Tammy Jo nodded and pointed past the bar to an area opening off the main dining room to the left. “They’ve got a big table by the stage.”
“Big table? I thought it was just Grace and the chief.”
Tammy Jo shook her head. “Ty Barnett and his wife, that good-looking new vet Dr. Abbott and his fiancée are with her. You’re late if you’re here for dinner. They done already ate, and the fellas are in the game room playing pool.”
Her hands grew sweaty at the unexpected change. Despite choosing a career revolving around social situations, McKenna had never felt comfortable or skilled in that arena. As a young child she’d struggled to make friends. She was too serious, too studious, and had trouble finding common ground with kids her age. Her father’s inability to hold a job and their frequent moves only worsened the problem, until McKenna quit trying. What was the point in making friends when she’d move again?
Tonight’s gathering, a social setting with a prominent couple and their friends, surrounded by half the town, without managing an event to keep her busy, felt as if one of her nightmares had come to life. At least, unlike in those, she was dressed.
She knew the Barnetts, having helped Ginny with their wedding. Grace and AJ were current clients, but she’d hadn’t met the town’s new vet, Dr. Abbott and his fiancée, Cheyenne. That totaled six people. McKenna swallowed the lump clogging her throat. This wasn’t simply friends getting together tonight. It was worse. It was couples getting together.
As McKenna stumbled through the restaurant following Tammy Jo, people nodded in greeting, some smiled in her direction, though she recognized only a handful. The manners her mother had ingrained in her from infancy kicking in, McKenna responded with mumbled hellos, nods, and smiles despite her nerves.
When she arrived at the table, Grace looked as if she belonged on the cover ofSouthern Living.Dressed in skinny jeans, gorgeous embroidered cowboy boots, and a simple white blouse, she’d added a large, multistrand coral and turquoise necklace and matching earrings.
After greeting Grace and Cassie, McKenna said, “I had no idea you were getting together with friends. I hate to intrude. If you’d rather, I can sit at another table.”
“Absolutely not. Sit,” Grace said, a bright smile on her face.
Once seated, McKenna nodded to the petite redhead across from her and tried to brush off how out of place she felt. The women surrounding her were gorgeous, and all dressed in jeans, cowboy boots, looking every bit like they belonged in the rustic Texas bar and grill. McKenna smoothed her hand over her mint green blouse.
Though Grace and Cassie put an upscale spin on their Texas style, the redhead was dressed casually in a teal V-neck T-shirt that read Southern as Heck. She also possessed a punk rock look because her hair had been shaved on one side. Then McKenna realized who she was. She’d heard about Cheyenne Whitten, Cooper’s fiancée. Cooper’s father, a neurosurgeon, had operated to remove the brain tumor causing Cheyenne’s seizures. “You must be Cheyenne. Congratulations. I hear you’ve returned to the rodeo and barrel racing.”
A huge smile spilled across the woman’s face. “I’m not finishing in the money because my skills are still rusty, but I’m back at it, and it feels wonderful.”
“You two should’ve seen McKenna in action the other day,” Grace said. “Not only did she suggest ways to save money on the wedding, but she put Zane in his place.”
“I’d have paid to see that,” Cassie said. “I love Zane dearly. He makes me laugh and has a good heart, but someone needs to teach him he can’t flash a brilliant smile and have the world fall at his feet. Good for you, McKenna, for turning the tables on him.”
“I couldn’t believe it. You know how he’s such a smooth talker?” Grace said, and when the other women nodded, she continued. “McKenna had him speechless.”
McKenna’s face grew warm from embarrassment. “I’ve only succeeded once, and it didn’t last long. I really shouldn’t have done it, though. Technically, he’s my boss, and even if he wasn’t, he’s my boss’s grandson.”
Cassie laughed and waved her hand through the air. “I know Ginny, and she’d be the first one to tell you to not let Zane pull anything.”
While Cassie might say so now, what would these women say if they knew she’d gone behind Zane’s back to convince his grandmother he had no business supervising Lucky Stars? Would they still be open and welcoming?
Guitar twangs and a voice repeating testing as the band set up and checked the sound level drew McKenna’s attention. Jumping on the opportunity to steer the conversation away from her and Zane, she said, “What’s your budget for the band?”
“I’d like to get AJ to reconsider a recorded playlist like we had at the engagement party,” Grace said.
“If you’d like I can mention—”
“Howdy, y’all. Give us a couple minutes to get drinks to wet our whistles while we’re playing, and we’ll get this party started,” the lead singer, a handsome man with an ebony beard, dressed in faded jeans and a Texas Sweet Home T-shirt, said from the stage.
Cheers greeted his comment and Grace turned to Cassie and Cheyenne, holding out her fisted hand. “Even or odds, ladies, to see who goes to drag the men back.”
McKenna stiffened. One way or another she’d soon know whether or not Zane had talked to Ginny. She guessed within seconds of seeing him. The noise around her pounded in her ears as her heart rate spiked.
“No need to come lookin’ for us, sweetheart. We’re here,” AJ said.
When McKenna turned, her gaze landed on Zane, standing with his friends. Being slightly taller made Zane stand out, but that wasn’t all that set him apart. While his friends were attractive, Zane gave the word a whole new meaning. But she wouldn’t label him pretty boy handsome because of the roughness about him, an edge when he let down his guard. Sometimes she glimpsed what she thought was an old soul. One who’d been through more tough times than he should have at his age. The way she had. Whatever it was, it was there right now in his braced stance and how he stood back on his heels giving him a James Dean vibe.
How could any man make worn Wranglers, a faded black T-shirt, and a Texas A&M baseball hat look that good?
His gaze landed on her. His eyes narrowed and his right eye twitched. A bad feeling twisted McKenna’s stomach into a giant knot. This did not bode well for her night.
“Good thing we didn’t have to hunt you down since you promised to be here when the band started.” The love in Grace’s eyes undermined the threat in her statement as AJ kissed her cheek.
