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“Here, come sit by me so we can get to know each other,” Skyla said, and took Hallie by the arm. “Actually, let me take the gift from you first. I’m putting all the gifts in the living room so Luke and Orly can take them home and open them later.”
“I got it,” Caden said and extended his hand to take it. She handed it over to him and followed Skyla to an empty chair on the far end of the table.
“So, what do you do?” Skyla asked. “I’m always curious about what jobs people have because I think it’s a testament to their personalities.”
Hallie couldn’t agree more. “That’s actually very true. I own The Mystic Cow over on Main Street.”
Skyla’s face lit up. “Oh my gosh, I love that place! But wait, every time I’ve been there, someone else was there, a younger woman.”
“That’s Katelyn, she works the mornings for me,” Hallie said.
“Ah, that explains it. Running a bar, my evenings and nights are pretty much taken.”
Hallie didn’t know this woman, but she was so grateful for her right now. Skyla was the only reason Hallie wasn’t a nervous wreck from all the glances she was getting from Caden’s friends.
“Luke and I have been there,” Orly spoke up. Hallie would’ve remembered seeing Orly in her shop, so she, like Skyla, must've shopped in the morning. “But we were there around ten though so we probably wouldn’t have seen you either.”
Hallie smiled. “That’s okay. I’m just glad you stopped by. It’s always nice to hear people supporting the local economy.” Hallie always made sure to keep unique and interesting inventory on hand for her shoppers and the community she loved so much.
“Oh yeah,” Luke said. “You got that huge wind chime from there.”
Orly laughed. “I love it, but my husband has a love-hate relationship with that thing.”
“It’s loud, and it wakes me up every time the wind picks up.”
His confession only made Orly laugh harder, and before Hallie knew it, everyone was laughing and the tension had all but dissipated.
When Caden returned from putting her gift inside, he sat in the seat across from her. He seemed calmer now that he had a large plate of food in front of him.
For the next two hours, they ate and drank and talked, and Hallie started to feel like she was a part of the group. Then Luke’s phone buzzed. Everyone seemed to understand the significance, because silence fell upon the picnic table. Luke glanced at the screen and grimaced. “I can’t believe the captain is calling me in now. He knows today is our day.”
“What’s going on?” Orly asked.
“The informant on my case was worked over and brought into the E.R. His message says he won’t talk to anyone but me.”
Orly smiled. “So go talk to him and you can be back in time for dessert. I promise we won’t start until you get back.”
Luke kissed his wife with a tenderness that made Hallie ache, wishing for that kind of love for herself one day. “I’m not so sure about that,” Luke said. “Do you want me to drop you off at home or would you rather hang out here with the guys, and one of them can give you a ride when you’re ready to go?”
Orly nibbled on her bottom lip, her eyes never leaving Luke’s. It was clear she wanted to stay, but felt guilty that her husband wouldn’t be able to take part in the fun.
“She’s staying, Man. We got the food, the fish, and oh yeah, the company,” Garrett said.
“Get out of here, we’ll take care of your woman,” Blake added.
Orly smiled and whispered something in Luke’s ear. He laughed and whispered something back. She giggled. “I know you will. Now get out of here and be safe.”
Luke said a quick goodbye and thanks to his friends, and was gone a few minutes later.
“I can’t believe they can just call someone in like that,” Hallie said to no one in particular.
“When people mess up, it messes up the lives of people like us,” Blake said.
Garrett shot Blake a glance. “Would you stop scaring our guest?”
Orly stood and moved to a chair closer to Skyla and her. “Don’t listen to them,” Orly said. “They come off as these big tough guys, but they’re teddy bears with more heart than you can imagine.”
Had Orly told her that even yesterday, she would’ve wholeheartedly agreed, but her tense interactions with Caden earlier today told her otherwise. He’d warmed up since eating his fill, but she still felt him watching her, like he was keeping an eye on her.
