Page 8 of Valentine's in Bayberry

“Stop.” Carrie looked at Abby, who nodded. Most everyone in Bayberry had noticed Florence’s absence. It was like she left town in what felt like the middle of the night without a word to anyone, which was unlike her. And now everyone was guessing at the reason. Each guess got more outlandish than the last one. “That’s ridiculous. I know for a fact that she’s off visiting friends.”

It wasn’t until the words were out of her mouth and her friends were all staring at her that she realized she might have made a mistake by revealing this information.

“What?” Carrie looked at each of them.

“Where exactly did you get your information?” Kate arched a brow.

Carrie thought about her conversation with Jackson. He didn’t say anything about his mother’s trip being a secret or anything, so why not tell her friends?

“Actually, Jackson told me,” Carrie said.

“Jackson?” Sadie’s gaze narrowed in on her. “I didn’t think you two spoke anymore.”

“We don’t.” Her answer was a little too quick and caused more arched brows. “We don’t.” The denial came out slower that time, but it was too late to convince her friends that there wasn’t something secretive going on.

Kate took a sip of her pop before setting it aside. “Then how did you find out about Florence going to visit friends?”

Carrie glanced down at her partially empty plate of spaghetti and meatballs. “I ran into him today.”

“He’s in town?” Abby asked. “Why is this the first we’re hearing about it?”

Carrie shrugged. “I don’t know. All I know is there was this loud banging sound during the grand opening. When I went to investigate, I found Jackson next door in the vacant storefront.”

“That’s strange,” Kate said. “What was he doing there?”

“He had a sledgehammer. It looked like he was demoing the place.”

“Interesting,” Abby said. The other two nodded their heads in agreement. “Wonder if his mother knows what he’s up to?”

They all shrugged.

What happened with Florence and her son was none of their business—and that included her. At that moment, she just wanted to end this line of conversation.

“But…” Abby said. “It makes you wonder why he’s in town if his mother is visiting friends.”

That was a good point. Carrie inwardly groaned. Now she had something else to wonder about. It was a very odd time for him to be in Bayberry and he wasn’t acting like himself. Something was going on… Then she reminded herself that it was none of her business.

Sadie asked, “Is he married yet?”

When everyone looked in Carrie’s direction, she resisted the urge to squirm in her seat. “Stop looking at me. It’s not like he confides in me. These days he’s more like a stranger than an old friend. If you want to know if he’s married, you’ll have to ask him.”

Kate studied her for a moment. “What happened? I thought you two used to be good friends.”

Carrie never told them about the evening that changed everything between her and Jackson. “We were kids back then. We grew apart when he left for college, and I stayed here.”

“It’s a shame,” Abby said. “He’s so good-looking.”

Not wanting to continue this discussion about Jackson, Carrie chose to change the subject. “So, what’s everybody up to for Valentine’s?”

Kate smiled. “Wes said he has something special planned.”

Carrie was so happy that Kate and Wes had found each other again. They were so happy together. “What are you going to do?”

“That’s the problem,” Kate said. “I don’t have a clue. And he won’t tell me, so I don’t know what to wear. What about you?”

Carrie shook her head. “Just working and going home.”

Everyone looked at Abby. Her eyes widened. “Why is everyone looking at me? You all know that Matt and I broke up.”

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