Page 86 of The Talk of Coyote Canyon

“There’s nobody around there who wants to work?”

“Not that I’ve found,” she said with a sigh. “But I admit I’ve just started putting out a few feelers.”

“I’ll check with my crews. Coyote Canyon’s not that far away. I’ll see if anyone’s interested in moving.”

“I didn’t mean you had to give up one of your own employees!”

“I wouldn’t mind. I’m overstaffed at the moment, anyway. And I have guys walk through my door all the time, looking for work. If necessary, I can find someone else easily enough.”

“But then you’d have to train them. There’s a cost involved.”

“There’s a constant ebb and flow around here, anyway.”

“I wish it was that easy for me to find and train help!” But she wasn’t there yet, didn’t have his reputation, his longevity in the business or his army of employees, since, like Hendrix and Stuart, he covered several states.

“You will one day,” he predicted. “Let me ask around, and I’ll get back to you.”

Sliding under the covers of her bed, she closed her eyes in relief. Thank God for Ross. Leave it to her former employer to do what he could—again.

Talulah couldn’t believe it when she got Ellen’s text. She was so stunned that Jane, who was visiting with her after hours at the diner, took notice.

“What’s wrong?”

Talulah wasn’t sure whether to tell her since Jane and Averil were still close. There’d been nothing to trytheirfriendship, other than the strain Jane no doubt felt trying to remain friends with Talulah instead of siding completely with Averil.

Even that problem had been largely mitigated when Talulah married Brant. Since he and her business—and Ellen, who Talulah felt needed her more—took up the majority of her time, she didn’t put Jane in the position of having to choose between her and Averil very often. Maybe once a week, they caught up with each other on nights like this, when Jane walked down the street after closing her vintage furniture and gift shop and hung out with Talulah while she finished cleaning the diner. Sometimes Talulah went to her shop, if Jane was the one working later. But these days they rarely got together otherwise.

Jane set down the iced mocha Talulah had made for her and leaned across the table. The restaurant was now clean, so Talulah could go home, but they were having a drink and relaxing and chatting a bit longer. “Lu? You’re not going to tell me?”

“It’s about Averil.” She set her phone back on the table next to her bowl, which was filled with sliced berries and a dollop of whipped cream instead of one of the more calorie-dense desserts she could’ve chosen. “I don’t... I don’t like talking about her with you, for obvious reasons. I know it puts you in an awkward position—”

“That’s okay. You two haven’t had an easy go of it. I believe she would’ve been able to get past the whole wedding thing. When you came back to town, it seemed you two were moving in that direction—”

“But then I ‘stole’ Brant,” Talulah broke in.

“You and I both know he wasn’t interested in her, anyway. Still, she’s so jealous she can’t get over it.”

“I’m sad about that. I never meant to hurt her. But I’m happy I allowed myself to love Brant, so it’s tough to regret what happened.”

“She’ll find the right guy eventually,” Jane said. “Then maybe things can change. I admit, I’d like to see that wound finally heal.”

“It can’t be fun feeling as though you’re always in the middle.”

“It’s better than being either one of you,” Jane said with a chuckle. “But, yes, it’d be easier if we could all be friends again.” She gestured at Talulah’s phone. “So...was it Averil who just texted you?”

“No, it was Ellen. She told me that Averil’s hooked up with a guy she met online.”

Jane scowled. “Averil’s doing some online dating?”

“No, I talked Ellen into doing some online dating,” Talulah said and told her what’d happened.

“Wait... You’re saying Averil likes this guy?” Jane asked when she was done, clearly alarmed.

“Apparently so. I mean... I don’t know how much, but he looks good on paper. I could see her getting excited about an attractive dentist, especially one who hates Ellen.”

Jane winced. “After what Ellen said to her in the grocery store, I can see that, too.”

“Averil told you about that?” Talulah had purposely not mentioned it. It was just another thing that would put Jane in a position to have to choose between them.

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