Page 44 of The Lucky Heart (Jamison Valley 3)
Good luck with that.
An hour later, the shoveling had been done and I was ready for the party.
“Sorry,” I said. “I went as fast as I could.” My hair had been washed and dried and my makeup was heavier than I wore during the day. I had changed into jeans, knee-high black boots and a simple black cashmere sweater. “What have you been up to?” I asked as we drove through town in his large black truck.
“I’ve been crazy busy at the ranch. Dad wants to tune up all of our equipment this winter so I’ve become a grease monkey. On top of that, Beau and I have been spending our nights at the motel helping Maisy convert one of her rooms into a little apartment. We added a kitchenette and washer-dryer. It’s been a pain in the ass but we finally finished yesterday.”
I tried to mask my jealousy with a fake smile. “It’s nice of you to help her out. That will make a good addition to the motel.”
I’d gotten nothing but radio-silence for three weeks, but of course he’d made time to see Maisy. My jealousy was ridiculous. He was just doing something nice for her, but still, I was green.
“Felicity.” His tone was full of reproach.
“What?”
“This idea you have in your head about me and Maisy being more than friends? It’s crazy.”
I really wanted to believe him. “Tell me more about this party.”
“Felicity,” he said again.
“I get it.” Lie. “You’re just friends.” So are we. “The party?”
He sighed and didn’t push me further. “Nick and Emmeline Slater opened up a garage a couple months ago. Nick’s a killer mechanic. He used to run the fire station but quit to open Slater’s Station. Have you met them yet?”
“No, but I’ve heard of them. Gigi told me a story awhile back. Something about them being married but not seeing one another for nine years. Is that right?”
“Yeah. They got married young, split, then randomly both landed in Prescott. This spring they went through some bad shit but things are good for them now. They’re having a little boy in March or April. I can’t remember exactly when.”
“What was the ‘bad shit’ that happened last spring?”
“A motorcycle gang tried to kidnap her and then her dad’s fiancée tried to kill her.”
“Come on.” I laughed. “Tell me the truth. What happened?”
“I’m completely serious. It was fucked up.”
My mouth fell open. “Holy hell,” I muttered. “Maybe I need to dig out my stun gun.”
Silas chucked—even though I hadn’t been joking—as he pulled into a large parking lot next to a huge, maroon steel building. I hopped out and followed him inside, passing through a nice office and into a big, open garage. Two overhead doors fronted the building, another at the back. In the middle of the concrete floor were three hydraulic car lifts. Tool benches, drawers and shelves lined the walls.
It looked like the majority of the party guests had already arrived and were congregated by a refrigerator and a long table full of salads and hot dogs. I smiled, relieved to see mostly familiar faces. Gigi rushed over for a hug while Jess shook Silas’s hand.
“Hi!” Gigi said. “Come meet everyone.” She pulled me right into the middle of the group and started making introductions.
“Nick and Emmeline Slater, meet my sister-in-law, Felicity Cleary.”
“I’m so glad you could come,” Emmeline said. “We’ve all been dying to meet you.” Emmeline was a beautiful woman with long auburn hair. She had to be at least six months pregnant because her belly took up the majority of her small frame.
“Thank you for having me. This is quite the place,” I said, looking around the room again. A classic Chevrolet Chevelle was on the far side of the room. “Cool car.”
“Thanks,” Nick said, extending his hand. “It will look better when we get it all shined up and repainted. Glad to finally meet you.” Nick was handsome with a thick brown beard. He wasn’t quite as tall as Silas but had the same athletic build.
“Ooh,” Emmeline gasped. Our crowd silenced and looked at her with concern. She smiled and waved us off. “Just a strong kick. He does that when I’m hungry.”
Nick immediately rushed to get her a plate of food and settle her in a chair. The way he hovered over his wife, making sure she was comfortable at all times, was adorable.
I didn’t know if I’d ever get a chance to have children, but if I did, I wished for a man who treasured me and his unborn child that much. I never wanted to worry that I’d come home one day to find my husband and the father of my children had decided that living life with us was just too much of a hassle. Thanks for that, Dad.
