Page 78 of Lone Star Longing
He wished he could give her another one.
Chapter Nineteen
“HEY, YOU GUYS AREN’Tusually here on a Friday.” Hailey came to the picnic table to greet them. “What gives?”
“Doing a mini high school reunion,” Javi said. “Britt is here from Houston. She’s Millie Drexler’s granddaughter.”
“Oh, here for the big birthday party.” Hailey smiled. “These guys take up my tables all day on Sunday.”
“Yeah, they told me,” Britt said with a smile.
“Hey, where’s Con?” Hailey asked, scanning the group. “And Beck?”
Lacey and Poppy looked at Hailey, then each other. Lacey didn't want to say that Con probably wasn't coming because of Britt, and Beck might not, because he was probably already thinking about leaving town. He had hired someone to do the roof of the house, because she’d seen the new roofing materials in the yard, and that was his last project before he moved on.
Where he was going next, she didn't know.
“We’re hoping they show up,” Britt said brightly. “It wouldn't be the same without them.”
“Is there anything I can get you? Music’s about to start soon. I think you’ll enjoy it. The band is down from San Angelo. They play some pretty good dance music.”
Poppy bumped Lacey’s arm with hers. “We haven’t been dancing since college.”
“So long ago,” Hailey teased before she walked on to the next table.
Lacey would actually love to dance. The idea of just losing herself for a little while in the music sounded wonderful. She wished she could join her friends in a drink, but she’d gotten used to them drinking around her.
She was digging into some ribs that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about since Beck ordered them last week, when the man himself showed up. Britt popped up to give him a hug, and Lacey was pretty relieved, to be honest. None of them—Lacey, Poppy, Sofia, Ginny or Javi—had been in Britt’s class and they didn't have that much in common. At least Beck had known her back in school.
He sat down next to Britt—not next to Lacey as he usually did, and Lacey fought back the twinge of jealousy. Hadn’t she just been happy that he was here to entertain Britt?
“Is Con coming?”
Beck shook his head. “Yeah, he isn't.”
Britt’s face fell. “I really hoped he could have gotten past it. I mean, I’m assuming he’s not coming because of me?”
