“What is going on?” Aaron went to steady the ladder. “Lauren, come help.”
“I don’t know what happened. I was trying to take this fan down, and when I pulled the wires out to detach them, I must have pulled on the electrical box and this section of drywall just started to collapse on top of me. Where’s Sasha?”
“Lauren! Come hold the ladder so David doesn’t fall.” Thankfully, his sister did as he asked. He heard the front door open, and a second later, Sasha was there to help as well. He was tall enough to help David hold up the sheet of drywall while Aaron detached the fan from the electrical box. Once Aaron could help Sasha with the drywall, David was able to climb down the ladder safely.
David grabbed his utility knife and went back up to cut away the part of the drywall that was still hanging on so the other two could carefully set it on the ground.
“I made your daughter a promise I wouldn’t let anything else happen to you on this job. Are you trying to get me in trouble?” Aaron asked.
“I’ve never had anything like that happen before. I’m guessing that’s where the roof leak was and they painted over the stain instead of fixing the problem, compromising the drywall.”
“Good thing we had Nice Lauren here to help,” Sasha said. Aaron prayed David wouldn’t ask what that was supposed to mean and make everything ten times more awkward.
“Absolutely. Thank you for helping out, Lauren,” David said. “I don’t think I’ve had a ceiling-fan incident like this since you and Bonnie decided to use the one in her bedroom as a cat toy.”
Lauren actually started to laugh. Laugh. That was something Aaron hadn’t heard her do since her canceled wedding.
“Oh my gosh, Buttons loved it at first.”
“Yeah, until she got tangled up in that yarn you two draped over the fan blade and went on the ride of her life,” David said, chuckling, too.
“We tried to turn it off, but we ended up speeding it up.” Lauren doubled over. “That poor cat. Bonnie felt so bad. She thought Buttons would never come near her again.”
“Oh, that cat loved her more than anyone else in the house. It used to make her mother nuts. Abby thought Buttons should love her the most since she was the one who fed her all the time, but that cat would only cuddle with Bonnie. And you, if I remember correctly.”
“She was a sweet cat,” Lauren said wistfully. Mentioning Bonnie so much stopped the laughter, but Aaron could tell his sister had been lost in the memory long enough to recognize it felt good to talk about the way things used to be.
“You’re not only Aaron’s sister, but you’re Bonnie’s friend?” Sasha seemed to think that was a good thing until he started to put two and two together. He had to know that the Lauren who’d had a falling-out with Bonnie used to be a good friend. His smile faded and was replaced with a furrowed brow. “Please tell me you’re not Bad Lauren.”
“She’s not bad,” David said in her defense before Aaron could speak up.
“Lauren’s lost her way a bit, but I know the two girls will figure things out.”
Lauren’s eyes were wet. “I should go. I... I need to go.”
Aaron followed her out. “Hey, I don’t think you’re Bad Lauren, either. I hope you’ll think about finding a way to make peace with me. And with Bonnie.”
His sister wiped the tears on her cheeks. “I don’t know, Aaron. I have to get back to work,” she said, getting into her car.
It wasn’t a no. He would consider that progress in the right direction. If Lauren and Bonnie could find a way to get along, maybe there was a possibility Bonnie would be open to exploring these feelings he thought perhaps both he and Bonnie were feeling for one another.
A guy could hope.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
BONNIE HOPED THIS wasn’t a joke. Mary had texted her that she wanted to meet her for lunch. She wasn’t going to let it hurt her feelings that Mary chose a restaurant fifteen miles out of Blue Springs—at least she wanted to get together.
“Welcome to Gianna’s. How many for lunch today?” the dark-haired hostess asked.
Bonnie had seen Mary’s car in the parking lot. “I think my friend might already be here.” She scanned the eating area, spotting Mary sitting in the corner. “I see her.”
She approached the table warily. There was no telling what might happen at this rendezvous. She was trying to be optimistic, but nothing much had been going her way lately, so there was no reason to believe this would be any different.
Mary offered her a slight smile when she caught sight of her. That was reassuring. Bonnie wanted so badly to regain the trust and support of at least one friend. She was so tired of feeling alone.
“Hi,” she said, sitting down across from Mary. Her stomach ached from anxiety. Eating was the last thing she wanted to do.
“I’m glad you found it,” Mary said, fiddling with the napkin on her lap. Perhaps she was just as nervous as Bonnie was. “I was worried since you said you’d never been here before.”
Bonnie reached for the glass of water in front of her. “It wasn’t hard to find.”
Gianna’s was a sweet little café in New Castle. The tables were covered in white tablecloths, and there was a candle and bud vase with fresh flowers on each one. None of the chairs were matching—instead they were an eclectic mix of different styles and colors. There were floor-to-ceiling windows on the west wall and exposed beams running across the ceiling.
Mary picked up her menu and then put it back down. “I know you’re probably wondering why I asked you to meet me for lunch, and I feel like we should get that out of the way first.”
Bonnie sighed with relief. “That would be appreciated, because I don’t
