Chapter 6

six

. . .

Henley

I finished my run and grabbed a quick shower before Lulu was due to arrive. My bestie and I were more like sisters. We’d met at boarding school, Westcliff Academy, in Pennsylvania, when we’d found out we were rooming together.

I ran a brush through my wet hair and slipped my bikini beneath my cover-up. This house had a gorgeous pool, with the river just a few feet in the distance. It really was beautiful here.

Peaceful and serene.

I’d craved a slower pace when I’d graduated from law school. My father had given me the option of working out of the office in the city or the office in Rosewood River, and I’d jumped at the idea of living in a small town.

I was exhausted.

I’d been working so hard for so long that I didn’t know what to do with myself now that I’d actually accomplished everything I’d set out to do.

The doorbell rang, and I made my way to the front door, pulling it open to find Lulu Sonnet on the other side. She wore a pink and turquoise silk bandana tied around her head, a denim jumpsuit, and a pair of heels, and she was holding two bottles of champagne in her hands.

“Is there a hen in the house?” she shouted, as she waggled the bottles of bubbly in front of her. This was her favorite saying whenever we saw one another.

I held my arms open, beyond happy to see her. “I missed you, Lulu girl.”

“Damn you, Henley Holloway. Why do you always make me cry? My makeup was pristine.” She sniffed as her arms wrapped around me, and the two bottles clanked at my back.

“We’re going swimming. Why are you wearing makeup?” I laughed as she pulled back and set the two bottles on the table before walking through the house and whistling.

“Because there are all sorts of handsome cowboys in this town, right? You never know if you’re going to break down on the side of the road and need rescuing.”

I chuckled. My best friend was born into a very wealthy family. Her father’s side of the family was in politics, and they were often compared to the Kennedys. Lulu’s great-grandfather was the Vice President of the United States back in his day. She had uncles who were senators and governors. Her mother’s side of the family was in the fashion industry, and their brand, named Laredo, was one of the most well-known luxury brands in the world. They made purses and shoes and were considered similar to brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

“Ahhh… we’re into cowboys now. We’re over the boy banders?” I asked.

Lulu had dated a guy she’d met at Juilliard, Beckett Bane, on and off for years. He was the lead singer of a band called Tier One, which had blown up into one of the most famous groups in the world in the last two years. Lulu and Beckett had a tumultuous relationship that was highly covered by the press, as he was considered an international bad boy musician, and she was a wealthy socialite born into a very prestigious family whom the media loved.

“We are so over the arrogant boy banders. That fucker tried to call me last night, knowing that I’d seen those photos of him and his backup singer making out in some nightclub in London. I’m so over him.”

I hoped she was, because as much as I knew Beckett was crazy about her, he’d caused her enough pain for a lifetime.

“I’m sure your father will be pleased.”

“Yes. He keeps encouraging me to get into a stable relationship because every time the press prints anything about me, it has to do with Beckett and his madness.” She rolled her eyes as she walked around the great room, smiling as she took in all the details.

“And I’m sure your mom is still trying to play matchmaker.”

“Oh, yes. That last dude was a real prize. He sat on his phone the entire time we were at dinner.” She paused and cleared her throat, doing her best impression. “Babe. I’m a dealmaker. These clothes. This watch. I make the magic happen.”

I was laughing hysterically, just like I did the night she’d phoned me to tell me about it a few weeks ago.

“I was like, yeah, babe, please make some magic and let this horrible date come to an end. My mother is no longer allowed to set me up with anyone.” She chuckled. “Anyway, I like playing the field. I want to be single for a while. All these years with Beckett have been filled with drama and the press following us everywhere. I’m just ready for a break.”

“That’s why you need to move here,” I reminded her. Lulu could use some time in a small town. She was constantly in the spotlight, and I knew it had been taking a toll lately.

“Trust me. The idea is intriguing. I’m thinking about it. Maybe I’ll rent a place for a few months and try it out. But I have a few shows I’m doing over the next couple of weeks, and then things will slow down,” she said, following me to the kitchen. Lulu had wanted to make a name for herself, and she’d started a jewelry line, MSL, short for My Silver Lining, which was booming. She glanced around the kitchen and the family room. “It feels like you’ve lived here for years. You’re all unpacked.”

“You know I like to be settled.” I’d always been that way. Craved a home base. That comfort of creating a home for myself.

“Yes. I remember. Our dorm room at Westcliff was like a Pinterest board. What did you call your style back then?”

“Cozy, college chic, and you loved it. Stop giving me shit and let’s get some food and have a mimosa.”

“You’re speaking my love language.” She watched as I pulled the charcuterie board I’d made this morning from the refrigerator. “I can’t get over how gorgeous this place is. And it was all done before you even moved in, right?”

“Yep. A developer came in and fully renovated the place, and I fell in love with it when I saw the pictures online,” I admitted, as she popped a bottle of champagne and I pulled the orange juice from the fridge.

I reached for two champagne flutes before glancing over at her and seeing her making a face at me.

“We’re going to need a larger glass than that.” She chuckled.

I found two tall glasses, and she poured a very healthy helping of the finest champagne and then added a splash of orange juice. I waited for her to run down the hall and change into her swimsuit.

We settled on the lounge chairs outside by the pool and spent the next three hours talking and laughing and catching up.

“I’m so happy to be here with you. I’ve missed you,” she said, as she glanced over at me under her oversized sunglasses. “And you need a break from work.”

“I played pickleball yesterday,” I said, as her head fell back in laughter.

“You are one wild twenty-five-year-old woman.”

“Hey, we smoked everyone. It was a good time.” I reached for my water bottle.

“Well, I’m glad you got to put your Wimbledon skills to good use.” She chuckled. “By the way, who is we ?”

“My boss made me go.”

“The arrogant prick? He plays pickleball, and he actually left the office?” She raised a brow.

“Yep. And I met his brothers and cousin. They all grew up here.”

“Are they hot?” she pressed.

“Yes. Ralph Lauren underwear model meets rugged rancher, kind of hot,” I said with a laugh. “One of his brothers is Clark Chadwick, the professional hockey player. But they were all ridiculously good-looking. But Easton’s my boss and they’re his family, so I wasn’t really looking.”

She sat forward and scrolled on her phone. “I just looked up your boss. He’s a very well-known attorney, and he’s fucking hot, Hen. You failed to mention that before now.”

“Because he’s literally been a tyrant, and I hadn’t noticed.”

“Bullshit.” She shot me a look. “You noticed.”

“He’s not my type. And I don’t mix work and pleasure. I’m not my father.” My tone came out harsher than I’d expected.

“Yes. Daddy Holloway loves an office fling, doesn’t he?”

I moved over to the pool and walked into the water before Lulu did the same. “I’m guessing it’s because he works so much, so it’s the most likely place to meet someone. I’m definitely not going to follow in his footsteps.”

My father had a track record for dating women that worked for him, clients he represented, and young socialites. I’d always hated it. I’d come to town and go to dinner with him and the women he dated, who were normally closer to my age than his own. The man went through executive assistants as quickly as he went through women he dated. He was noncommittal.

I knew he had tried hard with me. I was the one relationship in his life that had remained consistent, aside from his relationship with my grandparents.

But he didn’t make much time for them either.

I knew he had tried his best with me.

So even though most of the time it felt like it wasn’t enough, it was the most he could give, and I tried to be grateful for that.

“So you’re not interested in your sexy boss, then?”

“You know I prefer my men to be artsy. I’m not looking for a workaholic with a wandering eye.” I chuckled.

“Yes. Speaking of artsy, is Pete still calling?”

Pete Powers and I had dated for almost a year. He was the best. Easygoing. Sweet. He played guitar in an indie band in Boston. We fell in love, and I wanted him to be the one. I really did. But as much as I loved the way he sang to me in bed on Saturdays and he enjoyed getting high and reading me poetry, it was a fun way to spend the day after an intense week of work and studying. But Pete enjoyed doing that exact thing every single day. He wanted to play music, have sex, and get high.

That was it for him.

I hated the way he’d cried when I’d ended things before I left for France for the summer. Turns out, I wanted a man with a bit more drive than that.

“Yes. He still calls me every couple of weeks.”

“When he’s high and lying in bed?” She chuckled.

“Yep.” I pushed out of the water and to my feet and wrapped a towel around myself. “Apparently, the band broke up, so he’s collecting unemployment and writing music and trying to go out on the road solo.”

“He was so pretty to look at.” She hopped out of the water, striding toward me as I tossed her a towel.

“He was. But I’m enjoying being single at the moment.”

“You know, you could have a fling for once in your life. Find some small-town cowboy and ride him like a stallion.” She waggled her brows.

“I love that I moved to a small town, and now you’re all about the cowboys and the horses.”

“Hey, you’re trying to convince me to come here, so of course, I did my research. There are all kinds of farms and ranches in Rosewood River.” She dropped to sit on the lounge chair and fell back, letting the sun beat down on her. “You’ve been working hard for so long. Why not have some fun?”

“I do have fun. I just played pickleball last night and spent the day drinking mimosas and swimming with you.”

She sprung forward. “You know what we need to do?”

“Take showers, order takeout, and watch Bridgerton ?”

She groaned. “Let’s put on some sexy clothes and go to the local bar and dance our asses off tonight. Come on, Hen, when was the last time we went out dancing?”

“Ummm… two weeks ago in the city before I moved here.”

“That doesn’t count. It was a nightclub. I brought two cowboy hats with me, too. So if we don’t go out, we’re having a dance party here.” She waggled her brows. “Ohhhh… I almost forgot. When I stopped to get gas in town, I picked up the local paper because the girl who worked at the mini-mart told me to read the gossip column that comes out every Saturday for all the local scoop.”

“‘The Taylor Tea?’”

“Yes, I think that’s what she called it… let’s read it. I’ll be right back.”

She jogged into the house, and I lay back in the sun, loving the feel of the heat on my face. Lulu returned to her chair and started reading all the latest headlines to me as she searched for the gossip column.

“There’s a cookout at the Honey Biscuit Café on Sunday afternoon, and it’s karaoke night at Booze and Brews,” she said with a chuckle as she flipped the page. “Ooohh, there’s a river rafting trip every Sunday morning if you want to go rafting tomorrow.”

“Yes. I signed us up to try that tomorrow. I’ve been dying to get out on the river.”

“Fine. But when we did it a few years ago, it was a lot of work,” she groaned.

I laughed as she continued flipping the pages.

“Here we go. ‘The Taylor Tea , ’” she purred. “It says the author is anonymous. This is so very Gossip Girl . Are you ready?”

My eyes were closed, and I was starting to doze off. “Do I have a choice?”

“ Hey, Roses. It’s time to spill the tea in Rosewood River ,” Lulu read, and I could hear the excitement in her voice. “ Looks like Rosewood River’s golden couple, who shall remain unnamed… You know the ones… They’ve been together since middle school and got busted for skinny dipping in Mr. Hanson’s pool in high school. Wink. Wink. Well, they might not be heading to the altar, after all. Word on Main Street is our groom got caught with his pants down at his bachelor party in the city. But ‘The Taylor Tea’ has eyes everywhere, and let’s just say, our bride was sent some very questionable photos from someone that was at said bachelor party. We’ve heard from a very reliable source that she packed her bags and moved out of their home this week. Apparently, our jilted bride was seen at Booze and Brews last night, having several cocktails and grinding up against one of the Chadwick boys, who we shall also not name. Not a bad place to rebound, am I right, ladies?” Lulu paused, and I opened one eye, squinting against the sunlight. “This is freaking gold. Like Gossip Girl meets small-town drama.”

I laughed. “Does it say which Chadwick boy?”

Why did I care? It didn’t matter if it was Easton, did it?

So why was I sitting forward now and tugging the newspaper from her hands?

I continued reading. “You know those Chadwick boys can be a little litigious, so we’ll play it safe, and we won’t name which one took this runaway bride home last night, but let’s just say that he’s a ‘shark’ in the courtroom. We’ll leave that to your imagination.” I shook my head in disbelief. “How do they get away with printing this? It’s obviously Easton. He’s the attorney.”

“They’re practicing their second amendment rights. Freedom of speech.” She reached for the charcuterie board and popped a grape into her mouth.

“The second amendment is the right to bear arms. The first amendment is freedom of speech.”

“Ahhh… you’re such an attention-to-detail person,” she said over her laughter. “But I’ll bet some of these ranchers in Rosewood River are packing more than just firearms.”

I rolled my eyes and fell back in laughter.

It felt so good to have Lulu here.

Maybe it was having my best friend here, or the relaxing day by the pool, or the last week finding my footing at the office.

But Rosewood River was starting to feel like home.

And it had been a long time since I’d felt that way.