Two unconvinced faces stared at her, clearly waiting for more.
Fern sighed. “Come on. We need more than that. He’s a right grouch lately, and we were hoping you could help him get over that.”
“Careful. It sounds like you’re pimping out your guests.”
“Hey, I’m not entirely opposed to it,” Fern said, and Marge hooted like she’d told a grand joke. Most of the time when the words bad influences got tossed around, people automatically pictured rebellious teenagers, but these two were definitely up to no good.
Emmett warned me to look out for the gray-haired ladies. Next thing you know, they’re going to insist on teaching me to sew. Or knit. Stifling a laugh, Regina picked up her biscuit and split it so she could add butter and jam. “You remember how I was supposed to walk down the aisle a few days ago?”
The chair legs scraped across the wooden floor as Marge scooted her chair closer. “We remember that you didn’t. That’s the important part.”
“Doesn’t mean my heart didn’t get plenty beat up.”
Both women appeared slightly reprimanded, but Regina doubted it’d last so she figured she should change the subject. “If I’m going to stay two weeks—”
“You are,” Fern said in a no-room-for-argument tone.
“Then I’m going to need more than the outfit I borrowed from Callie and the suitcase full of summer clothes I packed for the beach.” This morning, she’d put on Callie’s jeans along with a ruffled short-sleeved blouse that’d have her freezing to death in five minutes flat if she dared to step outside without her also-borrowed coat and scarf. “Where does one shop for clothes around these parts?”
Fern’s eyes widened in a way that sent a prickling sense of foreboding across Regina’s skin. “You could ask the sheriff to drive you into the city. Takes just over an hour to get there, so that’d give you lots of time together.”
“Or I could take my very own car.” The thought made her blood pressure rise. Snow didn’t exactly melt here, and she worried she’d end up sliding into a ditch somewhere, and then she’d be another problem for Emmett to solve. Or worse, she’d discover she didn’t have cell reception and end up alone for hours. More than that, now that she’d settled in, she didn’t want to spend any more of her vacation time traveling. Although, if it meant being with Emmett … “I’m sure the sheriff’s busy.”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t be if he knew spending time with you was an option. You’d be doing us a favor, really. Like I said, we could all use a break from his grumpy-Gus attitude.”
“At least you aren’t overdramatic about it,” Regina said.
They nodded, and she wasn’t sure if they were faking not understanding her sarcasm or if they truly didn’t get it. He wasn’t as bad as they made out either. Sure, he refused to smile, something she was going to work on, but he was fair and kind, and only a pinch grumpy, on top of being overworked.
“I’ll call him right now.” Fern whipped out her phone and tapped the screen.
“No, don’t!” Regina dove across the table, sending everything on it rattling and overturning the last half of her water, and the two older ladies looked at her like she was the crazy one.
“Hey, Sheriff,” Fern said, and a mix of apprehension and anticipation churned through Regina’s gut. “I’m here with our lovely guest, and she was hoping you could take her clothes shopping in Somerhaven. Like, say, if someone asked her on a date and she needed a fancier outfit.”
Regina dropped her head in her hands as heat crept up her neck. She should get the water cleaned up, but it was quickly soaking into the tablecloth and no one else seemed concerned about it.
“Well, no one’s asked her out just yet, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time. Maybe you’d like to be the first to—” Fern frowned. “It is an emergency. Do you want her to freeze to death in this tiny outfit she’s wearing? She’s going to catch pneumonia inside, much less what’ll happen if she ventures outside.”
And it keeps getting worse and worse. She should’ve asked for Emmett’s number last night. That way she could at least text him and explain that she hadn’t asked Fern to call, and she certainly didn’t expect him to come.
“Oh, the town can take care of itself for an afternoon. Tell your deputy to do something for once.” Pause. “I don’t know about you, but I worry she’ll get into the city and forget how charming we all are—especially if no one will be nice enough to take her shopping, and then we’ll lose her for goo—”
Fern nodded and glanced at Regina. Her glasses made her eyes cartoonishly wide and amped up her scrutiny. “Fine. I’ll let her know.” She hung up and sighed. “I tried, but he says he has to work.”
How stupid was it that disappointment seeped in, in spite of not expecting him to take a day off to go shopping with her? What was he going to do? Sit outside the dressing room and give a thumbs-up or down as she modeled clothes for him like they were in some kind of cheesy movie montage?
Regina kept her expression neutral, faking it in hopes she’d eventually make it. “I’m perfectly capable of shopping for myself, and I’m afraid you ladies are getting the wrong idea about me and Sheriff Haywood.” Honestly, she was afraid her heart was getting the wrong idea too. Hadn’t it learned its lesson?
“I don’t think so,” Fern said. “While he might be too much of a stickler to take time off, you should’ve heard the bark in his voice when he asked who you were going on a date with. More than that, he’s sending his sister to help, so you’ll find enough clothes to keep you warm without falling victim to the allure of the city. All good signs, trust me.”
Fern’s logic was nowhere near the realm of actual logic, and spending time with his sister would just be weird. Part of her thought she should grab her bags and flee this small town before she found herself living in a Twilight Zone episode where everyone was setting her up on forced dates.
It all seemed sudden and unplanned, and … It hit her that she was supposed to be letting go of plans and expectations. And if she was going to sincerely try out the whole throwing-caution-to-the-wind thing, she figured this town with its ridiculously friendly people was as good a place as any.
Emmett hung up the phone and pinched the bridge of his nose. Last night he’d been too careless. What was he thinking flirting with Regina? Especially with the whole town watching on.
Now Fern was calling and requesting he take Regina shopping? He was sure that the B&B owner was behind it because he doubted Regina, who talked about how regimented her life was, thought he’d take time off work to shop for women’s clothes. Especially when he had no idea about women’s clothes, besides that Regina seemed to make everything look good.