CHAPTER ELEVEN
Amelia
“Who is Deacon?” Ellery asks as soon as my front door closes behind the man in question. “And why is he installing a gym in your house?”
I roll my eyes. “I met him at the hardware store. He’s a carpenter, and he’s going to build a gym for Marmalade so he stops destroying my home every time I’m out.”
Lennox, who lives in a cursed house in the forest and has a mystery work-from-home job, drops to her knees in front of my orange cat.
“You must be Marmalade. You are very handsome.” She looks up at me as she pets him, her thick auburn hair falling in waves across her face. “I didn’t know you got a cat.”
I nod. “I did. I’ve wanted a pet forever, and so has Harper.
He just showed up needing to be rescued at the right time.
” I smile at the newcomer to our group, who looks as uncomfortable as I feel, seeing as how she just saw me making out with Deacon.
“You must be Millie Starling. Ellery said you moved to town recently?”
Millie, petite with delicate features, her brown hair in a cute pixie cut with pink highlights, smiles, but there’s sadness behind her bright expression. “It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for including me in your poker night.”
“The more the merrier,” I say. “Ellery says you’re in the house—”
“Yes,” Ellery says. “Millie’s from Indiana, and she’s looking for a job. She used to work in business admin, so if you hear of any job openings, let her know. Now, tell us more about that guy. What’s his last name? I think I saw him at the diner last week. How do I not know him?”
I shrug. “I don’t know his last name. He said he’s only recently moved to town.”
“And he works in construction?” Ellery says. “Maybe he’s Levi’s—”
“I thought we were going to play poker,” Lennox says. “Not talk about men.”
“You got something against men?” Ellery asks.
Lennox winks at me before wrapping an arm around my best friend’s shoulders and steering her toward the kitchen. “The whole point of a woman-only poker night is to exclude men and their drama, Ellery.”
I’m assuming Lennox gets that I don’t want to talk about Deacon in front of her and a woman I’ve never met before, but she could also just really want to play poker. She’s the most serious player among us and often steers us back to the game when we get too chatty.
I smile at Millie. “You’re from Indiana? What part?”
Millie’s expression twists.
“Not that I’m trying to be nosy,” I say.
She waves a hand. “You’re not being nosy. I’m just, um, I’m from the southern part of Indiana. Corn fields and cows, you know? Not a lot to talk about.”
I want to ask Millie about her family, but she doesn’t look eager to talk.
“Your home is lovely,” Millie says, clearly changing the subject. “Ellery says you’re an animal control officer? That sounds exciting.”
“It has its moments,” I say. “I’m sure you got a whiff of my skunk perfume.”
She winces. “I just figured a skunk had sprayed near your house recently.”
“Nope. Two skunks sprayed me directly. Just a few days ago. I’d suggest we sit outside, but it’s pretty chilly.”
“That’s okay,” Millie says. “My new house smells like wet dog. I can handle it.”
“I can’t,” Ellery yells from the kitchen. “We should open some windows.”
I smile at Millie. “She’s blunt, but she’s one of the sweetest people I know.”
“I can hear you,” Ellery says. “And thank you.”
Millie’s smile is warm. “I’ve already figured that out. She helped me at the library, even though I wasn’t looking for a book in the children’s section.”
“Things were slow in the children’s library,” Ellery says as we walk into the kitchen.
She and Lennox already have a deck of cards on the table and are sorting the plastic chips we use. None of us has the extra money to play for real cash.
I head to the pantry and pull out the chips and dips and desserts I bought for tonight. I don’t bake, even when I do have the time.
“Alright,” Ellery says as I start laying everything out on the counter. “What’s the story with Deacon?”
“Who’s Deacon?” Hailey Holiday says as she walks into my kitchen like she lives here. I love that my friends are like family and feel comfortable enough to treat my home like their own, but if I’m going to be dating, I should probably set some ground rules about knocking at the very least.
“Deacon’s the man Amelia was making out with when we got here,” Ellery says. She narrows her eyes at Hailey. “Why are you late? You’re never late.”
“Oooh,” Hailey says, ignoring her. “What’s the story with Deacon?”
“Leave her alone,” Lennox says. “She probably doesn’t want to talk about it in front of us.”
“Why not?” Ellery sounds so genuinely confused, I laugh.
I turn and face my friends. “It’s nothing serious. We went out to dinner tonight, and we had a great time, but he’s fully aware I’m not looking for a relationship.”
“Why not?” Millie winces. “Now I’m the one being nosy. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s not a secret that I’ve been married before and it didn’t go well. Plus, I have a four-year-old daughter I haven’t told him about, and I’m not going to tell him about her.”
Ellery’s eyebrows shoot to her hairline. “There’s no way you’re keeping a secret like that in this town.”
I shrug. “When he finds out, I’ll end things. You know how weird guys get when they find out I’m a single mom.”
“They assume she must be in desperate need of a husband and get butt-hurt when she tells them she’s not,” Ellery explains.
“Or they hightail it for the hills,” I say. “Ellery thinks I need to have more grown-up fun in my life.” I smile at my best friend. “Turns out you’re not wrong.”
“You need to cancel your plans with me for tomorrow night and spend the evening with Deacon,” Ellery says. “Do you already have a babysitter scheduled?”
“I do, but I want to hang out with you,” I say.
“You’re hanging out with me tonight. Have fun with Deacon. You might not have long before he finds out you have a kid.”
She makes a very good point, and I smile as I finish arranging the snacks. “Thanks, Ellery. You’re a good friend.”
“That’s very sweet,” Lennox says. “Can we play poker now?”
“I’ll sit this one out,” Millie says. “Since I’ve never played before.”
Lennox joins me in staring at Millie in surprise while Ellery shuffles the cards as though everything is normal.
Millie shifts. “I guess Ellery didn’t tell you.”
“Sorry I’m late,” Gentry says as she bustles through my front door and into my kitchen. She sets a bottle of wine on the counter and takes a seat next to Hailey. “There was some drama at the house.”
“Everything okay?” Ellery asks.
Gentry shakes her head. “Not even a little, but I don’t feel like getting into it. Did I miss the first hand?”
“We haven’t started yet,” Hailey says. “Ellery and Millie walked in on Amelia making out with some guy named Deacon.”
Gentry’s brows rise, and she gives me a sly smile. “Really? That’s interesting. Do I know this Deacon?”
“He’s a carpenter who just moved to town,” Ellery says. “That’s all she’ll tell us.”
Gentry’s eyes widen, and her smile grows. “Deacon Sullivan? That’s Levi’s—”
I hold up my hands, palms out. “I don’t want to know. I’m just having fun with Deacon. He doesn’t know about Harper and I want to keep it that way. Don’t tell Levi and don’t tell Deacon anything about me.”
Gentry frowns, glancing over at Ellery, clearly concerned.
“I know,” Ellery says. “It’s never going to work, but Amelia needs some fun, so we’re going to do what we can to make sure she has her fun while she can.”
“How was the wedding?” I ask to change the subject. Gentry’s only recently back from her brother’s wedding in Colorado.
Gentry’s smile is huge. “It was beautiful. My new sister-in-law is amazing. Yuletide is the cutest little town. It was a great trip.”
“How did it go with Levi?” Ellery asks. “Did you two fight the whole time?”
Strangely, Gentry’s cheeks go pink. All she’s ever told us is that she can’t stand Levi, but he won’t take a hint and stop flirting with her. Does she actually like him?
“We managed to be civil,” Gentry says without making eye contact with any of us. “Have you already ante’d?”
“This isn’t over,” Ellery says in a threatening tone, before she smiles and throws her ante into the pot.
We’re halfway through our second hand when my phone dings with a text. My brother’s outside with Harper. He and his wife, Clover, took her out to a local bouncy house and dinner tonight. I’m guessing she’s passed out asleep in their car.
“I’m out for this hand,” I say as I push back my chair and stand. “Harper’s home.”
“Harper?” Millie asks as I leave the kitchen.
“Amelia’s four-year-old daughter,” Ellery says. “She’s adorable.”
I smile as I cross the living room and head out the front door. Ellery immediately starts grilling Hailey about why she was late tonight, but Hailey just laughs and says there was a late drop-off at the animal shelter she runs.
I hurry out the front door before I hear the rest. I doubt Ellery will let it go, but I’m more interested in seeing my daughter.
Asher is waiting for me on the front porch, once again dressed like he’s ready for a workout in a loose tank and shorts over leggings. He could have been dressed like this for work, a workout, or for the bouncy house. Knowing him, he did more bouncing than Harper did.
Technically, adults aren’t allowed to bounce, but my brother has a way of charming people into relaxing the rules. “I figured she’d be more likely to stay asleep if you took her out of her car seat,” Asher says.
“Probably. How’d it go?” I ask as we start down my front stairs.
“Amazing,” Asher says with the happiest energy. “Harper went down the biggest slide all by herself.”
“Aw, good for her.” There’s a twinge of regret that I missed it, but Harper will show me the next time I’m there.
“Clover got every second on video,” Asher says. I’m so grateful I have a village to rely on.
“Thank you, Clover,” I say.