“I used Helen’s recipe and dialed it back a notch,” Raylene argued.
Annie grinned. “Then we have a new lightweight!” she said triumphantly. “I am so glad it’s no longer just me.”
“Okay, everybody, get some food, then let’s have a seat before we fall down,” Sarah said, and turned to Laura. “Then you can fill us in on what happened at school today.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Laura protested.
“It’s okay,” Annie said. “I think I already know most of the details. I’ll talk. Laura, you can correct me if I get it wrong. That way you won’t be telling tales out of school, so to speak.”
Astounded that Annie thought she already knew the details, but not seriously doubting her word, Laura merely nodded.
Once they were all in the living room and had made a serious dent in the burritos, black beans and rice that Raylene had made, along with a lot of chips, salsa and very spicy guacamole, Annie reported what her mother had told her about the incident at school.
To Laura’s surprise, none of the women seemed especially surprised to hear that Annabelle Litchfield might be bullying another girl.
“It’s that mother of hers,” Sarah said knowingly. “Mariah’s something else. You know she put the moves on Travis, right?”
Even Raylene and Annie looked startled. “Did you ever tell us that?” Annie said. “When?”
“Fourth of July, after he went on the air and praised Annabelle’s rendition of the national anthem during the holiday celebration on the town green. I walked back into the studio, and there she was gushing and practically throwing herself at him.”
“What did Travis do?” Raylene asked.
“Not enough, in my opinion. He just thanked her for stopping by. I wanted to rip her hair out. Took me a while to accept that he was being polite and that my reaction might be a little over the top, to say nothing of very bad PR for the station.”
“You didn’t think Travis was interested, did you?” Annie asked with a frown. “That might have been early on, but everybody knew you were the only woman in town he had eyes for.”
Sarah nodded. “I was still having a little trouble believing that back then.” She grinned. “Not so much now.”
“Well, I should hope not,” Laura said. “I still have to fan myself when I hear the two of you on the radio. That man seriously has the hots for you.”
Sarah’s smile spread. “He does, doesn’t he? How amazing is that? And he’s my husband!”
Annie turned her attention to Laura. “Speaking of men, Mom also gave me a full report on your dinner with J.C. at Sullivan’s.”
“Do tell,” Raylene said with interest.
Laura blushed furiously. “Come on, you guys. It was just dinner.”
“But you do like him, right?” Sarah pressed. “I mean, what woman wouldn’t? He’s gorgeous. He’s successful. And until now he’d been determinedly unattainable. How’d you pull off the coup, Laura?”
“By being irresistible, obviously,” Annie said, grinning at Laura. “Give the woman some credit. She’s as much of a catch as he is.”
“Well, that goes without saying,” Raylene said. “In fact, I’d say Laura’s the bigger prize. J.C. has stayed in practice with Bill Townsend. That’s not much of a recommendation.”
“Hold on,” Annie protested. “Even Maddie doesn’t hold that against him. She takes the kids to J.C. and recommended him to me when I refused to take mine to Bill.”
Sarah nodded. “Remember, it was Maddie who pressed Bill to hire him in the first place before her marriage to Bill blew up. She even interviewed J.C. herself and thought he was a good fit for Serenity.”
“I still say that affiliation makes him suspect,” Raylene said stubbornly. “And if Maddie were being a hundred percent truthful, she’d tell you that, too. I’ll bet the only reason she takes the kids to J.C. is because she won’t go near her ex-husband, and the only other pediatricians are miles away. No mom wants a doctor for her kids who isn’t readily accessible.”
Laura listened to them with amusement. “So, does J.C. get a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down?” she asked in jest. “Not that you all have a say. I’m just curious.”
“Thumbs-up,” Annie said at once.
“I agree,” Sarah replied.
“And I’m on the fence,” Raylene said. “If Maddie, Dana Sue and Helen were here, I imagine there’d be more thumbs-down votes.”
“Helen’s jaded,” Annie said. “It’s all those divorces she’s handled. She never forgives any man who’s hurt one of her friends the way Bill hurt Maddie. She’d dislike J.C. on the principle of guilt by association. She’s still a little cautious around my dad, though since he and Mom reconciled, Helen’s tried to forget that she basically wiped the floor with him in the divorce. Dad’s made it easier, because he hasn’t held a grudge. In fact, one of his favorite sports is getting under Helen’s skin.”
Laura sat back. “I just love the dynamics in this town.”
“How about margarita nights?” Annie asked hopefully. “Are you game for the next full-fledged one?”
“Count me in,” Laura said. The margaritas might not matter one way or the other, but the friendship these women had demonstrated by showing up here tonight was priceless.
* * *
J.C. had been calling Laura for hours but had yet to reach her. His conversation with Cal had worried him. He had a hunch she’d taken today’s incident at school to heart. Sure, she’d handled it with quiet strength, but the situation was far from resolved. She was bound to be worrying herself sick over Misty. He was feeling pretty stirred up about the latest twist in the situation himself.
When he couldn’t stand it another minute, he got into his car and drove over to Laura’s apartment. He arrived around ten, just in time to see Annie Townsend, Sarah McDonald and Raylene Rollins emerge from the building. They looked a little wobbly to him, too wobbly to be behind the wheel of a car.
“Good evening, ladies,” he said.
“It’s J.C.,” Annie said exuberantly. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to check on Laura. How about you?”
“We had a margarita night at her place,” Sarah said.
He frowned. “A margarita night? What exactly is that?”
“Something Sweet Magnolias throw whenever someone needs support after a tough day,” Annie explained, seeming to choose her words carefully.
“So a fair amount of tequila has been consumed this evening,” he concluded, fighting a grin.
“A lot,” Sarah said, her head bobbing like one of those ridiculous dolls.
“I think I’ve gotten
