shoulders eased.
“Hey? Is it time for lunch? Real food this time?” Grace asked, hoping her friend was done with work for the day. Since Hope was an event planner, as long as she wasn’t in the middle of a function, her schedule was fairly flexible.
“Lucas just called me,” she said in a hushed tone.
“Lucas King?” Grace asked, her voice rising in shock.
“Yes.”
Holy hell on wheels. Lucas King was Hope’s one-who-got-away. The one they all thought she was going to follow across the country when he moved to the East Coast. “What did he want?”
There was a rustle on the other end of the line before Hope said, “I don’t know. I haven’t listened to the message yet.”
“Hope!” Grace shook her head. “Hang up right now, listen to it, and call me back.”
“I can’t. I’m in the middle of dealing with a wedding shower disaster.”
“Where are you?” Grace demanded.
“Bird’s Eye Bakery. They lost the order I’m supposed to be picking up right now. They—never mind. Miss Francie is here. I’ve got to go.” The line went dead before Grace could say another word.
Grace hit Joy’s name in her contact list. The call immediately went to voice mail. “Dammit, Joy. Call me as soon as you get this. It’s an emergency. Lucas called Hope, and she’s freaking out.” As soon as she hung up, Grace sent Joy a text then put the SUV in drive and headed straight for the bakery.
Grace parked right next to Hope’s Toyota Highlander and rushed into Bird’s Eye Bakery. She spotted her fiery friend at the end of the counter waving her hands in the air and nodding toward the cases full of various treats.
Miss Francie had a pained expression on her face as she nodded and then started to fill various pastry boxes with stock from her cases. Hope frantically typed something into her phone, and when she was done, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.
“Crisis averted?” Grace asked, eyeing the vibrant purple silk blouse and black skinny jeans Hope was wearing. She looked incredible with her wild dark curls and her face touched only by the barest of blush and lipstick.
“For now,” she said without opening her eyes. “The bridezilla is probably going to flip a table, but at least there will be sugar to appease the guests.”
A few minutes later, Grace helped Hope carry the pastry boxes out to her Toyota. Once they had them all stuffed in the back, Grace turned to her and said, “Hand me your phone.”
Hope did as she was told without objection. It was just about the only time Grace could recall in recent memory that her friend hadn’t argued when given a direct order. Hope wasn’t the kind to take directions well. She did what she wanted, when she wanted, and how she wanted, without input from anyone. But not when it came to Lucas King. He was the one person in the world who could unbalance her.
“Do you want me to listen to it or delete it?” Grace asked, holding her finger over the touchscreen.
Hope bit down on her bottom lip. Then she shook her head. “I have no idea.”
“Fine. We’re listening to it.” Grace knew Hope had every reason to be wary of the man. He’d broken her heart not once, but twice. Everyone knew the two were soul mates. They were the type of people who couldn’t stay away from each other. Their connection was too strong. And yet, they kept managing to hurt each other. No matter what though, Grace knew her friend loved him, and if she deleted the message, she’d regret it.
“Wait!” Hope cried, holding her hands up.
“What is it?”
“I need to sit down.” Hope yanked the back door of her Highlander open and plopped down in the back seat.
Grace suddenly had a horrible thought. What if Lucas was calling to say he was getting married? Or worse, had some terrible illness? Hope would never recover. Grace heard the faint whisper of her mother’s voice in the back of her head. Don’t go borrowing trouble, Grace. Stop worrying about things that haven’t come to pass.
“Okay. Do it,” Hope demanded, staring at the phone like it might catch on fire.
Grace didn’t hesitate. She hit the Play button.
“Hey, gorgeous. It’s me. I need the name of a Realtor in Premonition Pointe. Now that Grace’s ex is off the list of possible agents, I’m not sure who to call. Do you have a rec for me? Call me back.”
Grace and Hope both