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Talulah hadn’t seen Averil much since that incident, but what she had seen of her indicated she was going to pretend that it never happened, and Talulah was fine with that. She knew the Gerharts thought poorly of her, that her relationship with Averil would never be the way it was before. In ways, she couldn’t blame them. Shehadhurt Averil’s brother, Charlie, and she’d hurt Averil, too, when she fell in love with Brant.
But Ellen didn’t like Averil, and after that incident in the grocery store, Talulah had no doubt the feeling was mutual.
“Hi, Ellen,” Averil said.
Ellen narrowed her eyes but lifted her hand. It was a half-hearted wave at best. But Talulah was grateful she’d offered Averil that much. With any luck, it’d be enough to get them through the next few minutes without having an argument break out on the street. She knew Ellen certainly wouldn’t back down from that sort of thing. She cared more about being honest than about what other people might think of her.
“Where’s Mitch?” Talulah asked, partly to draw Averil’s attention away from Ellen.
“He’s with his father,” Averil said.
Talulah had expected her to say Mitch was with his grandparents. Averil had been living with them ever since her divorce a few years back. Her parents helped her out a lot. “Cash is stepping up, at last?” Besides being neglectful and difficult to deal with, Averil’s ex lived in California, so he wasn’t close and didn’t see his son very often.
“Not really. But his family is having a reunion and his mother begged me to let Mitch attend.”
“I’m sorry things haven’t gotten any better.” That was a rather formal way to respond, and Talulah knew it. She sincerely wished the situation with Cash would improve, but she didn’t know how to connect with Averil anymore. She almost wished they no longer lived in the same town. She would’ve stayed in Seattle and had Brant move there, but his family’s cattle ranch kept him in Coyote Canyon.
Averil’s eyes moved to the sign Talulah had posted on the door. “You’re out of breakfast buns? That’s too bad. I thought I’d stop in, say hello and grab one.”
Talulah got up. “I’m afraid we sold out really fast today. But let me get you a croissant or something else. You can join Ellen and me and have a cup of coffee.”
Once again Averil’s gaze shot over to Ellen before landing on Talulah. “That’s okay. I don’t have much time. I just...thought I’d take my chances. With the bun, I mean.”
“If you give me some notice that you’re coming by, I’ll save you one next week.” Talulah only made them on Saturdays. Since she typically created and sold after-dinner desserts and not donuts, breakfast foods and the like, she didn’t open the diner until much later on Sunday and weekdays.
“I’ll do that.” Averil slid a giant leather bag off her shoulder. “Oh, I almost forgot. I ran across some old photographs I thought you might like to have.”
“Of...”
“Prom our senior year,” she said as she pulled out a large manila envelope. “My mother took so many pictures—of all of us, remember?”
Her mother had done that because Charlie, Averil’s older brother, had been Talulah’s date. Charlie had been her boyfriend for years; she’d almost married him. It was jilting him at the altar that had initially ruined her friendship with Averil. Talulah took responsibility for that. But she’d been such a pleaser and so uncertain whether she’d be making a mistake giving up a guy who loved her so deeply she simply hadn’t known how to get out of it any sooner—and then panicked at the last minute. “That’s nice of you,” she said but wondered at the same time if Averil was being passive-aggressive. Talulah already had her own pictures from prom that year. The previous year, too.
Was Averil trying to tell her that these photographs no longer mattered to Charlie or his family? That they preferred to be rid of them? Was that the message here?
“Thank you. I appreciate it,” she said, trying to assume the best. “Are you sure I can’t get you a croissant before you go?”
“No.” Averil ran her hands over her hips. “I couldn’t have refused a breakfast bun, so I’m sort of glad you’re out of them. I’m trying to lose a few pounds.”
Talulah wanted to ask if Averil was dating anyone. That was something she would’ve asked if things were still the way they used to be. But since she’d gotten involved with Brant, she knew how negatively that question would be interpreted. “You look great,” she said instead, and Averil waved before walking away.
Ellen picked up the envelope Talulah put on the table when she sat back down, took the pictures out and looked them over. “Really?” she said flatly. “Why would you want these?”
“I have no idea,” Talulah admitted. “I guess she’s just trying to remind me what a terrible person I am to break her brother’s heart by refusing to marry him and then stealing the manshewanted.”
“It’s her way of reminding you that you wronged her way more than she wronged you by talking bad about you in the grocery store. She wanted to let you knowyoucommitted the greater sin.”
“I have no doubt you’re right.”
Ellen tossed the pictures aside. “She has to know Brant wouldn’t want to see these, either.”
What Ellen said was true. Charlie used to be his best friend, so when Brant got involved with Talulah, even though it’d been years since she and Charlie had nearly married, it had changed their relationship a great deal, too. “One of the downsides of living in a small town,” she muttered with a sigh.
Ellen narrowed her eyes as she leaned around Talulah to watch Averil disappear down the street. “You’d better watch your back. You can’t trust her.”
Talulah didn’t trust her. She just wouldn’t admit it. She was trying to maintain her loyalty to a friendship that’d once meant a great deal to her. But she knew Ellen was right.
Hendrix had taken Leo with him to the hardware store. He could’ve waited until Monday, when he was working, but Leo had called, hoping he had somewhere to go, and Hendrix had decided to pick him up and grab a few things in town. His cousin loved running errands. He’d roll down the passenger window of Hendrix’s pickup and wave enthusiastically at everyone they passed, calling most people by name, and since there were a lot of folks out on a Saturday morning, especially now that the weather was growing warmer, Hendrix knew it would be particularly fun for him.
