Page 33 of Trash Talk

Chapter 21

Ruby- The next day

“Hey lady.” HK’s curly blond head pops into my office at the vineyard. Her curves are outrageous, but her face is adorable AF. She’s that perfect mix of girl-next-door and bombshell; she can pull off both looks simultaneously, and it’s a killer combo. She looks effortlessly classy today in a pair of cropped, black chinos, a silky, green, sleeveless button-up and leopard print flats.

“Oh my gosh! When did you get here?” We haven’t seen each other in forever.

“This morning.” I hop up from my desk to hug her neck. “I missed you too,” she grunts out, my hug might be a little strong, but God, I miss her!

She wasn’t meant to come up until Thanksgiving. I wish she’d just move home already. “I’m so glad you popped in; I was trying to find an excuse to grab some lunch. Wanna come with?”

“You know it. Is Em here?”

“She’s probably out walking the property or in the barn. I’ll call her. Then we can all catch up.” I pick up the long-range walkie off my desk, but she puts her hand on mine to stop me.

“I was hoping it’d be just the two of us. There’s something I want to talk to you about, and I don’t know if you’ll want an audience.” Shit. What could HK need to say in private? And without Em, I tell her everything.

We walk down to the café. I ask her about Rob, her boyfriend, and how their clinic is doing. They met at Emory and opened a veterinary office together in Atlanta. I’m expecting them to get engaged any day now. They’ve lived together for years. “So, what are you doing here? I didn’t think you’d be home ‘til the end of November.”

“Yeah, I just came up for a spontaneous girl’s weekend with mom, Ginny and Maggie (her sisters). We’re supposed to be getting our nails done later, then having movie night. Pizza, popcorn, chick flicks. I’d invite you, but…” I laugh, she knows how much I hate chick flicks. But I’d sit through several if it meant spending time together again. “So, I figured if I had time tomorrow you, me, Pop and Em could go out. Maybe go to Depot. Pop told me you’re seeing Knox. Which is nuts!” Now I feel terrible, it’s been a while since I talked to HK. The warmer months get crazy around the vineyard. She knows that, but it doesn’t make me feel like less of a shitty friend.

“Shit, I’m sorry HK. It’s just been crazy busy lately. I keep meaning to call. But yeah. It’s really good.” I don’t even bother to wipe the grin off my face as we grab sandwiches and a drink. We wave to Sophia through the kitchen window before taking a seat in the corner booth.

HK shakes her head, “No worries; I haven’t heard from Em either. I know how it gets around here in the season. I just miss you guys. And I miss being in the loop. But I’m really happy for you, Rubes. I always thought y’all would end up together.” Again, with the ridiculous smile, my face is going to start cramping soon. I’m super happy, but I know what she means.

“Thanks. We miss you too. You talked Rob into opening a second location here yet?”

She smiles again, this one not quite reaching her eyes, “don’t know how we’d do that, we’re both so busy right now as it is, we barely have time for each other. Besides, other than a few farms, Uncle Bradley and Dr. Morris have the entire town’s business. I’d don’t know how people would feel about me splitting it with them; everyone here is so loyal.”

“Yeah, but you’re a local too. I’m sure you’d be killing it in no time.”

“Yeah. Well, you may be on to something. I got a taste of small-town hospitality this morning. Uncle Brad roped me into helping him after his assistant called in sick. I saw several of the towns-people’s pets and after handling it so well he hinted that,” she does a sweeping motion with her hand, “all of this would be mine when he finally decides to retire.” She sighs heavily, “I’ve honestly been thinking about it more and more lately. I’m kinda lonely. My only friends are coworkers. Well, one coworker. Penny doesn't hold my awkwardness against me. And Atlanta’s just so big and anonymous. I miss knowing who my neighbors are. It was fun to see some people today that I haven’t seen since high school.”

“You know we’d love to have you back here. So, yes to a girls’ night tomorrow. I don’t want to get in the way of family time, but it’s been too long since we’ve all been together.”

She nods and takes a bite of her grilled cheese (its gourmet, four cheeses with fresh basil and garlic aioli on sourdough— the café menu has really kicked up a notch since Soph came back to town). HK’s deep in thought and I know we’re about to get to the reason she came to see me, but what she says next shocks the crap out of me.

“So, I kind of overheard something at my uncle’s clinic earlier.” I nod. “I wasn’t trying to listen at first, and I know I wasn’t meant to hear. But once I heard Knox’s name, I kind of eavesdropped a bit.” My stomach sinks at the mention of his name. What now? “Uncle Brad’s vet tech, Jess, was in the side yard with some of the dogs, and she was talking with a woman. I didn’t recognize her voice, but she was talking about Knox, so I crept down low behind the building and opened my ears.”

“What did she say?” I’m pretty sure it’s Brit. I wonder if it’s the same Jess that had a wedding in Charleston this spring. The one that Knox went to, and well, you know.

“Okay, so I had taken one of the dogs out to the yard for some exercise. Bunker; he’s this adorable little spaniel mix. Super hyper, but so sweet. Gives the best puppy kisses.” I know if I don’t stop this tangent, she’ll go on about the dang dog for an hour. Hannah Kate’s a regular bleeding heart where animals are concerned. She did not miss her calling.

“Got it, adorable dog. Eavesdropping,” I raise my eyebrows for her to continue.

“Oh, right, sorry. So, she was talking about how now that she’s past the first trimester, Knox wants a DNA test done and she says she’s nervous it could hurt the baby. And then she started whining about how she couldn’t believe after all the time they’ve known each other that Knox didn’t trust her.” Oh, my God. It is Brit.

“Then I hear Jess say, ‘Let me stop you there. I knew you were pregnant at the wedding, because you didn’t touch a drop of alcohol. Not at the rehearsal dinner or the ceremony. You didn’t even drink your pre-game mimosa. Also, you threw up while we were getting our nails done, and I’m not trying to be rude, but that bridesmaid dress fit a little tight.’ Then she said, ‘so I know for a fact that you are further along than you’re claiming, and that Knox is not the father. You told me that you hadn’t seen or spoken to each other in years. I also know you were seeing someone in Chicago.’ Old girl starts crying and Jess says, ‘you have to tell him the truth. John would kill me if he knew I knew and didn’t say anything. Him and Knox are close.’ Other girl said she knew, and she was scared and didn’t know what to do and then she started sobbing. Like really loudly. Honestly, I couldn’t listen to her cry anymore so, I backed away slowly so they wouldn’t see me. I left and drove straight here. I knew I had to tell you.”

Holy shit. I knew it! I’ve never been more thankful for HK’s perfect recall memory than I am right now. She can be a little awkward in social situations sometimes, but she’s brilliant. Like skipped a grade in school smart. Could’ve skipped more, but she thought it’d be tough to relate to people that weren’t technically her peers (even though none of us were on her level). I’m so glad she came home today. Not just so she could dish dirt, but because I miss her face.

I knew Brit wasn’t above doing something like this. But why? Does she just hate me? And how could she do this to Knox? He’s such a sweetheart. To everyone. He was getting excited about being a father. We don’t deserve this. That sk?la has messed with our happiness too many times now, and I no longer have the patience for her games.

“What are you thinking?” HK is staring at me, gaging my reaction to the news. I’m sure my face looks crazy. But I’m hatching a plan. I need to have a little heart to heart with Ms. Lennard.

“I’m thinking I’m going to use Knox’s phone to lure her somewhere we can talk alone and convince her to tell Knox the truth on her own.”

“And if she refuses?”

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