Читать книгу Sweetheart Lost and Found - Shirley Jump - Страница 12

IF THERE had ever been a time when Callie wished she had better bluffing skills, it was the next night at the monthly poker game for the Wedding Belles. “So, Callie, how’d it go at O’Malley’s?” Audra asked. “Did you stick to your resolution and not meet a man?”

Callie dipped her head, avoiding Audra’s inquisitive gaze. “Of course not.”

She’d run into an old friend. That didn’t technically make it meeting a man.

The heat on Callie’s neck told her the entire assemblage of women was staring at her. So much for bluffing. “So, shall we get back to the card game?” Callie asked, picking up her pile of five cards and fanning them out in her hand.

“Are you going to tell us his name?” Audra asked. She shifted her slender body in the kitchen chair, her blue eyes wide with suspicion.

“Whose name?”

“This man who has you blushing like a teenager with her first crush.”

Regina O’Ryan, the company photographer, chuckled, then dipped her head to look at her poker hand. Her brown hair swung forward, the locks curving around her heart-shaped face. “Audra, maybe Callie wants to keep him a secret.”

“No secrets. I just want to play cards.”

“Uh-huh,” Audra said, not believing her for a second.

Callie rolled her eyes at Audra’s persistence, then glanced down at her cards. Two jacks, an ace, a three and a four. She slipped the three and the four out, laid them facedown on the table and slid them over to Audra, who, as the hostess, was also the dealer for the monthly ladies’ poker game.

The Wedding Belles played for pocket change because they looked forward to the camaraderie and the margaritas more than anything else.

Only four of the six Belles sat in Audra’s sunflower-yellow kitchen today, two-thirds of the hardworking, dynamic team. Natalie Thompson was busy teaching a cake decorating class to high school students in downtown Boston; Julie Montgomery was running some last-minute errands. Belle was closing up the shop.

“Audra, I think you might be onto something. Callie does seem awfully evasive.” Regina picked up her cards, but didn’t glance at her hand.

“That’s because she doesn’t believe Mr. Right exists,” Audra said, rising to refill the chip bowl.

“Are you serious?” Serena asked. Serena, the wedding dress designer, was the biggest Prince Charming proponent in the group. “You have to believe in Mr. Right. It’s like a job requirement to be a wedding planner.”

“Exactly,” Regina agreed. “How many weddings have you helped put together in the three years you’ve been working here, Callie? Dozens and dozens, right?” Regina finally decided on her poker hand, and slipped Audra a card for exchange. “Our clients sure seem to find good guys and plenty of great picks.”

Callie scoffed. “So do the bargain shoppers who shove you out of the way at the annual Filene’s Basement wedding gown sale.”

“I still have a bruise from the last one,” Serena added. “Those women are vicious.”

Regina chuckled. “Seriously. We’re in the business of creating dream weddings. We’re supposed to believe in true love and happy endings.”

“She has a point, Callie.” Audra handed Regina a card from the deck. Regina smiled. Audra eyed her friend, weighing her expression. As the Wedding Belles financial guru, if anyone could spot someone bluffing about their money, it was Audra. “What do you have there, Regina? Anything good?”

“Of course not.” Regina’s voice raised a couple octaves. The company’s photographer might be great at taking pictures, but most of them could call her on her bluffs. “And I’d never tell you if I did. How about you, Callie? You planning on trying out for the Texas Hold ’Em competitions?”

“You all know how bad I am at bluffing.” Callie took a sip of her frosty margarita, the cold drink a perfect accompaniment to the chips and dip Audra had set out for an appetizer. “Plus, I usually attract low cards like dogs attract fleas.”

Regina laughed. “Maybe that’s what we all need. A Labrador. All you have to do is feed him and he’s not only loyal for life, he never asks for the remote.”

“Seriously, I don’t think you should give up on love or men,” Audra added. “I mean, we all need to have hope, don’t you agree? I don’t care what the statistics say, I believe in happy endings. It’s just not logical to assume Mr. Right doesn’t exist. Especially when we watch all these clients walk down the aisle and know we helped create that perfect moment. Mr. Right is out there, I’m sure of it, especially since I’m planning my own wedding to him right now.” Audra took a sip from her drink. “Besides, we’ve all met more than our share of Mr. Wrongs—”

“Absolutely. Look at me. I’ve got a Mr. Pretty-Sure-He’s-Right,” Serena James piped in. The bubbly blond dress designer was currently in a long-term relationship, and a huge champion for the opinion that there was a Mr. Right out there for everyone.

“I used to think that, too,” Callie said. “But then I met Tony.”

“One bad apple doesn’t spoil the whole harvest,” Serena said. “What was wrong with the man you met last night?”

“Nothing.” Callie sighed. “Everything. He used to be Tony’s best friend.”

“Oh,” Regina said, then realization dawned further. “Oh.”

“It means there’s history between us,” Callie said, plucking a chip from the bowl.

“No, it means you’re not starting from scratch,” Serena said.

“I’m not starting anything,” Callie insisted. Though a part of her wondered where things might have gone if Jared had kissed her. Would they have started something—

Something they had begun, but left undone all those years ago?

“Would finding true love be so bad?” Audra asked.

“No, not at all,” Callie replied. “I just think it’s not realistic to think all of us end up happy.”

“Why not?” Serena asked. “Look at the odds. I have a great guy. Audra’s engaged. Regina’s married.”

“And don’t forget Julie,” Regina said. “She’s found a great guy in Matt.”

Serena sighed. “They are so cute together. I think it’s kinda sad, though, that they’re just planning to go down to city hall. Julie’s been working for us since day one. She deserves the kind of weddings she plans.”

“I agree,” Callie said, glad for the change of subject away from her own life, and for the focus on someone who truly needed a happy ending.

Julie, the Belles assistant, had been hit financially from left and right, both from her own personal life and from her fiancé Matt’s business struggles. After Matt’s custom plane building business lost a huge account, Julie and Matt had decided to pour their entire wedding savings into the company, in order to save everyone’s jobs. Things were still rocky at his business, but they were on the upswing.

Julie and Matt were good people, who’d simply hit a financial road bump.

Callie might not believe in true love for herself, but she was happy to see Julie had found a wonderful man. If anyone deserved a happy ending, Julie did.

“Those hospital bills from her mom and that flood in her house last spring…” Callie’s voice trailed off in sympathy. Hard times had slammed her before, too, and she’d been battered by the twin winds of financial and personal pressures. She’d gone through both during her marriage to Tony, who hadn’t been much for holding down a job—or remembering a word of what he’d promised during the wedding ceremony. “Julie said it was too much and she and Matt need to save every penny they have, until his business is finally on its feet.”

“And then, they can have kids,” Serena said with a dreamy sigh. Serena, always the one who had dreams for the future, the one with the vision. “Julie’s been eager to start a family and would make such a great mom.”

“She definitely would.” Regina beamed, the photographer’s generous smile taking over her face.

Callie and Tony had never had children. A blessing, her mother had said, when the judge finalized the divorce decree. But to Callie, it had been the final ironic twist in her life story. The woman who had never put down roots, who’d married a man who couldn’t sit still, had been left with nothing more to show for all those years than a piece of paper and a few sticks of furniture. Not exactly a monument to achievement.

“Every woman deserves a wonderful wedding,” Serena said, glancing down at her hand, then her pile of coins, clearly agonizing over whether to bet on the cards she’d been dealt. “I wish we could do something for Julie to help her out.”

“Of course there is something.” Audra brightened and laid her cards facedown on the table. “We’re the Wedding Belles. Why don’t we throw Julie and Matt a wedding? I’m sure Belle would be all over it. She’s such a romantic. Natalie would make a killer cake. If all of us worked on it and contributed our amazing skills—” she grinned at her friends “—we’d be able to pull this off.”

“That’s a great idea,” Callie said, warmth spreading through her heart for these women, her friends, who had been with her through the trauma of her divorce. Always ready with a hug, a sympathetic ear, or a simple chocolate bar left on her worktable. What would she have done without them?

They were the best friends Callie could have imagined. Better that than some fairy tale concocted by a couple of brothers. What kind of happy endings could two guys with a last name of Grimm create anyway?

Serena put her cards down, her eyes bright with excitement, the wheels of dress designs clearly turning in her head. “I can already imagine the dress I’d like to create for Julie. She’ll look like an angel.”

“And I’ll take black and white photos of the wedding,” Regina added, the sense of energy soaring through the group. Callie felt it, as surely as a breeze. This was the energy that comprised the Belles, that gave every one of their weddings its unique flavor. “Julie saw some in my portfolio and loved them.”

“I can just see it,” Audra said. “What about you, Callie?”

Callie nodded, already picturing the kind of bouquets and arrangements she’d design. “I can imagine it, too. If there’s one thing I can always see, it’s someone else’s wedding.” She smiled. “Julie loves gardenias. I’ll make sure she has flowers that would make the Dutch drool.”

“Good. It’s settled. We’ll give Julie and Matt a wedding they won’t forget. And we’ll make it a huge surprise.” Audra smiled, then picked up her cards again. “She’s going to be so thrilled.”

“She already is. Matt’s a dream. I think Julie got the last Mr. Right on earth,” Callie said, truly happy for her friend. She didn’t envy Julie’s happiness a bit. But there were days, especially after she’d watched one more couple ride off into a sunset full of happiness and promises, when she wondered if maybe there would ever be a little of that for her, too.

Callie shook her head, dismissing the blue funk. Dwelling on the disaster that had been her marriage did nothing but stir a pot best left alone.

She picked up her new cards and slipped them into her hand. A jack and an ace. Full house. Maybe her luck was looking up—at least pokerwise. She tossed two dimes into the center pile.

“Ooh, Callie’s betting high,” Regina said, matching the bet. “Must be a good hand.”

“I’m out,” Serena said, folding her cards and laying them on the table. “I’ve got nothing.”

Audra’s deep blue gaze met Callie’s. For a second, she measured what she saw in her friend’s eyes, then threw in two dimes. “I’ll meet your twenty cents. And raise you a quarter.” She tossed in the silver coin.

“Too rich for my blood,” Regina said, laughing and setting her pile of cards aside. “Especially when all I have is a pair of twos.”

“I’ll match your quarter and call.” Callie moved to add another coin to the pile.

Audra reached out and put a hand over Callie’s. “Wait. Let’s up the ante a bit.”

“Up the ante? But we always bet pocket change.”

“I mean something more interesting. We are, after all, the Wedding Belles. We’re supposed to believe in happily ever after, but you don’t, Callie, and I happen to think you’re wrong. If we’re going to pull off this wedding for Julie and Matt, then I think you should test your theory about there not being enough Mr. Rights in the world to go around. If you win, then we’ll put on Julie’s wedding, congratulate her for getting the last great guy and resign ourselves to the fact that there aren’t any other Mr. Rights left, but if I win…”

Callie narrowed her gaze. “If you win…what?”

“Then you have to go along with an experiment. A challenge.” Audra smiled. “Because I happen to think you’re wrong. I mean, I work on weddings all day and I’m engaged myself. If I don’t believe in Mr. Right, then I should go into a different field.”

“Yeah, funeral planning,” Regina interjected. The four of them burst out laughing.

“It would be nice if you were right, Audra.” Callie thought of Jared. He’d awakened something in her last night, something that had lain dormant in her for years. Could Audra be right or was Callie merely wishing on an impossible star? “It’s been a long, dry spell, girls, and I could use a guy who doesn’t shred my heart like a Ginsu knife.”

“Or one who doesn’t look like a guilty puppy every time he looks my way,” Regina muttered.

“Everything okay with Dell, Regina?” Audra asked.

“Oh, yeah, just fine.” Regina let out a laugh. “I’m kidding, that’s all.”

For a second Callie wondered if everything wasn’t as perfect as Regina was leading them to believe. She scanned her friend’s face, but the shadow had passed and Regina’s regular sunny countenance had returned. Perhaps Callie had imagined it.

“So, Callie, are you game?” Audra asked. “For an experiment if you lose?”

At first, Callie opened her mouth to protest, but then the whisper of a challenge tickled at her. It raced through her blood, sending a shiver of excitement, of possibilities, down her spine. When had she last felt like that? Excited about her future?

Last night with Jared had reawakened the Callie she used to be. When they’d sung together, he’d reminded her of the woman she’d been in college.

And when he’d leaned down, his breath warm on hers, a kiss only a whisper away, he’d made her heart race in a way it hadn’t raced in…forever.

Like it had when she’d been the girl who had dropped everything at a moment’s notice to jet off for an adventure. The woman who had taken the detours, tried a new city, a different town. She’d done almost anything once, playing a game of spontaneity with every single day.

She’d lost that Callie somewhere in her marriage, buried her under a lot of disappointments and hurts. Did she still exist?

And if she found that woman, would returning to who she used to be ruin Callie’s carefully built life?

A crazy thought, she told herself. Surely she could take on this simple little bet from Audra. Maybe this was exactly what Callie needed to get out of this emotional funk she’d been in since the divorce and start moving forward.

She folded her cards together and leaned forward, excitement increasing her pulse. “What kind of challenge are you talking about? Exactly?”

“One where we see if your theory holds up in the real world. Meaning, you get back in the dating game and see if Mr. Right doesn’t just pop up.”

“Yeah, from underneath a rock,” Regina put in with a chuckle.

“Girls, this is just penny poker,” Serena said, putting a hand of caution over the pot of change in the center of the table. “We never bet anything real. It’s just for fun.”

Audra’s eyes glittered and a smile crossed her face. “This could be fun, too. And besides, Callie, it’s about time you jumped into the deep end.” Her grin widened and a tease edged her words. “Come on in the dating pool. The water’s warm, and with some guys, really hot. And who knows? You might find true love in the process.”

“What exactly are we betting here, Audra?” Callie asked.

“You take a chance with this Jared—” Audra put up a finger “—and don’t try to pretend he didn’t affect you because it’s all over your face.”

“Take a chance?”

“Go out with him again, if you lose this hand, on a real date. And see where it goes.”

See where things went with Jared? Callie had already done that years ago. And yet…

Hadn’t that almost-kiss between them been on her mind nonstop since last night? Didn’t a part of her wonder what might have happened if he had kissed her? Or if she had closed the gap?

It had been eighteen months since Callie’s divorce. Eighteen months spent rehashing her marriage, trying to figure out where things had gone wrong. Fourteen months of going over every conversation, every argument. But not of dating seriously.

What was that theory about hitting your thumb? Something about quit doing it if it hurts. Well, Callie had quit men. Because they hurt her heart.

Audra waited across from her, a friendly challenge on her face. Callie thought of the full house she held in her five cards. One of the best hands she’d had in months. Surely Audra didn’t hold anything better. And then, they could all drop this crazy idea. She and Jared weren’t right for each other. He was the practical, suburbs kind of guy and she was the wild one who’d never been able to stay in one place for long.

Either way, there was almost no chance Audra’s cards could beat Callie’s. The whole issue was probably moot.

“Yeah, I’m game,” Callie said. “I call. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Callie fanned out her cards, splaying them proudly across the laminate surface of Audra’s kitchen table. Three jacks, two red, one black, paired with two red aces.

She watched Audra do the same. One red card—a six. Another—a seven. A third—an eight. A fourth—a nine.

When the fifth red card—a ten—appeared, Callie knew she’d just been roped into dating Jared again by a straight flush. In hearts, no less.