Page 64 of Silver Linings
“You know if I have one of those, I’ll be dancing on the bartop in no time.”
“And with no shirt.”
“Oh my god, Emma. Don’t scare away Lily before I’ve wiggled my way into her heart.” Turning to Lily, Grace blushed. “I swear, I only danced on the bartop once, and yes, my shirt came off, but my husband pulled me down before I could finish my little dance number.”
“And if I remember correctly, he took you straight home after that.”
“Yeah, it was a pretty great night. If he wasn’t home with Jack right now, I might think about doing it again.” The girls all laughed.
Mae took a sip of her drink, her face lighting up as she waved frantically at someone. Lily followed her line of sight and watched Sloane walk into the bar.
“Sloane! I’m so glad you made it!” Mae gave her a quick hug, and Lily watched as Sloane stood rigidly at the edge of the group. “Let’s do introductions!! Sloane is a therapist, and she works next door to Montgomery Defense. That’s how we met, similar coffee run times.”
“Hi, Sloane,” Lily waved her hand. “It’s so good to see you again.”
“Hi, Lily.”
Sloane turned towards Emma and Grace, smiling warmly. There was an awkward pause before Grace broke the silence.
“I’m Grace, and this is Emma. We live in Bell Ridge, but find ourselves in Silver Springs from time to time.” Grace gave a little wave.
“Mae pretty much makes friends wherever she goes, and my bakery is one of her favorite places,” Emma joked.
“It’s so nice to meet the both of you.”
Something weird was going on. Lily read Sloane as quiet and reserved at the picnic, but this was a totally different level of awkwardness. She needed to do something.
“It’s so loud over here. Sloane, why don’t you join me over at the booth we have while the girls wait for our food?” Lily looped her arm through Sloane’s as they moved away from the bar.
Twenty-One
“I’m so glad you’re here. I was hoping we would get to talk more at the picnic, but things got so crazy so fast.” Lily slid into the booth with Sloane.
“I know. It was chaotic there for a minute. How are you doing?”
“Oh, I’m fine. Gunner is in super-protector mode, so I’m glad he was actually okay with me coming out tonight. I know you mentioned fitting into the community when we were talking before. How long have you been in Silver Springs?”
“Just a few years. I’m originally from out west. Oregon, to be exact.”
“I’ve always wanted to make it to the West Coast. Do you go back often?”
“No. There’s nothing back there for me, anyway. My practice is here, and working with the Clarence County Sheriff’s Department and all my individual clients keeps me happy.”
“Wow. So no family back there?” When Sloane gave Lily a blank look, she backtracked quickly. “I just asked because I don’t have any reason to go back east either. Gunner’s mom, Juliette, was more of a mom to me than my own. But now that she’s passed, I guess I just figured his sister Gia will travel down to Texas for visits, at least while Sage is little. I had barely ever left my hometown before Gunner came back, and now I don’t think we’ll ever be going back to Connecticut.”
“Do you feel sad about that?” Sloane asked as she flagged down a waiter. They each asked for a glass of ice water before getting back into their conversation.
“I don’t think I’m sad about not going back. I left behind some things I never want to think about again. Do you feel sad about not going back west?”
“Yes. And no. I know this is the right place for me. But it gets hard around the holidays when there aren’t snow storms to cuddle up inside during.”
“Oh, I love the snow. I hadn’t thought about Sage not getting to experience that.”
“Well, she might not get snow, but she’ll get bluebonnets and cowboys, and I have a feeling she’ll have the fiercest family of protectors surrounding her. Silver Springs is a good town to raise a family in.”
“You have your eye on someone for that?” Lily asked with a giggle.
“Me? No. My practice is my baby. I love being a therapist. It’s enough for me.”