AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That guy at the bakery called her Jane.”
Libby and Roni exchanged glances.
“What is it?” Hope asked.
Roni shrugged. “It was a million years ago.” Then, looking at Libby she added, “Can you imagine how awkward that wedding was?”
“What?” Hope repeated.
“Nothing. Stupid town gossip,” Libby replied. “Not worth repeating.” She gave Roni a pointed look.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“How was your evening?” Sarah asked as soon as Hope came in through the front door.
“Great. Libby says hi. How were they?” Hope gestured with her head toward the bedrooms, leaving her keys in the red-orange ceramic bowl on the dining table.
“Great. Hannah read until I turned the lights off, and Naomi was out right after her bubble bath. She wanted to put cucumber slices on her eyes and light candles, but I told her a bubble bath was enough spa for one evening.”
“We all need to be a little more like Naomi,” Hope replied, chuckling.
“Yeah, that girl got it right. You look great, by the way. Donna told me you came in this afternoon, but I don’t think you did anything to your hair. I can tell when it’s the hair.” Sarah smoothed a hand over her flavor of the month hair color—sandy brown. “Facial maybe?”
“Yes, a facial,” Hope said with an amused smile. Donna’s Fresh Hair was one of three hair salons in town, and she knew pretty much everyone. Although Sarah was the kind of woman you could tell anything to, there was no way she was going to discuss with her the Brazilian wax work that she’d had done.
“It suits you. Well, I’d better be going. Day after tomorrow, I have a night out with my friends. Deidre—you know her from Books And More—and Maggie who backs me up at the pharmacy. I forgot to tell Luke how well Deidre spoke of his brother. She probably told him herself, but I bet she didn’t tell him that she thought Jordan would be stuck up, like their dad, because of all his friends in high places, but that he was so down to earth and kind, helpful, generous, and funny when she met him. He helped her clean for hours, and brought her lunch, and she began wondering if Joe Delaney was even the real father of these three.” Sarah was divulging all this in a half-mumble, almost to herself, while she collected her purse, sweater, book, and shoved her feet into her tennis shoes. “She was only kidding. Don’t tell Luke she said that. Of course they’re his. They got their height from him and that head of hair. Mind you, it’s hard to find men at Joe’s age with such a head of hair. I should know.”
It was the most trivial, offhanded chatter, but it made Hope’s blood gush with sudden warmth. Every new thing she discovered and learned about Jordan shed a new, bright, beautiful light on him, warm light that seeped into her and glowed around the ashes of her heart. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t liked him or thought him a prick when they had first met. I didn’t know him then, she thought as she walked Sarah to the door and thanked her for babysitting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Heard from Luke you had a girls’ night out,” the text from Jordan pinged as she was getting ready for bed. The bed he had been in just the previous morning.
“Almost every Monday. Our way of starting the week.”
“Afraid to ask what you talked about.”
“Be afraid. Be very afraid. They know.” She added scared, screaming, and laughing emojis.
“So does Luke.”
She huffed a breath and, for a moment, covered her face with her hands. Was this really happening? It felt like they had just made it official.
“Rearranged my schedule so I can come back in three weeks,” he texted again, sending her heart into somersaults.
She couldn’t wait. Her palms tingled, her stomach clenched.
“I’ll be here.” She wanted to say something smart and flirty but had no idea how.
“I’m counting on it,” he replied. A heartbeat later, another text arrived. “Because I have that travel mug to return.”
“Yeah, I need it back. I grade papers with it. In my kitchen, on my dining table, and even in my bedroom,” she wrote then sent before she could regret it. She could regret it after, which she instantly did.
“I can think of a few other places,” came Jordan’s reply. “Ever graded papers on your door? Wall? You have to hold them tight against it and grade real hard.”
Oh, sweet Jesus. She felt those words between her legs.
“Interesting approach,” she texted.
