The women around the room all sucked in harsh breaths. From the stories I’d heard, the town had barely recovered from the Cheddar Incident of 2019. The mayor had had to mediate, and Nolan, our police chief, still walked away when it was mentioned.
Both shops found themselves banned from farmers’ market participation for a year, which in Maplewood was the equivalent of a death row sentence.
Petty town rivalries or not, I felt it too. The hush in the air, the fear, the constant anxiety that the tourists wouldn’t come back. Not to mention Will’s tragic death. He really was a good kid with a bright future.
The conversation fizzled out while we all grappled with this reality.
Vincent, bless him, blew a raspberry and broke the silence. When Frankie tickled his belly in response, he descended into a fit of giggles, his chubby cheeks wobbling.
“Oh my God, he is the happiest baby,” Ruby trilled. “He must get it from his mama.”
Frankie pinned me with a look. “Or his hot firefighter dad.”
I surveyed Vincent, ignoring Frankie’s scrutiny. Damn, she was like a dog with a very tasty bone.
“You know, now that Frankie mentions it,” Ruby said, “you are sort of glowing.”
“And it’s not from her new moisturizer,” Nina deadpanned. “She caught feels. Not collagen.”
“Yeah. She’s got a whole drunk Disney princess look going on.” Frankie sat up and shifted so she faced me directly. “She’s definitely getting some.”
Face lit up, Ruby clapped. “Now this is what I need to hear. Start talking.”
Cheeks flaming, I contemplated tucking Vincent under my arm and sprinting to the front door. But knowing they’d onlyhound me again the next time I saw them, I sighed, letting my body deflate, and gave them a tidbit of the information they were looking for. “We’re exploring things.”
Stella squealed. “OMG. You two have such a cute story.”
“You don’t have to settle for him just because he’s your baby daddy,” Frankie said.
That chafed a bit. In fact, I’d fought my feelings for him for that exact reason. Not that I’d opened up to her about it. And she’d been the one at the hospital who first suggested it.
“He always shows up,” I told them, fiddling with Vincent’s giraffe toy. “He fixes things before I ask and makes Vincent laugh until he hiccups. And when he looks at me.” Head ducked, I searched for the right words and hoped like hell I wouldn’t sound like a lovesick teenager. “I feel safe. Like I can breathe.”
The room had gone completely silent, and as I shifted, uncomfortable with the way every eye was on me, Ruby reached over and squeezed my hand. “Babe, I’m happy for you. We all see it,” she assured me. “How devoted he is to you and Vincent. How much he’s changed.”
I picked up my mug, hiding a smile behind it, my heart full.
Frankie, surprisingly, kept her commentary to herself. The rest of the girls seemed generally pleased and not at all surprised that Jasper and I were together. Granted, we hadn’t defined our relationship, but he was sleeping in my bed and we spent all our nonworking time together. I was the one who’d asked to take it slow, but as I sat in Ruby’s living room, I found myself yearning to slap a label on this very unorthodox situation.
Luckily, the girls moved on quickly, Ruby lamenting that Brooks would only fall asleep to yacht rock while Nina shuffled over, ready to do my brows.
My heart was full. Being part of this sisterhood was more than I could ask for. Throw in my perfect, amazing baby and the incredible man waiting for me at home, and for the first time ina long time, the ache in my chest wasn’t loneliness. It was hope. Terrifying, beautiful hope.
Chapter 29
Jasper
The July heat was already settling in for the day. The air smelled like pine and smoke, and though it was only seven, Josh was moving like he’d been up and working for hours.
As I climbed out of my car, he approached, Wayne trailing behind him. He was wearing a hat and sunglasses, making it hard to read his expression, but a sense of urgency radiated from him.
“Didn’t know you knew how to set an alarm that went off before eight a.m.,” he said.
The sarcastic ass had texted me last night to be here at seven, so here I was.
“Good to know you’re still incapable of saying thank you,” I replied.
He clapped me on the shoulder and strode off toward the barn. In July and August, our work consisted mostly of maintenance. We harvested our sap in March and April and followed that up with plantings. Now it was time to check, sanitize, and recheck all our equipment and remove any brush or branches that could get in the way. Access to the tree stands was essential, and the work of clearing was never really done.
