Bryn and I share a glance, silently asking the other if we received an invite. We both shake our heads and turn back to Wyatt.
He frowns, “No? Oh. Well, it’s not on the actual day, if you have family plans. I know mine would kill me if I missed that holiday.”
I clarify his misunderstanding us. “We didn’t get an invite.”
“They went out today. Check your inbox. Unless you never do?”
Washington jogs his thumb. “We’ve gotta go.”
“Right.” Wyatt glances to us, dips his chin, “Ladies.”
Bryn waves, “Bye.”
But he said that while looking right into my eyes like he was trying to tell me something. As they head for the registers, I call out, “Wait! What do you mean, unless you never do?”
“Never mind.”
“No, tell me.”
Wyatt thinks about it, and shakes his head. “Can’t. He’s my friend.”
“Please.”
“Nope.”
I jog over to stop him from leaving. “Wyatt, please tell me. Did Billy email me or something? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
He stares at me and lets out a resigned sigh. “Yeah, he did. You never replied. I just wondered if you ever got it, because it seemed just now like you wanted to go to that party. You wouldn’t if you weren’t interested in him. Just my instinct.”
Which is damn good.
“Thank you.” I grab his arm and squeeze it, a huge smile spreading on my face. “When is the party?”
“Tuesday before Thanksgiving Day.” His smirk returns and he says, “I’m not going to tell Billy I saw you, in case you want to surprise him. If you don’t show up, I’ll tell him to forget all about you.”
I laugh under my breath and walk back to my roommate who watches me with interest as I take the cart. “I’ll push it the rest of the way.”
“You hate pushing the cart.”
“I don’t hate anything today.”
She’s eager to know what he said as we resume ticking things off the shopping list. “Why are you smiling like that? Come on! Tell me!”
“You know how I set up my blog’s domain name?”
“Yeah?”
“Then I put a form on my blog so people could contact me, on the crazy couple days I was learning how to do all of that stuff. But I never set up the email to deliver from the hosting site to my phone. It’s just sitting there on their server. If anyone emailed me through that form, I never got them! Grab the bag of quinoa.”
She snatches the box off the bottom shelf and tosses it into the cart, but misses, swearing under her breath as she retrieves it. “Is that where your invitation went? I don’t get it. You would get that to your old email, wouldn’t you?”
“Not the invitation! Wyatt just told me that Billy sent me an email after he saw my article! I never got it! That’s why!”
She squeals, “I knew he tried to contact you!”
“You did not!”
“I knew he should have! And I was sure he would have! Same thing! Oh my God, read it!!”
“I don’t know how! I have to get home and look up how to access email from my domain name. It’s all a pain in the butt. But I can’t wait to figure it out!!!”
CHAPTER 15
BILLY
Samantha Cocker gives me a hug, then smiles as she admires the shiny, modern warehouse my team has decorated like we’re outside at a park during fall. Actual trees with red, yellow, and orange leaves are in pots obscured by stacks of more leaves. The skylight gives us a view of a cloudless, star-filled night, but we’re warm and toasty with heaters and heated ciders, hot toddies, and non-alcoholic, pumpkin tea.
Tables are pushed together to form six squares, all with place settings so well designed they will be photographed for a popular food magazine. After Haven’s article, they offered their services and I took them up on it.
“It’s beautiful, Billy,” she smiles.
“Thanks, Sam. Lexi coming?”
“Zoe will be here soon. But Lex is with…she couldn’t make it.”
I laugh, “She’s with Brad, isn’t she?”
Her brown eyes go innocent. “Who?”
Caden Cocker strolls up, holding his wife’s hand. He nods to his sister and eyeballs me. “Did I hear you say Brad?” The name falls off his tongue like it tasted bad.
Samantha looks at me imploringly, so I tell him, “No.”
He snorts, knowing I’m lying, and gives me a hug. “I expected you dressed as a turkey.”
“I was one for long enough.”
“Sorry to hear about that crap you went through.”
“Made me stronger,” I smile, as I hug his wife. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you, Billy.” She takes Caden’s hand again and he kisses her nose, then glances over to Wyatt as he walks up behind me.
“You’re giving us meatballs for Thanksgiving, Billy?”
“I’ve gotta be me, Wy, I’ve gotta be me!”
“You’ve gotta be looking over there, is what you’ve gotta be doing.” He jogs his chin toward the entrance.
I turn and my heart punches my ribs with surprise. Haven is walking toward me, a little hesitant, wearing a knee-length, dark forest green dress that matches her eyes, with black boots, her shiny hair long and wavy.
Her girlfriends are with her, but they’re hanging back, watching with huge smiles on their faces as they lean into each other like they’re going to whisper about this for days.
I leave my Cockers and meet Haven halfway. As I’m walking toward her, taking her in, the room disappears for me. She’s looking around and smiles, “I expected something wild. This is beautiful, Billy.”
“So are you.”
Her lips part as her eyes smile. “Thank you.”
“No more red contacts.”
“Guess I’m not a witch in real life.”
“Guess not.”
She smiles and glances to her dress, touching it self-consciously.
We start talking at the same time.
“I got your email.” “I didn’t think you were going to come!”
She laughs and bites her lip. “I’m sorry I didn’t reply to it. It was in the abyss of my new hosting service. Turns out a lot of people had emailed me. But it was yours that meant the most. You liked my article?”
“Why do
