Lennox winks at me before wrapping an arm around my best friend’s shoulders and steering her toward the kitchen. “The whole point of a woman-only poker night is to exclude men and their drama, Ellery.”
I’m assuming Lennox gets that I don’t want to talk about Deacon in front of her and a woman I’ve never met before, but she could also just really want to play poker. She’s the most serious player among us and often steers us back to the game when we get too chatty.
I smile at Millie. “You’re from Indiana? What part?”
Millie’s expression twists.
“Not that I’m trying to be nosy,” I say.
She waves a hand. “You’re not being nosy. I’m just, um, I’m from the southern part of Indiana. Corn fields and cows, you know? Not a lot to talk about.”
I want to ask Millie about her family, but she doesn’t look eager to talk.
“Your home is lovely,” Millie says, clearly changing the subject. “Ellery says you’re an animal control officer? That sounds exciting.”
“It has its moments,” I say. “I’m sure you got a whiff of my skunk perfume.”
She winces. “I just figured a skunk had sprayed near your house recently.”
“Nope. Two skunks sprayed me directly. Just a few days ago. I’d suggest we sit outside, but it’s pretty chilly.”
“That’s okay,” Millie says. “My new house smells like wet dog. I can handle it.”
“I can’t,” Ellery yells from the kitchen. “We should open some windows.”
I smile at Millie. “She’s blunt, but she’s one of the sweetest people I know.”
“I can hear you,” Ellery says. “And thank you.”
Millie’s smile is warm. “I’ve already figured that out. She helped me at the library, even though I wasn’t looking for a book in the children’s section.”
“Things were slow in the children’s library,” Ellery says as we walk into the kitchen.
She and Lennox already have a deck of cards on the table and are sorting the plastic chips we use. None of us has the extra money to play for real cash.
I head to the pantry and pull out the chips and dips and desserts I bought for tonight. I don’t bake, even when I do have the time.
“Alright,” Ellery says as I start laying everything out on the counter. “What’s the story with Deacon?”
“Who’s Deacon?” Hailey Holiday says as she walks into my kitchen like she lives here. I love that my friends are like family and feel comfortable enough to treat my home like their own, but if I’m going to be dating, I should probably set some ground rules about knocking at the very least.
“Deacon’s the man Amelia was making out with when we got here,” Ellery says. She narrows her eyes at Hailey. “Why are you late? You’re never late.”
“Oooh,” Hailey says, ignoring her. “What’s the story with Deacon?”
“Leave her alone,” Lennox says. “She probably doesn’t want to talk about it in front of us.”
“Why not?” Ellery sounds so genuinely confused, I laugh.
I turn and face my friends. “It’s nothing serious. We went out to dinner tonight, and we had a great time, but he’s fully aware I’m not looking for a relationship.”
“Why not?” Millie winces. “Now I’m the one being nosy. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s not a secret that I’ve been married before and it didn’t go well. Plus, I have a four-year-old daughter I haven’t told him about, and I’m not going to tell him about her.”
Ellery’s eyebrows shoot to her hairline. “There’s no way you’re keeping a secret like that in this town.”
I shrug. “When he finds out, I’ll end things. You know how weird guys get when they find out I’m a single mom.”
