Page 38 of Sheriff's City Girl

“She’s crazy, so there’s no guarantee,” Dara finished for her mom. “I think that you should just throat punch her if she tries anything.”

“I don’t think I’ll be doing that,” I laughed, hardly being able to imagine acting out anything of the sort. “But maybe I should just add a couple of them to the menu to appease her? I don’t know. I don’t want to start any kind of drama.”

“Good luck with that,” Dara mumbled, her eyes wide as saucers. “If she saw you get flowers from Mason, she’s probably going to be as jealous as ever.”

“She’s married now though,” I countered, looking back to Lily for reassurance.

But she didn’t give me any.

“Look, I don’t know who Brittany is anymore. Like, all that happened over a decade ago—or something like that. I would assume that Brittany is over it, but if she inserted herself into the middle of a conversation with you and Mason… I don’t know. She might be crazy enough to be jealous, husband or not.”

“Great,” I said with a sigh. “Just what I need. Things were finally starting to feel like I might be able to—” I stopped myself before I finished, almost forgetting that Dara had no idea I was pregnant.

“You should still give him a chance. I mean, he brought you flowers today and is taking you out on a date Friday. I think you should just give him a chance before you let some crazy ex mess it all up. And she is married,” Lily said, as if she was trying to convince me it was fine—though part of me wondered if it was really her convincing herself.

“She is crazy,” Dara giggled, somehow finding humor in the entire scenario. That was the way teenagers were, though, and I didn’t hold it against her. Any kind of drama was exciting at sixteen, especially when it involved parents and parents’ friends.

“Yeah, well, I guess maybe I should just work on my throat punching skills,” I joked, shaking my head.

“Ooh, then maybe you’ll get to be cuffed and stuffed by Sheriff Hewitt,” Dara wiggled her eyebrows. “I bet that’s some kind of roleplay fantasy of his.”

“Dara!” Lily scolded her. “Oh my gosh, where the heck do you hear this stuff?”

“I’m sixteen, Mom,” she shot back. “Almost everyone has had sex by now.”

“No! Stop that,” Lily snapped, shaking her head. “I do not want to hear about that. You all are still babies.”

“Well, I’m not a baby,” Dara laughed. “But I haven’t even had a boyfriend yet, so you don’t have to worry about that. No guy looks twice at a girl like me.”

“Oh, I bet they gawk at you all the time,” I said, giving her a reassuring smile. “You’re beautiful, but if it makes you feel better, I didn’t have my first boyfriend until I went to college.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Dara sighed. “Cody is all over Jess, and like all the guys are. She’s super tough and hot. She’s got that dark hair with those stunning blue eyes.”

Just like her dad.

“Yeah, well, you’re blonde with stunning blue eyes, and you’re tough, too,” Lily said, her brow furrowing with concern. “And honestly, who likes guys like Cody, anyway? He sounds like he’s a real douche bag.”

A smile tugged at Dara’s lips. “Well, to be honest, he is a big douche bag. Their parents let them throw parties at their houses, though, and so all the kids put up with their crappy attitudes.” She paused, her eyes bouncing between the two of us. “Don’t worry, I never get invited. I’m a good kid.”

I almost laughed at the way she said the word, but I held back. Someday, she would realize that being the good kid wasn’t such a bad thing to be. Dara was a smart girl, setting herself up for a successful future. However, from everything I knew, Jess was, too… And it was concerning that she was hanging out with a crowd that might cause her to make heavy mistakes.

Lily must’ve been thinking along the same lines as me. “So, is Jess going to these parties?”

Dara bit her lip in response, like she had messed up by telling us what she knew. “Um…”

“Dara,” Lily warned. “If Jess is putting herself in unsafe situations, we need to know.”

“Mason would kill her if he found out she was going to Cody’s parties.” Dara’s voice was weak, and my heart went out to her. We’ve all covered for our friends before—and probably had them cover for us as well.

“Ugh,” Lily said with a sigh. “I can’t believe she’s getting dragged into all that. I swear, Mason works so much that he can’t keep up. She needs someone to be around for her.”

“Yeah, so just marry him, Emma,” Dara turned to me, not an ounce of humor in her voice. “You would be a great mom, and Jess already wants Mason to get with you, anyway.”

Well, that’s news to me.

“You can’t force someone to marry someone,” Lily snorted, shaking her head. “Though I do agree, you will make a phenomenal mom—one of the best.”

“Thanks,” I smiled, enjoying the warmth of the moment with my best friend. However, suddenly, I thought of something. “You know, Graham and some guy named Jerry were talking in the café awhile back—like well over a month ago…”

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