Page 90 of The Cowboy's Unshakeable Love

“Sure, I’m always up for a girls’ night.”

“Awesome.” Libby looked around the cabin. “This place is gorgeous. I really like what you’ve done with it.”

“Thanks. I’m having so much fun.”

“Good for you. Are you enjoying it enough that you don’t miss your old job?”

She laughed. “Until you just mentioned it, I can honestly tell you that I haven’t given my old job a thought recently. I’m glad it’s behind me.”

“Good for you. Is there any news on your house?”

“There have been a few showings, but nobody interested enough to put in an offer yet. I’m not worried, it’ll sell whenit sells.” As she said the words, it struck her that she was only able to feel so relaxed about the whole process because of Callie. More precisely, because of the very healthy bank account that Callie had set up in her name.

She hadn’t touched any of the money yet – she hadn’t needed to. But just knowing that it was there put a whole new spin on things. She wasn’t worried about when her house might sell. She wasn’t worried about hiring a moving company. She would like to get some of her furniture here at some point, but there was no big rush. She could put it in storage if she wanted to. She could have movers bring it to her. What she didn’t need to do was go through all the stress of trying to figure it out. If she were on her own – emotionally and financially – in the way that she had been for most of her life, she’d be making decisions based on fear and stress. She’d no doubt have sold everything she owned before she’d moved here just to know that she’d have the money in the bank and that she wouldn’t have to make another trip back to Georgia to deal with it.

Libby smiled. “Being here suits you; you seem more relaxed every time I see you.”

“Thanks. I feel more relaxed with every day that passes.” It might not have occurred to her until now, but it was true.

Libby checked her watch. “I can’t stay, I just thought I’d stop in since I was going past. I’ll call you later and let you know what the plan is. If it’s up to me, we’ll go to The Riverside.”

Retta was glad to hear that.

Libby laughed. “I like the Valley Lodge well enough, but I don’t need white tablecloths and expensive wine every time we go out. I’m just as happy with a burger and a beer.”

“Me too,” Retta agreed. “Would you mind if I … No, never mind.”

“If you what?”

“I don’t know, it’s probably a bad idea. I was going to ask if I could invite Shelly.”

“Shelly? Oh! She’s Trip’s new receptionist?”

“That’s her.”

“Is there something going on there? Are they seeing each other?”

Retta shrugged. “I don’t know what the deal is. I’ve met her a couple of times. She’s new in town, and I thought it’d be nice … but … I’m new myself. I don’t want to overstep by inviting more people to come out.”

Libby laughed. “That’s not overstepping! We’re just a group of friends; if we make more friends then that’s awesome. Invite her – but you should probably warn her that Candy and Ari won’t hold back on the questions about what’s going on between her and Trip.”

Retta had to laugh. “What, and you’re saying that you will hold back?”

Libby laughed with her. “You know me better than that. I want to know everything. I’ll tell you what, I’ll set up a group text so that we can all figure out the details of where we’re going and when. You talk to Shelly, and if she’s in, we can add her to the group – so she can get an idea of what she’s in for before we go out.”

“Okay. I’ll give her a call now.”

After Libby had gone, Retta took out her phone and jumped when it started to ring in her hand. She frowned when she saw a 478 area code. That was Georgia, but she didn’t recognize the number. It could be something to do with the house, butall the little hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Instead of answering, she waited for it to stop ringing.

If it was something important, they’d leave a message. She watched her phone suspiciously while she waited. Just when she thought that whoever it was hadn’t left a voicemail, the phone beeped.

She clicked to play, and her eyes widened when she heard, “Hi, Retta. This is Marty Hoffman. Adriana’s dad from school. I hope it’s all right to call you. I was hoping to get an address for you. The girls were sad that they didn’t get to say goodbye to you, and they want to send you a gift. I … err, well, yeah. That’s it. If you could call me back … or just text me if you prefer. I hope things are going well for you. We were all sorry to hear that you won’t be back at school this year. Okay. Thanks. Bye.”

She sat there staring at her phone. That was … weird. Marty was a nice enough guy, but he wasn’t that involved with the cheer squad. Granted, he’d gotten more involved after he and Jamie separated, but even then, he just showed up to a couple of practices and traveled to a handful of games to support his daughter. To Retta’s knowledge, that was the total extent of his involvement. Adriana was a decent enough kid, but if any of the girls was going to organize a leaving gift, Retta doubted that she’d be the one.

She was still staring at her phone when it rang again, making her jump and then laugh, feeling foolish.

“Hey, Trav,” she answered. “Are you on the way?”

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