Rachel cracked an eyelid, watching Sadie as she held baby Luke close to her chest and made the low rolling noise in her throat.
Sadie was so going to let her fiancé knock her up. And soon, by the look of it.
“I’m glad my practice is moving away from family law and into the realm of defense.” Sadie pressed a kiss to Luke’s temple. “Do you know how much easier it is to defend a serial arsonist than an unfaithful husband who will not give up dibs on the VHS player his brother bought in 1987 and left in the attic of the home where he and his ex lived?”
“I literally have no idea, so I’ll have to take you on your word,” Rachel said, crossing her eyes when Luke looked at her. She stayed that way until he laughed.
“Does the VHS guy need me to find him a match?” Molly asked, suddenly serious. “I think I may have a viewer who would be perfect for him.”
“Molly.” Rachel tsked. “No.”
“I’m going to side with Rachel on this one,” Sadie added. “Just say no to men who cannot see the ridiculousness of clinging to a VHS player that stopped working in 2002.”
“Rachel!” an all-too-familiar voice called from behind her.
She knew that voice. Gah. That voice, though only a sound, made a fifty-pound weight settle in her gut.
Rachel closed her eyes. “Oh my gawd, it’s Evelyn.”
“I freaking love this woman,” Molly said, her words giddy. “Two times in two days, it’s my lucky weekend.”
Then Molly could just adopt her ashermother-in-law.
Rachel sat up, adjusting her white cotton button-down shirt so the buttons lined up straight in the middle.
“It’s Rachel,” Evelyn said, like she hadn’t been stalking her to find the Sunday morning mommy group.
“Evelyn,” Rachel said, feigning happiness and pretty sure she was doing a really crappy job of it.
Rachel stood, looking to Sadie, Molly, and April for the reassuring Evelyn’s-out-of-control looks she’d hoped to receive.
None of the women provided such reassurance. Instead, they grinned like they were at a matinee at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the show just got started and it was a comedy and they were just oh-so-happy to be there.
Evelyn wrapped Rachel into one of her Estee-Lauder-scented hugs, and Rachel let her. Because, despite everything, Evelyn did give good hugs.
“I stopped by the house to chat about lake plans,” Evelyn said into Rachel’s hair, just above her ears. “You aren’t there.”
Clearly.
“So how’d you find me here?” Rachel asked.
The lake. Blurgh. The lake. Summer vacation with the Frank family. Her heart semi-stuttered and halted because,apparently,that’s what dread felt like.
“I asked Gavin, of course.” Evelyn’s high heels sunk into the grass as she continued forward. Somehow, she managed to make the trek look easy in heels. Rachel happened to know that it could not be easy,since they’d watered late that day and the ground was extra soft.
“Gavin cares deeply for you, we all know it, so of course he knows where to find you.”
Wasn’t that just creepy?
“I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t be pushing the Gavin agenda if I agreed to come along?”
Evelyn laughed. “I’m not pushing any agenda. I’m only explaining why I’m here.”
Uh-huh, and the sky was purple, not blue.
“Ladies, it’s so nice to have a little girl time.” Evelyn sat on the edge of the blanket and baby Luke crawled right to her. Meemaw was, most certainly, a baby magnet.
She removed three boxes of a new flavor of toaster tarts—Rachel couldn’t read the flavor, but the box was bright blue—and handed them out to Rachel’s friends.
