Her smile shines brighter than the sun back at Jasper Lake. “I think that’s a fine idea.”
We move about the kitchen, making breakfast and having coffee together. I shoot a text to Mary London when we sit down to eat our eggs and toast. Within seconds I have a flurry of messages coming in. Nana smiles smugly over her coffee cup as I try to keep up. Then she shoves back from the table to go get dressed for church. I decide to join her, sticking to the back of the church in hopes of avoiding Silas for right now. Mary London and her gaggle of friends find me at my car after the service.
“You’ve called upon the right people, darlin’!” Mary London pulls me into a firm hug, then pushes back to examine me. I chew on my bottom lip under her scrutiny. “Come on, then, let’s go back to my place and hash it all out.”
I follow her car, a string of us all going in the same direction. Mary London lives in a little condo complex just outside the Square. Darby Kate slides her arm through mine as we walk up the stairs to Mary London’s second-story condo. Palmer is behind us on the phone with one of her kids, telling them they can’t have syrup in their spaghetti even though elves eat it thatway. Anna Claire turns her phone on silent, declaring that her husband can watch their two kiddos for an hour without her input. And if he can’t, it’s high time he learns how. We all assemble in Mary London’s living room while a platter of food materializes, along with sweet tea.
With very little coaxing, I bring them up to speed on me and Silas. They ooh and ahh, then wince when I get to the part about crying and running out of the restaurant. Mary London lunges for me and wraps me in a hug.
“You poor thing. I’d cry too if Silas was bossing me around.”
I return the hug and then try to shrug her off. “Well, that’s just it. He didn’t pressure me. He was kind and sweet and thoughtful. He just told me how he felt and I freaked out. This whole thing is entirely my fault.”
Anna Claire sucks in a deep breath. “Well, you might be right there. I love you, Betsy, but turning down Silas? Really? That man is hotter than a Sunday afternoon in August!”
“It’s about more than looks. Trust me. Looks fade real damn quick when you hit thirty with kids in the mix,” Palmer says with a mama-hen look at all of us.
“Don’t I know it,” Anna Claire mutters under her breath.
Mary London swipes her hands through the air. “Let’s keep this focused on Betsy. You’re scaring her with your married-with-children-and-sleep-deprived stuff.” She turns to me, taking my hands in hers to squeeze them remarkably hard. “Do you love Silas?”
My face is smiling before I can even answer. It’s weird. But I kind of like it. I like that my body goes all warm and soft when I think of Silas. “Yes, I do.”
Darby Kate cheers, tears in her eyes. “I love love.”
Anna Claire snorts but smiles at her friend before turning back to me. “So, why are you here with us instead of with Silas?”
This is where the nerves kick in. “Well, I think I need to work on myself first so I can be the kind of woman who can love him back like he deserves. And two, I need a plan to win him back. He thinks I hate him now.”
Anna Claire leans forward to the coffee table to scoop up some spinach dip with a cracker. “I can help with the first one.”
Mary London clasps her hands under her chin, beaming, as she declares, “Anna Claire is a psychologist.”
“Oh.” Well, shit, I wasn’t planning on actually talking to a professional today.
Anna Claire sits back, cheeks full of food as she responds. “Don’t worry. I’m a good listener, mostly.”
“You do ask good thought-provoking questions, though,” Darby Kate adds. “You really helped me deal with Aunt Birdie when I was trying to buy the boutique from her.”
Anna Claire pats Darby Kate’s hand. Then she turns to me, her eyes laser focused. “So, tell me why you’re reluctant to fall in love with Silas. Give me the big, scary reasons.”
I swallow hard. “Okay. Um, well, first up would be my mother issues. She flitted from boyfriend to boyfriend growing up, never committing. She’d think he was a savior at the beginning, ignoring everything else in her life while things were good, and then by the end, he was a terrible person and ruined everything. It was an unhealthy cycle. I vowed never to do that.”
Anna Claire nods. “And have you ever done the same?”
I shake my head. “God, no. I’m pretty reserved. It takes a while for me to trust people.”
“Okay, got it. So nothing like your mom. That one’s been debunked. What’s next?”
I blink. Mary London hands me my glass of sweet tea. “Told you she was good,” she whispers.
“Um, okay, well, I guess daddy issues would be next.” I take a sip of the tea for courage. “He was never around, just floated inand out of my life whenever it was convenient for him. He was in a band. Never really successful, but made enough to keep living the lifestyle.”
Anna Claire purses her lips, studying me. “Is that why you don’t embrace your feminine?”
Wow. Okay.
Mary London takes the glass from my hand. “What Anna Claire is attempting to talk about is your style. It’s unique for around here. Not to say that’s a bad thing,” she rushes to say. “It’s just different and we want to understand you.”
