Page 8 of 40 and Flirting (with Disaster)
Laura laughed. Behind Jamie, Erin joined in. Harris backed out of the barn, shaking his head good-naturedly. Jamie gave them all his best scowl.
“Everyone knows you’re a pushover for this mare, Worthington,” the vet said, grinning. “But that’s okay; I like you all the better for it.”
Refraining from an answer, he unhooked the door to Baby’s stall and waved Laura inside. Baby’s snort of displeasure told him she knew exactly why the doc was here, but she stood quietly as Laura examined her. Finally, anxious minutes later, Laura gave the mare a soft pat on the belly and declared, “Everything’s looking good.”
Jamie breathed a sigh of relief.
Laura gathered up her equipment. “I’m thinking she has a week at least, maybe ten days. Mama and baby are both doing well.”
“You’re sure about the time frame? I’ve got to be in Nashville tomorrow, and I hate being that far away when she could go at any time.”
The vet shook her head. “You know as well as I do that these things are unpredictable, but I’m giving you my best guess. You’re safe, don’t worry.” Laura slapped him on the back on her way past. “She’ll be fine, Daddy.”
Erin raised an amused eyebrow behind the vet’s back but refrained from comment. Jamie silently gave thanks.
He walked Laura out to the path leading back to the house, thanking her for coming. When he re-entered the barn, Erin had her shoulder propped against the door to Baby’s stall, the black horse nuzzling the long brown braid that hung over Erin’s shoulder. Jamie pulled his phone back out to retrieve his notes.
After a thorough discussion of the architect’s recommendations, Jamie put his phone away again. “You know,” Erin said, her tone casual, “if you’re going to be in Nashville tomorrow, you should stick around and meet Carter and me at Bourbon & Bone for dinner. We could check out the competition.”
His smirk matched hers. “You know as well as I do that there’s no competition for the Carousel.” He’d built the best restaurant possible from a foundation of nothing, and the success they’d enjoyed through the years proved it. The Carousel was the go-to location for hours around. “Besides, I don’t want to be the third wheel for your date night.”
Erin waved away his words. “Don’t worry about that. Several of us are going. The girls and I are having a spa day in Nashville, and Carter and JD are meeting us tomorrow night. Linc is out of town filming, and Gavin had to make a quick run to New York for business, so they can’t join us. But we figured if we’re going all that way, might as well enjoy ourselves.” She chuckled as Baby lipped curiously at her hair. “You should come.”
By this time Jamie was familiar with Erin’s circle of friends, which included some of the most prominent people in Black Wolf’s Bluff—and one in particular that he’d had his eye on. Feeling like he was back in high school, nosing around his friends for a particular girl’s whereabouts, he asked, “Iris wouldn’t happen to be joining you, would she?”
At Erin’s knowing look, Jamie silently cursed. “She would.” A sly grin appeared. He barely held back a groan. “Iris is definitely joining us.”
“Erin…”
She shook her head at his warning tone, actually giggling like a schoolgirl. “Nope, there’s no backing out now. You just let me in on a little secret, and you get to reap the consequences.”
She was practically rubbing her hands together with glee. He dragged a rough palm down his face. “Lord.”
“Yep,” she quipped. “Be prepared.”
Did she have to sound so happy about it? He looked down at his friend, amused, but then his mood shifted toward the serious. In for a penny, right? “I don’t care what you say about me, but I don’t want Iris to be uncomfortable. She’s been through enough already.” He didn’t know what all Iris had told her friends about the reason for her divorce and he’d never tell tales about what he’d witnessed, but word around town was that the divorce had been a messy affair. Not because of Iris, but because of her lousy husband.
Erin’s gaze softened, and she squeezed his biceps. “You’re a good man, Jamie.”
The words tightened his chest. He shook his head. “She’s a good woman. She deserves the time out without me being foisted on her.” Still, a desire to throw caution to the wind and jump on this chance was rearing its ugly head inside him.
Erin turned toward the opening of the barn, throwing a wink over her shoulder. “Trust me. You I’d make uncomfortable all day long”—she laughed—“but not Iris. Just come. You won’t regret it.”
He hoped not, because damn his hide, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring himself to Iris’s attention once again. He only prayed she could forgive him for being present tomorrow night, a reminder of things she’d probably rather forget. If she gave him the chance, he’d replace that unhappy memory with ones he hoped she’d never want to erase.
Four
A week after her lunch with Scarlett, Iris walked into an upscale salon in Nashville with a small posse of women at her side. Somehow having Erin, Lily, and Claire along with Scarlett made Iris feel more like she had an audience than a support group, which was silly because every woman with her was a hundred percent committed to providing encouragement along her journey toward her “new outlook.” Still, butterflies felt like they were swarming in her throat as well as her stomach.
She pulled Scarlett to one side in the lobby. “I know I said I was ready for this, but…” Her voice petered out.
The look she gave her friend must’ve been desperate, because Scarlett wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a hug scented with her favorite coconut body spray. “It’s gonna be fine. Trust me, Iris. Lily said this place is the absolute best.”
Iris’s stomach cramped. “Best for whom?” she asked under her breath.
Lily must’ve heard her, because the woman’s musical laughter surrounded them. “For you, of course,” she said, squeezing Iris’s shoulder reassuringly as Scarlett released her. “Just remember, this is a day to pamper yourself. You don’t have to let Jose do anything you aren’t comfortable with.” Lily leaned in a bit closer as they restarted their journey toward the front desk. “But I will tell you, he has great instincts.”
Great instincts. That would be helpful, since all her instincts were screaming in fear. She’d had the same “look” for a couple of decades, and that look had served her fine. Stepping into the unknown…
