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Laney cleared her throat, mercifully steering the conversation in another direction. “Speaking of Paisley, I heard she’s been makin’ quite the impression down at the dispatch center.”
Everett nodded, reaching for another helping of green beans. “Folks are sayin’ she’s the best thing to happen to that place in years. Even got old Peggy Ann singin’ her praises, and you know how she is.”
A murmur of agreement passed around the table. Peggy Ann was notoriously hard to please—hence her refusal to leave even though she could’ve retired years ago. But it seemed Paisley had managed to win her over during dispatch’s version of a ride-along, and Peggy Ann had put in her notice the very next morning.
I couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride at that, though I quickly tamped it down.
“Just glad she’s found somethin’ to keep her busy,” Jackson chimed in, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Beats havin’ her stickin’ her nose in every shop in town, tryin’ to ‘fix’ things. I’ve missed bein’ able to bandage people up without havin’ to listen to beg us to talk to her.”
Chuckles erupted around the table, but I had to work to keep from snapping at them. This was my family, and they loved Paisley like she was one of their own. I knew they didn’t mean any harm.
But I was sick of everyone else in this town making a joke out of Paisley’s attempts to improve Charlotte Oaks. From rearranging the shelves at the general store to suggesting a new menu at Gilly’s diner, The Mason Jar, she’d left a trail of exasperated Charlotte Oakians in her wake.
And yet, the stubborn fools probably could’ve used her help. Not a single complaint I got about her during that time had sit well with me, and that wasbeforeshe’d become a member of my department. It was a small station, and we always had each others’ backs. She might be in dispatch, but that didn’t mean it was any different from people talking smack about one of my fellow officers.
“Also speakin’ of Paisley,” Momma Cole piped up, glancing around the table, “anyone know why she isn’t here tonight? I thought for sure she’d be joinin’ us.”
Laney picked up her phone from beside her plate, then set it back down again after glancing at the screen. “She sent me a text after work sayin’ she’d be over after she got changed. I figured she was just caught up with somethin’, but it’s weird that she didn’t text me back.”
“Maybe she was tired and decided to stay in?” Aurora suggested from her seat on the other side of Travis.
Everyone looked at her for a beat, then collectively dismissed that idea.
And they were right to. Paisley didn’t get tired and bow out of something she felt like she had to do. That would require her putting her needs before everyone else’s. Fat chance of that.
I set my eyes back on my plate, my jaw tightening. I had a pretty good idea where Paisley was: at the B&B with her brother. Tyler blowing into town with a new wife on his arm was certainly big enough for Paisley to forget to text Laney back, as well as bail on this supper.
But it wasn’t my story to tell, so I’d keep it to myself.
Still, I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall for that reveal. What had her face looked like when Tyler dropped the wife bombshell on her? Knowing Paisley, she probably had that little crease between her brows, the one she got when she was trying to puzzle something out. I could almost picture her, sittingacross from Tyler and his new bride, her mind spinning with a million questions she was too overwhelmed to ask.
And then it would be like a dam breaking, and they’d all come out in a rush. She’d need every detail and she wouldn’t quit until she had the full picture so she could see if there was anything she needed to stick her nose into.
A pang of worry twisted in my gut as I pictured it, though. Tyler was a good kid at heart, but trouble seemed to follow him like a lost puppy. I knew how much he meant to Paisley, how she’d always been there to pick up the pieces when he stumbled… for better or for worse.
I just hoped that this time, he’d finally found his way.
It was funny, in a bitter sort of way, how much Paisley and I had in common when it came to our brothers. Both of us, always worrying, always hoping they’d get their acts together. Maybe that was part of what drew me to her.
Just then, a commotion from the kitchen jolted me out of my thoughts. Dakota let out a yelp, and we all turned to see Gertie trotting into the dining room with what looked like a dish towel hanging from her mouth.
“Gertie, no!” Momma cried, leaping up from her seat. “That’s not for eatin’!”
“I got it, Momma Wilson,” Dakota said, jumping up to save the day.
Chaos erupted as Dakota chased Gertie around the table, the goat bleating gleefully as she dodged and weaved. Phoebe giggled, clapping her hands in delight, while the rest of us tried to contain our laughter.
But the comedy show was short-lived. A sharp gasp cut through the din, and all eyes turned to Bailey. She was clutching her belly, her face pale.
“I think...” she panted, her eyes wide, “I think it’s time.”
For a moment, we all just stared, the weight of her words sinking in. Then, like a switch had been flipped, everyone sprang into action.
Jackson was at Bailey’s side in an instant, his hand on her back as he helped her to her feet. “Okay, Bailey B, just breathe. We’ve got this.”
Dakota was already on the phone, calling the hospital to let them know we were on our way, while Everett and Laney were gathering up coats and keys. Aubree corralled Phoebe and Gertie as Riley suggested they stop on the way to the hospital to pick something up for her new baby brother.
Thankfully, Travis and Aurora were on mom duty. It was smething we’d planned ahead of time, thanks to Laney’s input from when it’d been her in the hot seat. The moms and their constant fretting had made Laney wanna pull her hair out, so Travis’s way of distracting the moms with the dumb stuff that came out of his mouth meant he got to keep that from happening to Bailey.
