AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sorry I made you late. I could have changed at the bookstore and met you at the party.” Janey glanced around at the houses. “I didn’t even know this subdivision was back here. I’ve only driven through Sedona on my waydown to Tempe.”
“It’s a good neighborhood. Lots of snowbirds, so we don’t have much traffic. Although people are starting to rent out their places when they’re not here.” They turned onto Darby’s street while they talked. “I love my cottage. Of course, it was the pool that sealed the deal. I’m obsessed with swimming. It’s a good stress reliever.”
“I take dance classes. Sometimes an exercise-dance mix, but I always have a dance class scheduled. Tuesday, I start a barre class. So I can’t work late those nights. Just a warning.”
Rarity laughed. “No problem. I’ve got the book club that night, and most of my regulars are either in the club or know to stay away while it’s going. I don’t think I’ve had a walk-in on Tuesday night for months.”
“It must be hard running your own business. You don’t have familyaround Sedona?”
Rarity shook her head. “No. I moved here because of Sam Aarons, the woman who owns and runs the crystal shop next door. She’s my best friend. We met in college and stayed close. Then I was diagnosed with breast cancer. After the cancer treatments were done, I moved here to start a new life. One where I wasn’t doing marketing projects and trying to quantify the resultsto my bosses.”
“Now, you’re the boss.” Janey was a great listener and easy to talk to.
“True, but that has fewer perks than you would think.” They spent the final few minutes before they reached Darby’s house talking about Rarity and the store. Before she knew it, they had arrived. Music flowed out of the open front door, and people were standing and sitting all over. Rarity had been right about the cars. There were parked cars on both sides of the street as far as she could see. “And we’re here. Let’s go find Archer, and I’ll introduce you to someof my friends.”
They made their way through the crowd. Rarity recognized a few people, but no one she considered a friend. Darby must have invited a lot of her college classmates, as Janey knew people they passed that Rarity didn’t. It took a while for them to finally find Archer. When they did, he was not only with Drew but also Sam and Marcus. Drew and Archer were talking about local football teams, and Marcus looked bored. Sam brightened when they came up to the group.
“Rarity, I’m so glad you’re here. Now, maybe we can talk about anything but football?” Sam gave Rarity a hug.
Drew pulled Sam closer. “Sorry, hun. That last game was killer. Rarity, good to see you again. And this is?”
“Sorry, this is Janey. She’s my new Darby. Although Darby will be so missed, I had to hire two people to replace her.” Rarity reached over and gave Darby a hug as she came up to the group.
“I’m sure that’s not true. Hi, Janey, nice to meet you. I hear you’re handling the little kids’ events for Rarity. I’m glad someone is, because that wasn’t something I wanted to do at all.” Darby handed everyone a champagne glass from a tray the server held who’d followed her through the crowd. “Rarity sponsored the first round of drinks, so you guys better get one before everything’s gone. More people showed up than I expected.”
“Well, these are for your toast, so let’s get that out of the way.” Rarity whistled, and the crowd settled around them. “Good evening. Thank you all for coming. I just wanted to wish Darby an excellent school year in Scotland. May you learn a lot and enjoy your time in the castle. And if you fall in love, remember us fondly back home if you decide to stay.” Everyone laughed, and Rarity held up her glass. “To Darby, have fun and stay safe. We’ll seeyou in a year.”
“To Darby,” thecrowd repeated.
They took a sip, then Archer gave Darby a hug. “Be sure to send me pictures of the trails. Maybe I can get Rarity to step away from the bookstore, and we’ll come visit you.”
“Maybe.” Rarity gave him a hug as she turned back to Darby. “Are you all ready to go Saturday? Do you need a ride to the airport?”
“Malia and Holly are taking me. They’re staying over tonight and tomorrow to finish packing what I need to get shipped. Then we’ll close up the house. Drew, you’ll check on it while I’m gone, right?” Darby asked.
“Of course. Leave a key with me, and I’ll do a walk-through every couple of weeks and make sure everything’s working. I’d hate for your heater to go down and burst some pipes,” Drew offered.
Darby pulled a notebook out of her dress pocket. “I’ll put ‘drop a key off’ on my must-do list. Seriously, keeping this going is insane. I’m sure I’m going to forget something.”
“If you do, just call. We’ll take care of it,” Rarity assured her. “Or ship it to you.”
Darby nodded, then waved at another group. “I need to keep making the rounds. Thank you all for coming, and, Janey, good luck with Rarity. She can be a pill of a boss.”
After tossing a wicked grin at Rarity, Darby hurried over tothe next group.
Rarity shook her head. “Children are so ungrateful these days. I’m anamazing boss.”
“Sure you are, honey. Keep telling yourself that.” Archer pulled Rarity into a hug and kissed the top of her head. “So, Janey, tell us about yourself. What made you decide to work forthis monster?”
They talked as a group for a while, then Marcus asked Janey if she wanted another drink. The couple walked away as the other two couples watched.
“Uh-oh,” Drew teased Sam. “I think your brother isn’t going to be at your beck andcall anymore.”
Sam elbowed him. “They’re just getting a drink. But that would be nice if Marcus found someone to hang around with. I think this last girlfriend kind of messed with his head a bit. He seems a little wary of jumping into the dating pool again.”
Archer snorted. “He doesn’t seem wary at all. I would have been scared to death to ask a girl I’d just met to go get a drink. He’s got smooth moves, that one.”
“You just don’t know him. He’s all cool and confident on the outside, but inside, he’s jelly.” Sam turned to watch Marcus and Janey get their drinks, but instead of coming back to the group, they headed out to the patioand pool area.
