Enchanted by Barbara Bretton

Author:Barbara Bretton [Bretton, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Free Spirit Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

WENDY

* * *

I don’t know how Chloe managed it, but one hour later I was sitting at her kitchen table with my right foot resting on a wooden toy box with unicorns painted on it while four curious cats watched me from the doorway. The baby’s nanny, Elspeth, had wrapped my ankle in cloths soaked in herbs and who knows what else and, combined with the ibuprofen, I was already feeling better.

“That’s wonderful,” I said as the Betty White clone bustled around the room. “Thank you!”

She grunted something I didn’t understand and hurried off in a cloud of what I’d swear was essence of burned waffles.

“Don’t mind Elspeth,” Chloe said as she poured us each a tall glass of iced tea. “She’s not big on the social graces but she’s as loyal as they come.”

“I really appreciate this,” I said as I gratefully accepted the cold drink. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“You would have figured something out,” Chloe said, sitting down opposite me, “but I’m glad I was able to help.”

“You don’t have to babysit me,” I said. “You’re getting married tomorrow. There must be a million things you need to do.”

“And I don’t feel like doing any of them,” she said, shaking her head. “I guess I wasn’t born with the bride gene.”

“Cold feet?” I asked. “That’s not uncommon.”

“Not cold feet,” she said. “Just I already feel married to Luke and all of this craziness seems to be for everyone else.”

“From what I heard, Bunny’s loving every minute of it.”

Chloe nodded. “That’s part of the reason we didn’t have a ceremony for just the two of us. It means so much to his mother.”

“My ex’s mother would have thrown a party if I’d changed my mind at the last minute.”

Chloe looked at me, her golden eyes serious. “Is that why you divorced?”

I shrugged. “That and the supermodel replacement he had lined up.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, touching my hand. “That must have hurt.”

“It still does,” I acknowledged. “I was blindsided when he said he loved someone else.”

“Do you still love him?”

I thought about that or a minute or two. “No,” I said, to my surprise. “I’m not sure when I stopped, but I’m finally over him. Only my pride still hurts.”

We talked a little about our romantic pasts. Mine was limited to Gary. Chloe’s boasted a long line of single dates with non-starter candidates for happily-ever-after until the day Luke showed up in town to investigate the death of a politician’s mistress.

“And that was it,” she said. “I finally understood what that love-at-first-sight stuff was all about.”

It had scared the hell out of her but in the end love conquered all.

“And then Luke decided to put down roots in Sugar Maple,” I said.

“He’s our chief of police,” she said, not without a touch of pride. “And I’m de facto mayor. It’s worked out pretty well for all three of us.”

The baby. I had almost forgotten about the baby.

Even though I had my misgivings about the town, I could see where it would be a wonderful place to raise children.

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