AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Joy entered the house with Lauren, the two of them deep inside a conversation.Bessie stood out of the way, ready to take anything they needed her to.She wasn’t even sure they saw her, because Lauren said, “Just don’t tell anyone about Nash, all right?I’m not ready to tell them.”
“I’m not going to,” Joy said, her voice carrying a bit of heat.“Though I don’t get why it matters.So you kissed him.It’s not the end of the world.”
Bessie’s eyes widened as the pair passed her, completely oblivious to her presence.She felt invisible a lot of the time, but in her own home, it felt like a double blow to the kidney and then the throat.
She also knew who Nash was, and why Lauren wouldn’t want anyone to know she’d kissed her ex-boyfriend.The man who’d claimed he was going to propose to her, only to use her to level up his own career and then leave town, no diamond on Lauren’s finger in sight.
She watched the two of them go into the kitchen, and Joy looked around.“Where’s Bessie?”
Bessie ducked outside, because she didn’t want to be caught in the pathway Joy and Lauren had trod, and she needed a minute to breathe fresher air.Sage hadn’t come with the other ladies, which made sense.She lived on the other side of town from Cass and Lauren, who both had houses to the west or north.
Sage pulled up a moment later, and Bessie steeled herself to go back inside her own house.She hugged Sage, who at least saw her, and the older woman held her by the shoulders.“Are you okay, dear?”
“Yes,” Bessie said, not going to let her invisibility get to her.Not tonight.
Sage put her arm around Bessie and led her into the house.“Oh, I can hear them arguing about the love list already.”
Inside, Cass had already started on Bea, and a slip of unrest moved through Bessie.She should’ve been there to help ward off Cass’s heavy tongue.
“I know it says ten National Parks,” Bea said, her voice just as acidic.“That doesn’t mean I have to go to all ten in the same trip.”
“You printed park planners,” Cass said, holding up a blank one.“You can’t expect menotto plan it now.”
“She didn’t say you can’t plan it,” Bessie said, jumping into the conversation.She skated her eyes past Joy and Lauren, and added, “She just wants to do one park this first time.That’s reasonable.”
“Yes, it is,” Sage said.She scooped a whopping spoonful of cowboy caviar onto her plate.“Bessie, I love this stuff.”
“There’s some of those guacamole chips?”Lauren asked.“Okay, I’m in.”She too picked up a cowboy plate and started putting food on it.
“I got the puppy,” Bea said, holding up one finger.“I flew the kite.I went to the beach.I took long walks.I got lost.”Her chest heaved, and Bessie moved to stand beside her.
“It’s okay,” she said quietly, but no one heard her, because Cass said, “I know what you’ve done.”
“It’s a lot of stuff,” Joy admitted.
“Ten parks is a long trip,” Sage said around a mouthful of chips and caviar.“She can’t take a long trip right now.”
“Yeah, because if she could, she’d go to Hilton Head and not National Parks.”Cass folded her arms, the challenge out there now.
Everyone remained quiet now, and Bessie trembled under the awkward tension.
“I can go for a weekend,” Bea finally said.
“Are you still thinking Big Bend?”Bessie asked.
“If you can go for a weekend, you can fly to the beach for a couple of days too,” Lauren said.
“No,” Bea said, using some force behind the word.“I broke up with him, ladies.I’m not doing this tonight.”She looked at Bessie for help, and Bessie slipped her hand into Bea’s.
“Let’s leave her alone,” Bessie said, and once again, it was as if she hadn’t spoken at all.
“I just think you should’ve putfall in love againon that blasted list,” Cass said.“Then you wouldn’t be being so stubborn about this.”
“That is not true,” Bea fired back.
“It is—” Cass started, but Bessie stepped in front of Bea and held up both hands.
“No,” she said loudly.Her own chest heaved now too.“No.Enough.She doesn’t want to talk about it, and this ismySupper Club.”
