I don’t want to tell him only one couple, so I say, “Ginny and Dave are marrying here. They’re a very marketable pair.”
Silence.
Daddy looks closely at Ginny, and his smile slips. Mama’s gaze drifts into space like she’s remembering Dave, or maybe how she felt as a knocked-up bride having a shotgun wedding with a drunk philanderer.
“It’s okay.” Ginny puts her hands protectively over her barely-showing belly. “I wouldn’t pick me either.”
Before I can defend her, Evan turns to me. “What about you, Macey? You’d make a great Elizabeth Bennet.”
“Don’t encourage them, Evan!” I say in warning. “I already fake married once for the sake of the family business. That was enough. I’m never getting legally married.” At the four sets of raised eyebrows, I add, “Again.”
“You’re a secret romantic,” Daddy teases me.
“Maybe in theory that’s true,” I say. “But you’re trying to mix fantasy with real life. It doesn’t work. We’re all aware that no Darcy and Elizabeth are out there to save Jane Austen’s ghost—you know why? Because the ghost legend is just that—fiction. A romantic tale that’s sweet but not real.”
“Vivian’s diary is as real as you or I are.” Mama picks up the age-old book and waves it at all four of us. “The witch who cast the spell on Jane’s ghost had several stipulations for the couple who would break the curse. And Vivian scatters those stipulations throughout her writings—the hero must have cowboy roots and the heroine a drop of British blood. Those are just two of the requirements—fascinating stuff.” Mama leans forward to whisper into my ear. “Mace, remember your scar. You need the soul mates to be discovered, baby. More than anyone else in this town, your future is linked to poor Jane’s ghost going free.”
“Mama.” I glare at her and step back. “Another time, okay?”
Daddy mercifully asks Mama if she wants a ride home, and she accepts with a giggle.
“Leave your hair alone, and you tell your sister to call me!” Mama calls back to me as she exits.
29
“You look like you have news,” I say to Ginny once my parents have left the bar.
“Well, I shouldn’t tell you this because it’s not really my business, but...” She trails off and drums her fingers on the counter.
I draw my eyebrows together. “What? You know something?”
“Logan’s back in town,” Ginny says abruptly with a wary look at me.
I lean over the counter, and Ginny nearly falls off her barstool, trying to back away.
“What?!” I say. “He hasn’t called or stopped by or anything.”
“Supposedly, his daddy called him out in West Texas to apologize for their fight,” Ginny says. “He says he won’t force Logan to take over the family business along with his brothers, and he can keep living there and painting so long as he continues to help with daily ranch work. I guess he took the deal. I mean, of course he was going to come back to Darcy anyway. This is just another piece of the story.”
“How the heck do you know all this?”
“My mama overheard his mama this morning at HEB. She was crying; she’s so happy to have her youngest son home again.”
I furrow my brow. “I can’t believe Logan hasn’t come by. He’s right next door.”
“He only got in very late last night,” Ginny says. “I was waiting to tell you because I’m sure he’ll stop by himself.”
I don’t get it. Logan’s first trip away in forever, and he didn’t tell me he’s back. Something feels off.
Ginny touches my arm. “So…are you asking Jamie to my wedding?”
I drag my gaze over to her. “Nope. I broke up with him. He was getting way too needy.”
“But he gave you a commitment ring,” Ginny says.
“Like I said,” I say. “Way too needy. We’d only been on a few dates. We never even slept together, not even close. Honestly, we didn’t even kiss.”
“You know what I think?” She eyes me carefully. “I think Logan would make a fabulous date.”
