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“We both know why. You’ve always had a thing for Brant. When we were younger, anytime he came over, I couldn’t get rid of you.”
“I thought you wanted to see us together, too. You’ve told me a million times that he’d make a great father for Mitch.”
Charlie seemed tempted to argue, but Averil knew he couldn’t. He’d said that on numerous occasions. He just wasn’t eager to pay Brant such a high compliment now that they weren’t getting along. “This is definitely a Talulah cake,” he said, changing the subject. “I’ve seen it on her website. And I’ve heard several people talk about the dinner she made for the funeral. They always mention the carrot cake as if it was something special.”
And they were right. Averil had never tasted anything better. “So...if itwasTalulah who gave it to us, does that mean you won’t eat it?” she asked.
“After what she’s done to me, I shouldn’t,” he said sulkily. “Was there a note?”
“No.”
“Are you sure? It could’ve blown away. Because it’s strange she wouldn’t want credit for this.”
“The cake itself tells us who it’s from, right? But for all Talulah knows, we dumped it in the trash.”
“That’s how you justify eating it? Where are your ideals?” he asked, but grinned as he carried his plate over to the table.
She raised her eyebrows as he sat across from her and took his first bite. “Apparently in the same place as yours.”
“Like you said, she’ll never know.”
Averil felt a slight twinge of discomfort for rolling over so easily. She’d been furious with Talulah since forever. But she wasn’t nearly as upset as she’d been before. Word was going around town that Talulah had dumped Brant, and that brought so much relief she no longer cared about the ruined wedding fourteen years ago.Currentdisaster had been averted, and once Talulah left town and everything returned to normal, maybe Brant would realize he’d overlooked the one woman who’d loved him the longest and would make him the happiest. “We should let the past go,” she said.
Charlie gaped at her. “You don’t care about what she did to me anymore?”
Averil finished the last of her cake, even scraped the crumbs off her plate. What she’d never voiced to her brother was how much she’d missed Talulah. She just hadn’t allowed herself to admit it over the years for fear she’d break down and call her. “I gave up one of my best friends because of what she did to you,” she said softly. “But she’s never done anything to me. And it’s been fourteen years. Isn’t that long enough to show my loyalty, Charlie?”
He didn’t answer right away. “It doesn’t make things any easier on me that everyone else likes her so much,” he finally said, using his fork to move the frosting around on his cake.
“I know. And I’m sorry. But I’ve been feeling left out myself. Jane keeps going over to Phoebe’s, where Talulah’s staying, and the honest truth is I’d like to go with her.”
He frowned, but eventually, regretfully, shrugged. “If you want to be friends with her again, I’ll understand.”
“I think it would be nice to at least explore the possibility.” She imagined hanging out at Phoebe’s—imagined it once again being the three of them, laughing and enjoying each other like old times—and felt a flicker of hope. With a little forgiveness and a lot of effort, they might be able to salvage what they’d once had.
As long as Talulah stayed away from Brant.
Once Talulah had agreed to go to the lake, she started getting excited about it. But she hadn’t brought a swimsuit to Coyote Canyon. She had to wake up early and run over to Bozeman to find one.
She ended up buying a bikini with a top that laced up in back, and she chose white because it made the most of the slight suntan she’d been able to get this summer hiking with Paul. She also picked up some white-framed sunglasses, a pair of red flip-flops and a red-and-white tote bag she could use to carry her sunblock, a T-shirt and a pair of shorts.
It was noon by the time she finished shopping, but she hadn’t heard from Paul all morning. He was probably extra-busy at the diner, trying to get ready for the busiest night of the week—he’d had a lot of catching up to do after being away—but the relief she felt was weird. She was glad she didn’t have to talk to him...
She hated that something so important to her future had changed, but Jane kept sending her funny memes in anticipation of their getaway, and Talulah was somehow happier than she’d been in a long time. She’d thought she was perfectly satisfied in Seattle. But she was realizing just how out of balance her life had become. She’d allowed it to narrow down to her work and the hikes she went on with Paul. Being away from it all—not even hearing from him—left her feeling as though she’d broken free from something oppressive.
She called Debbie on the drive back to see how things were going. She’d been checking on her sister every day, so she knew both mother and baby were home, trying to adjust to their new schedules, and felt guilty that she hadn’t been back to see them. “You get any sleep last night?” she asked.
“It wasn’t too bad,” Debbie told her. “Abby got up twice to nurse, but went right back down each time.”
“That’s lucky. Does Scott ever get up with her?”
“No. Since he can’t nurse her, anyway, he says one of us might as well get some sleep.”
“He could bring the baby to you and take her back to bed,” Talulah pointed out. “Some dads do that.”
“He never did anything like that with our other kids, and he’s not going to change now. At least he kicks in later, when they get a little older.”
“Women have to doallthe hard stuff,” Talulah joked. “It’s so unfair.”
