Written in the Stars

by LuAnn McLane

  “I’m not getting riled up!” Grace said in a very riled-­up voice.

  “Right,” Sophia said. “And you keep glancing over to where that chick is trying to flirt with Mason.”

  “Not fair. But who is that girl, anyway? Should I go over there and bump her out of the way?”

  “Yes, I dare you.”

  “Oh, stop it,” Grace said, but kind of wanted to.

  Sophia laughed. “Oh, Grace, I’m so glad you’re here. We need to find time to hang out more.”

  Grace smiled at her sister. “Yeah, we do. So do you want to join us?”

  Sophia bit her bottom lip.

  “What? Oh, are you with someone?”

  “Not...with...with.”

  “Ha, meaning, you are.” Grace gave Sophia’s shoulder a little shove. “You little minx, you’re holding out on me. Who is he?”

  Sophia nodded in the direction of the pool tables. “Avery Dean. He comes into the bistro pretty often.”

  “Oh, let me think. I wonder why?”

  “The food! It is a restaurant, in case you’ve forgotten. Oh, don’t give me that look.”

  “What, you mean the look you gave me earlier?”

  “He’s just a friend, Grace.”

  “And super cute,” Grace said. Indeed, Avery Dean was another sexy country boy.

  “Stop looking at him or he will know I’m talking about him,” Sophia said in an urgent whisper. “He’s a friend of Danny’s.”

  “Then most likely a good guy, right?”

  Sophia flicked a sideways glance in Avery’s direction. “Yes, but he’s coming off a broken engagement. I don’t want to be a rebound girl, so I’m keeping my distance. We’re just hanging out now and then.”

  Grace looked at Sophia and nodded. “Smart. And you’re going back to New York after Mattie can come back to the bistro full-­time, right?”

  Sophia nodded, but Grace noticed enough of a hesitation before the nod to wonder if staying in Cricket Creek had crossed her mind as well. “I mean, I’ve built a big clientele by specializing in weddings and big events. What would I do here in Cricket Creek? There’s just one local salon and the regular chains on the outskirts of town.”

  “So you’ve thought about it?”

  “Well, Lily sort of changed everything, you know?”

  “Oh, I know. I need to get over to see her and pry her out of Mum’s arms.” Grace nodded, but then put a hand on Sophia’s shoulder. “Wait—­do you think Mum will actually move here?”

  Sophia shrugged. “I really don’t think she can stay away from Lily for any length of time. I asked her about it yesterday when she helped me out at the bistro, and she said that she is thinking about going back and forth with Mattie and Garret when Garret films Sing for Me in London.”

  “Wow,” Grace said. “But I guess it makes perfect sense. She’d been cutting way back at BGC, unless you count the new baby line. She’s all over that one. But seriously, after all she’s been through, maybe it’s about time that she sat back and did whatever the hell she wanted to do, or nothing at all, instead of working insane hours.”

  “Hey, I agree one hundred percent. And I really wish she could find somebody...a good guy, you know?”

  “Oh, me too. Somebody down to earth and not some wanker who wants to be with her for material reasons. Do you think a bloke like that even exists?”

  “In a small town like this? Yeah, I think so. I tried to get Mom out with me tonight, but she’s watching Lily while Mattie and Garret have dinner at Wine and Diner. Mattie was getting a little bit of cabin fever and needed to get out.”

  “Or did Mum convince Mattie she had cabin fever so she could babysit?”

  Sophia laughed. “Maybe a little bit of both. Have you been to Wine and Diner yet?”“

  “No, but I heard that the food is fabulous. We should go soon, maybe after a day of shopping?”

  Sophia nodded. “For sure. Oh hey, Avery is motioning for me. I think he wants me to play some pool with him.”

  “Do you play?”

  “Not all that well, but yeah, I get a lucky shot in now and then. Do you and Mason want to take us on?”

  “No.” Grace shook her head. “I embarrassed myself enough trying to two-­step. The only step I did was on Mason’s feet, and it was more than twice. I did, like, the ten-­step.”

  Sophia tossed her head back and laughed. “God, I’ve missed you so much.”

  “Me too! You’d be good at line dancing, though, and you’re dressed for the part.”

  “Oh, I’ve seen couples doing it here before. It does look like fun.”

  “We’re still talking about dancing, right?”

  “Grace! Do you even have a filter?”

  “Chill, I was only kidding.”

  “And it does look fun. So does line dancing.”

  “Ha, easy for you to say. You possess something called rhythm, and all I got was the blues.”

  “Hey.” Sophia tilted her head. “You doing okay?” she asked gently.

  “It was a joke,” Grace said. “I’m fine.”

  “Good,” Sophia said, and the love and concern in her sister’s eyes went straight to her heart. While Sophia always had a pretty even-­keeled disposition, Grace knew now that she suffered from bouts of depression from time to time, and that’s when she became restless and needed a change. Her humor and upbeat demeanor masked her moods, and a new project always chased away the clouds and brought her sunny disposition back. “I think I’ll sit this one out, but do come over when you’re finished and introduce me to cutie-­pie Avery with the dark curly hair.”

  “Will do. And don’t forget I want to shop. Maybe tomorrow? Shane and Laura Lee are going to work the bistro for me, so I get a day off, and Mattie is coming in for a little while. But yeah, we need to catch up.”

  “We do.” Grace pressed her cheek to Sophia’s and then watched her sister sashay over there in her cowgirl getup, looking like she fit right in here at Sully’s. Although Sophia spent time in London, she’d never lived there for any length of time so never picked up much of an English accent like Grace and Garret. As soon as Grace opened her mouth and spoke anywhere in the States, everyone seemed to want to listen and more often than not try to speak back to her with an accent. It used to drive her bonkers, but she no longer cared about such trivial things. Sweating the small stuff was something her father did, and it was a challenge to purge letting little things get to her, but she’d succeeded.

  A moment later, Mason walked her way with her drink. “Sorry it took me so long. I haven’t been out lately, and everyone wanted to know how the brewery was coming along. Pete Sully wants to have a couple of varieties on tap here, so we need to keep that in mind.”

  “Excellent.”

  Mason handed her the shot, which was more the size of a cocktail. When he saw her eyes widen, he laughed. “That’s how we do it round here.”

  “Are you having one too?”

  “Not one of those girly cake things, but yeah.” He held up his glass. “Good Kentucky bourbon. Straight, no chaser.”

  “Can we get a taxi?”

  Mason laughed. “Well, if you’re lucky, Bubba will answer, if he’s in the mood.”

  “Bubba?”

  “The only taxi service in Cricket Creek. Once he falls asleep, you’re out of luck.”

  “Wow.” Grace found it hard to believe that there were places where you couldn’t hail a taxi when you needed one.

  “Pete’s son, Clint, runs a free shuttle most weekends. It’s a little bit of a walk, but we can hoof it to the marina from here.”

  “Seriously? On the main road out there?”

  “I know a shortcut.”

  “Are you suggesting through the woods?”

  “Are you afraid, my little city slicker?”

  �
��Yeah, but probably not after I toss back this giant shot of pineapple-­flavored deliciousness.”

  Mason laughed and tapped his glass to hers again. “Let’s do it.”

  Grace tried but could only get through half of the pineapple-­upside-­down-­cake shot before making a face and coughing. “Holy moly,” she said, but when Mason showed her his empty glass, she polished hers off.

  “How do you feel?”

  “Like maybe I can two-­step,” she said, and of course he immediately held his hands out in invitation. Laughing, Grace gave the quick-­quick, slow-­slow her best effort and actually got the hang of it by the end of the song.

  “Want to try for a spin?” Mason asked close her ear.

  “Let’s not tempt fate,” she said and, holding his hand, followed him off the dance floor.

  Friends of Mason’s stopped by their table, friendly, but Grace could feel their curiosity, and she was rather amused by it. Her accent seemed to fascinate them, and she found herself nudging Mason beneath the table while trying to keep a straight face. At one point he reached over and held her hand, and although she didn’t skip a beat, the gesture went straight to her heart. How could such a simple gesture feel so wonderful?

  “Did you know my sister is over there playing pool with Avery Dean?” Grace asked in a casual tone, but when Mason rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand, she thought she might slither right off the barstool.

  “No, I didn’t realize Sophia was here.”

  Grace leaned closer to him. “Yeah, they’re going to join us when they’re finished. Sophia says she’s just friends with him, but I think she might be sweet on him. Do you know Avery?”

  “Not real well. He’s Danny’s age, but from what I know of him, he seems like a pretty nice guy.” Mason nibbled on the inside of his cheek. “Does Sophia know that Avery was engaged not too long ago?”

  “Yes.” When Grace nodded, he squeezed her hand.

  “Good, as long as she is aware of that fact. I wouldn’t want her to get hurt.”

  “Me neither,” Grace said, but she was touched by the fact that Mason was looking out for her sister. She remembered that Garret had said that Mattie’s brothers were super protective of her, and it only reiterated what she already knew. The Mayfields were good people. Grace smiled, but fear sneaked back inside her brain.

  “Don’t,” Mason said.

  “What?” Grace asked innocently, but she knew he was seeing right though her.

  “Don’t think. Don’t worry. Just feel, Gracie. The rest will take care of itself.”

  Grace nodded, but felt emotion well up in her throat. What was up with the whole tearing-­up thing anyway? She cleared her throat and took the last tiny sip of her giant shot.

  “Want another one?”

  “Yeah, but you will have to give me a piggyback ride home. And I don’t think I will manage to walk the dock without incident. I have a hard enough time sober.”

  “I don’t mind,” Mason said, and the lovely thing was that Grace knew he meant it. “Or I could get Danny to come and give us a lift. He owes me quite a few.”

  “Okay, let’s throw caution to the wind and do one more.” She held up her index finger. “One. I am quite annoying when I get pissed.”

  “Angry?”

  “Oh, British slang for drunk. My voice gets an octave higher. Sophia calls it my drunken voice and it’s really super annoying. I can’t control it either. You might toss me into the river.”

  Mason laughed. “Never.”

  “You say that now...”

  He laughed again, and Grace loved the sound of it. “You keep thinking that I’m going to change my mind about a lot of things, but I’m not.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  “Yeah, we’ll see,” he said confidently. When she’d first met Mason, he seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. And right now he seemed so at ease. She liked to think she was partly responsible for his good mood. Of course, his good humor might change just a bit when he saw the witch-­themed decorations she’d ordered for the taproom. Cauldrons used as beer pitchers were going to be so brilliant, but she somehow didn’t think Mason would agree. But maybe he’d finally concentrate on the brewing end and leave the rest up to her. “Another one, then?”

  “Oh, why the hell not?” She’d worry about business tomorrow. Tonight was all about cutting loose and having fun.

  “I’ll be right back with your drink. Look at the menu and pick out something to eat. The wings are good here, just so you know.”

  “Oh, I love buffalo wings,” she said. “The hotter the better.”

  “Ah, a girl after my own heart,” he said, and then turned away.

  Grace watched him weave his way through the crowd, thinking that she wasn’t after his heart. She hadn’t come here to find love at all, but wasn’t that the way life worked? Love when you least expected it?

  With a sigh, she opened the menu and was trying to decide between wings sauces when her phone pinged. Grace swiped her finger across the screen and looked down to see a selfie of her mum holding Lily. Her mother looked radiant and happy. While Grace knew that the big smile stemmed from the joy of holding her granddaughter, there was something relaxed in her mother’s expression that Grace hadn’t seen in a while. Maybe never. Grace laughed at the next picture, with Garret photobombing behind the rocking chair.

  Being near her family felt wonderful in ways that Grace had forgotten and had dearly missed. She knew that Sophia had gotten the pictures as well and looked across the room to see her sister tipping her head back with laughter. Leaning on his pool stick, Avery leaned close and gazed down at Sophia’s phone. Smiling, Avery looped his arm over Sophia’s shoulder and squeezed. The gesture was brief, and Sophia gave him a shy smile, but her sister’s gaze lingered on Avery when he bent over and took his shot. Grace felt a flash of worry for Sophia. Falling for someone on the rebound was never a good idea. She was glad that they were getting together to shop so they could talk.

  When Mason returned to the table with the drinks, Grace showed him the pictures.

  “Oh, that’s so awesome. Your mother must be over the moon, just like mine.”

  “She’s having a ball,” Grace said. She almost added that she didn’t know how her mother was ever going to leave Cricket Creek, but she pointed to the menu instead. “Hot wings and extra ranch and celery sticks. Sound good?”

  “Perfect, and I’m not talking about the wings.”

  “Oh, it’s the extra ranch that put you over the top,” Grace said calmly, even though her heart kicked it up a notch.

  Mason tapped his glass to hers. “How’d you know?”

  “Good guess, I suppose.”

  “Good, I plan on keeping you guessing.”

  Grace wasn’t quite sure what to make of that, but before she could ask, he pulled her up from her seat. “What are you doing?”

  “Claiming my slow dance.”

  “But what about the wings?”

  “The wings can wait.”

  “You’re quite the bossy pants tonight,” Grace said, but was secretly glad to be back in his arms. They swayed to a country song and Mason sang the love song in her ear. “You have a nice voice,” she said.

  “Hey, I can sing, I can dance, and I brew kick-­ass beer. What more could you ask for?”

  “Knitting. I love a man who knits,” Grace said in the most serious tone she could muster.

  “I’ll have to work on that one,” Mason said without skipping a beat. “But I will learn how.”

  Grace had to laugh, but in truth she somehow believed him.

  13

  Against All Odds

  BECCA READ THROUGH THE SHEPHERD’S PIE RECIPE SHE’D pulled up on her tablet again and let out a long sigh. “Oh, there are so many steps and so many ways for it to go all wrong.” S
he shook her head. “Why did I say I’d cook dinner when I haven’t prepared a meal in a hundred years?” Of course she knew why. Cooking was the last thing Jimmy Topmiller had expected her to offer to do. She’d experienced instant regret after the invitation, but now she was stuck with the task, and he was due to arrive in less than two hours. Maybe she should do the classic thing and head up to Wine and Diner for takeaway. She’d put the meal in her own dish and he would be none the wiser, right?

  With a groan she eyed the red wine she’d purchased to put in the gravy and decided that she needed a glass before tackling the task. There was a time when she enjoyed preparing a meal. Her mum had been a great cook, nothing fancy, but good stick-­to-­your-­ribs classic English recipes like bangers and mash, toad in the hole, and steak-­and-­ale pies. Oh, and her mum’s sponge cakes were to die for but something Becca had never mastered. She’d tried, but always ended up with a sheet cake as dry as cardboard that ended up in the bin.

  “Brown the ground beef. Easy enough.” When she’d first married Rick, she’d been a decent cook, full of newlywed trial and error. But Jimmy wasn’t her husband and she just knew he was banking on her failure. Ha, well, she’d show him, all right. She got out the cutting board and eyed the onion. She hoped so, anyway.

  Becca took a healthy sip of the wine and smacked her lips together. “Well, Jimmy, odds are in your favor, but I’ve beaten the odds quite a few times in my life.” With a quick nod, she dusted her hands together. “Let’s give this thing a go.” After putting Pandora on the British Invasion station, she went to work.

  Two hours later the kitchen was a complete disaster and she had a bit of a wine buzz going, but the shepherd’s pie was in the oven. “Ha, success, Jimmy Topmiller,” she said, humming along with “Hard Day’s Night.” Well, she hoped so anyway. The true test would be when it came out of the oven all nice and bubbly around the edges. “And I’ve been workin’ like a dog,” she sang, and then tilted her head to the side. “Oh, hey, was that a knock at the door?” She tucked a lock of hair that had escaped her bun behind her ear and sang, “I hear you knocking...,” but then trailed off. “Wait a minute.”