Love to Hate You (Hope Valley #9) - Jessica Prince Page 0,50
adorably.
“Awful?” I added on a giggle. “Yeah. It really was. It was an event for Alex’s clients and work associates. I was bored out of my mind.”
“And now?”
I looked out at the sprawling yard. My baby girl was easy to spot with her long, wild hair and the purple tutu and T-shirt sporting a sequined Eiffel Tower she’d paired with her combat boots. She was in the middle of a Frisbee game with a group of kids of all ages. She looked like she was having the time of her life.
A smile slowly stretching across my lips. “Now I’m having the best time,” I admitted in a quiet voice. “Everybody knows everybody. There’s a comfort in that I’ve never experienced before. There are no pretenses, no one’s trying to show anyone else up. The only thing anyone cares about is that the person next to them is having fun.”
Eden grinned big. “Welcome to small-town living, honey.”
“It really is the best.”
A woman who looked to be around Sylvia’s age shuffled her way in front of Eden and me. Her short, gray hair was tinted blue and, while she was far less spry than my aunt, there was a shrewdness in her eyes telling me this woman still had her wits about her, and then some.
“So, this is the new one, huh?”
My chin jerked back at her bluntness while Eden let out a giggle before introducing us. “Ms. McClintock, this is Hayden Young. Sylvia’s niece. Hayden, this is Ms. M. Don’t let her fool you, she’s actually sweet as pie. You’ll love her.”
The old woman harrumphed before stating flatly, “What are you tryin’ to do, Eden Sheppard? Scare the girl off? Of course she’ll like me. Everyone likes me. I’m a ray of freakin’ sunshine.”
My attempt to swallow my laughter resulted in a loud, indelicate snort. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. M.”
She looked me up and down, mumbling, “Mmmhmm,” and giving me the impression she was still waiting to see what I had to offer before casting judgment. “So, you’re a pretty thing,” she stated in the same tone someone might use to announce they had food poisoning, almost accusingly.
“Um . . .” I looked to Eden for direction, getting only a shrug in return. “Thank you?”
“I’m assumin’, seein’ as you’re pretty and this town’s full of good lookin’ men, you’ve got your sights set on one already.” She looked out toward the yard like she was weighing the options. “So who’s it gonna be?”
“Oh, uh . . .” I cast big eyes to my friend, silently begging her to save me from whatever the hell this was, but I got nothing. “Actually, I’m not really—”
“Don’t gimme that BS about not lookin’ for a man. Every single woman’s lookin’ for a man. Hell, I’d be lookin’ for a man if they weren’t already beatin’ down my door.”
My head fell back on a deep belly laugh. “You know what, Ms. M? Eden was right. I do like you.”
“Of course you do,” she said snidely. “Now stop avoiding the question.”
“Ms. M—” Eden started, but the old woman waved her hand, silencing her. “You got yours, and he already popped a bun into that oven, so you know. Don’t act like your friend doesn’t need a man of her own. At the very least, she should find someone to sleep with. I read somewhere that orgasms actually extend a woman’s life. It’s science! It also means I’m gonna live forever,” she added with a cheeky wink that had Eden choking on the sip she’d just taken.
“For the love of Pete,” Sylvia decreed, coming to a stop next to Ms. McClintock and grabbing hold of the woman shoulders. “Will you leave the youngins alone already, Pearl? They don’t need you scarin’ the life outta them. Come on. I’m trying to get enough people to start a game of bingo.”
Ms. McClintock gave my aunt a scathing glare. “I’m old, not dead. Bingo is for people who don’t have a life.”
“Not how I play it. Each time a person yells bingo, you have to take a shot. And I got a bottle of Maker’s Mark just for you.”
“Well why the hell didn’t you start with that?”
The two of them scuttled off, leaving us standing there, slack-jawed.
“Is my aunt really organizing a drinking game at”—I looked down at my watch—“two in the afternoon?”
Eden wrapped her arm around my waist and pulled me against her side. “It’s gonna be a long day, sweetie. And just a warning, it’s highly