divorce laws. You must have seen Wes and then dollar signs popped up in your future. Anybody with your amount of debt would have.”
My mouth falls open, the air from a gasp slamming to the back of my throat. “How did you—”
Juliette’s mouth stretches into a smug line. “My family is my priority. I’m not going to let a fox guard the henhouse.”
“What is it with you Haydens?” I ask through clenched teeth. A deep breath fills my lungs and releases slowly. This is Wes’s mother, and on a normal day, she’d deserve the utmost respect, but not when she’s coming at me with guns blazing. “Wes asked me to marry him. He came up with this idea on his own. And he knows about the debt.” She doesn't believe me. I don’t know how I know that, but I do. I square my chin at her. “I don’t appreciate you coming to my jobsite and questioning my integrity. Excuse me, I have work to do.” I sidestep her and walk away. It takes everything in me to walk at a normal pace. I want to stomp and yell, release my indignation, but there are eyes on me. Scott and the crew, for starters, and probably Juliette. My future mother-in-law.
I’m back in my makeshift office when I hear the diesel engine roar to life. My eyes remain trained on the computer screen as the sounds of the truck engine get further and further away.
I keep trying to focus, but I can’t. My leg bounces and I can’t seem to stop it, even when I push down on it with my hand. I need to blow off some steam.
I pack up my things and get in my car, waving at Scott as I go.
I’m at The Bakery buying a piece of lemon bar the size of an NBA player’s palm when I hear my name. Turning, I see Jo sitting at a small table with a laptop open and a notebook with a pen lying on top. I wave at her, then finish paying and walk over to where she sits.
“Hi, Jo.”
She stands up and wraps her arms around me. I’m still upset from my run-in with Juliette, and when I hug Jo back, I squeeze tightly.
“Thanks for that,” I tell her when we pull apart. I’m a little embarrassed. I don’t know Jo very well.
“It felt like you needed a hug,” she smiles sweetly, sinking back down into her chair. She motions to the empty seat across from her, and I sit.
“I really did.” I offer her a lopsided grin. “Tough day.”
She points at the pastry I’ve set down on the table. “The size of that lemon bar tells me the kind of day you’ve had.”
I grab two forks from the small station nearby and hand one to Jo. I reach into my purse and remove the two cans of rosé I picked up from the Merc. “Do these further tell you the story of the day I’ve had?” I slide one over to her.
She pops the top and sips. “Sure does. Want to talk about it?”
I finish chewing my first bite of lemon bar. “It’s not an easy subject.”
“Let me guess,” she says, holding a forkful of the pastry in midair. “It has something to do with a certain Hayden.”
One side of my mouth turns up in a smile. “Sort of. More than one Hayden, anyway.”
She nods knowingly. “They can be an interesting bunch. There’s been some talk, you know.”
“About me?”
“You and Wes.”
I sip my wine. “What’s the talk?”
“That you’ve been seeing an awful lot of each other.”
“That’s true.”
“And that this town has been seeing more of Wes than they have in years, and that’s due to your presence.”
“Is that considered a good thing?”
She nods her head vigorously. “Most definitely. He’s a big deal in our town. My mom and dad remember when he was born. He grew up playing football, and there was this pride in the whole town when he went into the Army. He came home, and I think we all expected him to be the same Wes, which was pretty short-sighted of us. It might sound silly, but whatever happened to Wes when he was over there, happened to us too, because it took away the town hero.”
“That’s a lot of pressure to put on one person. To need him to be your hero. Not you, specifically. ‘You’ as in ‘the town’.”
“You are right about that. I think it comes with the territory though. Having