Page 44 of One Southern Summer

Avery angled her head toward Hayes. “I’m also a single mother of two. Cole hasn’t indicated he’s real interested in becoming anyone’s stepfather.”

Greer returned with Maribelle’s glass of sweet tea. “It’s nice work if you can get it.”

The girls all laughed.

“Thank you, dear.” Maribelle reached for her tea. Maybe a few sips and the sugar would make her more alert.

“I think that boy is married to his work,” Harper said.

“I do believe you’re right,” Maribelle said, shaking her head in mock dismay. “It will take a special woman to help him realign his priorities.”

Okay, so she was laying it on a little thick. But she couldn’t let her granddaughters know what she’d been up to. They’d never forgive her for all this meddling in their affairs. Even if she had the best of intentions.

Harper whipped out her phone. “Let me take a picture of this.”

“Oh, do it. Let’s post it on Avery’s socials.” Julene grinned. “People will go bananas.”

Avery snatched the napkin back and slipped it inside the notebook. “No, no pictures. I wanted to show you, but now it’s going back into hiding.”

“If it’s not a big deal, then why do you still have it?” Harper asked.

Avery lifted one shoulder. Her mouth tipped up in a smile. “Cole’s always been a good friend to me. I like to reminisce, that’s all.”

Oh, boloney. Maribelle took another sip of her tea to keep from saying what she was thinking. She carefully filed all the details of this discovery away. This was better than anything she could have concocted on her own. To think these two had set this plan in motion decades ago and now all she had to do was give them more nudges. They couldn’t have made it any easier. My oh my, she couldn’t wait to tell Lucille about this. It wouldn’t be long and these two would be riding off into the proverbial sunset. Together.

Chapter Eight

Avery sat alone at the kitchen table with her phone, laptop and a sketch pad in front of her. She had one day until her meeting with Cole at the construction site. One day. Between taking care of the kids and stressing about them spending an entire weekend with their father, she hadn’t been able to focus. Hayes no longer cried and turned away when offered a bottle, but she was still conflicted about being away from him for two whole days.

But showing up unprepared for her meeting wasn’t an option.

After flipping through her mother’s old issues ofSouthern LivingandHouse Beautiful, and spending more hours than she’d cared to admit scrolling online and watching home renovation shows, (although not her own—she avoided those episodes), a cohesive plan for the home’s interior still eluded her.

Maybe the solution was to stop thinking about Cole and that silly napkin. Her conversation with Nana and her sisters on Sunday afternoon kept replaying in her head. She opened her notebook and took out the napkin again. Harper and Julene had been right. A throwback post on social media about the napkin and her bond with Cole would resonate. Even her fickle audience would go bananas for a glimpse into her personal life. But Cole had given her the courtesy of asking her opinion about the documentary. She owed him the same. Sure, they had a past. But were they willing to put it all out there for public consumption?

She opened an app on her phone and scrolled to a recent post. Since Julene had put up that picture of a view from the lake house and launched her return to social media, she’d added a few more posts on her own. It hadn’t been so bad, really. A sunset view from the dock, a gorgeous bouquet of flowers on the kitchen island and an adorable image of Hayes’s bare feet had all garnered plenty of likes and pleasant comments.

A notification alerted her that someone had tagged her. Uh-oh. She hesitated then tapped the screen and read the caption.

Staycation photo dump! Hubs and I have had the most amazing week off, enjoying all the incredible venues our beautiful Camellia has to offer. Wasn’t gonna post EVERYTHING I saw downtown, but this was too good not to share. Look who has a new man in her life! Is it just me or are sparks flying? Be sure to swipe to the last one. The camera doesn’t lie. Am I right?

An icy tingle danced along her spine.

She swiped to see all the photos. The first five featured mediocre shots of downtown Camellia, plus the pond she and Mama had walked around with the kids. She swiped again. The image of her and Cole at the coffee shop together wasn’t unflattering. They leaned toward each other at the table. Her expression looked earnest. The camera had been angled to catch only part of Cole, but had included enough to clearly indicate his smile. To any casual observer—or nosy social media frenemy—they appeared to be engaged in a deeply meaningful conversation.

Which wasn’t misleading. They’d both been excited about their shared vision for Imari’s Place. Still, the caption implied something romantic. Okay, so she’d thought about a relationship with Cole, especially after he’d dropped by with frozen custard. But nothing had happened. They weren’t dating. And she resented the online speculation implying that he was her new man.

This was once a platform where she was revered as the queen of home decor and could pop in for a virtual visit and receive dozens of comments and questions on any given day. Sadly, if one post plunged her into a tailspin, what would happen if the documentary was filmed?

Was she foolish for hoping to encounter support and affirmation?

She should’ve put down the phone. But that comment about sparks flying in the post wasn’t something she could ignore. Or the reference to the camera not lying. Worse, the last photograph featured her speaking with Pax’s father. Her features were twisted into an aggravated expression.

Her hand shook as she scrolled through the comments. Several had garnered dozens of “likes.”

Gurrrrl, these photos are gold. Can’t believe you didn’t post sooner. So is this her new man??

I always knew something sketchy was going on with this family. Seriously, how can anyone’s life truly be that perfect? It’s nice to know things aren’t as they seem.

---