“So I heard coming back here was a difficult choice.” I look to my left just as Delaney sits down. Leaning back she props up her feet. Her sister stares at me in the mirror, watching me from the side, and I feel trapped.
Scanning over the room I take in all of my friends, each of them watching with interest. And I wonder who opened their big mouth.
“You should know that nothing that happened with Finn and I was memorable.” Gia rolls her eyes. “To be honest I forgot all about it until now.”
Still I say nothing as I look from one person to the next, my leg bouncing with annoyance. “I remember he was really sweet. Me, I just wanted to make Benson Reece jealous.” Delaney laughs.
“So honestly you and Finn, yay.” Gia pretends to celebrate throwing her hands up in fake excitement. “No reason to hide out from us, you obviously got the better. He’s a catch now.”
The only person that seems to be having a hard time making eye contact with me is Sutton, as she stares down at her lap.
“Sutton,” I say in a harsh whisper.
“I’m sorry,” she whines. “I have pregnancy brain and my hormones are constantly running haywire. When I heard I may have to cancel girls’ day I panicked. I rushed over here and told Gia and Delaney in a ramble and the minute it all rushed out I knew you’d kill me for it. But we are here, it’s all out and we don’t have to change salons. See, all good.”
I glare at her.
“Stop looking at me like that,” she says, glaring right back at me.
“Like you are a trader,” I challenge her. “Like you wouldn’t feel the same way if it was Brantley that ran around town screwing all the ladies that you deal with on a daily basis.”
“Please, Brant was gone when he was eighteen and when he finally returned we’ve been together since.”
“And before that?” I say and she opens her mouth, then closes it. Looking at Gia and Delaney they both shake their heads and Isee the relief wash over Sutton. “Definitely not us,” Gia says with a laugh. “But Nellie, on the other hand, there was most definitely a thing there.”
“Nellie at the food mart?”
“Yep,” Delaney says with a laugh. “And then there was that weekend trip to Gulf Shores right before he shipped off where he and Anna spent more than twenty-four hours locked away together. The noises that came out of that room, holy hotness.”
Sutton’s nose wrinkles up.
“Okay, guys,” I interrupt them.
“It was nothing,” Gia says when she notices her mistake. “I don’t think that was Brant, I think it was Ben.”
“Hey,” Lexi hollers. “Fine, my husband was a whore, I know this. I do not need to hear about it.”
“Sutton,” I say and she looks at me.
“I get it,” she confesses. “I’ll no longer be shopping at the food mart or mailing packages at our post office. From now on I will do the home delivery and make a trip into Montgomery when I need to mail something.”
“Girls if y’all are planning to avoid the places where the women your boys frolicked with are employees, you’ll be taking all your business to Montgomery. Hudson is a small town, we were young and had a lot of time on our hands. The six you all surround yourselves with were all over this town and then zigzagged a few times too. This town is full of their past conquests.”
All six of us, okay fine, all of us but Kendall seems affected by the newest form of gossip.
“Why did you convince us to move here?” Lexi gasps. “Every woman I see now I’ll be wondering if Bennett.” She pauses as she shivers. “This is awful,” she gasps. Picking up her phone she dials a number.
“Tell me you didn’t have sex with Mrs. Patterson.”
I snicker and then quickly cover my mouth. I can’t begin to imagine what is running through Bennett’s head right now.
“I am pregnant, Bennett O’Shay, and all I’ve been craving is her butter cookies, and if you tell me you’ve, I can’t even say it. Just tell me that the bakery is still safe.”
She waits.
“Tell me now,” she raises her voice and he must answer her because her shoulders literally sag in relief. She doesn’t even say goodbye, she just ends the call, closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath. “Thank God!” she mumbles and I can’t help it, I laugh out loud. Everyone looks at me and I throw my hands up in the air.
“We are all being completely ridiculous,” I confess.
