Page 31 of Recipe for Rivals

She nodded. “Thanks for keeping our kids safe.”

It took everything in me not to send a smug look to Chad. “Just doing my job, ma’am.”

“I better run,” she said again and turned to go, sliding her hands into her sweatshirt pockets.

“See you tonight,” Chad called after her.

She shot him a smile over her shoulder before her eyes flicked to me.

When she walked away, I wanted to hit something, so I started back toward Randy just to get out of swinging reach of Chad. I hadn’t thought Nova was interested in dating. It was disappointing to hear she was entertaining the idea andChadwas the waste of space she’d accepted.

I really,reallyhoped I’d misunderstood that interaction.

CHAPTER TEN

NOVA

When Desi had toldme to bring a side or a dessert to her house for dinner, I’d gone into panic mode. What did people bring to group dinners in Texas? What would go with the main dish? What was unlikely to be a repeat? At home, my friends would at least tell me what the main entree was so I could make sure I’d chosen something that went with it.

I’d settled on berry crumble bars. Dessert doesn’t have to match a theme. Then, because I was worried my kids wouldn’t have anything to eat, I also made macaroni and cheese in a small crockpot.

Ben asked to carry the plate of treats when we arrived, so I handed it to him and followed him up the walkway to a large white house with blue shutters. Alice shuffled behind me.

Ben knocked on the door. I balanced the slow cooker on my hip and reached around my leg for Alice’s hand, giving it a little squeeze.

“Welcome!” Desi said, flashing a bright smile when she opened the door. “Come on in. You can put those in the kitchen,” she said to Ben, then looked at the crockpot in my hands. It was old and a little worn. Carter and I had gotten it forour wedding and it was one of the things I’d packed in the car when we left. I used it constantly and Carter probably didn’t even know how it worked.

There wasn’t much room on the counter, so I had to shuffle a few things over. I set the crockpot in the opening I’d made and stirred the mac and cheese. Alice took my other hand and held on tight. She’d left her pink monkey in the car, which meant her hands probably felt empty.

“That looks great,” Desi said. She eyed Alice. “The kids are playing in the backyard.”

Alice didn’t let go of my hand. I’d have to walk her out there, which was fine. Her shyness ran on a sliding scale, with varying degrees of depth that had to do with who we were around, how long we’d known them, and how familiar the location was. A new place with new people and one new friend from school meant she was likely to hover at my side for most of the night.

This wasn’t like seeing Kendall on the school playground—a familiar place with no one else around. I spied Kendall through the back window, running around the exterior of a large blow-up jump house with a group of girls.

“Is it someone’s birthday?” I asked.

“No.” Desi waved the question away. “Just a little dinner for Travis and his work friends. We do this from time to time.”

With jump houses and a spread fit to feed half the town? She and I had very different ideas of whata little dinnerentailed. Gigi had filled me in on some of the townspeople last week, and she’d told me Desi didn’t work outside the home. It was obvious she’d made a career out of showing up for people, though—the school, her daughter, her husband, his work friends. And now me. I couldn’t help but be grateful for her kindness to us, even if I was feeling ten levels of uncomfortable.

“Drinks are in the coolers out back,” she said.

“Thanks.” Ben had already spotted the bounce house andwent in the backyard, so I pulled Alice along with me. “Let’s find your friends.”

My phone buzzed with a message from Blair, telling me to call her later with an update. I liked her message and shoved my phone into my pocket, assessing the current social war Alice and I were waging. We stood on the edge of the back porch, just out of the shade and in the sun’s warming rays. The group of girls ran by us but didn’t stop or seem to notice Alice. Sometimes it was hard not to try and influence my daughter in these social situations—the girl was so painfully shy it was difficult to stand by and throw her to the wolves. But I wasn’t at school with her. She needed to learn how to manage these things herself.

Her little fingers tightened on mine and her feet remained unmoving. Where was the elated girl who ran across the school field when she saw Kendall the other day? I could help her wade out, surely.

“You want to join Ben in the bounce house?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“Kendall is over there.” I pointed.

Alice said nothing.

I wanted to physically pry her away from me and toss her toward other kids, to watch her happily run away with them to play. But that wasn’t my girl. That was Ben—no tossing required. Inhaling, I lowered myself to her level, peering into her wary blue eyes. “Should I walk you over to them? It looks like they’re about to climb into that tree house.”