by Cindy Kirk
When those smoky eyes settled on her, Lindsay wondered if Eliza was thinking of Cassie. Both Lindsay and her mother had judged—and condemned—Cassie’s choices. Though Lindsay was still convinced she’d have handled the situation better than her older sister had, she was ashamed now by her lack of compassion.
Lindsay dropped down into the wooden chair next to the desk, mentally overwhelmed and physically exhausted. Over these past couple of days, though her body had craved sleep, she’d found herself lying in bed trying to make sense of her life and coming up empty.
In this single conversation with Eliza, she’d experienced a roller coaster of emotions. At the peak one second, feeling proud of herself for quitting her job. The next second, plunging toward the abyss, ashamed for drifting through life.
Lindsay had once thought there wasn’t anything she couldn’t tell Eliza. But there was one revelation about the person she’d been that she would keep to herself.
She hadn’t been strong, not like Eliza thought. Instead, Lindsay had spent the past ten years waiting for Prince Charming to ride up on his white horse and rescue her from the monotony of her life.
Well, that fairy tale ended today.
The thought of waiting for a man—any man—to save her no longer held appeal.
She would chart her own course.
She would build a good, happy life for herself and her child.
Most important, she would be strong enough to ensure that her daughter grew up surrounded by nothing less than real love.
Fourteen
“When you invited me for dinner, you didn’t mention it was a party.” Lindsay glanced around Eliza’s parlor, a large, spacious room that managed to hit the right note between warmth and elegance.
“Wherever Sarah Rose is, it’s a party.” Ami set the one-year-old on the floor, and the toddler made a drunken beeline for Eliza.
Almost from the time she was born, Sarah Rose had adored the one woman who hadn’t wanted anything to do with her.
Much like the kitty she’d had as a child, Lindsay thought. Her mother hadn’t been fond of felines, but Snookums had loved her. Okay, she’d loved rubbing up against Anita’s legs and depositing cat hair on her clothes.
Her mother had never grown to love the cat.
Eliza, on the other hand, clearly doted on Sarah Rose. She scooped the toddler up into her arms and pretended to toss her back to her mother.
Sarah Rose, glossy dark curls pulled into two high pigtails, squealed with laughter.
“I’m going to let go and you’ll fly like a bird.” Eliza spoke in the teasing voice adults used with children.
Ami held out her arms. “Fly to Mama, sweet girl.”
Instead of giving the child to her mother, Eliza deposited the squirming toddler into Lindsay’s arms.
“Sounds like a party.” Kyle’s amused voice came from the doorway.
Lindsay turned with Sarah Rose in her arms. “That’s what I just told your wife…”
Her voice trailed off when she saw it wasn’t just Kyle and Beck traipsing into the room, but Owen as well.
Slowly and with great care, Lindsay placed Sarah Rose on the floor.
“Mama.” Instead of Ami, the girl ran to her father, her arms outstretched.
“Mama?” Lindsay shifted her gaze to Ami, then to Beck.
“I’m Mama, too.” Beck crouched down and received a big hug and sloppy kiss.
“We’re working on Dada.” Ami’s face glowed at the sight of the two dark heads together. Sarah Rose might have her mother’s green eyes, but her hair was as dark as walnut.
Behind Beck, Owen shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. Though he spoke to Eliza, his gaze kept sliding to Lindsay. “Kyle invited me for dinner. I hope I’m not intruding.”
“I told you, we’ll have plenty.” Kyle spoke before Eliza could respond. “Beck and I couldn’t have gotten those refrigeration units in place without your help.”
“You’re not intruding,” Eliza assured him, while slanting an apologetic glance in Lindsay’s direction. “It’s good to see you again, Owen.”
Lindsay inclined her head slightly, letting her friend know she didn’t have a problem with Owen being here.
Between the time Eliza had invited her over, not only had Ami and her family been added to the guest list, Katherine had appeared, along with Ruby and Gladys.
Apparently, when Katherine had heard Eliza planned to have Lindsay over and was bringing out the fondue pots, she’d not only invited herself, but also her two friends.
The three women had disappeared into the kitchen, grocery sacks in their arms, immediately after they’d arrived.
Lindsay glanced around. “Where is Katherine?”
“She and her friends are getting everything set up in the dining room.” A smile danced in Eliza’s gray depths. “They chased me out of my own kitchen.”
As Eliza explained, Lindsay watched Kyle sneak up behind his wife and wrap his arms around her waist. Eliza’s lips curved as she turned to gaze up at him.
Kyle kissed her softly on the lips, and the newlyweds exchanged a smile filled with such love and promise that Lindsay had to look away.
The only trouble was, when she did, her wandering gaze connected with Owen’s.
Something in the mechanic’s hazel eyes had Lindsay’s heartbeat quickening. Still, she managed to keep her tone even. “How’d you get roped into helping these two?”
She jerked a thumb in the direction of Beck, who was cooing over his little girl, and Kyle, who was cooing over his wife.
Owen crossed the short distance to her. “I ran into Katherine as I was leaving work. She mentioned Beck and Kyle needed help getting your refrigeration units moved and installed at the General Store.”
The fact that he’d shown up to help didn’t surprise her. Owen was always helping someone. What surprised Lindsay was that he’d run into Katherine near the Greasy Wrench. She wondered what Eliza’s cousin had been doing in that part of town.
Before she could ask, Katherine appeared in the doorway leading to the dining room. “Prepare to be wowed.”
“Did she really just say ‘prepare to be wowed’?” Lindsay spoke in a low tone, leaning close to Owen so as not to be overheard.
Feeling eyes on her, Lindsay swiveled her gaze.
In the doorway, Katherine had been joined by Ruby and Gladys. Though Lindsay told herself it was only her imagination, the three appeared to be focused on her and Owen.
With big smiles on their faces.
“Wow.” Owen’s eyes widened as he took in the table.
Lindsay elbowed him. “You did not really just say that.”
“Katherine promised we’d be wowed. She was right.” Owen’s gaze was riveted on the largest display of shrimp Lindsay had ever seen.
When Eliza had waved her guests into the dining room, Ruby had blocked Lindsay by asking a question about her mother. This slight delay had put Owen at her side when they stepped into the parlor. If Lindsay hadn’t known better, she’d think she and her baby’s daddy were being deliberately thrown together.
Even if that was the case, Lindsay wouldn’t complain. She needed someone to hang with this evening. Other than the three older women, everyone else was part of a couple.
Seeing her friends so happy only emphasized the emptiness of her own life. Besides, Owen had done her a big favor in helping Beck and Kyle install her refrigeration units. No, she couldn’t be rude.
“I don’t know where to start.” Lindsay found her attention drawn to the far end of table and the fondue pots of cheese. She loved cheese, any and all kinds.
“There are so many choices.” Owen appeared equally overwhelmed by the selections. “It all looks good.”
Ruby, obviously sensing Lindsay’s interest in the cheese, pointed. “The white pot contains Emmentaler and Gruyère. I rubbed a clove of garlic around the inside of the pot.”
Lindsay cocked her head.
Ruby lowered her voice as if impart
ing a secret. “It gives a hint of the flavor without being too much.”
“What’s in the red pot?” Owen asked.
“Beer and cheese,” Ruby confided. “The other is pimento cheese.”
Unable to resist, Lindsay strolled toward that end of the table, skirting her friends congregated around the main-course pots.
Owen and Ruby followed her.
“I’ve done fondue, but this is a-ma-zing.” Lindsay breathed out the word as she took in the soft pretzel bites, bell peppers, celery and assorted bread cubes.
“We thought most would start with the cheese fondues, not that it matters.” Ruby gestured to the couples filling their plates at the other end of the table. “It appears the shrimp is a hit.”
“They look good.” For a second, Owen looked as if he might join the throng. “What’s in those pots?”
Though Owen hadn’t specifically asked her, Lindsay answered, “Some kind of broth or oils would be my guess.”
Ruby nodded approvingly. “Specifically, roasted garlic broth and coq au vin.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Lindsay saw Ruby catch Gladys’s eye and give her friend the thumbs-up.
Assuming Gladys was the one in charge of the main course, Lindsay flashed her own thumbs-up.
For a second, the older woman appeared startled, then smiled.
“I’ve only had fondue one other time.” Owen turned to Lindsay. “The chocolate fondue at your apartment.”
Ruby’s eyes lit up. “Sounds like fun.”
“Oh, it was fun.” Recalling the night of gluttony, Lindsay gave a little laugh. “We dipped brownie cubes and mini cupcakes in chocolate.”
“Don’t forget the marshmallows.”
“Chocolate and strawberry marshmallows.” Lindsay brought a hand to her stomach, but her smile couldn’t have gotten any wider. “Sugar overload.”
The light in Owen’s eyes told her the memory was as pleasant for him as for her. They’d had some really good times, which was why she’d been stunned when he told her he didn’t want to see her anymore.
Lindsay’s smile slipped away. She turned to Ruby. “Do you recommend the garlic broth for the shrimp?”
Food and weather. Both safe topics. Once she’d depleted the food questions, Lindsay would bring up the recent warmer-than-normal temperatures.
Before answering, Ruby shifted her gaze between her and Owen. The look in her eyes might be assessing, but her voice remained mild when she answered. “Shrimp and scallops for the roasted garlic broth and bites of chicken and cubed beef for the coq au vin.”
“When Eliza asked me over, I expected one fondue pot, maybe two.” Lindsay forced a laugh. “Instead, I find myself at a fondue feast.”
The only thing Lindsay could figure was Katherine and her friends were take-charge women. They must have heard the word fondue and decided to go all out.
It was incredible how, in such a short time, they’d created this wonderful, festive atmosphere. Three months ago, Lindsay would have wanted the evening to never end. Now, she didn’t know how long she’d be able to stay and make polite conversation.
At the moment, she was finding it difficult to even look at Owen. His comment about their private fondue party had brought the memories flooding back. She blinked rapidly as tears flooded her eyes.
Darn hormones.
Keeping her face averted, Lindsay blurted, “Excuse me, please.”
Then she did what she’d sworn she wouldn’t do.
She bolted.
“I should leave, too.” Owen turned to go, but Ruby’s hand on his arm stopped him.
“Lindsay will be back.” The older woman looped her arm through his, the grip as steely as an NFL lineman’s. “The direction she took leads to the restroom, not the front door.”
“Oh.” Owen shifted from one foot to the other. “I didn’t know.”
“I bet she’s hungry. Why don’t you get a plate for her?” Ruby met his gaze, concern in her eyes. “She looked a bit peaked to me.”
Peaked?
Owen had thought Lindsay looked extra pretty tonight. Even dressed casually in jeans and a sweater the color of newly mown grass, she was by far the loveliest woman in the room. He hadn’t taken his eyes off her since he’d first stepped into the parlor.
Had he missed the pallor? Was Ruby right?
He recalled how, when they’d been together, she’d often got so caught up in what she was doing that she forgot to eat. She simply couldn’t continue that practice. Not with the baby coming.
Ruby shadowed him to the buffet table, and he took the china plate she held out.
Even as he added veggies to the plate, his gaze kept drifting to the hallway. Was Lindsay feeling sick? Was that why she’d made such an abrupt exit?
“I should check—”
“There she is.”
While he and Ruby watched, Katherine caught Lindsay’s attention and motioned to her.
But before Lindsay reached Katherine, Eliza intercepted her.
Owen, only a few feet away, remained where he was and watched the curious byplay.
“I saved a place for you,” he heard Eliza tell her friend.
“Lindsay is sitting at my table.” Katherine’s smile might have been pleasant, but her tone brooked no argument. “You see her all the time. Ruby and I are eager to hear her plans for her shop.”
When Eliza hesitated, Katherine added, “With my background in finance and accounting, I’ll be able to give her some business tips.”
Owen waited for Eliza to remind her cousin that while Katherine had an accounting background, Eliza ran her own shop, putting her in the perfect position to offer advice to someone launching a new business.
“I’d love to sit with you and Ruby, Katherine.” Lindsay bestowed a warm smile on the woman.
“Wonderful. It’s settled.” Katherine turned to Eliza and made a shooing gesture. “You have guests to tend to, my dear.”
“We’ll catch up later.” Lindsay gave Eliza’s arm a squeeze and followed Katherine to a small table festively decorated with bright red napkins. “Will Gladys be joining us?”
The question carried easily to where Owen stood. He assumed the answer was yes. In Good Hope, it was often said if you saw one woman, the other two weren’t far behind.
Before Katherine could answer, Ruby grabbed his arm and tugged him forward.
“Actually”—Katherine smiled broadly as Ruby’s fingers dug deeper into his forearm—“the seats at this table are already taken. Owen is joining us.”
“Is that okay with you, Lindsay?” Owen paused, his free hand on the back of the chair. “If you’d prefer to catch up with Gladys, I understand.”
He was giving her an out, Lindsay realized.
Owen was willing to find a spot at another table. But where would that be? Lindsay knew how it felt to be the only single in a group of couples.
“Of course it’s okay with me.”
“I got these for you.” Owen shoved a plate of veggies at her. “You’re probably hungry.”
When Lindsay took the china plate, her fingers brushed against his. Electricity zipped up her arm.
Lindsay resisted the urge to sigh. She’d hoped this connection would dull over time. So far, that hadn’t happened. “You’re very considerate.”
Ruby patted Owen’s back. “He’s also a fine man.”
“And a real hottie,” Katherine added, her eyes twinkling.
Lindsay swore she heard Owen groan.
Not wanting to see the look in his eyes, she averted her gaze and took a step.
Katherine and Ruby inhaled sharply.
“You’re leaving?” The horror in Katherine’s voice both puzzled and amused Lindsay.
“Just to get some cheese sauce for the veggies.” Lindsay slanted a glance at Owen. “Want to help me?”
Relief skidded across his face. “Sure.”
Once they reached the buffet table and were out of earshot of the two older women, Owen turned to her. “I
s it just me, or are they acting strangely?”
He didn’t have to say who the “they” were, not when his gaze flicked briefly to the table they’d recently left.
Lindsay added a dollop of pimento cheese to her plate. “I think they’re simply trying to be good hostesses. You know, making sure everyone is happy and getting along.”
Those beautiful hazel eyes met hers. “We’re getting along.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “We are.”
His shoulders relaxed as he added beer cheese to the plate he picked up. “The crazy thing is, this is Eliza and Kyle’s place, not their home.”
“You and I have known these women for years.” In addition to the cheese, Lindsay added pumpernickel bread cubes to her plate. “Does anything they do surprise you?”
Owen chuckled. The last of the tension between them dissolved.
“That looks good.” Ami appeared on the other side of the table. She took a red pepper strip from Lindsay’s plate and dipped it in the pimento cheese.
“Hey.” Lindsay slapped playfully at her hand. “Get your own.”
Ami laughed. “Why is it that what someone else has always looks better than what’s on your own plate?”
Lindsay thought of Ami and Beck, of the home and the love they shared. Yes, what was on other people’s plates often did look better.
“Thank you for helping Beck and Kyle.” Ami shifted her attention to Owen. “It sounds as if those refrigeration units were a lot heavier than they looked.”
“Beck and Kyle could have handled it.” His gaze slid to Lindsay. “But I was happy to help. I’m happy to help in any way I can.”
Ignoring Ami’s speculative glance, Lindsay lifted her plate. “This all looks so good. I can’t wait to dive in.”
Before they could head back to the table, Gladys wandered over.
“Can I interest anyone in a glass of wine?” Gladys held a bottle of one of Eliza’s highly prized vintages in one hand and a bottle of sparkling grape juice in the other.