dressed down version of you with air-dried, wavy hair and the worn jeans. It’s really working for you,” Wyn said.
“She’s totally right,” Poet added.
The door to the bakery opened and Gracie was pulled behind the counter to serve a new batch of customers.
“Now that the shock of your surprise arrival has passed,” I said. “I’m actually glad you’re here so I can tell you all this in one go.”
“We’re listening,” Poet said as she took a drink of her hot chocolate.
“I’ve decided to stay at the Ridge,” I said, my eyes darting around the table. “For the foreseeable future.”
The three of them were silent.
Wyn looked at Hadley. “Did you know about this?”
Hadley shook her head. “This is the first I’m hearing about it.”
“Well, of course you’re staying,” Poet said, her lips quivering in sadness. “Because your dad is recovering.”
“What about your job?” Wyn asked. Her blonde brows slashed together. “You can’t just leave your job.”
“I haven’t talked to them yet,” I admitted. “I only just decided . . .”
“So, tell them you’ll be back,” Wyn commanded. “You don’t have to tell them when.”
“And you expect them to hold my job for me?” I shook my head. “Even if they did, I—I have to be here. I want to be here. I want a relationship with my niece or nephew. I want a chance to make things right with my dad. If I go back to New York . . .”
“You hate it here,” Wyn accused. “Don’t you?”
“No,” I said quietly. “I hated the pain that I associated with it. It’s not the same now. And I need time to deal with that too.”
“I don’t fucking believe this,” Wyn hissed. She jumped up from her chair and marched out of the bakery.
We stared after her.
I looked at Poet. “You gonna storm out of here too?”
She shook her head and wiped her eye. “It was bad enough that Hadley left. Now you’re leaving too?”
Hadley pushed the plate of baked goods toward Poet.
Poet reached for an eclair. “Wyn’s surprised, you know. I’m not, though.”
“You’re not?” I asked. “Why not?”
“Even if your dad hadn’t had his accident, I always thought you’d be pulled home. Hadley’s your twin. Being separated is hard on both of you.”
“Is this what you wanted to tell me?” Hadley asked. “Before Wyn and Poet showed up.
I nodded.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked. “There’s nothing that says you can’t change your mind.”
“I’ve made up my mind.”
Of course I’d left out a huge part of the story.
I’d tell them the whole truth . . .
After the wedding.