Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Jamie
“When you said small town, I sort of forgot what small town meant.” I stared out the window, eyes wide as we drove into the town that was Clover Lake.
I had lived in Denver and its surrounding suburbs my entire life.
My dad’s tattoo shop was in downtown Denver, with my mom’s boutique right across the street.
In fact, that was how they met. Their love story was one of the more romantic tales I had ever heard, and part of the reason why I was careful with who I dated.
They knew love, and it had no bounds when it came to them.
They understood each other, cared for each other, and were just good for one another.
I wanted someone like that in my life, even though I had no idea where that would come from.
And because I loved my parents and enjoyed being with them, I had gone to college in Colorado and worked for the family business. It didn’t matter that I could do my job in any state or practically country, I enjoyed being near my family.
So as a suburban and city girl through and through, Clover Lake was a complete oddity to me.
“Keep your mouth closed, or you’re going to catch flies.”
“Are you learning different colloquialisms now?” I asked, holding back a laugh.
“Maybe. I keep adding little ranch hand jokes to my repertoire and scaring my father.”
“I love Uncle Shep.”
“My dad is pretty cool. And he’s enjoying visiting his granddaughter in Wyoming. Just like I’m so excited that you are here for a whole month. You are going to get tired of me and Clover Lake.”
I looked at Livvy then, and how happy she was.
I missed seeing Livvy every week. It wasn’t that I saw and hung out with all of my cousins weekly or even monthly.
There were enough of us spread out that sometimes we only saw each other in passing, but there were the group texts that Livvy was still part of.
However, Livvy living in Wyoming was possibly the best thing for her.
And it was because of Ewan and the McBrides. Amelia was already calling Ewan daddy, and the three of them were a unit. A family.
And her in-laws had already adopted Livvy into the folds and didn’t mind housing any Montgomery that came to visit. Honestly at some point visiting Livvy would just be an excuse to see the beauty that was this small town.
Clover Lake was situated on the outskirts of an actual lake. There were multiple streets, but the main street—actually called Main Street—housed many of the businesses that brought in locals and out-of-towners.
“At some point we’ll take you to the diner for dinner and I know it doesn’t sound that interesting, but it has amazing food.”
“Sharp mentioned that the chicken fried steak was fantastic. The gravy especially.”
As Livvy parked in front of a small coffee shop, she turned and gave me a look before she clicked off the engine.
“Sharp did, did he? When were you going to tell me that you were texting my brother-in-law as much as you were? Because while I know you stole his phone number to apparently say you were sorry for the whole wedding fiasco that you had nothing to do with, you didn’t mention you kept speaking with him. ”
Blushing, I ignored my cousin and turned around to wave at Amelia who was in her booster.
“Are you ready to show me around Clover Lake?”
“Yes! And see Uncle Sharp.” She fluttered her eyelashes, and I blushed, wondering when the sarcasm gene settled in for the Montgomerys. Perhaps at birth.
“Okay, time for some fresh air.”
“Before you get out, I need to tell you something that I should have told you weeks ago, or perhaps Sharp should have told you.”
I froze, tension suddenly seizing me. “What is it?”
I looked through the front windshield and blinked as a woman with dark hair, and a beautiful sun dress, glared at me. She smiled at Livvy, and kept moving, and my cousin cursed under her breath.
“What was that about?” I asked, my voice going slightly high-pitched.
“Well, apparently. Um.”
“You’re not helping this situation,” I said softly, wondering what I had done wrong. Of course, there was only one thing that I could have technically done wrong when it came to this town, but surely it wasn’t that.
“The town is very sweet. And loving. But there’s a few people who are a little judgmental. In the way that people are.”
“Livvy, just spit it out already.”
Livvy looked at the rearview mirror and I knew she was checking on Amelia, and I let out a breath.
“Jo and her family enjoy stirring up gossip. They always have. Which was one reason why I didn’t know why she was with Sharp to begin with, but I digress.”
I let that little bit of envy that Jo and Sharp had been together at all wash away because it had nothing to do with me. I had merely kissed Sharp—which was a horrible mistake most likely—and it didn’t mean that I had any possession over him.
“Okay. But isn’t Jo married to William?”
Livvy’s eyes widened. “Sharp told you that? Oh good. Though I still have so many questions.”
“He mentioned that she got married, and we talked about it. Because I know that he’s over her.”
Livvy winced. “He is. I know he is. I don’t know when he was together with her in the way that getting married made sense, but that doesn’t make any sense right now. Anyway, Jo and her mother, her brothers, and some of the townsfolk who love gossip, are deciding that you are a...”
Her voice trailed off, and I glared. “I’m a what?”
“A homewrecker.”
“Homewrecker!” Amelia called out, and I closed my eyes and counted to five. I could not make it to ten. “I’m about to say words that are bad for Amelia, so maybe we should take a walk.”
“The McBrides and everyone else are quickly dispelling the rumors. It’s stupid. They’re stupid. And I know we don’t call people stupid, right Amelia?”
“Right.”
“But I thought maybe you should know before we walk around in Clover Lake.”
“Maybe you should have told me this before I decided to spend a month in a small town that apparently doesn’t want me here.”
Before Livvy could say anything to that, I hopped out of the SUV, rolled my shoulders back, and glared at a woman who had wrinkled her nose when she looked at me.
Oh good. Glaring at strangers was going to do wonders for me trying to settle in and show that I wasn’t a homewrecker or a terrible person. Brilliant job, Jamie Montgomery.
“I’m sorry. I know we should have told you this,” Livvy said, as she came around the car with Amelia in tow. “You did not do anything wrong,” she added, her voice low.
There were a few people out and about, but nobody was paying attention to us at this point. I guess I could count that as a win for now. However, I was still more than confused.
“Should I go?” I asked, suddenly feeling far more unwanted than I’d ever had in my life.
In fact, I wasn’t sure when I had ever felt like this.
Perhaps when I had tried out for the cheerleading team and had gotten runner up to the alternate.
All because I wouldn’t sleep with the lacrosse team captain.
He had told his best friend to tell his girlfriend who happened to be the cheerleading captain, that I was a terrible person, and added a few choice words.
That unwelcome feeling had lasted for approximately two weeks until I had joined the swim team, and had been immediately enveloped by happy people.
Then I had done volleyball, and might’ve accidentally, most likely on purpose, nearly broken the cheer captain’s nose during a layup. But it really wasn’t my fault.
Either way, I’d always been liked. Loved. And I’d never even been dumped before.
Maybe I was a little sheltered because I’d had a good childhood, a good life, and people that I cared about and who cared about me in turn, but that didn’t make this whole thing any sense normal or as if I earned it.
“Hey there, Livvy,” a woman with auburn hair said as she came forward, pushing her stroller. “It’s so good to see you in town. I know you’ve been working hard. This must be your cousin Jamie, right? Gwen and Galen said that she would be in. Hi, I’m Amanda. It’s lovely to meet you.”
It was as if I had gone from a hot spring to a cold plunge and now sat in a sauna where I wasn’t quite sure what the temperature was. This woman seemed so nice and genuinely looked happy to see me.
Did she not think I was a homewrecker?
Livvy moved forward and pulled Amelia in front of her. “It’s good to see you, Amanda. And yes, this is Jamie. And she’s in town for the whole month. I’m trying to show her that the people of Clover Lake can be amazing.”
Amanda winced and looked over her shoulder. “Ah. I see you’ve met some of the crew.”
The way that she said the crew sounded as if it was in all caps, and a group that I wanted nothing to do with.
“I only mentioned it when Jo’s aunt walked by,” Livvy whispered.
“Apparently I’m a town pariah and nobody told me ahead of time.”
Amanda gave Livvy a look and clucked her tongue. “No warning?”
“I thought it would be dissolved by now. It’s been six months, and Jo’s married.”
“Let me get you guys a coffee, and we can sit down and catch up. And that way Amelia can stare longingly at her new boyfriend,” Amanda said dryly, and I looked down to see Amelia and the boy in the stroller talking to each other using wild hand motions and looking absolutely smitten.
There were a couple of years age difference for sure, and if anything, they looked as if they had secrets that nobody else could know, and I loved it so much.
I wasn’t surprised when Livvy immediately snapped a photo.
“I don’t want to take up your day,” I said, feeling slightly uneasy. Not because of Amanda, or even Livvy. But because I had no idea who was in that coffee shop, and if they hated me because they thought I was a homewrecker.
I don’t think I’d ever said the word aloud before in my life, and I didn’t want to start now.