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“Maybe,” Scott said. He suddenly didn’t want to commit.
“You just don’t want to listen to Grant talk about Bea.” Oliver grinned at him.
“Do you?” Scott took his change just as Carolina set his smoothie on the counter. “Thanks,” he said to her and picked up the drink.
“It’s not so bad,” Oliver said with a shrug. “I mean, I’m seeing Rosalinn now, so it’s…not so bad.”
“Rosalinn?” Scott took the first, thick sip of his smoothie, the orange and pineapple tart and cold on his tongue. “Who’s Rosalinn?” He tried not to sound disgusted, but Scott was afraid he didn’t quite pull that off.
“I met her a couple of weeks ago.”
“She came in to interview,” Carolina said in a voice drier than the desert.
Scott looked from her to Oliver. His throat burned from the chill in the drink. “What?”
Oliver’s face turned a ruddy shade of red and shrugged. Scott burst out laughing, really setting his throat full of hurt. He couldn’t stop himself though, because Oliver had seriously asked out a potential employee instead of hiring her.
He thought of Joy Bartlett, who he’d texted a few days ago, after the swimming suit incident, but she hadn’t returned his message. He’d spoken to her outside, but he hadn’t liked what she’d said.
She was seeing someone.
Seemed like everyone but him was seeing someone.
“Maybe I should put out an ad for a new secretary,” he joked. “Then I can ask out the women who come in to interview.” He grinned at Oliver, who rolled his eyes. What Oliver didn’t know was that Scott was seriously considering doing it. Otherwise, he’d forever be screening what events he went to and always be defending himself to his mother.
12
Lauren walked down the sidewalk with Joy, both of them carrying something they’d spent the day making. Lauren wasn’t the best in the kitchen, but she could put together a killer batch of cowboy cookies.
When it was her turn to host Supper Club, she catered while Bessie took a day off of work to prep all the food for their dinner that night.
“Harrison seemed surprised we hadn’t torn his house to the ground,” Joy said. “Did you notice that?”
“I noticed.” Lauren smiled at her. “I think he thought we were going to party our brains out or something.”
Joy laughed, and while Lauren hadn’t found a new job yet, she also hadn’t entered panic mode about it.
“What was he saying about…what was his name? Steven?” Joy tensed up, and Lauren knew there was something there. “You’re holding out on me.”
“No,” Joy said.
“You are.” Lauren peered at her, and Joy wouldn’t look at her. “Look at me, then.”
Joy’s eyes flitted over to her, not truly locking onto Lauren’s. She sighed, which made her shoulders slump. “So there was this guy. His name is Scott, not Steven.”
“Sure, Scott,” Lauren said. “The landscaping guy.”
“Yeah,” Joy said. “The landscaping guy. He, uh, asked me out.”
Lauren stumbled. “What?”
“I basically flashed my chest at him, because my swimming suit was malfunctioning, and well, he asked me out, but that was after he told me he didn’t remember me.” She looked at Lauren then, a burning fire in her eyes. “I’ve met him before. We had dinner together with everyone, right there in Harrison’s house, and hedidn’t remember meeting me.” Joy spoke with such vitriol, and Lauren’s heart bled for her.
She linked her arm through Joy’s which wasn’t super easy because of the big bowl of cowboy caviar Joy carried. “I’m so sorry, honey. I see you.”
“I know,” she whispered. “You always have. What I don’t understand is why no one else does.”
“They do,” Lauren said. “We all do, Joy. Scott obviously did whenever he asked you out. Chester did.” She grinned at her friend. “You have two men who want to go out with you, Joy.Two.”
