“Okay, thanks.” She rose to her feet. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks again for taking me on. I’m excited to be here.”
“Glad to have you. See you in the morning.” I waited until her footsteps faded down the hall before I began to lose myself in the first file. It didn’t take long for me to get in so deep that when I heard someone clear her throat, I didn’t even look up.
“Heading home, Mariana? Don’t worry about locking up. I’m going to be here for another couple of hours.”
“Wrong!” The familiar voice sang out the word merrily and startled, I looked up to see two women in the doorway.
“Emma!” I stood, my lips curving into a smile. “And Darcy. What’re you two doing here?”
“Kidnapping you,” Darcy announced. “Today is your early day. We got confirmation of that from your office manager. And Emma and I are taking you to tea.”
“Tea?” I quirked an eyebrow. “I expected maybe a late lunch or an early cocktail, but tea?”
“Yep.” Emma nodded. “Darcy told me about a new tea shop that opened right here in Bayerton. She said it’s got great reviews, and it just sounded like a grown-up lady thing to do, right? So we decided to abduct you to come with us.”
“You could have called and asked me.” I regarded both of them archly. “I might have been able to, you know, like plan to go with you.”
“No, you would have made up a hundred excuses about why you couldn’t go. Too busy, too many lives to save, blah, blah, blah. C’mon, sister. We’ve heard it all before. How many times have I asked you to do something since you’ve moved here? You always have a reason why you can’t.” Stepping further into my office, Darcy added, “Football season officially kicks off this Sunday. Do you know what that means? It means that this is one of the last days Jackson will be around to ride herd on my little angels until after the season ends. I’m taking full advantage of it and relaxing with my ladies.”
“She’s right,” Emma agreed. “You never have time to do anything, and that’s crazy because you’re always telling me how much more relaxed life is here than it was in Harper Springs. You run the practice, girlfriend. Your office is closed for the day. Unless you have a hot date, there’s no good reason for younotto come with us.”
“Fine.” I flipped closed the chart in front of me and shoved back my chair. “If you’re going to gang up on me, I guess you win. Just let me grab my purse.”
“The thing I love about Alison is how graceful she is in defeat as well as victory,” Emma noted to Darcy, as though I couldn’t hear her. “By the expression on her face, you’d think we were dragging her off for an evening at the guillotine instead of Daisy’s Tea Shop.”
“Cheer up, Al.” Darcy elbowed me in the ribs as I joined my friends at the door. “This thing called fun really is good for you. Give it time, and Emma and I will have you playing hooky on the regular.”
I rolled my eyes, and the other two women laughed.
* * *
“All right,I admit it. This place is lovely.” I sipped tea from my paper-thin china cup and sighed in contentment. “Tell me why we haven’t done this before. Little sandwiches, scones, and three levels of the most delicious pastries . . . this is heaven.”
“Well, I’d do theI told you sodance, but I’m too busy letting this clotted cream give me an orgasm.” Darcy popped a corner of her scone, covered with the fluffy cream, into her waiting mouth. “So good.” She moaned her appreciation.
Emma and I exchanged indulgent smiles. Darcy had been a fairly quiet, serious, hardworking nurse practitioner when I’d arrived in Harper Springs. But since reigniting an old flame with her football-player first love, getting pregnant and married, she’d definitely loosened up.
“I wonder if they’d consider catering my bridesmaids’ luncheon,” Emma mused, nibbling on a cookie. “I planned to do it at the farm, but I don’t want Anna to cook—not that I don’t love her food, I do—but I’d like it if she could relax and enjoy herself, too.”
“I thought you were only having Jenny as your attendant.” Darcy wiped her lips with the linen napkin.
“I am. But I wanted to do a small celebration before the wedding with all of the important women in my life. Present company included, of course.”
“Oh, that’s sweet.” I debated whether I wanted another mini tart or not. “How’s all the wedding planning going, by the way?”
“Very well, actually. Deacon and I are having a blast. We decided at the beginning of the process that we weren’t going to get stressed or uptight about the whole thing. We’re just choosing to let everything be easy, you know? If something starts to stress us out, we slow down, figure out why and if it’s really important, and then we decide how to take away all the tension. So far, it’s worked.”
“I think it’s so cool that you’re getting married at the farm.” Darcy sat back in her chair, sighing. “I bet Anna and Jimmy are just tickled by that.”
“We’re saying our vows under the old covenant oak that’s been there since before the Girards even owned the farm. Deacon’s grandparents are thrilled, Deacon is excited about that . . . and I’m happy.”
She didn’t have to say it, I thought. Emma’s contentment fairly radiated from her. I felt that old ugly pull of envy and pushed it down hard.
But as if she somehow sensed it, Emma swung her gaze around to me. “So what are we going to do with you now, Alison? I’m about to be a boring old married lady . . . and Darcy’s got her hands full with Jackson and the twins, so she’s settled.”
“Um, actually . . .” Darcy wrinkled her nose, and her cheeks pinked a little. “I’m so settled that in March, the twins are going to have a little sister or brother.” She clutched her stomach. “Please God, not two this time. I mean, I love my twins, but I think I’d like to do the rest of my kids one at a time.”
“Oh, my gosh, Darcy, congratulations!” Emma reached across the table to squeeze her hand. “I didn’t know you were trying for another little one.”
