I caught Owen’s eyes and winked. “Don’t worry. I fed the beast.”
Owen snickered.
Something like a growl came from the direction of the house. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that since you brought me chocolate lava cake.” Ginny harrumphed. “All right. Everyone wash up. I’ve got the food set out on the table.” Owen and Eric filed past her, but Ginny set a hand on my arm when I moved to do the same. “Not sure if you were planning to stay, but I put your dinner on a plate too.”
I scratched my jaw. “I, uh, already ate actually.”
She tilted her head. “Then who was the grilled salmon for?”
I moved past her, careful not to bump her stomach. “Me.”
She slid the door shut and marched to close the distance I’d put between us. “But you’ve already eaten?” Suspicion and interest laced her question. “Is that why you were late?”
“I was helping a damsel in distress.”
Eric made a disbelieving sound. “More like distressing a damsel.”
Nicole’s hard jaw and fiery eyes flashed through my mind. Yeah, that was probably more accurate.
Ginny saw my grin and rolled her eyes. “Men.”
Eric sidled behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, caressing her round belly while placing delicate kisses down her neck. “Now, babe, you know you wouldn’t want to live without us.”
Ginny let out a contented sigh and leaned back in Eric’s arms.
That would’ve been my cue to vamoose if something Nicole had said hadn’t put me on alert. Before I left, I needed to check to make sure. The odds were low, but still.
Funny thing was, I didn’t know what answer I hoped for.
“Hey, Eric.”
My brother-in-law lazily lifted his head from his wife’s neck. “Hmm?”
“Can I see the team roster again? I want to check something.”
“Sure. I meant to forward it to you anyway, Coach. You’ll need it before next week.” He dug his phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen a few times. A minute later, my phone dinged its email notification. I tapped the app icon and opened the email, quickly scanning the list of names. My eyes froze on the second to last.
Sierra Applegate.
I bit down on my lips to keep them from spreading into a smile.
Looked like Nicole and I were about to be spending a lot more time together.
3
Nicole
The low murmur of voices, punctuated by a laugh here and there, drifted through the living room wall of Molly and Jocelyn’s Spanish-style house to reach me in the kitchen. I pinched a bit of wheatgrass between my fingers and garnished the top of the last glass.There. No hidden surprise ingredients this time—although, the black bean brownie and tofu cheesecake were both delicious, so I didn’t know what the girls were complaining about—and I hadn’t bent to the peer pressure of their toxic taste buds.
I gripped the handles of the tray laden with five full glasses and slipped out of the kitchen to join my friends. Tonight was sewing night, but a quick glance around the room proved my suspicions correct. Not a single pair of Fiskars scissors had been removed from a bag, much less fabric, patterns, or needles. It wouldn’t stay that way. Jocelyn needed to work on Molly’s wedding dress, after all, and the rest of us had been tasked with bridesmaid and flower girl creations. But for the moment, we’d all sip the mocktails I’d made and simply breathe. Maybe I could remind them of the donation they’d promised without getting grilled on the details of the date.
Hey, a girl could dream, couldn’t she?
Amanda’s nose wrinkled as she eyed the tray in my hand. “What’s that?”
I slid the tray onto the coffee table. “Refreshments.”
“I vote Molly take the first sip and tell us how it is.” Betsy pushed her thick curls off her shoulder.
