When We Met

Taryn blinked. “That’s a lot to take on.”

“I know.” Consuelo grinned. “I think we can handle it. We’ve talked to Reese about it and he’s excited.”

“Big news,” Isabel said. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” Consuelo looked at Taryn. “I heard you had a party while I was gone. The clothing exchange.”

“We did.” Taryn turned to Dellina and Isabel. “You two did a great job with it.”

“Thanks,” Dellina said. “It was a lot of fun. I think we should make it a semiannual event. People were really generous with the donations. We ended up with nearly a thousand dollars for the women’s shelter.”

Taryn was surprised. “That’s great.”

“It is,” Noelle said. “I love what I took home. I think we could do a fall and spring party. You know—get ready for the season. I have a winter coat from last year that’s still in great shape, but there’s no way I want to wear it for another winter.”

Isabel nodded. “One of the things I’m going to love about working on the boutique side rather than with the wedding dresses is being able to dress differently. For the designer clothes, I get to be trendy. On the bridal side, it’s all about blending into the background.”

Dellina grinned. “Tired of wearing your little black dress every day.”

“Yeah. It’s not like I got to wear something cute, either. Never outshine the bride. I dressed like I was constantly going to a funeral.”

“Dress for comfort,” Consuelo told her.

“Not everyone can get away with cargo pants and a tank top as work attire.”

Taryn listened to their conversation. This was nice, she thought. Relaxing and a distraction from the hole in her heart. She could go entire minutes without thinking about Angel, which was a welcome break.

“I’m going to check with the shelter,” Noelle was saying. “I want to find out about volunteer opportunities.”

“That’s a good—” Dellina stopped in midsentence and turned to Taryn. “What? What is it?”

Taryn stared at her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Dellina shook her head. “No, it’s something. Something big. What happened?” She touched Taryn’s arm. “I have sisters and I know when a woman is holding back significant information.” She bit her lower lip. “It’s bad, isn’t it? I can see it in your eyes.”

Taryn wasn’t sure which was more disconcerting. That she might be losing her steely exterior or that Dellina might be psychic.

Isabel stared at Taryn. “You’re right.” Her face softened as concern filled her eyes. “Tell us. Are you okay? Are you feeling sick or something?”

Noelle wrinkled her nose. “I’m so not in tune with what’s going on,” she said with a grumble. “Now you have to say or I’m going to feel like an idiot.”

“Me, too,” Consuelo grumbled.

Taryn thought about trying to lie her way out of the situation but wasn’t sure she was capable. Not when she felt like emotional roadkill.

She cleared her throat. “It’s Angel,” she said quietly. “We, um, broke up.”

“Why?”

“No way. You were great together.”

Dellina continued to study her. “He hurt you.”

Taryn shrugged. “I broke the rules. We were both clear. It was an affair, not a relationship. That’s what we both wanted. Only I fell in love with him and when I told him...”

Tears filled her eyes, and her throat got tight. She had to breathe for a second before she could continue. “He left,” she finished. “It’s been a couple of days. I haven’t seen him since.”

All four of them reached for Taryn and hung on.

“Are you sleeping at all?” Noelle asked. “Can you eat? You have to keep up your strength or you’ll get sick.”

Isabel patted her hand sympathetically. “Want me to ask Ford to beat him up?”

Consuelo snorted. “He couldn’t take Angel on his own. They know each other’s fighting style too well. But Ford and me working together could smack him down.” She looked at Taryn. “Want me to take care of that? I will.”

Taryn brushed away a tear and tried to smile. “As strange as this is going to sound, that’s about the nicest offer anyone has made to me. Thank you. I appreciate it. You’re all so great.”

She bit her lower lip and did her best to get control. “It’s hard because it never occurred to me I could fall for him. I thought I was stronger than that.”

“Loving someone doesn’t make you weak,” Consuelo told her. “It might seem that way at first, but it’s not true. Love is complicated and messy but ultimately powerful.”

“And in this case, a disaster,” Taryn murmured.

She saw the other women exchanging glances and had no idea what they were thinking. The only thing that was clear was that they were going to be there for her if she needed them.

“I appreciate the support,” she added. “I need to work through this myself. Please don’t say anything to anyone. I’m not ready to talk about it.”

Isabel wrinkled her nose. “You sure about that? There’s kind of a Fool’s Gold tradition when there’s a breakup.”

“What kind of tradition? I don’t want to be a festival queen or anything like that.”

“There’s a girls’ night,” Dellina told her. “Everyone comes over with liquor and junk food. We get drunk and call the guy names.”

Taryn held in a shudder. That meant talking about what had happened. She would rather not have that conversation ever.

“I’m not ready for that,” she said firmly. “Seriously, please don’t tell anyone.” She was too humiliated to have the information go public just yet.

“Let us know if you change your mind,” Noelle told her. “We have ways of making you forget.”

Taryn did her best to smile at the joke.

Losing Angel had been horrible, but finding friends was one of the good things that had happened to her since moving to town. Eventually she would heal and move forward.

She’d been reminded that love was a disaster and trusting men led to pain. It was a lesson that she was never going to allow herself to forget, ever again.

* * *

AFTER LUNCH, TARYN left Jo’s. She was feeling a little better. At least she wasn’t crying anymore and the gnawing pain in her chest had faded to something she was going to be able to stand.

It was being around her friends, she thought. They were good women and she appreciated them and their support. As she headed to her car she wondered how different her life would have been if she’d had friends like this earlier. Like in high school. Not that she would have trusted anyone enough to let them know what was going on. Or maybe it wasn’t all about trust. Maybe shame was a component, too.

She drove back to Score and parked in the lot. A battered Subaru pulled in next to her and Bailey got out.

Taryn smiled at the other woman. “How’s Chloe? Is she doing okay?”

Bailey circled her car and nodded. “She’s great. I was afraid the whole flash flood experience would give her nightmares, but it didn’t. She’s not afraid or anything bad.” Bailey wore a T-shirt over jeans. She shifted her car keys from hand to hand.

“Taryn, I want to thank you for all you and Angel did with her. Being in the Acorns has really allowed Chloe to find her way back to the wonderful girl she was before. I’ve been worried about her. Losing her dad was horrible. She got so quiet. I talked to her pediatrician and she suggested I give it time, but that if she wasn’t making strides in a few months, we should try therapy. I kept putting that off. I guess I didn’t want there to be anything wrong with her.”

Taryn could understand that concern. Especially when it came to a child.

“Once she joined the Acorns, everything changed. She has friends again. She’s talking all the time.”

“Too much?” Taryn asked, her voice teasing.

Bailey smiled. “Maybe a little, but I keep telling myself I’m not going to complain.” Her smile faded. “When we lost Will, we were both devastated. It was one thing when he was away on deployment, but knowing he was never coming back...”

Taryn nodded. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, knowing her pain was nothing when compared to losing a husband. She was tough. She would get over this and no one would ever know she’d been broken in the first place.

“I appreciate the sympathy, I do, but it’s okay. It was worth it. Will was a good, good man. He loved me and he loved Chloe. We were his world and we both knew that.”

Bailey paused. “Watching Chloe blossom again has helped me so much.” She shrugged. “Sorry. I’m talking too much.”

“You’re not. I’m so happy we could help. Chloe is a wonderful girl. You have every right to be proud of her.”

“I am.” Her mouth twisted. “After the campout, Chloe’s mentioned I should find her another daddy.”

“Angel?” Taryn asked before she could stop herself.

“What? No. Oh, is that what you thought?” The smile returned. “He’s amazing, but there’s no way I could handle a man like him. He’s much more your style. You’re strong and powerful and he needs that.”

The assessment of them as a couple and of her individually was both kind and unexpected.

“I’m not feeling especially powerful today,” Taryn admitted.

“It’ll come back.”

Taryn leaned against her car. “So if not Angel, is there someone else?”

“I don’t think so. I’m not ready to date.” She ducked her head. “And I’d have to lose thirty pounds. I think I’d rather eat cookies.”

Taryn watched Bailey and for a second thought she saw a blush on the other woman’s cheeks. Was it possible Bailey had someone in mind? She’d made it clear that she wasn’t interested in Angel, which was good. Taryn didn’t need another kick in the gut right now.

“You don’t need to lose any weight,” Taryn told her. “You’re gorgeous.”

“Thanks, but we both know that’s not true.” Bailey shrugged. “Right now I don’t care enough to deal with my weight. I have enough stress in my life what with job hunting.” She tilted her head. “I never thanked you for the dress.”

Taryn cleared her throat. “You mean the party? I didn’t do any of the work. Trust me, Dellina took care of most of it and Isabel handled the rest. My skill is delegating.”

Bailey’s green gaze settled on Taryn’s face. “You bought me the dress, Taryn. I know you did. If I had a bigger ego I’d say you arranged the whole clothing exchange party so you could give it to me without me thinking it was charity.”

“Uh, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do, but you can pretend if it makes you feel better. You’re a really good person. Thank you. I know you’d never accept money for what you did, so I’m going repay you by doing something like that for another person, when I get the chance.”

Taryn felt her eyes burning again. There was no way she was going to cry out in the Score parking lot, but Bailey’s words touched her.

“It wasn’t me,” she said firmly. “But I’m glad you have the dress for your interviews.”

“I do, and shoes.” Bailey smiled. “I signed up for a computer refresher course at the community college. It’s three Saturdays and by the end, I’ll be familiar with the new versions of the popular spreadsheet and calendar programs. Then I’ll be getting résumés and starting the job hunt.”

“Getting on with your life.”

“I am.” Bailey paused. “I know you hear this all the time, but I have to say it. You’re an inspiration, Taryn. I admire all you’ve accomplished. You’re successful and tough, but you do it with your own style. I mean, seriously—look at how you dress. It’s fantastic.”

Taryn glanced down at her Dolce & Gabbana silk brocade dress. It was sleeveless and bright with a floral print. “This old thing?” she said with a grin.

Bailey flung her arms around her. “You know what you like and you go after it.” Bailey released her. “We could all learn from you.”

“I don’t understand why my clothes are such a big deal.”

“They signify who you are. You don’t care if it’s Fool’s Gold or Los Angeles. You’re going to wear what you want and do what you want and live how you want. You have style and you’re good at your job and you’re a great friend. I guess I’m saying I want to be like you when I grow up.”

The tears were back. Taryn didn’t try to stop them. Instead she sniffed. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me. But I have to tell you, I’m a complete mess. Just so you know.”

“We’re all a mess, Taryn. But you always look good.”

Taryn laughed. “Style over substance.” She wiped away her tears. “I’m glad about Chloe. She’s wonderful.”

“Thanks. I can’t take all the credit, but I think she’s pretty amazing, too.”

The women hugged. For a second Taryn thought about creating a position for Bailey at Score. Only they didn’t need anyone and she knew Bailey would prefer to find a real job on her own. There was a difference between getting a little help—like a dress—and living the life of a fake job.