His Best Friend's Wife (Bachelor Best Friends 2)

His voice had cooled significantly with the mention of Lucy. She couldn’t entirely blame him. “I’m sure Lucy would love to make a donation to the scholarship in Jason’s name,” she said in defense of her mother-in-law.

At least, she hoped Evan’s involvement wasn’t enough to turn Lucy against their charity. Lucy did hold strong resentment against Evan. Renae didn’t entirely blame her, either—which put her squarely in the middle between the two.

No, not in the middle, she corrected herself quickly. She was on Lucy’s side, of course. Lucy was her family, her mother in every way but biology. She didn’t know what she’d have done without Lucy when the twins were born, and in the years since. Maybe Lucy wasn’t being entirely fair to Evan, but Lucy had lost her child, and she dealt with that loss as best she could.

It would be best just to keep Lucy and Evan apart.

“I’d better go,” she said. “It’s bath time and bedtime for the twins.”

“I understand. Just one more thing. Emma has invited all of us to the party. It’s the first Saturday in December, if you want to check your calendar.”

“Oh, I—”

“You could come with Tate and Kim and Lynette and me to represent the scholarship fund,” he added casually. “Just in case anyone at the party has any questions or wants faces to put with the request.”

The way he put it made her reluctant to say no. As if she would be slacking on her part in the effort if she didn’t make an appearance. At least he wasn’t making it sound like a date with him, but a gathering with everyone who had any interest in the scholarship. She would have to be very careful explaining it to Lucy, but she saw no real harm in representing Jason at the fundraiser. “All right. I’ll try to be there.”

“Great. Maybe you’d like to join us for lunch one Wednesday so you can meet everyone involved beforehand. We get together at a Chinese place in Little Rock for a quick meal, since everyone has to get back to work afterward and the girls only have an hour free.”

Even more time in Evan’s company. This was getting more and more complicated. “I’ll think about it.”

“Okay, I’ll let you go. You know how to reach me if you need anything.”

“Yes.”

“And you know where I’ll be Wednesday evening,” he added somberly.

She swallowed hard. “Good night, Evan.”

“Sleep well.”

As if that would happen, she thought, disconnecting the call. She hadn’t slept completely well since Evan Daugherty had come bac

k into her life.

She waited until the twins were in bed before talking with Lucy. They were in the kitchen, Lucy at the table with a mug of chamomile tea while Renae prepared the next day’s lunches for herself and the kids. Zipping carrot sticks into snack-sized plastic bags, Renae asked with studied casualness, “Lucy, do you have an extra lap quilt for a charity donation?”

“I have that pretty white one I finished last week. I was very pleased with the way that one turned out. I thought I might send it as a door prize for the church holiday crafts fair, but I’ve already got a couple ready for them, so I could let you have it if you need it. What’s the charity?”

Renae glanced over her shoulder. “It’s a fundraiser auction for the Jason Sanchez Memorial Scholarship.”

Lucy’s mouth quivered. “I see.”

“A blanket made by Jason’s mother would be a special contribution, I think. Very meaningful for whoever buys it.”

“Who’s running this auction?”

“A local family named Grainger. They throw a holiday party every December and it’s their practice to raise money for charities at the event. They’re adding the scholarship to this year’s list, which is very generous of them, I think.”

Lucy blinked a couple of times, and Renae could tell she was a bit surprised. She had probably expected to hear Evan’s name. “I don’t know these Graingers. Were they friends of yours and Jason’s?”

“No. Their daughter, Emma, works with Tate’s sister. Emma heard about the scholarship and thought it was a worthy cause.”

Lucy looked torn, and Renae thought it was easy enough to understand why. Naturally, Lucy wanted the scholarship to succeed, but she still hated that Evan and Tate were the ones who had started it. Especially Evan.

“I’ll donate the blanket,” Lucy said after a moment, picking up her teacup again. “To the Grainger family, for my Jason’s scholarship.”

“I’m sure they’ll be pleased.”