Chris opened her mouth, closed it again, and gazed off into the distance. Then she looked back at the screen and said, “Okay, so let me get this straight. You don’t know her real name. You don’t know her real job. Which essentially means you know nothing about her except that she’s hot. And you’ve got a date with her?”
“Well, when you put it like that...” Kelsey made a face that was half-grin, half-grimace.
“Where’s the date?”
“Starbucks. Duh. Tomorrow at noon.”
“Oh!” Chris sat back in her chair. “Okay, that’s fine then. I was worried you were going someplace at night, to a seedy bar or something to meet this woman you know nothing about, never to be seen again.”
“Lunchtime coffee. Perfectly safe.”
“Thank God. You had me worried.”
“No need, favorite cousin of mine. I’ll be fine.” Kelsey loved Chris’s concern, even if she thought it was a little silly. To change the subject, she asked, “So when are you coming to visit me?”
“Possibly in a couple weeks. I haven’t ironed it out yet.” Chris glanced down as an electronic beeping sounded, then back up. “There’s my call. Gotta run. I expect a date report tomorrow!”
“Wait! I need help figuring out”—Chris disappeared from the screen—“what to wear,” she finished, to no avail. Kelsey sighed and dropped the phone onto the bed, then went back to perusing her closet. Dressing for a first date was like walking a fine line. She didn’t want to go overboard and dress so far away from how she usually did that every time Lisa saw her after that would be a disappointment. She didn’t want to dress too casual, though, for fear of seeming to have made too little effort. Finding the middle was hard.
Twenty minutes later, there were three pairs of pants and six shirts tossed into a haphazard pile on the bed, and Kelsey stood in front of the mirror surveying her handiwork. Black capris that fit as though they were tailored for her rear end (they were not), a sleeveless top in a deep turquoise that helped accent the deep blue of her eyes, a chunky silver necklace, and black sandals. She turned to her left, then her right, stood looking straight on for a beat, then finally gave one nod of approval.
It would have to do.
Was Lisa going through the same issues? she wondered as she took the clothes off and put them neatly back on hangers—no way was she going to iron in the morning. Probably not. She liked to imagine Lisa being slightly less of a freak than Kelsey herself, and the thought made her grin. She changed into yoga pants and a baggy T-shirt, then settled on the couch to watch TV. A glance at the wall clock made her sigh.
Why wasn’t it tomorrow at noon yet?
CHAPTER SEVEN
IT WAS A TYPICAL FRIDAY at Common Scents, and for that, Kelsey was grateful. Busy mornings tended to fly by, and this one had. When she glanced at her watch and saw that it was 11:40, she gasped aloud, causing the customer she was helping to look at her with alarm.
“Everything okay?” the middle-aged brunette asked, rubbing Put the Lime in the Coconut lotion into her hands.
Kelsey smiled. “I am. Just lost track of time, and I have an appointment. Anything else I can help you with before I scoot?”
The woman smiled. “Nope. This is perfect.” She picked up the bottle of lotion and grabbed a second one. “You’ve been a huge help.”
Kelsey smiled, then headed back to her office. It took massive amounts of effort not to sprint, but she managed to get there while still appearing somewhat professional. All she really wanted to do was giggle and squeal like a five-year-old girl, but she kept control of herself.
Ten minutes later, she slid her car into the last available parking spot at Starbucks. “Wow,” she whispered to the empty interior of her vehicle. “Busy today.”
Inside, the line was long, and a glance around did not show her any beautiful blond women who might be waiting for her. Okay. She was here first. That was good. It would allow her to get her bearings, her coffee, and to relax a bit.
Just breathe.
Such a simple command could seem almost impossible when nerves were factored in, but Kelsey closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. She looked good. She’d switched out the turquoise top for a similar black one because she thought it made her look slimmer. Bringing a hand to her necklace, she felt the clasp in the front and twisted it back to behind her neck. With nervous fingers, she tucked some of her dark hair behind an ear, then ran a hand over the rest as she subtly glanced at her reflection in the glass of the pastry case. She made for an acceptably presentable silhouette, she decided, and tried to focus on something else.
She loved the smell of Starbucks. Coffee, pastries, sweetness. Some days—well, most days—the coffee was the strongest of the aromas. Obviously. That only made sense for a coffee shop. But sometimes, the croissants stood out. Or fresh cranberry bread. She loved to close her eyes, take in the smells, then look at the pastry case and see if her nose got it right. Some days, it was chocolate. Others, cranberry or lemon. Today, it was vanilla hazelnut coffee.
The line moved slowly. She briefly entertained the idea of getting Lisa’s caramel macchiato for her, then decided she would. The less time Lisa had to stand in line, the more time she’d have to hang and talk with Kelsey.
It was nearly 12:10 by the time she got to the front of the line. Still no sign of Lisa, so she ordered the caramel macchiato with soy milk and a vanilla Frappuccino for herself, then moved on down the counter to wait. She craned her neck to see over the crowd of people in dire need of caffeine or sugar or both, but didn’t see any familiar blond head.
“Grande caramel macchiato with soy. Grande vanilla Frappuccino for Kelly.” The barista slid the cups along the counter and went on to his next order. Kelsey grabbed both drinks and looked for a table, scanning the faces crowding the shop as she went. Still no sign of Lisa.
The only empty table was outside on the Starbucks patio, but it was a gorgeous day, not too hot or humid, so Kelsey set up shop there, setting both cups on the table, taking a sip of hers, and pulling out her phone so she could at least pretend to be occupied by something other than waiting for her date. She checked her e-mail, gave a quick glance at Facebook, and then scrolled through today’s top news stories.
By twelve thirty, her stomach had started to churn sourly, and her Frappuccino was not sitting well in it. At twelve forty-five, she wasn’t looking at her phone at all. She stared off into the parking lot instead, not really focused on anything. The caramel macchiato with soy milk sat untouched, now cold, no lip gloss print on its pristine white plastic lid. Being stood up had never even crossed Kelsey’s mind. Maybe that’s why it stung so badly. She wanted to give Lisa the benefit of the doubt, but first, she needed to just be angry.
And she tried that.
But all she could manage was a profound sadness. A glance at her phone told her it was one o’clock and she needed to get back to the shop. She took a deep breath of fresh air and held it in her lungs before blowing it out. She kept trying to paint a self-confident picture on the whole thing, told herself it was Lisa’s loss, while in the back of her mind, the owner of that little voice was shaking its head back and forth and whispering, “No. It’s yours.”
Tossing her half-empty cup and Lisa’s full one into the trash, and feeling more disappointed than she ever thought possible, Kelsey headed back to work.
***
The disappointment hung on for the rest of the day. Kelsey did her best to focus on the store, assisted several customers, and threw herself into paperwork and orders. It worked for a while. At five, she got a FaceTime request from Chris, but ignored it, not yet ready to admit she’d been stood up.
A gentle knock had her looking up and into the kind green eyes of Hannah, who was standing in the doorway.
“Hi, you. Jeremy said you were back here and wouldn’t mind if I popped in to say hi. Wanna grab something quick for dinner before you head home?” Hannah’s smile was so sweet and her voice was so kind that Kelsey felt tears well in her eye
s for a quick moment. Hannah’s smile faded, and her expression changed to one of concern. “Hey. Are you okay? What’s going on?” She looked over her shoulder, shut the door, and sat in the chair across from Kelsey’s desk. “Talk to me,” she said gently.
Kelsey sighed. She hadn’t told Hannah about Lisa for obvious reasons, but maybe now was the time. And God knew, she needed to get it off her chest, how angry she was. Decision made, she filled Hannah in on Lisa, how they’d met, the setup of the date, and how Lisa had been a no-show.
Hannah’s expression changed little by little as Kelsey told her story. She could see it, watched it happen, the subtle direction change of the corners of her mouth from up to down, the dampening of the sparkle in her eyes. Kelsey felt terrible, but knew this had to be done. Hannah deserved to know that Kelsey didn’t look at her that way. That she, in fact, was actively looking elsewhere. She ended her story by reaching across the desk to grasp Hannah’s hand and saying, “So, yes. I would love to go grab some dinner with you, because I could really use a smiling face in my corner.”
They were the right words, apparently, and Kelsey breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Hannah’s face broke into a smile. It wasn’t as brilliant as her usual one, but it was there, and Kelsey decided she’d take it. Hannah stood, still holding Kelsey’s hand and said, “For the record, Lisa is an idiot. Let’s get dinner.”
The evening had ended up being unexpectedly pleasant. Hannah seemed to be doing all right with the news that Kelsey was dating. Or trying to. They talked and joked and laughed and it all seemed perfectly normal, like always. That was a relief.
Back at home, Kelsey flopped onto her couch and was planning to surf YouTube for a little while when her phone rang. A glance told her it was her mother.
“Hi, Mom,” she said when she answered. “Whatcha doing on this lovely Friday?”
“Just wondering how my baby’s doing in a different time zone.”
Kelsey chuckled. “Yeah, you’re calling kind of late, aren’t you?”
“We had dinner with the Smiths and just got home. We got talking about you, so it made me want to call. I miss you.” Her mother’s voice was sweet and wistful, and just dreamy enough to let Kelsey know she’d probably had a glass of wine or two.
“I miss you, too,” Kelsey said, and it was the truth. Leaving her father behind hadn’t been as painful; their relationship was rocky anyway. But leaving her mother had been harder than Kelsey had even prepared for. The day she’d set off on the eleven-and-a-half-hour drive from Charlotte to the suburbs of Chicago, she’d held it together admirably as they’d hugged their goodbyes, but then had cried openly from Charlotte almost all the way to Roanoke.
“What’s new there? How’s business?”
For a split second, Kelsey considered telling her mother about Betsy Siegler and her nerve-wracking visit. But her mother would go right to her father to tell him. Then she’d get the not-so-subtle “I told you that shop was a bad idea” speech, and she didn’t think she could take that right now. “Good. Really good,” she said instead. It wasn’t a lie. Business was good. Not through-the-roof, I’ll-be-rich-soon good. But it was okay. She was paying her bills. She was paying her employees. She was even paying herself. Not bad for a fledgling store in a new town.
“That’s great. Making any new friends? You know I worry about you being lonely. Are you still going to the baseball games and hanging out with the team?”
Yeah, her mom was kind of adorable.
“It’s softball, Mom. And yes, I’m still going. I’ve made several friends. I’m not lonely. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Are you dating? Trying to date? Thinking about dating?”
Kelsey laughed. “Covering all the bases, are you?”
“Trying to.”
“I’m thinking about dating.” The image of Lisa’s beautiful face flashed into her mind, but she didn’t share the story with her mother.
“All right. I’ll accept that. For now.” She emphasized the last two words, her tone good-natured.
“I think Chris is going to come visit soon,” Kelsey said, smoothly changing the subject.
“I heard. That’ll be fun. She needs it. That girl is working way too many hours.”
“I know.” And they commiserated on that for a while.
By the time Kelsey hit the End button about twenty minutes later, she felt the same way she always felt after talking to her mother: homesick. She should have told her about Betsy Siegler. Her mom wouldn’t be able to help, but she could give her a little pep talk, make her feel the tiniest bit better about it. Because, though she hadn’t heard back from Betsy since her initial visit, the whole thing still sat in the back of Kelsey’s mind, like the scary monster in a haunted house, hidden behind a door or in a closet, just waiting until you least expected it before he jumped into the open with a roar and scared the living shit out of you.
On the bright side, the homesickness wasn’t nearly as intense as it had been her first few weeks here. So it was definitely fading, and that was a good thing.
Not wanting to think about the potential trouble her business could find itself in, Kelsey refocused on her laptop, looking for something fun to watch. Maybe some puppy or kitten videos were the way to go tonight. Anything to keep her mind off the two women who’d made her miserable over the past couple of weeks: Betsy Siegler and Lisa Whatever-Her-Real-Name-Was. It was time to wipe them both from her brain, at least temporarily, and focus on her weekend. Tomorrow, the store was running a sale, so business should be good. Busy meant it would go by quickly, and then she’d head to Hannah’s family’s barbecue.
She was surprised to find herself looking forward to that.
CHAPTER EIGHT
HANNAH WASN’T KIDDING WHEN she said there were tons of people at her parents’ barbecue; Kelsey had trouble finding a place to park. The double-wide driveway was full, and parked cars lined each side of the street like rows of Oreos in a package, one after another after another. Luckily, an older couple was getting into theirs when Kelsey approached, so she stopped, put on her turn signal, and waited for them to pull away…which seemed to take an hour, but finally they left, and Kelsey parallel parked like a pro. Her driver’s ed teacher would have been seriously impressed.
Going from the air conditioning of Common Scents to the heat and humidity of the late August afternoon had been a bit of a shock, as if Kelsey was suddenly moving through molasses and breathing through wet gauze. She used a finger to wipe the light sheen of sweat from her upper lip, shouldered her bag, grabbed the bottle of wine she’d bought on her way, and locked her car. It wasn’t hard to tell which house was having the party, as the crowd in the backyard spilled out onto the side yard along the attached garage, guests with red Solo cups and paper plates in hand. The smells of chicken, hamburgers, and hot dogs wafted through the air and down the street, hooking Kelsey by the nose and drawing her along to where the action was.
Entering a party when she didn’t know a lot of people was never a big deal for Kelsey. But when she entered the gate in the backyard fence, she realized this was a lot of people. For a moment, she simply stood inside the fenced backyard and looked around, her head turning, her eyes scanning, searching for any face that seemed even vaguely familiar.
“Well, don’t you look like a deer in headlights,” a friendly voice said.
Kelsey turned to meet the smiling gaze of a woman with the exact same eyes as Hannah and dark hair pulled back into a French braid. Her mother? An aunt? “Hi there,” she said. “I’m Kelsey Peterson. A friend of Hannah’s. She said there’d be tons of people, so I can only assume I’m in the right place.”
The woman laughed, a gentle tinkling sound, pretty and delicate. “You are definitely in the right place.” She held out a hand. “I’m Liz Keene. It’s nice to meet you, Kelsey Peterson. Come with me and we’ll find my daughter.”
Liz Keene smelled pleasantly of lilacs, and she smiled, waved, and greeted people as they moved along throug
h the large square backyard. There was an above-ground pool filled with kids splashing and screaming with delight. Two grills were pumping out steam, a large man in a red Kiss the Cook apron using his long-handled spatula like he was born to do so, flipping burgers with precision. In his other hand was a set of long-handled tongs, and with those he turned the chicken.
“Wow,” Kelsey commented and Liz followed her eyes.
“That’s my husband Jeffrey. He lives to grill.”
“Kelsey!” Hannah’s voice rang out over the crowd, causing several people to turn to look at the object of her shout. Hannah bounded down the stairs of the deck and threw her arms around Kelsey like she hadn’t seen her in years. “I’m so glad you came,” she said, quieter this time. When she pulled back, her smile was huge and her eyes just a tiny bit glassy. “Yes, I may have had a beer or two,” she said, at Kelsey’s scrutiny. “Or five. The party started hours ago!” She put an arm around Kelsey’s shoulder and squeezed. “I see you’ve met my gorgeous mother.”
“I have,” Kelsey said with a nod and a grin, then handed over the bottle of wine. “Thank you for having me. This is for you.”
Liz took the wine and touched Kelsey’s upper arm. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you. This is lovely.”
“Come with me,” Hannah said, leading Kelsey away. “I’ll bring you to where there are people you know.” She slipped her hand down Kelsey’s arm and clasped her hand.
The crowd was very diverse in age, Kelsey noticed, as they passed different groupings here and there in the yard. Some were Hannah’s parents’ age. Some were a bit younger, probably parents of the kids in the pool...maybe neighbors? Around a table situated under a small tent, a handful of elderly folks sat talking and laughing in the coolness of the shade. In the very back corner of the yard, under another tent, sat a picnic table and a handful of people Kelsey’s age, a few of whom she recognized from softball games, either players or spectators.
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