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I fix my face with a smile and chirp, “I’m good!”
“Yeah, right,” Emma says. “What’s going on with you? You’re smiling at me like a serial killer.”
“I just had a tough meeting with Harley over at the Hilltop House, and I can’t get him to see reason.” No matter how I play it cool, I can’t seem to keep his name out of my mouth.
Emma and Rebecca exchange glances. “Really,” says Rebecca. “Are you sure you aren’t stalling for time?”
I tilt my head. “What do you mean?”
“She means,” Emma says, “are you sure you’re not just picking challenging clients so that you can spend more time sparring with Harley?”
They are so on to me that it’s frightening. “Guys, come on,” I rasp, staring down at my water glass and dabbing off the condensation with my thumb.
“Uh oh,” Emma says. “You’ve got it bad.”
The feelings well up, and the knots in my stomach are wound so tight they snap. There’s no point in denying anything. These are my best friends, and I can’t lie to them.
I press my palms into my eyes, forgetting I’m wearing eye makeup. “I like him, okay? I really like him. I can’t date him, but also, I can’t stay away from him.”
Rebecca makes a sympathetic noise. Emma’s coffee cup slides to the side as she leans closer over the table toward me.
“How could you stay away? You’re a virgin and he’s a single man walking around with a third leg!” Emma hisses for only me to hear.
“Oh my god,” I groan.
Rebecca sighs. “Your taste in men is just like your taste in condos. You want to cram too much into a small, tight space.”
“Rebecca!” Emma gasps, covering her laughing mouth.
I can’t stand talking about Harley’s penis any longer. “You guys! I’m the one who wants to buy Hilltop House. Harley’s too big for me, but I can’t keep myself away from him. So I made up all these crazy requests from a demanding client when there is no client. It’s just me.”
My eyes well up, and Rebecca and Emma exchange glances.
“Let’s take a walk,” Emma says, looking over her shoulder at the retired farmers staring at me as my eyes leak everywhere. “This place is too full of gossips.”
Emma hooks her arm through mine and rushes me out of Ruby’s while Rebecca handles the bill.
Once we’re all clear of the gossip that haunt our favorite diner, the fresh air makes me feel slightly better. The three of us weave our way down the short stretch of road that leads from the diner to the downtown square and the handsome historic buildings that have been slowly and lovingly restored over the past few years.
Everything downtown reminds me of all the couples who met and fell in love in Fate and are responsible for the town’s doubling population. It’s why I have a real estate job in this town.
We walk past the old textile mill that now serves as a museum, fiber arts gallery, and a partially restored mill, and it reminds me of the story of how Juniper and Rex met and fell in love.
Danny Bryce’s landscape truck pulls up alongside the visitor center near the courthouse square, and I watch the landscaper unload a double baby stroller from the back and strap in a toddler and an infant. Izzy soon appears from the visitor center to have lunch with her family at the gazebo.
We make our way past Billie Jane’s yarn store, and I watch her and Ben making out as if no one is watching.
Emma and Rebecca are talking about getting their families together over Christmas up at Eli’s cabin in the mountains, and pretty soon, this little walk and talk does the trick. My salty tears dry up, and soon enough I’m just plain salty.
“He’s also got bad credit and he can’t get a loan for his business, and on top of that, I’m pretty sure he’s underwater on Hilltop House!” Okay, so I guess I will let them in on the gossip. I wish I didn’t know any of it.
Emma gives it to me straight when she sees me eying Doyle and Maya holding hands and kissing on their front steps.
“Girl,” Emma says. “Listen. Harley Wood might not be the brightest bulb. But he’s basically a puppy with a huge dong who worships the ground you walk on. And you’re trying to talk yourself out of that?”
I turn to her, confused. “Worships the ground I walk on? That’s a stretch. At best, he’s annoyed that I rejected him.”
Rebecca snorts. “Everyone in town sees the way he stares at you. Grace says he cooked Thanksgiving dinner for the entire family last year. He cooked a turkey so Grace and Presley could put their feet up. And he entertained the new baby while Grace took a nap! And you’re worried about a credit score?”
