Page 4 of Undo Me

“What? Did they meet bobbing for apples?”

Bethany blushed when they all laughed at her blurted question. She was funny. Who knew?

“Grabbing coffee,” Michelle answered. “But she wants to pay homage to the—what actually brought them together. And Rousseau spoils her rotten, so Halloween it is.”

Beth eyed her curiously at the obvious significance behind her hesitation, but Michelle didn’t elaborate.

“Let’s get her inside before we scare her back to New York.” Rousseau slid his arm around Allegra, leading her back into the house while Ben followed close behind.

Michelle slowed her pace while Beth took in her surroundings. The lawn was immaculately groomed and a large oak tree in the front yard dripped with Spanish moss. The aroma of gardenias and damp earth embraced her, and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to sit beneath that tree and soak it all in.

She was finally here.

“I never thought I’d see it in person. Isn’t that crazy? Why did I wait so long to visit you again?”

Michelle shrugged and slid her arm through Bethany’s. “You mean other than your travel related phobias and general mule-headedness? I don’t know. Maybe it wasn’t the right time.”

Bethany scoffed. “If you’re about to say now is the right time for a visit, when your dance card is full with your sexy boyfriend and Allegra’s wedding…”

Michelle lifted her chin. “Maybe it is. I’ve wanted you and Allegra to meet for years. My two best girlfriends, finally together. The truth is, I couldn’t have planned it better if I tried.”

“You did plan this,” Bethany couldn’t help but point out. “You made my reservation after you knew about their wedding date, didn’t you?”

“Fine. You caught me. I missed you, I have mysterious historical goodies to share, and Allegra’s family isn’t coming to her wedding. All the birds. One stone.”

Bethany frowned thoughtfully. “They can’t come? Or they won’t?”

Michelle grimaced. “That’s complicated. Let’s just say they’re very uptight with delicate constitutions.”

She still felt the warm sincerity of the redhead’s embrace. “Was Allegra a changeling?”

Her friend smiled in relief. “It’s a theory.”

“Okay, you win. I’m here. But I’m staying out of the way unless I’m needed. She might not want me around for all the bridal prep. Just let me at that treasure and out of the bachelorette party. Deal?”

“I make no promises.”

Michelle led her straight through to the kitchen, where Rousseau was at the stove putting the finishing touches on something that smelled delicious. Bethany’s stomach immediately made itself known to the group.

“I figured you hadn’t eaten all day.”

“You know me so well.”

It was a warm kitchen, recently restored, and much to Bethany’s dismay, someone had added modern appliances and a marble countertop. She understood their reasoning—she’d just expected to see something different. A large hearth kitchen and the bustling of cooks and servants maybe.

She’d been reading too many historicals.

The same feeling of familiarity filled her. Everything from the height of the walls to the light coming through the windows made her feel equal parts anxious and energized. It was a new experience, she reasoned. Finally experiencing instead of observing. It made perfect sense to her. But her wide, probably glazed expression might be making her new friends uncomfortable.

“Can I help?”

The others were working together, gathering bowls and silverware, or dipping their finger into Rousseau’s pot.

“You’re a guest,” Ben said, shaking his head. “You just relax and let Rousseau here do all the work.”

Rousseau chuckled, and Allegra looked over at him with a heated expression that made Bethany feel as if she were invading a private moment. Two couples. So not a third wheel as much as a fifth.

She wasn’t comfortable around people. Never had been.

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