When We Met. Сьюзен Мэллери
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is in her sixties. Besides, we’re having lunch in a bar.”
“I see. What’s up with that? You don’t like bars.”
“That’s because it took me two years to break the boys of the habit of having staff meetings in bars.” Taryn gave Larissa a little push toward the door. “You’ll see. This is different.”
Taryn had resisted the first time she was invited to lunch at Jo’s Bar. She hadn’t understood why the women in town wouldn’t want to go to a nice café or tea shop. But once she’d gone into the place, she understood the appeal.
She and Larissa walked into the open space and came to a stop while Larissa looked around. Taryn was already familiar with the mauve walls, flattering light and muted TVs turned to the Style network and HGTV.
There were tables along with booths, a list of specials on a chalkboard and quiet music playing in the background.
Larissa grinned. “Nice. Where do the guys hang out?”
“They have a room in the back. I’ve heard that at night this is more of a couples place, but during the day, the ladies rule.”
She spotted Dellina, Isabel and Noelle sitting at a round table. “Over there,” Taryn said, leading the way.
“Are they smiling?”
Taryn rolled her eyes. “You’re a freak, you know that.”
“Yeah, that’s hardly news.”
“Hi, all,” Taryn said as she approached the table. “This is my friend Larissa. She works for Score. She’s Jack’s personal assistant and the boys’ masseuse. While she’s a wonderful person, don’t agree to help her with any projects. Larissa was born to rescue the world. Seriously, if you let her, she’ll talk you into helping her save some endangered leaf or raid an elementary school to help with a hamster rescue.”
“I would never rescue hamsters from schoolkids,” Larissa told her. “I trust them to care for their pets.”
“So you say now.” Taryn pointed to the table. “Dellina is an event planner. Noelle owns The Christmas Attic, an adorable store on Fourth Street. Everything Christmas, of course, but also seasonal gifty things. Shop there for your mother. Trust me, she’ll love whatever you buy from Noelle. Isabel owns Paper Moon. It used to be a bridal gown shop. Now she also sells yummy clothes and I’m spending way too much money there.”
All three women greeted Taryn and Larissa. Isabel pulled out the seat next to her.
“Taryn, your new suit is back from the tailor,” Isabel told her. “Whenever you want to pick it up.”
“Thanks.” She settled in, then watched as Larissa sat across from her between Noelle and Dellina.
Last fall, when she’d first visited Fool’s Gold, she was convinced she would hate living there. Nothing about a small town appealed to her. But now she had to admit, the place had grown on her. She’d made friends and settled into the comfortable rhythm of a life defined by which festival was next.
She’d always thought she preferred Los Angeles, where she could go about her business unnoticed. In Fool’s Gold, there were no secrets. Which meant if something bad happened, someone would be there to get her through. While the realization was a little strange, it was also comforting.
“You need a redhead,” Jo said, coming up to the table with menus.
Dellina leaned close to Taryn. “She’s right. It’s you and me against those three blondes.”
“We can take them,” Taryn told her confidently, then introduced Larissa to the owner of Jo’s Bar.
After Jo explained about the specials, she took their drink orders and left.
Noelle put down her menu. “Okay,” she said, smiling at Larissa. “We want to know your life story. We’ll share ours, too. I’ll go first. I moved here last year. I was a lawyer, which turned out to not be my thing. Now I run The Christmas Attic, like Taryn said. I’m married to Gabriel, who is a doctor here in town.” She pointed at Dellina.
Dellina drew in a breath. “Me, huh? I’m the oldest in my family. I have younger twin sisters. One of my sisters is a chef. The other has a small business in town. A temp agency. As Taryn said, I plan events. There’s no guy and while I wouldn’t say no to a long weekend of hot sex, I have no interest in a relationship. I’ve already raised my two kids.” At Taryn’s questioning look, she continued. “We lost our folks when I was in high school.”
“I’m sorry about your parents,” Taryn said. “I hadn’t heard that.”
“It was a while ago.”
“But still.” Taryn knew what it was like to be on her own. “I work at Score, where I plan advertising campaigns and try to control my business partners, who are annoying.”
“But you love them,” Larissa said.
“I do.” She held up both hands. “As brothers, I swear. Although I was married to Jack, briefly. Years ago.”
Dellina, Isabel and Noelle all stared at her.
“What?” she asked. “It was a couple of months and it didn’t work out. We stayed friends and now we work together.”
“Did you know this?” Isabel asked Larissa.
“Sure. They’re good friends. It’s nice that they still like each other.”
“You get more interesting by the day,” Isabel murmured. “Okay, me. I was born and raised in town. When I was fourteen, I had a mad crush on my sister’s boyfriend. When they broke up, I was thrilled, only he left town to join the navy and I knew I was going to die. When that didn’t happen, I started writing him. Flash-forward fourteen years, I came back, he came back and the rest is history.” She sighed happily. “Now we’re married and I can’t believe how lucky I am.”
Larissa glanced at them. “I guess that leaves me. I’m one of three girls, also the oldest. I like my job a lot because it gives me the time and resources to focus on helping others. Through Jack, I’ve gotten involved in organ donor programs and I also work with different animal rescue organizations.”
“She’s a saint,” Taryn said. “I tell myself my genuine affection for her will offset any bad karma I might create on my own.”
Isabel turned to Larissa and grinned. “So, you’re a masseuse to the football players. What’s that like?”
Taryn leaned back in her chair. She’d seen this before. Women were obsessed with the boys. Not only were they actually larger than life, but there was the whole sports hero thing going on. Add to that the fact that they were good-looking and well-off... Attention was inevitable. The only question no one seemed to ask was why were they all single.
Taryn knew the answer for each of them, and she wasn’t going to say a word. She loved her boys and she would keep their secrets.
Noelle sighed. “Really? Touching them like that.”
“Need I remind both of you, you’re happily married?” Taryn asked.
“I’m not interested that way,” Isabel told her with an unrepentant grin. “Just curious. Ford’s a former SEAL. I know about guys who work out regularly. Speaking as the woman who sleeps with him, I think being with him is very nice. But this is a whole different level of muscles.”
“Exactly,” Noelle said. “Our curiosity is purely intellectual.”
Larissa laughed. “Sure it is.” She thought for a second. “I don’t know what to say. They were all professional athletes. They did things their bodies are not designed to do. They were all successful and they all pushed too hard and now there are injuries. I try to make them feel better.”
Noelle sighed. “That’s so sweet. Are they naked?”
Taryn