CHAPTER 20
Days passed with little to no interruption from anyone or anything out of the norm, even the flowers had stopped. Everyone had gathered at Lou’s house to prepare it for her homecoming. She was doing well, and even beginning to get around, but would need assistance for a while and used a walker to slowly move about, hence the ramp that was being built to get her up the steps and in the front door.
Obvious tension between Carigan and BJ left a curious, yet amused, vibe in the air as everyone watched Carigan go out of her way to get in BJ’s way, just to ignore him. There were several displays of assets
flashed when she did exaggerated bends or reaches in front of him. It was very much a see what you’re missing
display of teasing.
“What’s going on with you and Baker? Hands in the wrong cookie jar already?” Tact wasn’t Jessie’s strong point, it was actually foreign to her, but she got right to business and the rest of the ladies in the kitchen appreciated her crass demeanor.
“What? No! I mean, not yet anyway.” Her initial shock at the question was quickly followed by discouragement. “He’s leaving.”
Sounds of sympathy trailed at the idea of Carigan being left, yet again, by the man she thought she was destined to be with.
“Leaving? But he just got here. What about the Bakery and taking over for his dad?” Everly asked.
“Don’t know, he won’t talk about it. All I know is Jed rejected all of the changes BJ wanted to implement and said the bakery stays the same or he’ll find someone else to run it. Then I heard BJ on the phone with Veronica.”
“Veronica? Who the hell is Veronica? Do we hate her?” Jessie asked.
“She is his business partner in San Francisco. I couldn’t hear all of their conversation, but I heard him say, I’ll see you soon
and that was it. Then he told me he had business to tend to and didn’t know when he’d be back.”
“Oh, Cari…I agree those are pretty pointed things to say, but maybe there’s a good reason for all of it,” Everly defended.
“Of course there’s a good reason. He didn’t get what he wanted so he’s going home…to his whore.”
“So she’s a whore? You met her?” Jessie laughed.
“No, but she’s beautiful, smart, and loaded…she’s a whore. I might have looked her up online.”
Jessie tossed her head back in laughter before high fiving Carigan. “I have taught you well. We definitely hate her then. You should go over there and start flirting with Blake’s new shadow…really teach Bart Baker a lesson.”
“BJ, his name is BJ,” Carigan defended, a sure sign that her anger hadn’t muddled her protective nature where he was concerned and that she did still love him. “Besides, Logan is a few years younger than us, isn’t he? He can’t be more than early twenties?”
“Who cares. It’s not like you’re planning to bump uglies with him…or maybe you are and to that I say, have at it. Just make Bart second guess what he’s leaving.”
“No…I couldn’t. It’s just not…me
. Besides, my brothers would have a fit, I’m sure they are in part responsible for him leaving anyway. I should have known better. I shouldn’t have opened my heart back up to him. People leave on the drop of a dime…relationships, the forever kind, are rare. Guess my brothers are getting their way, he’s leaving.”
Carigan’s words settled on Everly like a weighted blanket, consuming her every fear that she thought had been put behind her. Hearing how Carigan’s fairy tale fling was so quickly coming to a halt was a sharp reminder that forever isn’t promised. In most cases, it’s a choice, and just like BJ was choosing a new tomorrow that didn’t include Carigan or their plans, Doc could do the same.
Everly knew too well how quickly life could pull the rug out from under you and it was only a matter of time before it happened again. Too many good things had happened to her to cling to soppy dreams of forever. The only thing she was guaranteed was a baby…the daddy was only a bonus for as long as he wanted to be.
Searching the yard, she laid eyes on Doc as he interacted with the guys. She wondered what they were talking about. It seemed serious with a few supportive slaps to the shoulder and what looked like a stern talking to by Carigans brothers. Maybe Carigan was right, he was leaving and feeling the O’Reilly wrath before he went.
Doc seemed to be engrossed in deep thoughts of his own – was he rethinking his commitments in McKenzie too? Why not? He didn’t have roots here, only a job and Everly while he was here. He didn’t have to stay here to be a dad – he was more of a city boy anyway.
Everly’s past and fears were haunting her to the nth degree and it was overwhelming her. Carigan’s problems weren’t her problems, yet she was owning them. Still not used to being happy and opening her heart, straying from the path and ready to bolt in the name of saving her heart.
She looked at the ladies, huddled around Carigan and said, “Forevers are a gamble, never a promise.”
She walked inside Gran’s house, alone…she needed to collect her thoughts and decide where she stood on the forever
.
“What did you do to Squirt?” Wylie asked BJ with a puffed out chest and questioning eyes, referring to his kid sister.
“I didn’t do anything! I don’t know what’s up with her. She just started acting…weird
.”
“Weird?”
“Yeah. She just started acting strange. She’s snappy, and sarcastic, when she actually talks to me. She keeps saying have fun in San Francisco
and you must really miss Veronica, are you telling her what you did while you were here
? What the hell is all that about?”
Doc was watching Everly from afar, noting her body language as a heated Carigan ranted over what was probably the very thing BJ was discussing. “Who is Veronica and why would you miss her?”
“Roni is my business partner, we own the restaurant together. I’m heading back to San Fran to finalize the paperwork…she’s buying me out. Dad wouldn’t let me implement the changes I wanted to at the bakery, so I’m opening up a spot next door. Best of both worlds, I can have my bistro while easily overseeing the bakery operations for dad while I’m at it.”
Scratching his chin, Doc figured something had to have been lost in translation. “Does she know all of this? It sounds like she is missing a part of the story, man.”
“She is
! A really big
part of it! I keep trying to tell her why I’m going to San Fran and that it’s a quick trip so I can live here permanently, but she won’t listen. She either walks away or just cuts me off. I swear I’m not doing anything wrong and she acts like I just cheated on her with a nun or something.”
As silence fell over the men while they pondered BJ’s situation, the brothers could hear Carigan make mention of their happiness over BJ’s leaving and ultimately her heartbreak. Sure the guys had given them a hard time. They’re her big brothers, it’s their duty, but not one of them wanted it to end in heartbreak for their sister. Not because of them.
“BJ, you need to tell her…tell her everything,” Luke offered.
“Yeah!” Liam chimed, “and say you’re sorry.”
“But I didn’t do anything to be sorry for…”
Dace rolled his eyes at BJ’s asinine remark. “So what? Apologize anyway, chicks like that shit. Besides, you’re going to do something to piss her off for real someday so call it practice.”
“But she won’t listen, I’ve tried. And apologizing seems ridiculous, like I’m owning up to something I didn’t do.”
Liam rolled his eyes and pointed at BJ while addressing the other guys, “Is this guy for real? What isn’t he understanding? Make her listen, man. Apologize, just apologize…it’s like taking one for the team or something. Women eat that shit up…it works.”
“Yeah, they’re right,” Dawson interrupted, getting nods from the other two married men to his side. “Always apologize, and grovel a little. Let her think she has the upper hand. Then she’ll let you talk and when she realizes it’s all a big misunderstanding, you’ll be out of the dog house and she’ll
be apologizing for being so stubborn. Well…maybe. I’m kind of making up that last part.”
“Apologize. Grovel…make her listen,” BJ repeated.
“Not to us, numb nuts, to her…go! Do it now, while all of her friends are watching. That’s worth bonus points!” Luke awkwardly shoved BJ in the direction of the women then stood back and watched to see if their bullshit pep talk would actually work.
Everly walked back out to see BJ approaching the group of women who had suddenly gone silent. Carigan stood with halfcocked hips, crossed arms, and a fiery I dare you to piss me off
attitude.
“Uh, look, Carigan…”
“What? What do you have to say? Goodbye? Is that what you….”
“Christ, will you shut up for just a minute?” Eyes wide, he turned back to the guys, surprised by his own actions. Nods of encouragement gave him a cocky sense of encouragement that almost got him in trouble.
Gasps from the women and squinted glares ripped that confidence away as fast as it had come. They were intimidating on their own, damn scary as a group. A whisper from behind him, apologize,
had him talking again.
“Look. You’re right, I’m leaving. I’m going back to San Francisco.” More gasps from the hotheaded hens in front of him made his stomach flop. “And…I’m not sorry for it.”
The more the ladies gasped and sighed, the more fire he put into his words. Carigan’s anger had plummeted to sadness and it tore him up.
“I’m not sorry because I’ll be back…soon. To stay for good. I’m being bought out by Veronica and I need to sign the papers.”
“You’re selling? But that’s your dream…you can’t.” If ever an example of why women were confusing to men were needed, this would be the conversation that cemented it all. Her anger over him leaving was now concern for him giving up his dream to stay. She didn’t want him to leave, begrudged him for it even, but didn’t want him to stay and let his dream go?
He laughed at the twist of emotions she was firing at him. “Yes, I can…and I am. I’m opening a new restaurant here, right next door to the bakery.”
“But shops on Main Street never come open, how…”
“The art gallery next door is closing, they’re retiring. It’s mine if I want it.”
Just as he was pulling her in for a make-up kiss, she put her arms between them and pushed him away. “But I heard you. I heard you tell Veronica
,” Veronica was said in a sing song voice that was as annoying as the person herself, “you couldn’t wait to see her.”
“That’s because I can’t. I can’t wait to tell her goodbye
. I’m coming home, Cari. This…this is home, you’re home.”
“Oh, Christ, that’s a good one, Baker. Give it up O’Reilly. He fucking loves you, wants to marry you, have little red headed babies with you…just go with him to San Francisco if you’re worried about it and take a side trip to Reno to get hitched on your way back. Problem solved.” Leave it to Jessie to call it as she saw it and sum up a dragged out conversation that’s dancing in circles to a quick conclusion.
“Come with me. Jessie’s right, come with me.”
“Of course, I’m right, captain obvious.” Jessie rolled her eyes and tossed her hand in the air annoyed by his moment of ignorance.
“If you don’t come with me, I’m just going to marry you as soon as I get back...”
“So what, I don’t have a say in this?” Carigan mused.
“Say in what? You don’t want to get married? Too bad…make a choice. Come with me or we do this in a few weeks.”
“Of all the things to go all alpha macho on…” she teased. “When do we leave?”
“End of the week!” BJ picked Carigan up and spun her around while locked in a deep smoldering kiss. “Let’s go home and…pack.
”
Tossing her over his shoulder, BJ hauled Carigan to his truck, despite all of the protests from her brothers about waiting to get married, their parents being gone still, they were too young…and the list went on.
Blake stood at the edge of the lawn and watched them drive off while the rest of the gang began to pack things up for the day.
Jessie joined him. “What has you over here brooding alone? You look kind of creepy, staring off like that.”
“Nothing. Just thinking. Creepy? Really?”
“Yeah, well, I know you better than you know you and something is wrong. You’re worried.”
“No, I never worry. I’m just…concerned.”
“Same thing, genius. If it makes you feel any better, I feel it too. Like someone has been watching us all afternoon.”
“See anyone? Anything out of sorts?”
“No, nothing at all. That’s the sketchy part. Blake, what aren’t you telling me?”
“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.”
They both looked up as the cold wet snowflakes began to fall…
“Storm is coming…” Jessie said.
“That it is…”