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“Oh, and Archer?”
I nodded, hoping I was right.
“She gets her chicken seed from us. Archer’s dad moved to Texas before Archer was born.” She pulled out a chair and I fought a smile. My mother was filling me in on the gossip. “I guess he met Laney in Texas and they got married when she was on the outs with her family. Then she came up here for a family emergency and left Archer. I don’t know what happened, but he eventually followed her up. You should’ve heard the town ripple with excitement when they learned she married one of the mysterious Barron kids.”
I relaxed the more Mom talked. I wasn’t the only one showing up with a salacious past. “I think the other couple is Kennedy and Liam? Did I get that right?”
Mom nodded. “I don’t know them personally, but Liam is Cameron’s son.”
“Stetson has a brother?”
“They don’t associate. Liam was from an affair. Quite the scandal. Stetson and his sister don’t talk to Liam.”
Right, the Liam story he couldn’t tell me. “That must be why Stetson’s not coming.” I had thought to ask but had decided not to question it. I wasn’t planning the get-together.
“It’d be quite the deal. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Kennedy and Liam. I guess Liam was a little wild as a kid, but I would doubt his behavior is that much different from a lot of the kids running around now. He just had a spotlight on him.”
“I think Holden mentioned his sister and maybe an Aspen.”
“I don’t know much about them. Aspen sounds familiar, and I haven’t heard about his sister.”
“Thanks for the heads-up on everyone else, Mom.” If they were talking about me, at least I was going in having heard gossip about them.
“They’re Coal Haven royalty. People like to talk about them.”
And would I be added to those conversations? I wasn’t royalty, so as long as the gossip didn’t rebound on me or my kids, I wouldn’t care.
* * *
Holden
Emery was the last to arrive, pulling in next to Liam’s pickup. She’d messaged she was on her way, and I had let myself get excited about tonight. The night would’ve gone fine without her, but I wanted more than fine.
Aspen stood on her tiptoes next to Kennedy and whispered, “Is that her?”
“Who else would it be?” I sounded like a grump, but the buzz of excitement over Emery was nearly tangible, frolicking through my guests, and the worst was my sister.
What was I thinking by inviting Nora? She was sweet and innocent, and she’d think Emery was her new big sister. Nora might scare Emery away faster than the others and their stupid chittering.
I ditched my prep at the grill to stalk toward the line of vehicles along the side of my driveway.
Emery got out, that snug fleece jacket hugging her curves over a green print top that made her eyes impossibly lighter. She spotted me and smiled, but there was an underlying strain in her eyes.
“Are you nervous?” I asked.
“No.” She closed her eyes and opened them. “I mean, yes. But it’s not that. Henry picked the kids up and our exchange wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t the best.”
“What’d he do?”
She gave me a thin smile. “He brought Jenni.”
“That’s kind of a dick move, right?” She’d treaded carefully with us, but Henry had stomped over her efforts.
“I thought so. I mean, they’re still together, so there’s that. But it seemed too soon, you know? And I think it made him extra defensive.” She wrinkled her nose. “Anyway, he’s ruined enough of the night, but it helped take my mind off meeting everyone.”
“Just think of it as accelerated introductions. You’d be seeing them around town eventually.” I didn’t know whether to take her hand or throw an arm around her.
She saved me by moving on her own toward the house. She was used to kids grabbing her hands when they wanted. I’d have to be on the ball if I wanted to do something as simple as that.
