Page 64 of Call it Fate

We all laughed. Everyone in Sterling Mill knew how our mayor loved order and discipline. Any kind of community upset would put him into a tailspin, and he would hound his council and the townspeople, usually the downtown shop owners, until the issue was resolved. It wasn’t all bad, though. The park was always kept clean and nicely planted, downtown sidewalks were litter free, and housing communities were routinely patrolled by local law enforcement.

Celine brought over another tray of our drinks and smiled. “Y’all seem to be havin’ a good time. Can I get you anything else?”

“Can you sit a minute?” I invited. I hadn’t seen Celine in a while. She and her sisters were a year behind me in school, but they’d always been nice. Creative as heck, too. Several pieces of her sister Addison’s artwork were on display at a museum in Nashville, and from what I’d heard, several had even sold.

She glanced around. “Sure. Thanks.”

Everyone greeted her, and we complimented her on the drinks. No matter how hard I tried to replicate her lemon drop at home, I could never quite get it the same.

Megan drummed her fingers on the table and stared at everyone. “So, are we just going to ignore the elephant in the room, or are we going to finally talk about Zach?”

“I thought that’s what we were doing earlier?” Teagan wrinkled her brow.

Megan rolled her eyes. “Not about his vet skills.”

“Whatcha talkin’ about?” Celine’s pretty nose wrinkled.

“Surely, you see the resemblance to Iain?”

“I haven’t actually met him, so…”

“His eyes are exactly the same as Iain’s,” she exclaimed.

“What does that…Oh! Oh, my.” Celine blinked at me. “Iain’s daddy is in town?” She glanced at the others at the table. “Is this a good thing or a bad thing?”

Four sets of eyes stared at me, waiting for an answer.

“It’s neutral. Iain gets along great with him and was very accepting. Zach and I are finding our place in each other’s lives. It’s complicated.”

Megan leaned forward. “And how about his bedroom skills? I bet he’s learned a thing or two since you last saw him.”

I scowled at her. The sting of him having sex with other women soured the drinks and food I’d consumed. “I wouldn’t know. We’ve only kissed, so—” I slapped a hand over my mouth when she clapped her hands and raised them in victory.

“Hallelujah!” she sang.

I could feel the heat flare in my cheeks. I’d fallen neatly for her little trap. “You’re cut off,” I said, reaching for her cocktail glass. But she pulled it back where I couldn’t reach it without making a mess.

“The way I see it,” Megan continued, “you guys would still be together if it wasn’t for the circumstances that separated you.”

“It’s not like they can just pick up where they left off,” Cam pointed out.

“But if there’s still an attraction after all these years, that’s got to mean something,” Teagan countered. “And we know there’s still an attraction. People all over are saying they see it.”

“What?” I sputtered, but it was like no one heard me.

“It’s like destiny,” Celine added. “Maybe it’s their fate to be together.”

“And now that they’re together, they can remember why they fell in love in the first place.”

“But the doc is only here for a short time,” Cam objected. “What happens then?”

They all looked at me. “What are you going to do?”

I glared at them across my glass. “Well, why don’t you guys tell me? You seem to be figuring it all out for me.” I glared at them over the edge of my glass, which was mysteriously empty once again. I refilled it.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” Cam said. “We’re just happy for you. You’ve got this second chance to at least see if it’s still as good as the first time.”

I sighed. “I don’t know what I want. He’s so good with Iain. And there’s no denying there’s still a spark between us. But we can’t build a relationship just on physical attraction. And there’s Iain to consider. I don’t want to confuse him, especially if things don’t work out. Zach wants to build on what we feel now. He thinks the future will work itself out, but his job is in Charlotte. What would he do here? There’s already a vet in town. Doc Claypool will be back to work eventually and then Zach will leave. What then?”

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