Page 7 of Take The Risk

​Patting me on the shoulder, she threaded my arm through hers. “I’d say don’t worry, but in this town, gossip is a weapon.”

​Just what I was afraid of.

​“Joy.”

​“It won’t be so bad once you get a few weapons of your own in your Maplehurst arsenal.” She led me inside to one of the pews in the front. I would have stopped and turned to the back( I was a strictly sit-in-the-back-don’t-make-a-sound kind of woman), except she was surprisingly strong.

In the pew were two women, and neither seemed overly surprised to find me being dragged along by Helen. “Phoebe, this is Cady-Jo”—she gestured to the woman with stunning red, curly hair— “and Louise.” She pointed to the Elle MacPherson look-alike.

They both slid down, making room for us.

​Louise leaned across Cady-Jo. “We’re meeting after church at my house for lunch and so the kids can play. It’s a weekly tradition. You and your son should come. My twins are a year older than him, I think, and Scarlette, Cady-Jo’s youngest, is his age. It will give him a chance to get to know some kids before school starts.”

​It started tomorrow, but I didn’t bother to point that out.

​“Would you join us?” Helen asked.

​They were clearly sincere in their invitation, and my shock must have registered on my face. In Atlanta, though people were friendly enough, they sure as heck wouldn’t invite a stranger over after knowing them for less than ten minutes without a full background check. Maybe not even then… “Th—thank you, I truly appreciate the offer. But we couldn’t impose like that.”

​Waving off my concerns, Louise declared, “Nonsense. You’ll come. We have some of the best wine in town, and by the time we’re done”—she shot a dark look at the women I could hear snickering behind me. No doubt about me. My fingers started to rub together—“you’ll know exactly who the best people are in town.”

​My throat convulsed while I tried to think up an excuse.

​No.

​No! This was my new home, and what had I just said to Lachlan? A chance for a new adventure? Meeting new people? Doing something out of my normal comfort zone was an adventure of sorts. Wasn’t it? Even if I did end up back in the fetal position, I couldn’t make my kid do something and then turtle when it was my turn.

​“If you’re sure it won’t be a bother…then we’d love to come.” I forced a smile while inside I freaked out. Was I ready to meet new people? Oh, God, what if they didn’t like me? What if they did? What if they really want to know me? They’d already heard about the spectacle my ex had made. What if this was a way to get more information?

​“Great!” Helen squeezed my restless fingers that were rubbing the smooth brass latch on my handbag. “We’ll collect the kids and head over after the service together.”

​As the minister made her way to the pulpit, I tried to tell myself everything would be okay.

​I could do this.

Chapter 4

Two hours later…

​I couldn’t do this.

​The after-church lunch had transformed into an afternoon backyard party that somehow resulted in me being included in weekly gin rummy nights, group picnics, parties, and a book club (that I didn’t mind), and then there was the group chat, and, and, and…

​For a person who didn’t people, I was suddenly being included in a lot of peopling. If not for the very good wine, I probably would have pulled a Bambi by now. But the wine was good, and it was keeping my anxiety somewhat under control.

​“So I heard Jerome paid you a visit this week,” Louise stated, picking up her wine glass, her Southern accent the strongest of any of ours.

​“Ugh, how—?”

​“Small town,” Cady-Jo answered my unfinished question.

​“Right.” Small town and the gossip mill. My mother’s words of warning came to mind, followed quickly by the “I told you so” I knew she’d say when I called her later. No matter how old you got, there was something exceptionally annoying about your mother being right.

​“I heard a ‘concerned citizen’”—Helen made air quotes— “called in an anonymous tip that your house had building code violations.”

​Would I ever get used to this? Everyone knowing my business? And how long until everyone figured out just what my business was?

​There was little point in denying it. “It’s true. My ex and his current—” Homewrecking walking incubator? Probably shouldn’t say that. “—girlfriend,” I choked the word out, “were behind it as a revenge gift for last Sunday.”