Page 44 of Resisting Fate
For a short time, they all relaxed, enjoying dishing about one of their favorite reads. Missy had even reread the first book in the trilogy. There was something so compelling about the laird, a formidable foe to his enemies, loyal and compassionate to those under his care—the people in his community and, most especially, Brianna. Oh, shit. She had a thing for that rugged kind of man with deep compassion, didn’t she? No wonder Ben was sneaking under her defenses.
When the conversation petered out, all of them subdued again, Hailey called them in for a group hug. “Come on, for Charlotte. We’re going to gather all our positive energy and direct it straight to her. Then we’ll get a drink in her honor.”
“When did you get so woo-woo?” Mad grumbled, but still headed over to Hailey, slinging an arm over her shoulders.
Missy joined the group, one arm around Sabrina, the other around Lexi, her two closest friends, and then was dragged in tight to the circle.
“We love you, Charlotte,” Hailey whispered, “and we know you’re going to give birth to a beautiful healthy baby boy.” They all knew it was going to be a boy.
“And we know you’re going to be just fine,” Sabrina added.
Missy’s throat closed up, the positive words reminding her how much was at stake. She closed her eyes, holding the tears at bay as each woman offered a quiet message of hope around the circle. Missy went last, barely able to speak over the tightness in her throat. “Amen,” she said simply.
The women pulled apart, giving each other watery smiles.
“All right, drinks at Garner’s,” Hailey said, pulling on her long white wool coat. “Mad says the guys are all gathered there waiting to hear news from Ty.”
Missy stilled. That meant Ben would be there. Which was absolutely no problem. She just had to pull it together, think positively for Charlotte, and he’d never see her in this vulnerable state. She pulled her coat on. It wasn’t like Ben was there to see her specifically. The guys were most likely there because of Josh Campbell, the bartender and manager of the place. He was the oldest of the brothers, along with his twin, but he was local, whereas Jake moved around with his wife, Claire. Josh was subtle about his big-brother role, but Missy had noticed he took care of his younger brothers, biological and honorary, as well as his little sister, Mad. She’d overheard more than once one of the guys speaking to Josh in a confidential tone. And no-filter Mad tried never to piss him off because she said she “owed him way too much.” Missy wasn’t sure what Josh had done for Mad, but if it was sufficient for Mad to give him that respect, it must’ve been significant.
A few minutes later, Hailey led the way across the street, talking a cheerful mile a minute about her upcoming Clover Park holiday plans, either trying to keep all their spirits up or mentally preparing for seeing Josh again, which always sent her into a flurry of planning. She was a wedding planner, after all, but with things slowing down for her during the holiday season, she’d planned tons of stuff for Clover Park. This weekend was the first weekend of December, and Hailey had a holiday stroll planned for Saturday complete with ice sculptures, hot chocolate and roasted nuts, strolling carolers, and horse and carriage rides. Sunday was the community tree decorating at Ludbury House, a huge mansion owned by the town, where Hailey worked. Mostly, Ludbury House was host to weddings, but it could be rented out for other purposes. Hailey was not only decorating the large pine tree on the front lawn of Ludbury House, she also had several trees inside waiting to be decorated and then distributed to senior citizens in town who needed a little extra help to enjoy the holidays. And she was wrapping gifts to give to the seniors too.
“Hailey, take a breath,” Sabrina advised. “I’ll be there to help and so will Lexi and Missy.”
“Great!” Hailey chirped. “The more the merrier. How about you ladies?” She rushed forward to ask the rest of their friends. Missy heard Ally agree with great enthusiasm; the others couldn’t make it. Ally, a bubbly blonde teacher, was working part-time with Hailey, starting a sologamy business as an add-on to Hailey’s wedding planning business. The sologamy thing was pretty cool, basically an empowering ceremony where you marry yourself and vow to honor yourself and seek out your own happiness (as opposed to waiting for some guy to come along like some stupid fairy tale). Missy had loved it when she and her friends had held their own sologamy ceremony a couple of months ago because she knew she could never divorce herself.
Hailey led the way into the crowded bar straight to where Josh stood behind the bar, his dark brown hair more rumpled than usual. “Have you heard from Ty?” Hailey asked immediately.
Missy and Sabrina leaned in close, hoping to hear the answer. Josh made a subtle shake of his head, his lips pressed tightly together.
“Last we heard was an hour ago when Ty went to get ice chips,” Clarissa, Josh’s girlfriend, said from the bar stool next to Hailey.
Hailey jumped. “Oh, I didn’t see you there. That’s good to know, thanks.” She looked to Josh and back to Clarissa and then Josh. “Can I have a glass of chardonnay, please?”
With unprecedented speed, Josh poured Hailey her requested drink and set it in front of her. Missy couldn’t help but notice Clarissa keeping a close eye on him.
Josh turned to the rest of them and said in a subdued tone, “What can I get you, ladies?”
Either Josh was as freaked about Charlotte as the rest of them or he’d changed being with Clarissa. He’d always been laid-back at the bar, but he used to be all charming smiles, quick to tease in a good-natured way, and downright gleeful about locking horns with Hailey. This wasn’t the Josh they all knew and loved.
Once they got their drinks, Sabrina asked Josh to hold the cupcakes behind the bar for later and confirmed the champagne was chilling. Satisfied, Sabrina hooked Hailey’s arm and guided her to a quiet corner away from the awkward Clarissa and Josh situation. Missy and Lexi followed.
“I’m fine,” Hailey said to Sabrina once their little group settled in a small circle, blocking Hailey’s view of Josh. “It’s all water under the bridge.”
“He nearly killed a man for you,” Sabrina said quietly, referring to the showdown between Blake and Josh at theFierce Lovingwrap party last week.
“He only roughed him up a bit,” Hailey said in blithe denial. She took a long swallow of wine. “Don’t make a big thing.”
Missy and Sabrina exchanged a look. As much as Hailey had spent the last two years looking after their little group, by unspoken agreement, it was time to look after her.
Sabrina was adamant, even raising her voice. “I don’t like the dynamics of this situation. It’s a classic triangle, and the best course of action is to remove yourself from it. You deserve a healthy loving relationship, not this dysfunction.”
Hailey shook her head. “You’re making too much of this.”
“And I don’t like the way she looks at you,” Sabrina added. “She’s jealous or mad or both.”
Hailey flushed pink, took a sip of wine, and then patted Sabrina’s arm. “Thanks for having my back, but on to the task at hand. Wait until you see the donation pile back at Ludbury House. You guys, the community has really come together. Tomorrow I’ve got a freaking truckfullof food to donate to the food bank, and you should see how many toys we collected for Toys for Tots. The seniors are getting e-readers so they don’t have to wait for large-print books to come into the library. They can just increase the font. I even got the librarian over at the Clover Park library to hold a class to teach them how to use them with the e-book library lending program.”
“That’s awesome,” Lexi said.
