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Evidently, things had gotten more heated after I made a run for it. “I want to say he’s misunderstood, but I can’t be that magnanimous anymore. He’s changed a lot from the younger man I knew, not to mention the man who—you know what? I can’t even whitewash what that was.” I gave up and broke off a piece of the pastry and shoved it in my mouth so I’d just stop talking.
Rachel leaned forward. “Clay says the same. It’s all right. He’s not the first man to get his heart broken, doesn’t mean he can go on being a…” She trailed off.
“Dick,” Laverne said and took a sip of her coffee.
I covered my mouth with my hand so I wouldn’t spit out the cinnamon-y treat. The three of us laughed and some of the tension dissolved.
“I’m sorry I missed your reception.” I shredded a corner of the fritter and was surprised to see more than half of it was gone.
“Apparently, things got out of hand last night before the storm. One of my cousins decided to take a tractor joyriding out toward the spring.”
I choked as the once moist pastry went to dust at the back of my tongue.
“Are you okay?” Laverne started to get up.
I shook my head and quickly lifted my now tepid coffee for a long drink. “I’m fine. When was this?”
“Just before the downpour, I think. We sent out a few of the sober-ish people to find him. I’m not really sure. I kept getting pulled into dances with everyone except my husband.”
Thank God we’d already left.
My face flamed as I imagined one of Beckett’s relatives finding us at the picnic. More like they’d have found a whole lot more of me. Flashes of that afternoon made the rest of me flush.
“Is that where you were?” Laverne asked with a sly smile.
I hid behind my mug once more.
“Didn’t think Beckett had it in him anymore.”
“Aunt Laverne!”
“What? You seem to forget that your cocoa bus was my original traveling VW Bus back in the day. I parked next to quite a few different bodies of water myself.”
I looked down and hid a smile. I wasn’t ashamed of what I’d done. It was out of character, but it had been far too wonderful to regret.
Any of it.
Rachel turned her club chair toward her aunt and propped her chin in her hand as she leaned forward. “Tell me more.”
“Maybe when you come back from your honeymoon. And there’s more of that Sunshine Lemonade in me.”
Rachel sat back. “We’d both be on our butts. That stuff is dangerous.”
“Best time to gossip.”
I relaxed back on the couch with my mug. The pastry was still staring at me, but I tried to resist it. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so at ease with people. Even Beckett felt different than this.
And I had to leave.
My fingers tightened on the handle of the chunky mug.
Back to where I belonged in Manhattan.
Not that anything was truly waiting for me other than the never-ending calendar of society engagements for my mother and the charities that gave her the best optics.
Half the time, I was just a glorified assistant. Making sure everything ran smoothly for her because she couldn’t be bothered.
My temple throbbed at the thought of going back to that.
