Hopefully, the book club would give her something else to think about for a while.
Chapter Ten
Paige looked around at her house with a sharp eye, scrutinizing every little detail. It was as perfect as it could be.
Her phone chimed and she jumped, laughing at herself for being so silly. It was just a text. She read it. And gasped.
Althea Anderson couldn’t make it. Her husband had had a small (Althea’s word, not Paige’s) heart attack. Paige’s heart went out to the woman, knowing she must be so upset.
Paige immediately texted back her well wishes and complete understanding, then asked if there was anything she could do.
Althea thanked her, said there was nothing she needed at the moment, but that she’d be in touch.
Paige sent a heart emoji back and set her phone on the kitchen counter. That poor woman. Paige said a little prayer for her, then went back to her preparations.
She had red wine decanted, white wine, and prosecco in the fridge, along with cans of diet caffeine-free soda, and bottles of sparkling and still water.
For snacks, she’d done a cheeseboard with three kinds of cheeses, two varieties of crackers, cornichons, and sweet, seedless green grapes. She had a bowl of mixed nuts and anotherof small pretzels, as well as a bowl of assorted Dove chocolate squares.
She hoped that was sufficient. She had no idea what these women would like or if any of them had food allergies or issues.
She continued to waffle over what to do about the book selection. If they didn’t like the thriller she’d chosen, she could offer a second idea as a backup, but it would have to be something different, obviously. Maybe that Southern fiction she’d just finished,Mockingbird Memories. Wasn’t as good asWhere the Crawdads Sing, but it was an interesting read and there was a lot of story to unpack.
Well, it was a backup plan and that was always good to have.
She stepped into the bedroom and took another look at herself in the full-length mirror. She’d chosen a turquoise print Gretchen Scott dress that accented her waist with a twist of fabric and raffia espadrilles with a one-inch wedge heel.
Should she change her earrings? Maybe the diamond studs were too large. They were awfully flashy. More so because they were real. As she touched her ear, her doorbell chimed.
Too late. Her first guest had arrived. Slightly early, but that was fine. Maybe her guest was eager. Always a good sign. She put on a smile to hide her nerves and went to answer the door. “Hi! You must be Essie, right? I recognize you from your photo in the newsletter’s New Arrivals section. Come in.”
“Thank you. And you must be Paige.” Essie laughed. “Thank you so much for the invitation.” She had a beautiful glass platter full of pretty sweets. She offered it to Paige. “I wasn’t sure what to bring. I hope this is all right.”
Paige took the artfully arranged platter. “This is amazing. It’s perfect. Thank you for doing that.” She carried it to the counter, pleased with how nicely it added to the selection of things she had out. “What can I get you to drink? I have everything, including red wine, white wine, prosecco, sparkling water…”
“Sparkling water would be great,” Essie said.
Paige took a bottle from the fridge along with the dish of sliced lemons and limes she’d prepared earlier and set them out. As she got down a glass and showed Essie the ice bucket, her door chime rang again.
Another eager new book club member. Paige opened the door, her smile coming easier. “Cece, right?”
“That’s right,” Cece said, sticking out her hand. “Paige, I assume? Nice to meet you, and thank you for the invitation.”
“Thanks for coming.” She closed the door after Cece and gestured to Essie. “This is Essie Rodrigez-Holt. Essie, this is Cece Davenport. Cece, can I get you something to drink?”
“Any chance you have decaf coffee?” Cece asked.
That was the one thing Paige hadn’t prearranged, but thankfully, she had a Keurig. “Every chance. Let me get that started for you.”
“I don’t want to be a bother,” Cece said.
“No bother,” Paige assured her. She opened the drawer her Keurig sat on and selected a decaf. “That’s why we have K-Cups, right?”
Smiling, Cece nodded. “Right.” She held out her hand to Essie. “Nice to meet you, Essie.”
“You, too, Cece. I love meeting new people,” Essie said as she shook Cece’s hand. “I’ve never been in a book club. Have you?”
“Nope. Looking forward to it.”
