Chapter 34
“Surprise!”
Peter joined the gathered guests, supposedly including the undercover FBI agent he hadn’t spotted yet, on the Jessups’ front lawn to welcome Virginia to her party.
The four large pop-up canopies that had been erected on the lawn, along with a few mature trees, provided adequate shade for the partygoers, but they also made it harder for him to get a good overview of everyone at a glance.
He didn’t like that element of the setup here.
However, anyone potentially watching Hailey would have the same problem.
It should make it easier for them to slip away unnoticed later.
Hailey stood close to him, nearly trembling with nerves.
He hoped her anxiety over their upcoming meeting wouldn’t give her away.
The plan was to be discreet, to have their chat with the FBI agent without any of the other guests seeing them together or realizing something was going on.
As with the phone situation a few days ago, he wondered if such subterfuge was warranted, but like before, he decided they’d much rather be safe than sorry.
Surreptitiously, he took her hand in his once again. She didn’t startle at his touch. Rather, it seemed to have the calming effect he’d hoped for.
Though he knew Boris, one of the other guys from the protection agency, was nearby and both Eric and the FBI agent would step in at the first sign of trouble, Peter couldn’t resist scanning what he could see of the partygoers.
On the outskirts of the small crowd, he spotted a shorter man wearing a green tee and a denim baseball cap.
That was their FBI agent, going by the description Eric had provided.
Peter wanted to scrutinize the man, but now wasn’t a good time.
He let his eyes slide past him and continued skimming the guests.
There were somewhere around forty people here, and he didn’t recognize everyone.
No one appeared out of place though. Another look around the area also revealed nothing suspicious.
His eyes landed on Hailey’s parents, and he smiled.
Virginia was still standing near the car with her hands over her mouth.
By all appearances, she was thoroughly surprised.
Jesse stood beside her, a huge grin on his face and a clapping Jenna in his arms. He leaned toward his wife and whispered something.
She laughed, and they finally started across the yard, greeting guests as they passed.
“Did you organize this?” Virginia asked when they reached Hailey and Peter.
“With some help.” Hailey grinned. “Were you surprised?”
“Oh my, yes. I don’t know how you managed to pull this off without word trickling back to me.” She glanced at their joined hands, and her smile broadened.
Before she could comment, Jesse placed his free hand on her back. “We should keep moving. They’re waiting for us to start the food line.”
“Want me to take Jenna?” Hailey asked.
“Nah, we’ve got her for now. Besides, she’ll get front-of-the-line service if she’s with us.” Jesse winked.
“Thanks, Dad,” Hailey said. “But let me know when you need a break.”
“Fair enough.” He turned to his granddaughter and made the sign for eat. Jenna emphatically bobbed her head in agreement, eliciting laughter from the adults before Hailey’s parents continued on their way.
As the crowd shifted to line up behind the couple for the self-serve luncheon, Peter gave Hailey’s hand a gentle squeeze.
She returned the gesture. She hadn’t pulled away while they talked with her parents, and since she still didn’t seem inclined to break their hold, he didn’t either.
Together, they took their place near the back of the queue and waited their turn.
Once their plates were filled with breadsticks and slices of the pizza Bryce and Corina had brought from Zhan’s, Peter scanned the tables. “You have a preference? Looks like your parents’ table is already full.”
Hailey shaded her eyes and looked toward the canopies.
“There’s room by my cousins.” But just as she said the words, someone slid into the empty seat next to Allye, leaving only one open spot at the table.
Hailey’s shoulders lowered a fraction, then she shrugged.
“Or maybe not. Anywhere is fine, I guess.”
Her body language and tone said it wasn’t quite that straightforward. He tilted his head to study her. “You don’t sound so sure about that.”
“I—” She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Let’s just find a pair of open seats.” She started moving toward the canopies.
As he followed her, the truth dawned on him.
Her nerves probably weren’t all due to their clandestine meeting.
She felt out of place among these people she’d long considered friends.
He could kick himself for not realizing sooner how hard it probably was for her to rub elbows with people her late husband had betrayed.
“Why don’t you sit with your cousins? I don’t mind finding another spot.” He would stay close though, even if he had to stand and eat.
She waved him off. “Don’t be silly. There’s plenty of other seats around.”
Plenty might have been a strong word. Most of the tables were nearly full at this point. But he wouldn’t push the issue. It was her decision, and while he hated for her to be uncomfortable, he couldn’t deny being pleased that she wanted to sit with him.
HAILEY LED THE WAY to one of the far tables, the only one that wasn’t quickly approaching capacity.
As they sat at the table’s unoccupied end, she glanced back toward the porch.
Good. Only two or three people were still grabbing food, which meant she didn’t need to worry about whether they’d run out of seats for their guests.
The two couples on the other end of the table were engaged in a lively conversation and hardly seemed to notice their arrival, but one of the ladies, Officer Gibson’s sister Talia, gave them a welcoming wave before tuning back in to the subject under discussion.
Hailey released a pent-up breath. She’d been afraid whoever they sat with would turn up their noses or greet her with a scowl. This treatment she could handle.
“Quite the crowd,” Peter commented as he lifted a parmesan-encrusted slice of pepperoni pizza to his lips.
She uncapped her water bottle and gave herself a moment to take everything in. “I think just about everyone showed up. I’m almost shocked.”
“Shocked they came?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Kind of, yes. I mean, everybody loves my mom, but I’m not exactly a favorite of the community right now. I was half afraid most of them would boycott the event on my account—especially when it was supposed to take place at my house.”
He set his pizza back on the plate, though she knew he had to be starving, considering neither of them had eaten since their early breakfast. “Has it really been that bad?”
His question sounded sincere, and she took a moment to consider it.
She didn’t know if the townspeople would have actually boycotted the birthday party.
Nor was she certain that most of them hated her on account of Wesley—though some, like Oscar and Stefania, had clearly shown their disdain.
But were they representative of Kincaid and the surrounding community as a whole?
She shrugged. “I don’t know really. Does it feel that bad?
Definitely.” She let her eyes wander from Peter’s perceptive gaze.
As they did, she saw people she’d known all her life.
People who had attended her graduation, her wedding, her baby shower.
People who might have attended Wesley’s funeral if she’d let them.
But she hadn’t. She’d been so blindsided by his betrayal and death that she’d made it a private affair.
Her lip quivered at the memory of that dark day.
Peter’s hand covered hers once again. “I haven’t lived here long,” he said gently. “But I get the feeling they’re mostly good people. If you give them a chance, they might surprise you.”
“Maybe.” Her voice cracked. Blinking hard, she tugged her hand away from Peter’s. “The food’s getting cold. We should probably eat.”
He nodded. “Probably.”
She picked up a breadstick and tore a piece from the end.
As she chewed the savory bite, she rolled Peter’s words around in her brain.
He was right—the citizens of Kincaid were good people.
But that didn’t mean they didn’t hold Wesley’s sins against her.
She’d seen the looks, felt the distance that wasn’t there a year ago.
But was it also possible that she’d misinterpreted the situation?
That some of those uncomfortable looks hadn’t been born out of contempt or suspicion, but were instead the result of not knowing how to express their concern when she was grieving so deeply?
That the distance hadn’t been entirely one-sided?
The bite of breadstick tried to lodge in her emotion-swollen throat. She coughed and gulped down a swig from her water bottle. Coughed again.
Peter raised an eyebrow. “You all right?”
She took another drink before recapping her water. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She closed her eyes and sucked in a calming breath. Now wasn’t the time to disentangle the messiness of that part of her life. There were bigger things at play she needed to survive first. But she would contemplate it later.
Just then, a car inching up the long driveway came into view.
Hailey squinted to see who the late arrival was, but sunshine glinting off the windshield hid their identity.
The driver pulled off into the grassy area where the other cars were parked.
A moment later, Mrs. Bright stepped out, holding a white gift bag with mounds of blue and purple tissue paper spilling over the top.
The older woman’s sharp words from last week replayed in her mind. She hadn’t imagined or misinterpreted them. And they’d hurt, though she’d tried to pretend they didn’t affect her.
Mrs. Bright added her gift to the others on the porch, helped herself to a single slice of pizza and a soft drink, and looked around the gathered crowd. Her eyes landed on them, and she started their way.
Hailey’s muscles tensed. She wasn’t sure her nerves could handle another run-in with the woman if she was feeling as persnickety today as she had been last Sunday. But as the woman continued toward them, it didn’t look like she was going to have much choice.
“Is this seat open?” Mrs. Bright asked, motioning to the spot next to Hailey.
She forced a smile to her lips. “It is.”
“Wonderful.” The woman set her plate on the table and sank into the plastic chair. But instead of starting in on her pizza, she twisted her hands in her lap. “I owe you both an apology.”
“What?” Hailey couldn’t hide her surprise at the words.
Mrs. Bright released a sigh before making eye contact with first Peter, then Hailey. “I was out of line Sunday. My words were neither necessary nor kind, and I’m sorry. The good Lord’s still working on me, and I hate to admit I give him a hard time of it more often than I’d like.”
“I think we all do,” Peter said.
“It’s kind of you to say that.” She reached across the table and patted his hand. “I hope you’ll both forgive me.”
“Of course,” Peter agreed. Hailey only nodded, still stunned at the apology.
“Thank you.” Mrs. Bright took a delicate bite of her pizza. “Now, on to better things.” She waved her free hand to indicate the festive atmosphere around them. “You decorated beautifully for this party. Was your mother surprised?”