THE WORST THING ABOUT going back home to a small town after your husband leaves you is that everyone knows your business. From the ladies at the bank to the guy who owns the funeral home/mechanic shop.

And people aren’t exactly nice about it either.

It’s like they fall into one of two camps.

One is sympathetic, but isn’t sure what side to be on since Joe’s family owns a car dealership and a grocery store while my mine owns a bank and law office.

The second camp neither cares, nor do they bother to hide their unmitigated glee that two families like ours are having difficulties like ordinary people. As if us having money is an excuse or implicit permission to treat someone poorly.

“Do we have to go Lula’s?” I ask my momma as we take her purchases from Nadine’s Botanicals to the car.

“I’m in charge of the club’s Super Bowl party, sugar. People are expecting a cake.”

“Fine, but can I stay in the car while you order it?”

“Do you enjoy playing the victim?” she asks, and my mouth drops open.

“Playing?” I shove the church altar centerpiece inside the trunk of the Volvo and slam it closed. “I can assure you that I’d rather be a happily married woman than a victim of Joe’s perfidy.”

Momma’s eyes turn sympathetic. “I’m being too hard on you. It’s just... I thought you were stronger than that, and you would want to show the gossiping biddies around here that you are without a care in the world.”

“Running errands with you is supposed to prove all that?”

“Better than hiding out,” she points out, and we get in the car. “It’s been almost two months, sugar. Don’t you think it’s time to consider dating?”

“I’m still legally married.” I blow out a breath. “What can I possibly offer anyone at this point?”

“It’s not about what they need; it’s about what you need. And you need to feel special and pretty. You need a man to treat you right.” She grabs my hand and squeezes before letting go to ease into traffic. “Was there ever anyone else you would have considered had it not been for Joe?”

Aiden’s image pops up in my head, but I ignore it. I’ve never thought about him like that until recently. “There wasn’t ever a chance,” I answer honestly. “When I wasn’t focusing on my goals, I focused on my relationship with Joe.”

“That doesn’t seem to leave a lot of time for enjoying yourself.” She frowns. “Maybe I shouldn’t have pushed for y’all to start dating at such a young age.”

“You’ve seen the binder, Momma. I had it planned out before you did.” My eleven-year-old self had my entire future planned out. I sigh. “I’m sorry for not coming home sooner.”

“Don’t apologize for taking time for yourself.”

“I missed Christmas.”

“Now that you should apologize for. My table had an uneven number of place settings and you know how I feel about odd numbers, sugar.”

I laugh, then sober. “Once I get everything sorted out with Joe and...” I turn to her. “Honestly, I’m not ready to move back home yet.”

“Oh gosh, Layton. If that’s what you’re worried about, then set your mind at ease. Your daddy will hold that job for you down at the club for at least four more months.”

I wait for relief to hit me, but all that shows up in more panic and anxiety. “Four more months?”

“You don’t think six months is long enough?” Her lips pucker. “Renee is doing a wonderful job for us, but it’s not fair for her to devote so much time and energy to a job that’s going to end up in your lap.”

End up in my lap? I’m more than qualified to be the event planner for Bluebelle Hills Country Club. I even interviewed for it. Gave up my job at the library for it.

Frustration building, I focus on the town as we cruise down Main Street, but the buildings seems to crowd in on me.

“I need to go back to Wake Forest on Monday,” I blurt, unable to take more than a weekend in Bluebelle Hills. “Paige needs help planning her wedding, and I promised to take care of every detail.”

“Of course, sugar. You let Paige know the country club can accommodate her and that NFL star of hers, too. We can move people around, if need be.”

My momma means well, but moving people around who’ve already paid good money for their day... that’s not going to fly.

I don’t want to work for a place that would do that.

I don’t want to turn into a person who’d be okay with working for a place like that either.

Momma parks the car in front of Lula’s and heads inside. I take advantage of the precious privacy by calling Paige, wondering why in the heck I hadn’t bothered doing this before.

As soon as she answers, I get right down to it. “I want my old job back.”

“I want you to have your old job back, too,” she says with a smile in her voice.

“I’m serious, Paige.”

“Then tell Nolan.”

“Haven’t y’all hired someone?”

“Yes, but she quit last week, on account that no one could stand her.”

“Oh, thank God. I mean, that sucks, but I need a reason not to come home for the next six months.”

“Only six?”

I lean my forehead against the cool window. “I don’t know... all I do know is that I need to find the old me, or the new me who wants to go back to the job that I not only had before, but also earned on my own.”

“Call Nolan, but as your friend and not a colleague, I wouldn’t mention the six-month time limit.”

“What would you say as my colleague?”

“That you’re putting him back into a position he hates to be in. You know how Nolan reacts to change.”

“He hates it.” I close my eyes. “Maybe I should forget it—”

“Oh my God, Layton. Where’s your backbone? Where’s the woman who made me go after my man because you said I deserved a happily ever after? The woman who refused to let VIPs tell her how to run several very successful charity events because she knew what she was doing, and then proved them so wrong that they hired her for more events?”

“She’s still here.”

“Doesn’t sound like it.”

“Don’t make me say it.” I nibble on the tip of my finger.

“You shouldn’t have sounded so unsure of yourself.”

“Fine.” I check to make sure my momma’s still inside. “I’m worthy of respect and love, especially from myself.”

“You sound like you’re on your way to a funeral.”

“I’m in my momma’s Volvo while she’s ordering a cake from Lula’s and have been subjected to judgmental, pitying looks all morning while I ran errands with her,” I snap.

“Oh, dear Lord. Why didn’t you say so? Hang on a minute.” There’s some shuffling and a few muffled words before I can hear clearly again.

“Layton wants her old job back.”

“I don’t know,” Nolan begins. “Cynthia did a fabulous job with insect day.”

The only thing Nolan hates more than change and little kids messing with displays is insects. “Put me on speakerphone.”

“Done.”

“Nolan, I swear on my favorite monogrammed scarf that you will never have to put up with insect day again, not on my watch.”

“You’re hired, but no vacation days until—”

“Same vacation days as Paige and same pay as when I left,” I insist. “To make it less painful for you, I’ll throw in dinner with Dallas at Pan Asian.”

“Layton, oh my gosh,” Paige gasps.

“I’ll see you on Monday. Nice to have you back,” Nolan says.

My momma opens the car door.

“Gotta go. Love you. Bye. Work twinsies again!”

“Whoo-hoo,” is all Paige can get out before I hang up.

“Get your cake all ordered?” I ask, all innocence.

“I did, but I swear Lula’s raised her prices for the third time in two years. If she wasn’t the best bakery in town, I’d drive to Jessamine.”

I don’t point out that Lula’s is the only bakery in town. “Maybe someone will come along and start a new bakery. Give Lula some competition.”

My momma gets a horrified look on her face. “And take business away from Lula? The locals won’t have it, Layton. The planning board won’t approve it. Lula’s is an institution.”

“I completely understand,” I say, stopping her from going on a full tirade about why outsiders and upstarts are bad for business... even though the Prices were considered both not that long ago.

They say the only way small towns grow is either from the board members dying off or a slew of new people moving in... I don’t have time to wait for either of those things to happen.