Call it fate, p.16
Call it Fate, page 16
I looked toward a table near the entrance and saw Harriet Bergenstock, the woman who would unfairly go down in Sterling Mill history as the creator behind the Derby Day Debacle. She’d planned it for years and it had always gone off without a hitch. But that wouldn’t be remembered, at least as long as Beverly Seymour had a voice. Their rivalry was legend.
“I was hoping to see you sometime. I heard you’re the one taking my place as the committee chair for Derby Day.” She peered over her half glasses at me, causing me to feel like a little girl who was about to be yelled at by the librarian for being too loud.
I cleared my throat. “It seems that way, yes.”
Harriet grunted. “Well, I guess you’ll do. At least she’s not planning it herself.” She glanced at her peers. “Can you imagine what she’d plan? She’d probably have some kind of pie or flower competition.”
Not bad ideas, I thought, trying not to be offended by her first statement. But, of course, I kept my mouth shut. “Beverly mentioned you have a notebook with a list of past sponsors and other things. Would you be willing to share it with me?”
Her mouth set in a hard line. “Of course, she did. She’s hoping if I give it to you, she can steal all my hard work and use it for the Bluegrass Festival that she’s in charge of. She’s miffed her barbecue sauce isn’t as good as mine.” Harriet peered at the rest of the ladies at the table. “That woman couldn’t make a good sauce if it came out of a bottle.” Her friends quickly nodded their agreement.
She was referring to our fall celebration, Milling About Barbecue and Bluegrass Festival. I kept my mouth closed. There was no way I was getting involved in their quarrel.
She peered through her glasses that sat on the end of her sharp nose, and I was quickly regretting I’d brought up the subject. “I’ll tell you what.”
Her voice chattered on, but I’d stopped hearing anything. I’d finally spied a familiar dark-haired head at a back table, already engrossed in a conversation. I narrowed my eyes as I saw him laugh and smile brightly at the blonde whose back was to me, but even from behind, there was no mistaking the pretty figure that was shown off by a pair of very skinny jeans and an off-the-shoulder sweater.
“Emalee, are you listening to me?”
“Huh?” I swung my eyes back to Mrs. B, who frowned at me. “I said I’ll drop some of my notes off to you this week. My gracious, girl, I hope you pay more attention to the derby details than you have to me.”
I heard the admonition in her voice. “I’m sorry, Mrs. B. I’m supposed to meet someone here, and I just saw him.”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh, a him, hmm?” Her eyes followed the direction of my stare. “I see.” She looked at her cronies. “You know, when I was a young woman, a man would never settle for meeting me somewhere. He’d show up at the door with flowers and—”
“Excuse me, Mrs. B.” I sent her a quick smile. “I need to go.” I left her to commiserate the downfall of modern youth with her friends and marched toward the back of the diner.
The blonde turned just enough to confirm my suspicions; it was Trinity Brown. There weren’t many people in this town I didn’t get along with, but she was one of them. She’d been the Queen Bee in high school, and those she didn’t like definitely felt her sting.
Even though I did my best to avoid her, she still made my school years unpleasant. She was pretty, but beneath the makeup and nice clothes was an ugly shrew. I watched as she threw her head back and laughed, resting her paw—I mean hand—on Zach’s shoulder.
A few steps behind Trinity, Zach saw me. I felt a mild satisfaction when his emerald eyes lit up with a smile that was more genuine than the polite one he gave the woman who was doing her best to flirt, her efforts growing bolder the less he responded. It was typical Trinity.
“Sunshine, about time you got here.” He stood and took a step toward me, forcing Trinity to take a step backward. She spun around in a whirlwind of heavy perfume and attitude.
“Emalee,” she purred, linking her hand through Zach’s arm. “Have you met our new vet? We were just having a private conversation.”
“How nice.” The sarcasm in my voice seemed to go right over her head. “I’m here for a lunch date.”
“Really?” She pretended to look around. “With who?”
“You’re currently making a fool of yourself with him.” I turned to Zach. “Sorry I’m late.”
“No worries,” Zach answered, taking my hand and pulling me in for a kiss on my cheek. I was tempted to turn so he got my lips, but I didn’t want to play games with him, even though it would have served a dual purpose of getting a one-up on Trinity. But I didn’t remove my arm from where it had landed around his waist when he’d greeted me with that kiss.
Sparks flew from Trinity’s eyes as she raked them over me. She swung wide eyes toward Zach, who was still looking at me with a slight smirk. “I don’t understand.”
Of course, she didn’t. It would never occur to her that any man would choose anyone over her, despite it happening several times. I braced myself as she shifted her gaze back to me. Her chin jutted out, and a shrewdness darkened her eyes.
“I see. Well, it’s lovely as always to see you, Emalee. You should stop by my shop sometime. I’m sure we could find you something that doesn’t look so,”—she paused and wrinkled her nose—“so maternal. How is your little rugrat anyway?”
She glanced up at Zach. “Em was quite the talk of the town a few years back, coming home…disgraced, if you know what I mean.” She whispered the last part as she was embarrassed for me, but there was a look of triumph in her heavily mascaraed blue eyes.
“Your concern for my wellbeing is appreciated,” I said dryly. “And Iain is great, thank you.”
“He most certainly is, baby.” Zach’s warm voice flowed over me like honey over a hot biscuit, coating me with a sense of warmth and sweetness that soothed the sting of Trin’s words. Then he not so subtly brushed Trin aside to usher me to the side of the booth opposite where he’d been sitting. “If you’ll excuse us.”
Trin’s eyes went back and forth between the two of us, and suddenly, her eyes opened wide. “Oh, my god. You’re the rugrat’s father, aren’t you? Now it makes sense.” Her laugh was almost giddy as if she’d just solved a mystery of why anyone would choose me over her. “I mean, why else would you pick…”
Her words faded as Zach crossed his arms and glared at her. I was glad to see not even Trin was dumb enough to finish that sentence.
“I have to go. Enjoy your little lunch.” She wiggled her fingers at us like we were old friends and swung around, her huge purse barely missing a waitress carrying a large tray of hot food.
Zach and I stared at each other before bursting into laughter and settling into the booth across from each other. The same waitress who was nearly taken out by Trin’s purse took our order.
“So, how’s your new place?” I asked.
“It’s fine.”
“You don’t sound very convincing.”
He grimaced. “It’s a nice house. Very modern. But I miss the sound of running feet, sudden laughter, and even hearing the water run through pipes.”
I heard the loneliness in his voice. “You know, you’re welcome to come by anytime.”
“Careful. I’ll be there all the time when I’m not working.”
Why did that thought make me happy? “Seriously, Zach. We’ll work something out.” We’re going to have to regardless.
We chatted about several things after that. It was more like the easy conversations we used to have. He told me how he’d ended up going to vet school and shared some funny stories about some of the animals he’d treated.
He shared a more emotional story of how he’d met a homeless veteran who had a dog, both living out of the guy’s car. Zach said he gained a new perspective from the man when he saw how the dog provided the vet with a reason to get up each morning. He recognized an opportunity and started an organization to match pets from animal shelters with returning warriors. He’d been traveling around meeting with various organizations to set it up when I’d tried to find him to tell him I was pregnant.
I shared stories of Iain growing up. We ate up the information faster than we ate our lunch, and the time passed quickly and easily.
“Is it just me or are people staring at us?” Zach looked around the diner curiously.
I glanced around, and sure enough, I caught more than a few tables looking our way. I turned back to Zach and shrugged. “I guess they’re talking about the guy who calmed Mayor Sterling down.” But a funny feeling niggled at me that there was more to it.
The mystery was solved when none other than Ruth herself showed up at our table. The spunky, gray-haired owner of the diner beamed at us. “I hope your meal was to your liking,” she said.
We both praised our respective meals. There was never anything to complain about Ruth’s southern-style, rib-sticking meals.
She leaned a little closer and dropped her voice. “Well, I just wanted to let you know that troublemaker Trinity started a rumor going around that our new local hero is actually your young’un’s daddy.” I saw the curiosity in her eyes, but I knew Ruth well enough to know she was giving me an honest heads-up. She peered at Zach with sharp eyes. “I can see for myself it’s likely true.”
Zach held her gaze. “I am Iain’s dad. It’s a personal story, but I’m not going to hide it.”
Ruth gave a quick nod. “Good. I like you. A man should be proud of his family. And you’ve got a good one.” Her eyes swept over me. “Both of them.”
Zach’s smile was even more rib-sticking than Ruth’s food. “I know.”
“Well, alrighty then. You folks enjoy the rest of your day. Lunch is on the house.” She left before we could protest.
“I guess we know what they’re talking about.” Zach’s forehead puckered.
I shook my head. “Welcome to a small town. It’s like the ultimate game of telephone we played as kids. They’ll get the gist of the story right, but it will be interesting to see what embellishment they add.”
“We know the truth, and that’s all that matters.”
I was glad to see he wasn’t bothered about being the topic of gossip. “But, we still have a problem.”
Zach frowned. “What’s that?”
I sent him an exasperated look. “Our timeline to tell Iain just moved up.”
“Well, that’s a simple solution. We tell him.”
I swallowed hard. Everything was changing so fast. “You’re right. When?”
“The sooner the better.”
That was easy for him to say. He had everything to gain. I, on the other hand, was worried I had something to lose.
Zach must have sensed my trepidation, but instead of being irritated, he reached his hand across the table to clasp mine. “It will be all right, sunshine, you’ll see. We’re going to make this work.”
“But how, Zach? You have a life in Charlotte, and mine and Iain’s are here.”
“I don’t know all the details yet. Yes, there will be adjustments for all of us. But, what I do know is that we’ll do it together.”
I turned my hand upward to entwine my fingers with his.
“So, when should we tell him?” he asked.
I drew a deep breath. “How about tonight?”
Chapter 23
Zach
* * *
Never had an afternoon passed so slowly. The closer the clock hands got to four o’clock, the slower they moved. I was excited to see Iain again and tell him the truth of how much I already loved him. Right now, I felt like a guest in his life, but soon, I’d be able to settle into the role of nurturer and provider.
I could tell word spread as quickly as Em had warned. A few patients had stared at me quizzically, and a couple had even tried to bring up the topic, but I’d quickly maneuvered all conversations back to their pet.
Finally, the last appointment came and went. Lucy closed up the computers and switched the phone over to the emergency clinic in the next county.
She and the techs left, and I was about to turn off the lights when the door burst open with a wham. I looked up, about to apologize for not being able to help, but the man who walked in hadn’t brought a pet.
He wore faded jeans and a flannel button-down over a thermal shirt and a pair of scuffed work boots with remnants of mud splashed on the sides of the soles. He was tall, maybe even an inch or so taller than me, but also broad-shouldered. And whereas I worked out and lifted weights, something made me think he earned his muscles from hard labor.
But most noticeable was the anger that radiated from him like a nuclear reactor. His fists clenched slightly at his sides, and if looks could kill, I’d probably already be six feet under.
“Can I help you?” Somehow, I managed to keep my voice calm, even while I grabbed my phone.
“That depends. Are you Zach Abbott?” Instead of the bluster I expected, his voice was surprisingly quiet.
I crossed my arms and held my ground. “I am.”
“Then yeah, you can help me by standing there while I pummel your ass.”
What the fuck? “Who are you, and what the hell do you mean?”
Before he could answer, the door opened again, and a woman burst through. She clutched the doorknob and bent over, panting as her wild eyes searched and found us.
“Chase Henry Allen, you stop right there,” she gasped.
The man’s expression grew sullen. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Sure, if you call threatening someone doing nothing,” I muttered.
The woman gasped, then glared at the man, who only slightly relaxed his fists. “We talked about this.”
He glared back. “We didn’t talk at all. You yammered at me, and I ignored you.”
She drew herself up, a vision of about five foot six, dark blonde fury in high heels, wearing some kind of wrap-around blue dress that brought out the blue of her eyes. The door slammed shut as she advanced on him. The top of her head barely reached his shoulders. “Listen, you big behemoth, stop with the scary man act. You know you wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
He gaped at her. “But he doesn’t know that. At least, he didn’t.”
I breathed a little easier. “Who are you people?”
The blonde firecracker spun around. “I apologize on his behalf. I’m Cameron Allen, and this big jerk, I’m sorry to say, is my twin brother, Chase.”
The names circulated in my head until I realized where I recognized them from. I uncrossed my arms and scratched the back of my head instead, trying to figure out this puzzle. “You’re Emalee’s cousins?”
“That’s us.”
I held my hand out to her. “You, I’m pleased to meet.” I jerked my head toward Chase. “Not so sure about him.”
“Oh, just ignore him. He’s bent out of shape because he’s been wanting to deck you for seven years.”
Ahh. Now I got it. “I’ll give you one shot because I’m sure you think I deserve it, but after that, be warned. I’ll fight back.”
His eyes lit up, and his hand curled back into a fist. I braced myself, but the blow didn’t come because Cam once again stood between us.
“Would you stop that?” her brother whined. “He told me I could, so fair game.”
Cam’s next exhale was drawn out as she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “If you want to explain to Iain why you punched his dad and gave him a black eye, by all means, go ahead. But when he’s mad at you, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
At Iain’s name, all his bluster seemed to seep out. “Shit,” he mumbled.
“Look,” I interjected, “I don’t know what Em’s told you, but we’re working things out. I know you only heard her side of the story. Maybe someday, you’ll be willing to hear mine. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done to support both of them. But now that I’ve found them, I’m not letting anyone get between me and my son.”
“And Emalee?”
“That’s between me and her.”
“Huh,” he huffed. “Okay then. But if you hurt either of them again…”
I nodded. The message was clear. “If I do, I promise I’ll hold still, and you can beat my ass.”
His mouth twitched. “Fair enough.”
I wiggled my finger between the two of them. “So, twins? Really?”
She grinned. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I got all the brains, and he got all the size.”
“Hey, I’m smart,” he groused.
“Today would prove otherwise.” She turned back to me.” So, the reason we’re here, other than to punch people,” Cam said, eyeballing Chase, “is we were at the coffee shop and overheard a rumor that Iain’s daddy was in town. We were headed to The Dogtrot to warn Em, but this oaf took off in a different direction, leaving me to chase after him.”
She narrowed her eyes at her brother as she whipped off one of her heeled shoes and shook it at him. “By the way, I ruined my heels. You owe me a new pair. These are expensive, and they’re one of my favorite pairs!”
He stared back at her. “No one made you run in heels. Besides, you say that about all your shoes. You’ve got a closet full of them. I’m not buying you another pair.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and poked him in his stomach with her elbow. I caught the look of affection on his face as he grinned back at her. I could tell these were good people, the kind I wanted in Iain’s life, the kind that would go to bat for him, had already, in fact, while I wasn’t here. I liked to think that maybe I could be friends with them, too, but time would tell.
“Em and I are planning to tell him tonight.”
“Oh. Well, that’s great. You should come with them to the farm one Sunday when we have a family brunch. We don’t always behave like Neanderthals, contrary to the opinion we may have given you today.”
“Hey! It’s my farm. I get to do the inviting,” Chase said.
Cam stuck her tongue out at him, making me chuckle. She tapped her foot as she looked at her twin expectantly. I liked her. The women in this family were strong.
Chase wrinkled his nose at her. “Fine.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “You can come if you want.”
