AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We are. Which is why you shouldn’t be hedging like this. Spill the deets.” Whitney leaned forward. “The more you stall, the more I think there are good details to be had.”
I groaned. “It was nothing. He got this fundraiser dumped on him and asked for help. I’ve been doing some web searches for him during the downtime around here. So once he got the venue confirmed, he needed a caterer. His boss’s wife has a restaurant, it’s on the list of preferred caterers for the Torpedo Factory, so we went to check it out. The food was amazing, so he was going to talk to them about the idea we had for the food. I don’t know if he has.”
Whitney’s eyebrows drew together. “He had a tasting last night. He didn’t tell you?”
It was like a heavy weight slammed down on my chest, which was dumb. There was no reason for me to feel as disappointed as I did. I shook my head and tried to keep my expression neutral.
“Like I said, I helped him out, is all. And I guess now he’s got it all under control.”
It wasn’t like I could have closed the store early—again—to help him out last night. But gosh, I would have liked to. And not just because the food at Season’s Bounty was delicious. I could admit that to myself. I could probably even admit it to my friends. Except I didn’t want them to get any ideas about trying to matchmake. With Kayla and Whitney both married now, they seemed to see romance everywhere.
“Cody and I are just friends. You know all the guys think of me like a little sister.” I shrugged. It was fine.
Kayla and Whitney exchanged a knowing look, but at least they kept the rest of their thoughts to themselves.
It was time to change the subject to one where I was not in the spotlight. “Did you know Jenna’s looking to buy a historic home and rehab it?”
Kayla’s eyebrows lifted. “Really? That sounds fun. I guess it makes sense for an architect to do. I have friends of friends of friends who did that in the Southwest part of the state. She bought this gorgeous Gilded Age mansion and fixed it up. Now it’s a wedding venue and event center.”
“Peacock Hill?” Jenna leaned forward. “I’ve been down there a couple of times since I moved out here. It’s a really well-done restoration.”
“Is that the one you showed me on your phone?” Whitney looked at Kayla. “For the women’s retreat at church?”
“Yeah.” Kayla nodded. “I hope we can make it work. It’ll depend on how many people end up interested. If we can get twenty, the price drops enough that it shouldn’t be out of anyone’s reach.”
“Twenty doesn’t sound hard. You’ve got four here, right?” I glanced at Jenna. “Or maybe three, but you’re certainly welcome to join us. I know you don’t come to our church. Yet.”
Jenna laughed. “Subtle. Noah keeps making that same offer. I like streaming the big church in Loudon from the comfort of my bed. Not tied to a particular schedule.”
“Well, the offer stands.” I looked at Whitney. “So three here. Just seventeen more.”
“You make seventeen sound like such a small number.” Whitney smiled at me.
“You should get it in the weekly email. Have you talked to the front office about that?”
The idea of a women’s weekend retreat was growing on me fast. Of course, I’d have to find someone to cover the store, but I had a few people on reserve who could probably make it work. It’d just be two days, since I was closed on Sunday anyway.
“I have. I guess I’ll ask the pastor about it, though. The secretary keeps giving me the runaround.” Kayla’s mouth tightened. “She doesn’t like me because I didn’t end up marrying Luke, and so he left the church, because I got together with Austin.”
“What? That’s not at all how that went down.” Whitney crossed her arms. “Maybe let me talk to her this week.”
“Sure. But don’t say anything about me or the Luke thing. She’s made up her mind. There’s no point in arguing with her.” Kayla touched Whitney’s arm. “I’m serious.”
Whitney scowled.
I fought a grin.
“Whitney?” Kayla held Whitney’s gaze.
“Fine. I promise I won’t say anything to her. Unless she brings it up.”
“If that’s the best I can get, I’ll take it. But it really is fine. It all worked out in the end. In fact, I got an email from Luke the other day. He’s doing great. He’s found a wonderful church home in Colorado and the new ministry he’s helping kick off is almost ready to launch. They’ve got a lot of financial support behind them, and it sounds like he’s happier than ever.” Kayla clicked the button on her phone like she was checking the time. “Anyone else feel like dessert?”
I raised my hand. “The ice cream shop has strawberry cheesecake this week.”
“They do. Scott had some last night. I managed to snag a little taste. It’s amazing.”
“I’m in.” Jenna shifted and started to stand. “I don’t mind going to get it if you all tell me what you want.”
