Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
ANABELLE
“Anabelle, I heard you’ve given up on being single,” Layla says over a cup of coffee at Josie’s.
I snort, wrapping my hands around my iced latte. “Says who? I’m still very much single.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Aubrey says with snark.
The girl knows how to get under my skin. I can’t help but love her anyway.
“My mom’s friend works at the stadium, and she told my mom she saw you leaving with one of the Roanoke Forge soccer players after the game the other day.”
“Your mom’s as bad as Aubrey’s,” I say before taking a sip.
“This is how they entertain each other,” Aubrey says. “When those two get together, I never know what I’ll hear next.”
“When you were getting together with Will, all I heard from you was how much your mom was driving you nuts,” I point out to Layla.
“I’m not excusing her behavior. I’m only relaying information and wanted to verify the facts,” she says diplomatically.
“I feel like we’re getting off topic,” Aubrey says. “The real question is, how is the romance going?”
“It’s going nowhere,” I admit. “We’ve decided to stay friends.”
“Why?” Layla asks. “Are you not compatible?” She sounds so disappointed.
My cheeks heat. The chemistry is undeniably there.
Not that I’m going to divulge that information to them.
They’re so starved for information, they could start their own gossip column at the local paper.
“There are a few reasons. One, I’m worried about Nolan being so closely involved with him being his mentor.
And Lucas isn’t planning to stick around.
” The last thing I need is to get involved with a guy who’s going to leave Nolan like Jeremy did.
These may be the generic answers I tell people, but it goes even deeper.
The truth is, I’m scared I won’t know how to be in a healthy relationship.
Or if that kiss was good chemistry or the start of something real.
I’m not even sure I know what love looks like anymore.
What if I mess it all up? What if I fall for him, and it’s only real for me?
“You could always follow him,” Layla suggests.
“I can’t leave Maple Creek. This is my home. What if I uproot everything and end up in Atlanta or who knows where, and then we break up? I’d have no store and no income.”
“She makes a solid point,” Aubrey says.
“That’s too bad,” Layla says. “Nolan could have used a solid father figure, and I was so excited to hear you’d finally found some happiness.”
I was too for one night. Until I realized it would never work out. I kind of always knew, but I let myself get swept up in the moment. It was easy to do with all those muscles and that deep, rumbly voice. I grab my drink and take a pull from the straw.
Time to think about something else.
Thankfully, my phone buzzes, giving me an excuse to mentally change the subject.
I have multiple texts from Lucas from fifteen minutes ago that I hadn’t noticed before.
That must have been when I was putting in my order and talking to the girls.
I’ll check those later. The last thing I need is for the girls to read over my shoulder and create a narrative that doesn’t exist and never will.
It hurts too much knowing Lucas and I will never be a real couple.
There’s also a text from Jeremy. Since it could be something important about Nolan, I open it.
Jeremy: You’re engaged to that soccer player, huh?
My heart is pounding in my throat. Oh, no. How could this moment get any worse?
Me: Who told you that?
“You okay, Anabelle?” Layla asks. The entire table is looking at me.
“Trouble with Jeremy,” I breathe.
Aubrey reaches over and squeezes my shoulder. “Aww, honey. I’m sorry. What’s he saying now?”
I tuck my phone into my purse. “The usual.” I stand. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
Before anyone can offer to go with me or interrogate me further, I stalk off to the back hall where the restrooms are. It’s a one-room bathroom, so I have the space to myself. My purse buzzes against my leg as I lock the door.
I pull out my phone and lean against the wall.
Jeremy: It’s all over the internet. Are you letting that guy around our son?
There’s so much to unpack here. I pull a fist up to my mouth and focus on my breathing.
I open my phone’s browser and type in “Lucas Hensley engaged.” The first article that pops up is from one of those big celebrity gossip sites.
Owen Hadley Congratulates Injured Soccer Star on his Engagement.
They’ve included a video in the article, which I play.
The camera shows Lucas and me in the booth looking cozy before panning to Owen promising to buy us a wedding gift.
We told him we were just friends right after that, but the video has been trimmed to exclude that part.
The video is embedded from a social media site where it has over a million views already. It’s only been a day.
I take a deep breath and open the texts from Lucas.
Lucas: Brace yourself. I have some bad news, and it’s my fault.
Lucas: Are you available for lunch? I’d rather tell you in person.
Lucas: I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to find a new mentor for Nolan after this. He doesn’t need to be pulled into my drama.
Me: I can meet you in thirty minutes at Hadley’s.
I’d like to talk to Owen and Alexis as well, since they’ve been dragged into this debacle.
Lucas: It’s a date.
Lucas: Not literally. Shoot. You know what I mean.
I shake my head and drop my phone into my purse. Hadley’s is across the street, so I have a few minutes to kill. The girls are still at the table sipping their coffees with a fresh round of muffins in the center of the table.
And Alexis is there, eyes wide, hands flying through the air as she talks like she’s in panic mode. Lauren is by her side, with her back to me, wearing a grim look on her profile. Lauren is married to Alexis’s brother, and the two women were best friends and neighbors before that.
Accepting my fate, I approach them. They don’t notice me at first because they’re all hyper-focused on Alexis. But then her gaze moves past them to me, and they all turn and stare at me.
“What’s going on?” I say casually, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
“I am so sorry.” Alexis’s eyes are full of regret. “I feel like this is all our fault.”
“It’s not your fault,” I spill. “It’s the paparazzi. You should be able to joke around with your friends in your own restaurant.”
“So, you know,” Aubrey says.
I nod. “I just found out.”
“Is that why you ran off to the bathroom like that?” Layla asks.
I sigh. “Jeremy saw the video and thinks it’s real. I can try to tell him it’s not, but there’s not a lot of trust between us and he may not believe me.”
“I’m not sure I believe you,” Aubrey says.
Lauren scowls and elbows her. “Now’s not the time.”
“What?” Aubrey puts her hands to the sides in mock defense. “I’m not going to lie ,” she says exaggeratedly. Chaos ensues, and they all talk at once.
“Lucas texted me about it, too,” I say, and the room quiets.
“We’re meeting at Hadley’s to talk everything over.
” I point at Aubrey. “And stop looking so hopeful. If anything, this experience has shown me even more that we aren’t right for each other.
” But the words clog my mouth like Mrs. Wheaton’s crumbly, dry cornbread.
“Do you want me to come with you, or would you prefer your space?” Alexis asks tentatively.
“I’d like you to come. Can you text Owen to see if he’s available to meet up with us?”
She nods. “He’s over there now and probably wouldn’t mind a lunch break.”
Layla stands, sliding her purse over her blonde head and across her torso. “On that note, I have to get back to the flower shop. I probably have a crowd of needy customers with questions my employee can’t answer.”
Aubrey stands and stretches. “It’s been fun, ladies, but I have to get back to work, too. I have a bride showing up in an hour for a tour of the facility, and I need to catch up on paperwork.”
“At least business is thriving for you guys,” I say. “It’s been crickets in my shop. Even running ads hasn’t helped.”
Alexis puts her arm around my shoulder and squeezes me against her.
“I’ve been there, girl. Running a shop is tough.
I’ve had to work crazy hard to get my bakery to where it is today.
And it never stops. I’ve been putting out fires all morning.
If it’s not here, it’s LA. And now we’re talking about opening a New York branch since we just bought a condo in the city.
We’re excited to spend more time with Benson and Tessa. ”
“I haven’t talked to them in a while. How are they doing?”
The other girls wave to us, and we follow them out the door.
Alexis pushes open the door, and we wave goodbye to Josie, who’s been working her tail off this entire time.
“Benson is still playing football, and Tessa is living the dream as a sports reporter for a newspaper in the city. They lost a baby last year, but I heard they found out she’s pregnant again. ”
My heart warms for them as we walk down the Main Street sidewalk, past several shops my friends run, including Alexis’s bakery, The Icing on Top. “That’s great news. But so sad they lost that baby. You can have all the fame and success in the world and still face so much loss.”
“I’ve been through it myself,” Alexis admits as we cross the street at the crosswalk. “Even the best doctors in California couldn’t save my baby. I was ten weeks along.”
“Oh! I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”
She smiles shyly. “We’ve started trying again, and it’s really scary. We just want to be parents.” The longing in her voice makes my heart ache.
Hadley’s is up ahead, and we cross the parking lot toward the building. Owen wanted to make sure his customers had free parking when he planned out the restaurant.
Sometimes I feel bitter that some of my friends have found such success when I’m still struggling.
They have their happy marriages and flourishing businesses.
Or celebrity husbands. I’m falling for a guy I can’t have, and my shop is near collapse.
But listening to Alexis admit just now the troubles that she and Tessa have been facing puts everything into perspective.
I have a healthy son. I got to have one perfect kiss with the man who’s quickly begun to steal my heart. I will probably never have another moment with him like that.
But I will always have the memory of his lips on mine and his hands buried in my hair.