Page 61 of Just My Luck

What other lies was my father hiding?

TWENTY-TWO

SLOANE

“What about this one?”Sylvie held out the long skirt of an expensive-looking white chiffon dress on a wooden hanger.

After kidnapping me, I rode with Sylvie as she dropped her son off with her husband, Duke, and we’d made our way to a dress boutique in Kalamazoo. It was then she broke the news that the meddlesome biddies in town had negotiated a hostile takeover and demanded a wedding shower.

I had always been curious about the secretive group of women. It seemed that the Bluebirds were the heartbeat of Outtatowner and were wholly unaffected by the long-standing feud between the King and Sullivan families. I was sure they’d never take credit, but I also suspected they were the reason behind the lack of gossip regarding my best friend and her new husband.

But still . . . a wedding shower?

I had already done the expensive and draining rigamarole of show-stopping wedding events. My shower had been the social event of the season, according to my then-stepmother. Nothing about it was my own.

My fingers brushed along the soft fabrics that ranged from stark white to creamy beiges.

Everything screamed demure bridal. Nothing was flirty and fun or... me.

I tucked my lip between my teeth. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”

“Are you kidding?” Sylvie’s face looked disgusted. “We are having a shopping day to find you the perfect dress. One hundred percent funded by your husband.” Sylvie’s eyebrows bounced suggestively on her forehead.

“Yes, he is technically my husband, but you know the truth. It’s business.” I distracted myself by sliding dresses across the hanger bar.

“Mm-hmm,” Sylvie said. “And you’re telling me that business is the reason you moved in with him? Business is the reason you’re walking around like you’ve floated in on a cloud? Business that Abel actually cracked a real smile when I talked to him?” She shook her head. “You can try and peddle that bullshit to someone else, but I don’t buy it. I know you both too well.”

I turned and looked at my friend, unable to lie. “Fine. I think I’m catching feelings.”

Her eyes went wide and she scurried over to me. “I knew it! Did something happen on your honeymoon? This is so exciting!”

I shook my head. “No, I assure you... the honeymoon was very PG.” I glanced away as my thoughts wandered to the very not-PG evening we shared.

“But it’s not exciting. It’s terrible. This is not supposed to be messy. Business and nothing more. But...” I buried my face in my hands. “I can’t believe I’m telling you this, but I have no one else to tell, and it’s literally killing me.” I peeked out from behind my hands. “We had sex.”

A noise I am certain had never before left the stoic Sylvie King echoed through the boutique, drawing the attention of nearby customers. “Are you serious? Oh. My. God.”

I laughed, confirming it was true.

Sylvie was bubbling with energy. “Look, I don’t want the details because that’s my brother and—gross—but I am really, really happy for you!”

She shook my shoulders and a laugh escaped me. “Thank you. I’m happy too. But, like, also confused? I don’t know what this means, if it’ll happen again, what exactly I should tell the kids, if he likes me, too, or what. It’s all very chaotic up here.” I gestured wildly at my head.

There weren’t words to accurately describe the toil of emotions rolling through me at any given moment. It was clear Tillie already suspected something was happening between Abel and me, but even I couldn’t quite pinpoint what was developing between us.

What would happen once the brewery was acquired and the farmhouse rebuilt? The thought of staying married was ridiculous, but anytime I allowed myself to think of life after Abel and I called it quits, my stomach tightened and I wanted to vomit.

How had this all gotten so messy so quickly?

Sylvie’s hands squeezed my shoulders in reassurance. “You’ll figure it out. You always do. In the meantime, can I make a suggestion?”

I looked her in the eye and nodded, pleading for the right answers.

“Take it as it comes. Abe’s been through a lot and doesn’t ever open up to people. If he has, in any capacity, opened up to you, it means he trusts you. If he really is catching feelings, too, that’s a big deal. No matter how this pans out, I know that you’ll be fine, because you’re strong and resilient and a badass. He may not look it, but Abel is much more fragile. Just... be careful with his heart, okay?”

A lump lodged in my throat. I never imagined I would be the one responsible for protecting Abel’s heart, and thatresponsibility felt massive. “Okay,” I squeaked out, and it was all I could manage.

“Good. Thank you.” My best friend smiled at me. “One more thing... you’re going to have to break the news to him that he’s expected to show up at the shower.”

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