Getting Lucky (23 page)

“How about bitchiness?” Lauren asked. “Do you have anything that can cure that? Because I have a lot of it.”

“You do not,” Adrianne protested. “You’re two weeks away from your due date. You’re uncomfortable and hormonal. That’s all it is.”

Lauren looked at Delaney. Delaney got very interested in buttering her muffin. Then Lauren looked at Phoebe. Phoebe picked up the bottle of lavender oil in front of her and studied the label intently.

“Red?” Lauren said.

“Hmm?” Phoebe asked, turning the bottle to read the back label.

“You didn’t tell Adrianne about how I blew up at Delaney the other day?”

Phoebe blinked at her innocently. “Did you blow up at Delaney?” She looked at Delaney. “I don’t remember that, do you, D?”

Delaney shook her head. “Nope. Doesn’t ring a bell.” Then she stuffed a third of a blueberry crumb muffin into her mouth.

Lauren sighed and looked at Adrianne. “I was a raging bitch the other day. Phoebe and I went home at lunchtime to see what Delaney was doing with the kitchen remodel at our place. She had knocked out some cupboards I wanted to keep and I came unglued.”

Delaney started choking and Kate patted her on the back and slid her ice water closer.

Adrianne looked at Delaney. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Lauren said. “I was yelling and cussing and then I threw two plates and broke into tears.”

Adrianne didn’t look shocked by the news.

Hope sat back and watched the women around her.

Fascinating stuff.

“So I went to the fridge and pulled out her most expensive bottle of white wine,” Phoebe replied. “And I drank right out of the bottle, right in front of her. I figured if she was going to yell at someone, at least I’d give her something
real
to yell about.”

Adrianne’s smile grew. “That was brave.”

“And it worked,” Lauren said. “I realized that we had talked about removing those cupboards. I brought Delaney dinner that night to make up for it.”

“You cooked?” Kate asked. She looked confused. “How is that an apology?”

“I didn’t say I
made
dinner that night,” Lauren said. “I
brought
dinner. Pizza.”

“Oh, good.” Kate looked relieved. “Did you forgive her?” she asked Delaney.

Delaney nodded. “Of course.”

“Well, it’s not really her fault,” Adrianne said. “It’s hormones and swollen feet and a sore low back.”

Delaney grinned. “It’s actually because I know that every time Lauren has a dinner party and two guests have to eat on plates that don’t match, she’ll be sorry all over again.”

They all laughed and Hope found herself completely hooked. She’d never experienced a group of women like this. Friends, clearly, who could be totally honest and loving at the same time. She’d never had someone else worrying about her sinuses or defending her emotional outbursts or teasing her about her cooking.

Of course, she took care of her own sinuses, didn’t have emotional outbursts and rarely cooked for anyone else.

Watching these women together touched and overwhelmed her at the same time.

The bell over the door tinkled and another beautiful woman stepped into the store. The other women around the table were all very pretty, but in a more understated way. This one wore a black pencil skirt, an electric-blue silk blouse and black heels that hoisted her an additional three inches into the air. Her long, straight blond hair was perfect, as was her makeup and nails.

Wow, maybe there was something in the water or air here. All the women were beautiful and the men good-looking.

“Well, anyway,” Lauren said to Hope. “If you have something for Raging Bitchitis, I could use some.”

“Embrace it,” the newcomer said. “It’s rare around here. You’ll be a novelty. Like me.”

Lauren snorted. “Novelty is not the word I’ve heard people use, Hailey.”

Hope watched Lauren and the other woman curiously. She might be a nature-loving, yoga-practicing, meditating free spirit, but even she knew about alpha females. And she was looking at two of them. She could read it plain as day. She was interested in who would concede the top spot to the other.

“Am I late?” Hailey pulled up a chair, sat and crossed her long legs.

“Of course you are. Exactly as you planned it,” Adrianne said with an affectionate smile. “Do you want tea?”

“Water with lemon is fine,” Hailey said.

“Good thing you didn’t miss the part about how to relax and kick back,” Phoebe said to Hailey. “If anyone needs to learn to chill out, it’s you.”

Hailey focused on Hope when she replied. “I don’t really like to relax.”

Yep, she could read that easily as well. Hailey was wound tight. She appeared cool as a cucumber, but Hope sensed she was always alert and ready. She was clearly sharp and confident—or at least wanted people to think so.

Hailey had come in and taken over the conversation and focus on the instruction, but Hope got the impression from the other women’s expressions that it was typical.

“Do you sleep well at night?” Hope asked.

“I go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning,” Hailey said.

That wasn’t really an answer to her question. “And during those hours in bed, do you sleep well?” Hope asked.

Hailey met her gaze steadily. “Yes.”

She was lying. Hope could tell. This woman was restless. Hailey might call it energy or chalk it up to being highly driven and a Type-A personality, but she was restless and filling her mind and her life with activities and plans and schedules to keep from having to think about other things.

Hope would bet Miss Hailey hated yoga and meditation.

“How do you feel about yoga?” she asked.

Hailey wrinkled her nose. “I prefer more
active
exercise.”

She preferred more motion and noise, Hope guessed. “I’ll bet you’re a runner.”

Hailey’s right eyebrow rose just slightly. “Yes.”

And Hope would bet she was a competitive one. “Do you train for races?”

Hailey lifted her chin a bit at that. “Yes. I do half-marathons.”

Hope didn’t smile, but she had Hailey pegged. And she’d win her over. “I have some amazing cream that you can apply to your arches for pain and inflammation,” she said.

This time, Hailey didn’t hide her surprise quite as easily. “How do you know I have foot pain?”

“You’re a runner.” Who likely pushed herself through any hint of tightness or pain. Hailey seemed exactly the type to subscribe to the no-pain-no-gain theory. “And those killer heels,” she said. Hailey had walked across the smooth tile floor of the shop in three-inch heels like she’d been born in them. Women that confident on heels that high wore them a lot. “But I’d really like to show you some acupressure techniques and some stretching,” Hope didn’t add that they were actually yoga positions, “that could help with your back pain.”

Hailey flat out stared at her this time. “How did you know I have back pain?”

Hope couldn’t fully explain it. Her nursing instructors and classmates had marveled at her ability to read the body as well.

“I’m very intuitive,” she said, using the same line she’d used on TJ. “I’m good at sensing things about people.”

Hailey narrowed her eyes, clearly skeptical, but she nodded. “Okay.”

Hope smiled at her, then at the other women around the table. “You should all come out to TJ’s farm in the morning for yoga.”

They looked interested and Kate, Delaney and Phoebe all agreed. Hailey said she’d need to check her schedule. Adrianne needed to check to make sure the morning in the bakery would be covered and Lauren decided she’d come watch even if she couldn’t participate fully with her belly in the way.

“We can modify everything for you,” Hope assured her.

“I’ll bring my lawn chair and orange juice,” Lauren said. “We’ll go from there.”

Hope let it go. She
would
get Lauren doing yoga in the morning. But Lauren didn’t need to know that right now.

“Kathy said you were talking about some cream for her hands too,” Delaney said. “Is it the same stuff you rubbed on TJ?”

She said it innocently, but Hope noticed the twinkle of mischief in her eyes. Again, she had the full attention of everyone in the bakery, including the helper she still didn’t know the name of, who was wiping down the next table. Slowly and more thoroughly than it needed. Hope had noticed her eavesdropping the entire time. She would have invited her to join them, but the girl was Adrianne’s employee and Hope didn’t want to step on toes.

“It’s similar,” she said, not intending to deny there had been rubbing between her and TJ. “For his sore muscles, I used marjoram in whipped coconut oil. For arthritis, my favorite to start with is wintergreen.” She smiled at Kathy. “I love the aroma. But then there are lots of other options. I also love juniper berries for arthritis.”

“Sounds wonderful.” Kathy gave her a big smile.

“I’ll make some for you tonight,” Hope promised. “TJ can bring it over to you.”

“Oh, please promise you’ll come too,” Kathy said.

Hope simply nodded. She really shouldn’t make promises of any kind. This was TJ’s world, his family and friends. She shouldn’t get any more involved with them than she already was. Looking around the table, she realized that she really liked these women. Even uptight Hailey obviously fit in.

Hope didn’t know how to do that.

It wasn’t that she always felt out of place or anything, but she was used to feeling like…a visitor wherever she went. A welcome visitor most of the time, but someone who was just passing through nonetheless.

She and her mom had lived in Sedona all through Hope’s high school years, but Hope had been homeschooled until ninth grade, and even after she’d known the other kids in Sedona for a couple of years, she’d still felt different.

College was the first time she’d had a group that she’d spent time with over a significant period. And it had been a learning experience. Living with a roommate had actually been the first time Hope had fully experienced someone who wasn’t used to taking care of herself.

Taylor had driven Hope crazy. She’d asked for advice and input on
everything
. She’d known nothing about how to care for her car or how to handle her finances or how to tell their neighbors that they needed to turn their music down.

Hope had tried to be patient. She’d helped Taylor as much as she could, but it hadn’t taken long before she’d decided to push Taylor to be more independent. Taylor hadn’t liked it. They’d parted ways after that first year when Hope had decided she’d rather live in a tiny, crappy apartment on her own than coddle someone in a bigger, less-drafty dorm room.

So she wasn’t so sure about this close, in-each-other’s-business circle of girlfriends. It was obvious they cared for one another and each seemed confident on her own, but they’d clearly shared a lot of details about their lives with one another and were comfortable with the others having input on everything.

Hope wasn’t sure how she’d do with that long-term.

She was completely open about who she was, the things she knew, her background and views. She loved talking to other people and getting their stories. It was when it came to having people want to help her that she got frustrated. Anything she needed done, she could do herself.

Not that it wasn’t sweet when TJ tried to help her. In fact, it made heat swirl through her when he begrudgingly did something for her.

The heat thing, and the liking it thing, were very disconcerting really.

“Okay, Hope?”

She focused on Adrianne. She hadn’t heard a word of the discussion around her as the women talked about yoga and the things they’d learned about the oils so far and possible uses.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“We were thinking that we could just make a bunch of the oils and creams right now. I have coconut oil in the back and plenty of bowls and mixers and things. We can all pile into the kitchen and mix up a bunch of stuff together. I’ll make lunch for everyone too. We can make it a day. Unless you need to get back to the farm?” Adrianne said.

Everyone’s attention swung to Hope. They were clearly waiting to see if she
needed
to get back to
TJ.

She kind of did.

They’d definitely been interrupted in the midst of something wonderful that morning. Hope could still feel his big hands, his hot mouth… Her nipples tightened and she felt her panties heat.

The panties she’d slipped on underneath another sundress to come to town with Kathy. She liked going with as few clothes as possible. She had, of course, always dressed in scrubs at work, but she’d inherited her mother’s free-clothing style, preferring loose, flowing garments that were not restrictive or fitted whenever possible. Bras drove her crazy.

She shifted on the chair, aware of her panties not because they were restrictive exactly, but because they rubbed over flesh that was sensitized just thinking about TJ.

That boy was going to have to scratch this itch soon. Especially after watching her do yoga, stripping her naked in the garden and showing her just how delicious work-roughened hands felt on her skin.