Page 77 of Trust

“I have several dates set up for next week and am considering taking a teaching position in Greenville next year.” She swept her hands up. “I need to expand my horizons. I’ve had a crush on a man for five years and have wasted too much mascara on someone who barely notices me.”

“Amen,” Olivia responded. “You are lit up from the inside out, and it’s clear that letting go of an unrequited crush was the right answer.”

Betsy smoothed her hand over her new bob and snorted her agreement, the sound exploding across the yard. “I’m not waiting for Hoyt a minute longer.”

“Which means this is the exact moment he’ll wake up.” Lucy turned to her sister. “Do we have the paramedics on call?”

“I think so,” Oliva answered.

“We better make sure since the oldest Doherty brother is likely to have a heart attack the minute he gets a glimpse of the men who will be fawning over this one.” Lucy squeezed Betsy’s shoulder. “I love nothing more than seeing a man forced to feast on his errors.”

“Very mature,” Olivia retorted. “If Bea were here, we’d get a lecture on soul evolution, emotional intelligence, karma, and several other things that involve our chi.”

Betsy pursed her lips. “Then we won’t mention it when she arrives.”

“Speak of the devil. Here’s our beloved sorceress,” Olivia said as Bea parked her truck. “Hey, beauty!”

Bea waved and then pulled out a large tote. “I’ve brought everything we need.”

Olivia, Lucy, and Betsy looked at each other.

“Don’t worry, ladies; this day will not end in regret, embarrassment, or a trip to jail,” Bea announced as she joined the group of women. “We may be about to face our greatest challenges, but I have sage, crystals, candles, and small pouches prepared specifically for each of you.”

“Guess I shouldn’t ask what’s going on with you and Asher,” Olivia said gently.

Bea emptied the bag on the table, picked up the sage, and ignited it with a lighter she produced from her pocket. Waving the burning herbs around, she smiled. “Nothing to report.”

“You may excel at the whole spiritual mastery thing, but you suck at lying,” Lucy replied as she arranged the colored candles. “Are these repelling or attracting candles? Because I want to make sure to get a repelling one.” She snatched the lighter from Bea’s hand, barely missing the sage she was waving around. “I don’t need an inked-up anti-prince with enough chill to be unnerving.”

Betsy grabbed a pink candle. “I’ll take an attracting one.” She waved the sage smoke out of her face. “I want as many options as I can get.”

Olivia picked up two and studied them. “I’ll take one of each.”

The sound of a truck filled the yard, and Betsy groaned. “I’ll take a repelling one too because Hoyt just arrived, and I don’t need him polluting my new vibe.”

Lucy groaned. “Let’s light these babies up; here they come.”

Olivia turned and swore she heard a low drumbeat as all three Hawker men strode down the lane in a fog of testosterone. “This isn’t going to end well.”

Betsy lit the candles quickly and handed the lighter to Bea, who lit the second bunch of sage. Olivia grabbed a pouch with her initial on it and shoved it into her pocket. “Just remember, we can call on the Haven Ladies’ Society if we need to.”

“And let them have all the fun?” Lucy snorted. “No way.”

Saying a silent prayer, Olivia hoped that whatever happened gave her some closure. The angst of not knowing where Zane’s affection lay on any given day was no longer something she wanted to tolerate. She blew out the pink candle and decided that, for now, she was ready to repel the man that very nearly got ahold of her heart.

Zane accepted a cooler from Hoyt and stacked it with the others. “What do you say? Think we’ve got another half an hour before the runners finish their first lap?”

Hoyt jumped down from his truck and brushed off his hands. “Sounds about right.”

Zane gave the quiet man a tilt of his chin and was surprised he’d received a three-word answer. They’d been working on the water station set up for thirty minutes and hadn’t exchanged ten words. The gentle giant had been far too preoccupied marking Betsy Yarlin’s every move to engage in idle chit-chat, and he hoped to eventually discover why.

Though, how that would be possible, he couldn’t say since he and Liv had been taking turns avoiding each other. They’d barely spent fifteen minutes in one another’s company in the last week and were advancing and retreating, with neither doing what the other expected.

The next move was probably his to make, and damn if he could force himself to do it.

For the first time in his life, he wanted nothing more than to avoid a confrontation. And that’s exactly what he’d be stepping into since Liv’s patience had probably run out. No doubt she had an impressive, it’s been fun speech ready to go.

Hearing a sharp bark, he glanced up and saw Killer trotting in his direction. Bella sat beside the porch and gave him a confident look of triumph. Seemed both he and his dog were out of favor with the ladies of the house.

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