Page 67 of Forever to Fall
CeCe rolled her eyes but laughed with the group. “Sue me. I am a bit of a control freak in the kitchen.”
“If these are the results, you won’t get an argument from me.”
For a few moments, the foursome chatted about the food and the party. The atmosphere was relaxed, and Mallory leaned into Beckett’s side. Her feet were killing her in these heels, which she promised herself she’d destroy as soon as the evening was over. Whether intentional or not, Beckett leaned back, providing a solid support. This close, she could smell the warm cedar of his cologne.
“Foxy, I almost forgot.” Evan theatrically slapped his forehead, his tell that whatever he was about to say was in no way a surprise. Apparently none of the Lawsons could lie worth a damn. “I’ve got someone for you to meet.”
Beckett’s glass froze mid-way to his lips as his eyes quickly darted to Mallory. “Oh, yeah?” His tone was casual, but he tensed beside her.
Evan nudged CeCe in the side before continuing. “Yeah, she’s a friend of CeCe’s.”
Mallory looked around the diner, eager to see which single women roamed among them. She’d met a few of CeCe’s friends, but most of them lived in Buckeye Falls. Obviously Alice, Ginny, and Natalie weren’t going to be competition. Suddenly a pop of purple appeared in the crowd and a lithe woman in her late twenties joined them. She looked vaguely familiar, and Mallory wracked her brain to remember where she’d met this woman.
“Julia!” CeCe exclaimed, breaking away from Evan’s side to hug her friend. “We were just talking about you.”
Evan took Beckett’s hand and yanked him a step closer to the other woman. “Julia, you need to meet my best man, Beckett Fox. Foxy and I go way back.” He clapped his friend on the back and continued, “This is Julia. She used to work with CeCe up in Chicago.”
The appreciative stare Julia sent Beckett’s way made Mallory’s toes curl—which was pretty painful in these shoes. “Very nice to meet you, Beckett.” Her voice was deep and velvety, like she was speaking through her own personal sound system.
Dutifully, Beckett took her hand and shook it, dropping it like it was on fire. “Nice to meet you, too.”
For a moment, no one said anything, and Mallory couldn’t handle the silence. “And I’m Mallory, Evan’s sister. I think we met at the food truck competition last year.”
Finally, Julia looked away from Beckett and nodded at Mallory. “Oh yeah, hey.”
“Hey,” Mallory replied lamely, hating the entire interlude. It was obvious from the looks everyone was sharing that she was the odd person out—yet again. If they had been honest with Evan, they could have avoided this awkward attempt at matchmaking.
CeCe clapped her hands, grabbing everyone’s attention. “I need to grab a few more things for the cupcakes, and Evan needs a few minutes with the Lawsons.” Turning to Mallory, she asked, “Do you mind helping me in the back for a few minutes?”
Evan nodded like it was the greatest idea he’d ever heard in his entire life. “That’s a great idea! Then Julia and Beckett can get to know each other.”
Mallory faced Beckett, waiting for him to say something, anything to show he wasn’t interested in getting to know Julia. But he didn’t do anything other than nod and smile at the other woman. Mallory had had enough. “Show me where the cupcakes are,” she said to CeCe as she stomped off. Her feet howled in pain, but she couldn’t slow her pace. She needed to get away from everyone.
From behind her, she heard CeCe greet new guests on their way to the back. As soon as she reached the kitchen, Mallory kicked off her shoes and hurled them to the corner. CeCe’s footfalls faltered when she joined her future sister-in-law. “What’s wrong?”
“These freaking shoes. I don’t know why I thought they were a good idea. I should stick with what I know, which are crocs and sneakers.”
CeCe stepped over to the far wall where a bank of lockers stood. She opened one of them and tossed a pair of Converse to Mallory. “They’re probably a size too small, but leave them unlaced and you’ll be fine.”
“Thanks,” Mallory said, doing just that. She could hardly wiggle her toes, but it was better than standing barefoot in the diner’s kitchen.
CeCe went to work pulling out trays of cupcakes from the chiller drawer before gathering jars of sprinkles. “We just need to put a few shakes of each on each cupcake. I’m not getting that technical today.”
“You got it.” Mallory quickly washed her hands and got to work on the decorations. She slid a completed tray closer to CeCe who nodded her approval.
“You’re a natural. If you ever get tired of saving lives, I can always use a hand.”
Mallory chuckled, but kept her focus on the task at hand. If she focused on sprinkles, she wouldn’t think of the love connection happening just beyond the kitchen’s doors.
“I’m sorry, you know.”
“For what?” Mallory asked, keeping her attention on a finicky cupcake that was falling out of its wrapper.
“For Evan’s matchmaking with Beckett and Julia. Evan didn’t share his plans until we were walking over to greet you guys.”
Mallory froze at CeCe’s statement. She carefully put the cupcake down and met her gaze. “It’s fine. It’s not like we’re official or anything.” She shook the sprinkle cannister too hard, covering one of the cakes with a half cup of edible confetti. Muttering to herself, she shook off the excess before shoving the treat in her mouth. She chewed and fought off a wave of tears. She would not break down at the engagement party.
CeCe handed her a paper towel and glass of water. “Take a moment. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
