Page 71 of A Whole New Trick

I tell them how we made out for everyone in the club to see. I share how Dane asked for my number, and I gave it to him. I tell them how excited I was to hear from him, then share my disappointment when he never reached out.

“What an asshole,” Valerie hisses.

“That’s so rude!” Carlee seconds.

I love their loyalty.

“Actually,” I say softly. “He wasn’t either of those things.”

I tell them how I gave Dane the wrong number—how he’d texted me shortly after leaving the club to ask me out, but I never got it. I tell them how we finally confronted each other about everything in New Mexico, and that’s how we discovered the truth.

“Woah.” Valerie shakes her head. “And then you got the job with the Ranchers and were eventually assigned as his nutritionist?”

I nod. “Yup.”

“Wow.” Carlee blinks. “That’s… quite a story.”

I huff a laugh. “Yeah, I know.”

“You should have told me,” she admonishes gently.

“I know,” I tell my best friend. “I just didn’t want to cause drama. Not when things were going so well for you and Corey.”

She frowns. “You don’t have to censor your life based on what’s happening in mine. That’s not how our friendship works.”

She’s right. I know she is. I was just feeling protective of Carlee’s happiness after watching her struggle to find it for so many years.

“I know. I won’t let it happen again.”

Carlee reaches out and squeezes my hand. “Good. You better not.”

I squeeze her hand back, then draw away.

I clear my throat. “Speaking of you and Corey, I thought we were here to discuss wedding plans.”

Corey proposed to Carlee last fall, and after months of being hounded by family and friends, the pair finally decided on a date. I was honored when Carlee asked me to be her maid of honor, and I’m determined to do everything in my power to ensure that she is as stress-free as a bride can be while planning such a momentous celebration.

“I have bridal magazines Megan sent me,” Valerie says, picking up her satchel purse and pulling out a stack of magazines six inches thick.

“Geeze,” I laugh. “Does she collect those magazines for fun?”

“Yes. At least, she did.” Valerie’s smile falls. “Megan thought she was going to marry her boyfriend, but things didn’t work out.”

She doesn’t elaborate, and I don’t ask. It’s not my business.

“These are great.” Carlee takes the magazine from the top. It’s titledLonestar Brides. She flips through the glossy pages. “Ineed inspiration for a color scheme. I’m not sure if I want to go silver and black for a winter wedding or more bold, rich colors.”

“Well, we have a little more than seven months to decide,” I point out the tight timeline with a pointed look.

“I know, I know.” Carlee holds her hands up. “I’m sorry! But that was the only winter date we could get at Rose Hill.”

“It’s fine, I guess.” I feign an annoyed sigh.

“It’s so fun that you two are going to get married at the place where you had your first date,” Valerie adds.

“Yeah.” Carlee’s eyes take on a faraway look, and she smiles softly. “It is.”

The bartender makes another pass at our table to ask if we need anything else. We order another round of sodas and spend the next hour looking through wedding magazines, laughing and chatting about different ideas.

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