Chapter 19
Presley
When I moved to Dragonfly Lake, I’d never expected this.
Today was my thirty-sixth birthday, and I was spending it surrounded by girlfriends, more girlfriends than I’d had all at once since I was a kid.
Rowan and Chloe had organized dinner at The Cove, the restaurant at the Marks Hotel. As dusk approached, I sat with the two of them plus Maeve, Anna, Olivia, and Magnolia at the table with the best lake view in the covered patio dining section.
“Chloe, you did a fine job with this hotel,” I said as we enjoyed our cocktails and waited for the dessert course. She’d brought me here when the property was still under construction, back when she’d been a VP at Marks International. I hadn’t been inside since.
Chloe laughed. “I can’t take much credit, really. Angelica worked on it through the planning stages and early construction. I oversaw it for a few months is all. But I agree, it’s wonderful.”
“Don’t tell Cash,” Olivia said, “but the food was excellent.”
“My brother-in-law would be the first to agree with you,” Chloe said, then emphasized, “now. Back when Henry’s was competing with The Cove for that TV show…” She shook her head, grinning. “Enemies. He and Nola, the chef here, have made peace and have a good, if competitive, relationship.”
“So we don’t have to keep it a secret that we ate here,” Magnolia said.
“As if anyone can keep secrets in this town,” Anna said, laughing.
“That’s the truth,” Maeve said. “Sometimes I wonder if Loretta Lawson has hidden cams throughout town.”
I laughed with them and kept it to myself that I had a secret named West Aldridge.
Since Thursday evening when we’d had the hot wall-sex hookup in the shop, he and I had snuck in some private, steamy looks and secret touches Friday when he and his crew were working at my house.
Then today we’d worked all day at the shop together, until I’d had to leave for this, and he’d had to get ready for his dads’ group.
We’d started the brickwork on the walls, which meant dealing with wet mortar that we couldn’t allow to dry out before the bricks were in place, which meant no time for frisky business, but it’d been a great day anyway. We’d talked a lot, flirted a lot, stolen kisses.
It would have to tide me over until the next time.
I was impatient for the next time, but I knew that was just because it was new and forbidden, not to mention I’d gone without sex for too long before West.
A large sailboat with a pink and orange sail pulled up to the Marks’s dock as the sun fell lower in the sky.
“What a gorgeous boat,” Magnolia said as we watched it.
“It belongs to the Barringtons who live in the development on the southeast side of the lake,” Anna said. “They’re a sweet retired couple. They love to sail over here for drinks.”
“How do you know all of this?” Rowan asked.
“She managed that development before she became the manager at the Honeysuckle Inn,” Olivia explained.
“West’s little girls would absolutely love this,” I said, thinking maybe someday I would bring them here for dinner. Would that be weird? It would probably be weird.
“West’s little girls?” Chloe asked, her head tilted with nosiness.
“Yeah, what am I missing?” Olivia asked.
Oops. I needed to be more careful with what I said. This part of the story was pretty innocent though, so I explained, “One evening a week or two ago, right after I got my kayaks, I was testing one out, and along comes this boat with three little princesses in the front.”
“West’s little girls,” Anna guessed.
“And West and Jagger McNamara,” I told them.
“That must’ve been a boatful of swoon,” Olivia said.
“Jagger had taken them out for a boat ride,” I continued, ignoring the swoon comment, “and one of their favorite things to do is go by the hotel and gawk up at all the ‘rich people.’ I heard all about it because they stopped by my dock directly after the hotel drive-by.”
I saw Rowan and Chloe exchange a look, but no one else appeared to, and I was able to ignore it when Maeve said, “Those girls come into the bookstore for story time. They are adorable. Almost cute enough to make me find a sperm donor.”
“Your clock is ticking loudly, huh?” Olivia said.
“Nope,” Maeve insisted, though it was obvious by her mannerisms the opposite was true, and she was trying not to give in to it.
“I wasn’t quite ready for parenthood,” Rowan said, laughing. “Surprise!”
“A baby and a teenager in six months flat,” I said.
“Do you girls want kids?” Rowan asked.
“Not if it means going it alone,” Anna said.
“I support that,” Chloe said, shaking her head. “They’re a lot. Worth it, of course, but I don’t think I’m cut out for single parenting.”
“I don’t know how West manages three,” I said.
“What about you, Presley?” Olivia asked. “Do you want kids?”
I picked up my wineglass and sipped, reeling more than a little from the question. Without setting the glass down, I said, “Believe it or not, I haven’t thought a lot about it.”
“Whaaat?” Olivia said in disbelief.
“Pretty sure she speaks the truth,” Chloe said. “She’s been married to her job since the dawn of time.”
I wrinkled my nose. “It’s true. I worked so much I barely had time for meals.”
“You mostly ate while you worked.” Chloe knew well what she was talking about, as she’d been by my side either literally or figuratively for a lot of it.
“How many serious relationships have you had?” Anna asked.
I held my hands up in a zero sign. “Goose egg.”
“None?” Olivia asked.
“Not a one. It wouldn’t have worked if I had,” I said. “I wouldn’t have put much time or effort into it. My job took everything.”
“That’s how it went when I was caring for my gram,” Rowan said. “No bandwidth for a guy.”
“She was so lucky to have you,” Anna said.
“She was,” Chloe said. “I hope someone takes such good care of me if I ever need it.”
“I hope to never need it,” Maeve said.
“Amen.” Olivia turned back to me. “So, Presley, now that you’ve liberated yourself from that awful career, do you want a relationship? Kids?”
My brows shot up as I considered it. “I feel like I’m still recovering from being a robot for more than a decade, to be honest. A relationship?
” I blew out my breath. “I don’t know how to do that,” I admitted.
“My parents were dysfunctional until my mom took my sister and me and left my dad, thank God. My sister married young, and her husband is a controlling jackass. I don’t even know what a healthy relationship looks like. ”
“You’ve got these two,” Olivia said, pointing at Rowan and Chloe.
“Yeah. It’s weird.” I laughed and shrugged at Chloe. “Chloe was my fellow workaholic. My enabler. My partner in misery. Look at her now.”
“She’s so happy I’d slap her if I didn’t like her so much,” Olivia said.
“We’re not getting any younger,” Maeve said. “My eggs are getting tired and lonely.”
“Fertility declines after age thirty-five,” Anna said matter-of-factly, “and here we all are.”
I sat up straighter. “I’m thirty-six and haven’t thought seriously about kids. Now suddenly I’m feeling a little panicked.” Mostly I was joking, but there was a thread of truth there.
“Sperm donor,” Maeve said again. She grinned, but I wasn’t altogether sure she was kidding.
“Sure would be faster and lower drama,” Olivia said.
“But not cheap,” Maeve said.
“Have you researched it?” Magnolia asked her.
“Yes, I have,” Maeve answered.
Olivia made a face. “The thought of having some stranger’s spooge up in there…” She shook her head and shuddered, making all of us laugh.
“So really though,” I said, my mind going full speed, “they’re still saying fertility goes down at thirty-five? I thought for sure that number was higher now.”
“Still saying it. But lots of people have babies later in life,” Maeve said.
“I need some me time before I even think about relationships and babies,” I said, even as my traitorous mind conjured up an image of West. That was not a relationship, I reminded myself.
“I think that’s smart,” Rowan said. “It’s what I was shooting for too.
I’m not complaining,” she added quickly.
“Not in the least bit.” Her wide smile and her hand rubbing her seven-month-pregnant belly revealed that she was in a very good place in her life.
“But I can relate to needing recovery time after being so all-in on something.”
“Yeah, you’ve got time to figure you out,” Magnolia said.
“And open a coffee shop,” Chloe added, laughing. “You know, while you relax and recover.”
Another round of laughter arose, mine included.
As it faded, Rowan said, “We love you just the way you are.”
“We love you extra for opening a coffee shop,” Anna said.
“To Presley, for saving us from mediocre coffee.” Magnolia lifted her glass, and everyone followed with whatever they were drinking, alcoholic or not.
As we drank to that, our server arrived with a tray full of the gorgeous desserts we’d ordered, including my seven-layer chocolate mousse cake.
“Hi, Nola,” Chloe said as the chef appeared at the head of the table and set my cake in front of me.
“Hello, ladies. Chloe, good to see you. Thanks for coming out tonight, and happy birthday to you,” Nola said.
“Thanks,” I said. “Dinner was fantastic.”
“Better than Henry’s, am I right?” Nola said, making everyone laugh.
“Those are fighting words,” Chloe said.
Nola’s shoulders sagged with exaggeration. “I’d hoped you’d defected to my side.”
“I like being married,” Chloe told her. “But you’re a close second for this Henry girl.”
“Aww.” Nola patted her heart, then turned her attention to me. “I don’t think we’ve met, birthday girl.”
I introduced myself and shook her hand.
“She’s new to town,” Chloe said. Then the others told her my coffee shop plans.
“I’ll definitely be seeing a lot more of you then,” the chef said.
“I love to hear that,” I told her.
“Well, I need to get back to the kitchen,” Nola said, “but I wanted to say hello and thank you ladies for choosing the best restaurant in town for your celebration.”
Our conversation went in a dozen different directions as we ate our stupendously tasty desserts and finished our drinks.
“Is anyone up for turning this into an official girls’ night out?” Anna asked. “We could give them their table back here and move to the Barn Bar or the Fly.”
“I’d be up for that,” Maeve said. “I’ve got tomorrow off.”
“It sounds fun,” Magnolia said. “We should absolutely keep celebrating.”
“I’m open,” I said.
“You guys go,” Chloe said. “I need to get home to relieve Holden. He took Sutton to Mimi and Papa’s in Nashville all day. I promised I’d do bath time and bedtime.”
“Aww,” Maeve said. “You two really are cute.”
“And nauseating,” Olivia joked. “But I need to go home too. I have the early shift at the bakery tomorrow.”
“Ouch,” Anna said. “What about you, Rowan?”
She frowned. “I’d love to, but this girl is exhausted.”
“You’re going with the ‘brewing a baby is hard work’ excuse, huh?” Anna teased.
“Ab. So. Lutely,” Rowan said. “I’m sorry, but my bedtime is thundering toward us.”
“Will that be for sleep or for a roll in the hay with your handsome hubby?” Magnolia asked.
“There might be some debate if he wasn’t with his dads’ group,” Rowan said. “He said he wouldn’t be out very late, but it’s past booty call time for me.”
“You two old married ladies and one baker will miss a rocking good time,” Anna said. “But we understand.”
We finished our dessert and paid our bill. Once we were in the parking lot, Magnolia volunteered as designated driver, so the four of us single girls hugged the others, then piled into her old BMW.
My life might have taken a surprise turn a few weeks ago, but it felt like it was a positive one. Not only did I have my first adult girlfriend birthday dinner, but now I was going to girls’ night out with women who felt like they were becoming my close friends.
As we rode the short distance to the Fly with our windows down and music turned up, I leaned back in the seat, let the summer air blow over me, and savored the feeling of being carefree and unfettered by a job, a baby, or a boyfriend.