Her phone dings. She wipes her hands on a towel and opens the text. “Oh, well, that’s good.” She smiles mischievously at me. “Thirty minutes. Just time enough for the biscuits to bake.”
That’s more like it. I point to her phone. “Who was that?”
“Jay. They’re finishing up early today.” She goes back to making the biscuits.
I should have known we were waiting on Jay. He still can’t join us for dinner. She’ll have a plate ready for him. I love mynephew, but he needs to close his shop around three on meatloaf day. Since she’s cooking, I set the table for the four of us. I also put a large to-go plate on the counter for Jay. That boy can eat enough for three people sometimes. A normal-sized plate would be a joke to him. I really shouldn’t call him a boy. Jay’s a grown man and over six feet tall.
Lauren smiles her weird little smile and pops the pan of biscuits in the oven. If she gets any weirder today, we might need to send her for a psychiatric eval.
“Would you be okay with a few more ladies joining us for your birthday?” She sets two more large to-go containers on the counter and moves to the sink. That’s odd.
I glare at her back. “How many more?”
“Just the McLeod women and Emily Powell. She’s making your cake.” She sucks in a light breath. Oh, she’s planning and plotting.
“We’re all going to spend the day shopping?”
I don’t know how I feel about this. She’s talking about at least eight women. This isn’t the smallest small town in the area. But eight of us wandering through stores and down the sidewalks? That’s a bit much.
“No.” She turns to face me. “You and I are going shopping. The others will meet us at Angie’s around two for a late lunch and cake.”
Okay. That’s not so bad. Sadly, she can’t be trusted. I point at her. “But don’t you dare add anyone else.”
Her smile takes over her whole face. She bounces and claps her hands. “Yay! I won’t. I promise.”
I’m still not comfortable with this little party of hers. I just don’t have the heart to tell her no. We’ve missed so much over the past twelve years. My birthday is on a Saturday. At least she waited until after the lunch rush to meet everyone at Angie’s.
I’m not sure I’m ready for the people in this town to recognize me. Sean’s family and friends lived in Dade’s Creek, about thirty minutes away. Mack kept an eye on them after I left. We hoped Sean would show up at one of their houses so the cops could arrest him. He hasn’t been seen in twelve years. I don’t know how that’s possible with today’s technology. The only reason I was able to stay hidden was because of the Viking Warriors.
I was across the country but not completely out of the loop. Mack sent messages through Andrew, the Enforcer of the California chapter, whenever someone Sean knew moved away. Most of his family and friends are gone now. It should be fine. Still, I’m scared of someone recognizing me.
Lauren takes the biscuits out of the oven when the timer dings. Oh, they smell so good. She brushes melted butter on top and fills the three containers with food.
“Are you sending food to the clubhouse?” She can’t be. There’s not enough food for that many people.
“Nope. Just all of us.” She removes one of the place settings I put on the table. Why’s she being so weird?
“What are you doing?”
“Trust me.”
Oh no. She’s done something, and I probably won’t like it. I don’t get to question her. Boots move across the back porch, stopping me. Jay’s not alone tonight. Lauren closes the lids on the food containers and hurries to the door. I glance up at the second floor. Skylar and her mother won’t be down for a while yet.
“Hey, my sweet boy.” Lauren hugs Jay.
I turn to pour myself a cup of coffee. “You can come in for a moment if you want.”
“Thanks, Aunt Nina. We’ll only be a minute. Thanks, Mom.” Jay kisses her cheek.
I add creamer and sugar. When I turn around, Darin’s standing just inside the door. My eyes widen, and the cup pauses at my open lips. I wasn’t expecting him. I can’t drink this. I quickly set the cup on the counter and take a deep breath to compose myself.
Lauren hands me the other two containers of food. “Here you go.”
“What?”
“You’re having dinner with Worley in his room.” She places her hand on my back and pushes me off the counter.
Dinner with Darin? Why did she set this up? He looks as shocked as I do. Still, I move aimlessly across the room.
