Must Love Frosting (Must Love Diamonds 1)

So…the weather morphed to talk of where she did her baking as they approached her front door. The sound of a car turning into her driveway brought Honor around. She frowned in confusion when her own mother parked her red BMW from husband number three.

Had she forgotten to put a lunch date on the calendar? She didn’t think so, but even if she had, it was only eleven a.m. and that certainly didn’t explain why her mom was walking up the sidewalk with a bottle of tequila.

“Mom? I didn’t know you were coming over.” With tequila.

She stuck a heavily-jeweled hand on her jean capris clad hip, the bracelets around her wrist clinking. “What else am I going to do when I find out my girl’s got a broken heart?”

“What?” She tried to scoff, but suddenly her pulse was racing and her eyes burning. “Where did you get that idea?”

“Glory called me.”

Snitch.

“Come on, now. We’re going to get drunk and cry it out.” Before she could protest how much she hated this ritual, her mom moved around her. As she opened the door, she tossed her blond curls over her shoulder and gave Asher’s mom a sweeping glance. “Hello. I’m Camilla Burns.”

“Janine Diamond.”

“The governor’s wife,” she confirmed with a nod. “I’ve seen you on TV. Would you like to join us?”

“Mom, I don’t think—”

“I would love to.”

Honor watched the two of them disappear into her house. Brash and flamboyant next to rich and regal. Talking and laughing, arm in arm as they headed straight for her kitchen.

What the hell is going on?

When Honor joined them, her mother was pouring tequila into three glasses as she pulled her finger from her mouth. “Honey, this batter is awful.”

“I know, Mom.” She eyed the liquor her mother slid across the counter. “I’m not drinking at eleven o’clock in the morning.”

From her stool at the island counter, Janine shook her sleek salon hair back from her face and lifted her drink in the air. “It’s five o’clock somewhere.” She downed the liquid in one swallow and banged the glass on the counter. Honor exchanged a wide-eyed look with her mom.

“Oh, I like you,” her mother declared before doing the same with her drink and pouring them each another.

This time Janine took a more dignified sip. As she lowered her glass, she gave Honor a sympathetic look. “What did he do?”

She froze like a deer in the headlights. “Nothing.” Then she grabbed her glass and took a huge swallow. The alcohol burned a hot trail down her throat and made her cough. Feeling both their gazes, she choked out, “What makes you think he did something?”

“Because he’s a man,” her mom answered.

Both older women nodded sagely, clinked their glasses, and this time all three of them drank. Honor slumped down onto the stool next to Janine. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I see.” Her mother nodded as she poured again. “So, he’s like all the other men you’ve dated.”

“No.” Not even close.

Bottle in hand, she raised her eyebrows.

“He told me he loved me.”

She gave a mock gasp. “The bastard.”

“Hey, that’s my son you’re talking about.”

“Right. Sorry.”

Janine waved a hand and sipped. Her mother sipped. Honor cradled her drink in her hands, swirling the clear liquid round and round the glass.