Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Wild Billy’s had live bands all summer long, so between the music, laughter, and upbeat conversation, the sound level was deafening.
Of course, since Finlay’s husband owned the place, that was a good thing.
Usually, Willa and her friends would be dancing and joking around, but this evening, they were still catching each other up on their lives. It had been a long time since they’d all been together, and a lot had happened.
Finlay returned from the bar with a tray full of bright pink Barbie cocktails—their favorites.
“You know what’s funny about bars?” Molly asked. “They have servers who actually bring your drinks to the table. Wild, right?”
With a dreamy expression, Finlay started handing out the drinks.
“You know you’re married to the bartender, right?” Eloise teased. “You don’t have to keep flirting.”
Willa glanced over and caught Jude’s gaze fixed on his bride as he shook a martini shaker. She hoped the couple flirted like that the rest of their lives.
She was so damn happy for her friend.
“So, how’s married life?” Molly asked.
A server passing by took the empty tray from her, and Finlay sat down. She sighed like she’d just rolled onto her back after a wild round of sex. “So, so good. I just love him so much.”
Willa reached for Fee’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “You always have.”
“Okay,” Ava said, lifting her drink. “So, while you were off stealing kisses from your husband, Eloise was telling us about her latest dating fiasco.”
“But we made her wait till you got back,” Molly said.
“Oh, no. What happened?” Finlay asked with a worried expression.
“We don’t have to talk about it now,” Eloise said. “Not when she’s on cloud nine.”
“Oh, we absolutely do,” Finlay said. “That’s what we’re here for.”
“Is this the pilot?” Willa asked. “You’ve been dating him a while, right?”
“Five months.” Eloise licked the sugared rim of her drink. “I was this close to introducing him to my daughter. I can’t believe it.”
“Well, you didn’t,” Ava said. “That’s what counts.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’ve been telling myself. So, basically, things were going great. He was nice. Consistent. He texted good morning and good night. He always asked about my daughter. He didn’t get all weird when I talked about my dead husband.”
“That’s a low bar,” Molly said.
“I guess, but it was…good.” Eloise sounded lost, vague, as if confused about how it had gone wrong. “And then, I got the ‘hey girlie’ message on Splashagram.”
“You did not,” Finlay said.
“What a cliché,” Molly said.
“Right?” Eloise asked. “He told me he didn’t have social media, which was why I couldn’t tag him in any pictures. But I happened to post him on my business account because he was helping me set up a drone to film a wedding. It was in Keller’s Gorge—”
“Oh, that’s a gorgeous spot,” Molly said.
“The best. Anyhow, this woman saw it and immediately messaged me. She told me to check the Are We Dating the Same Guy page, and what do you know? He’s involved with at least six other women—all of us at the same time.”
“What a jerk,” Ava said.
“That sounds exhausting,” Willa said.
“I’m sorry, honey,” Finlay said. “That’s awful.”
“At this point, I’m just done.” With a thoughtful expression, Eloise took a sip of her frosty cocktail.
“I can’t help but wonder if I’m subconsciously trying to find a daddy for my little girl.
It breaks my heart to see her grow up without one, but you know something? I’m doing just fine on my own.”
“You are,” Ava said. “You’re doing a great job.”
“I can’t wrap my head around the scheduling of all those women,” Eloise said. “How hard must it be to remember all the stories? To keep all the lies straight? To be intimate with so many women at once? I just feel so stupid.”
“Hey.” Willa reached across the table and held her hand. “Don’t turn this on yourself. He’s the liar, not you. We trust until we’re given a reason not to. I can’t think of anything more important than keeping our hearts open.”
“Yep,” Finlay said. “Good people exist—we all know that. Just maybe instead of looking for love, let it find you.”
“That’s the plan.” Eloise forced a smile. “I’ve officially retired. It’s me, my daughter, and my camera. That’s more than enough.” She turned her attention to Willa. “Now, enough about me. How’s your dad? And how’s the restoration going?”
“He’s doing so much better. I wish I’d known he was struggling, but thankfully, I was there right when he needed me.”
“I know you’re feeling guilty about that,” Finlay said. “But you’re not a mind reader. It was up to him to tell you.”
“He didn’t want to worry me. Which I get, but also, I’m an adult now.
He doesn’t have to protect me from bad news.
” They’d talked about it, and she was pretty sure he understood that now.
“But honestly, the inn’s going better than I could’ve dreamed.
” She smiled across the table. “Eloise is going to photograph it so we can update the website. I want pictures of the staff in their costumes, the breakfast spread, the new curtains and bedding… I just want the whole world to see how awesome it is.”
“Do you think she knows she’s glowing?” Ava asked. “I’m not sure if it’s the inn or the quarterback living there.”
“Believe me, we’ve both got enough going on. Neither of us is looking for more.” There was so much secrecy. If it got out that Decker had a child, the press would swarm Calamity. And she still hadn’t shared the relationship with her friends because what even was it?
Were they roommates who bonked? Was this yet another situationship?
For her, it was so much more. But as intense as her feelings were, in a matter of days, he’d become a guy she’d only bump into when they both happened to be in town.
The idea pricked sharply as a splinter, and unless she wanted to fill them in, she needed to change the subject.
“You’ll never believe who showed up at the inn today.
” She still hadn’t fully processed everything.
Her gut told her she'd made the right decision, but her chest was tight with fear.
She'd worked so hard to earn her mom's love, and now, she might lose all the ground she'd gained. “My mom.”
“Excuse me, what?” Finlay was the only one at the table who understood the truest significance of that. “She came to Calamity?”
“She did. Surprised the hell out of me.”
“What was she doing in town?” Ava asked.
“Trying to get me back to work.” She could deflect. She could pretend. But these were her closest friends. She needed them. “You guys, it was awful. I was wearing a costume, singing and dancing. My hair was a mess. I didn’t have makeup on…”
“Is that a bad thing?” Molly looked from one woman to the next. “It sounds like you were having fun. I feel like if I walked in and saw my daughter like that, I’d think—”
“She’s adorable.” If the affection seeping into Eloise’s expression was any indication, she was thinking about her own little girl.
“That she’s having the time of her life,” Ava said.
“Yeah, well, not my mom. She basically told me to come back to New York right now, or I could forget the partner track.”
“And yet, you’re still here,” Finlay said.
I am. “I told her I’m not ready but that she can let me know when she signs the contract for her next deal, and I’ll see if I can come back.”
Finlay pinched her.
“Ow.” Willa yanked her hand away. “What was that for?”
“Just checking to see you’re not a cyborg or something.” Finlay glanced under the table.
“What, did that boulder on your finger fall off and dent the floor?” Willa asked.
“No, no.” Finlay sat back up and flashed her rings. “All good. I was checking to see the size of your balls.” She cupped her hands as though holding heavy weights. “Huge.” Everyone laughed. “But seriously, are you okay? Are you freaking out?”
“A little bit.” The whole chain of events—the glee in her mom’s eyes after Kendall’s announcement, the road trip, and her dad’s illness and the truths he’d shared—had changed her whole perspective. “But mostly, I feel like I’m doing the right thing.”
I’m just afraid of the consequences.
“Well, the good news is you work for your mom,” Eloise said. “She might be disappointed, but she’s still going to champion your career.”
“You’d think, right?” All she’d ever wanted was a mom to love her and hold her and brush her hair and tell her everything would be all right.
It never really went away—the wanting.
She only understood right then that the plea was never for Elizabeth Barrett. It was to be loved and comforted.
“What do you mean?” Molly asked.
“My mom will always do what’s best for the firm.
Like, for example, right before I came here for the wedding, I found out the guy I was dating is now engaged to my half sister.
We all work together.” She paused. “And my mom knew. Everything. She gave her blessing because she thinks ‘Nate and Kendall work better together.’”
“What the hell?” Eloise slammed her drink on the table, the pink cocktail sloshing over the rim. “Your mom said that?”
Willa nodded. “The moment after I found out. And she followed it with, ‘Get over it.’” She shrugged. “She wants both of her daughters to be part of a power couple. She doesn’t care which of us gets Nate.”
“I have no words,” Eloise said.
“Believe me, I know.” But this awareness was all new and only because she’d finally seen her situation through other people’s eyes. “She thinks I’m distracted, that if she threatens me with the lead associate slot, I’ll panic and come running back to work.”
“Will you?” Ava asked.
“No.” The word settled right in her core. “I won’t.” Her dad was worth more than a partnership.
But the question that was coming more sharply into focus was, why did she have to choose?
“I think you know I can relate,” Molly said quietly.
“I do.” They shared a look. Her friend knew what it was like when your whole world depended on people who could pull it out from under you. “So, yes, she’d absolutely kill my career if it served her.”