Feels Like Home (Southern Bride 5)

“Thanks a lot, Bristol,” Mindy said before she turned to Pearl. “It’s okay, Pearl. Drake and I are friends. I mean. Yes, every time he comes near me, my body heats up and I want to beg him to touch me. But I don’t. ’Cause I’m pregnant. With another man’s baby. Even though that man is dead to me. But I obviously come with a seven-forty-seven worth of baggage.”

I gagged, and Pearl smiled. “I always thought you two would be cute together.” She walked up to Mindy and said, “Honey, you can have fun with a man without having sex. Be creative. Maybe a little watching while the other…you know.” She waggled her eyebrows, and I had to wonder what fresh new hell I was in.

Mindy, on the other hand, looked like someone had just told her the best idea ever.

“Oh, that’s good. What if he isn’t down for that?”

Pearl chuckled. “Trust me, Sweetheart. He’ll be up for it. Pun totally intended.”

The three women in the kitchen all laughed.

I slammed my hands over my ears and stomped my feet like a child. “I am not hearing this. I’m not!”

The sound of Pearl laughing made me drop my hands and stare at her.

“What?” she said with a half-shrug, “just because I’m older doesn’t mean I don’t know things.”

I clasped my hands together. “God, please, please, make this conversation go away.”

“Hey! I need you out here!” Anna said as she poked her head into the kitchen.

“Right! Coming!” I said as I quickly followed her into the tea room. Things were starting to wind down, so I helped Anna clear off the plates from the table.

“Bristol! You’re never going to guess who I’m having dinner with!” Annie said.

All conversation in the tea room stopped, and everyone’s eyes were on me. I forced a smile and asked, “Who?”

“Anson Meyer! The country singer! You didn’t tell me he was from Comfort!”

I laughed. It sounded so fake to me, but with the way Annie’s eyes glowed, she hadn’t noticed. “Well, you never mentioned you liked country music. Not sure how I’d bring that up in a conversation about tea.”

Annie giggled. “Well, I hate country music, truth be told. But Anson Meyer?” She glanced around the room. “Girls, is he hot or what?”

Oh my God. Had she really just asked a room full of people, half of whom were related to Anson or me in some way, if he was hot?

A few nodded, a few shyly looked away. I could always count on Mindy, though. She was the first to speak.

“Well, it’s hard to get our thoughts to go that way regarding Anson. Half us grew up with him, and the other half are related to him somehow.”

“Oh, how funny! Small towns, I guess!” Annie said. Then she looked at me. “What about you, Bristol? Are you on the friend-side or the related-side?”

Again, all eyes swung to me. My mouth suddenly went dry. I opened it to answer and nothing came out. So I closed it. Smiled. And tried again.

“The friend-side, definitely the friend-side,” I managed to get out.

Her smile grew wider. “You should come to dinner with us tonight then!”

“Oh, hell,” Mindy mumbled from behind me.

“Dinner?” I asked. I was positive she heard the shake in my voice.

“Yes, we still need to talk business, so we can do that as well. I’m sure Anson wouldn’t mind a little five-minute conversation about tea.”

Five minutes? Five? That was what she thought I was worth? A whole five minutes?

“Goodness!” Ida said as she stood. “It’s way past the time I thought it was. I must get going.”

That sparked at least six other women to stand. It was clear they all wanted out of the tea room in case there was a showdown between me and Annie.

Annie stood and gave Ida a small hug. “Thank you so much for setting that up for me, Ida.”

I paused to watch Ida leave. She smiled back at me, a gleam in her eyes. Had she really just set Anson up on a date with a potential business partner in my freaking tea room then smiled at me about it? Maybe she was pissed because of Saturday night. Everyone surely thought I came to Josh’s rescue. In truth, I knew Anson would beat him to a pulp, and I didn’t want to see him sitting in a Texas jail when he had just gotten out of one in Nashville.

Terry, Mindy, and my mother finished clearing off the tables as I stood at the door to the tea room and wished everyone an amazing afternoon and evening.

Soon, it was only Annie left.

“The tea was lovely, Bristol. I plan on posting about it as soon as I get back to the hotel room. I took a few photos; I hope you don’t mind.”

I smiled, and a rush of excitement raced through my body. “Of course I don’t mind. Please, post away! Feel free to tag the tea room as well as the hotel. I’m sure they would love it.”