“You’re there already,” Gracie said. “I’m here to help you be strong. To avoid all thoughts of sexy Cam and remember just how badly it all went back in the day.”
“Not like I could forget it,” Beth mumbled, and picked up a triangle of her sandwich. Taking a bite she didn’t really want, she methodically chewed, and as she did, she remembered the last time she’d seen Cam. Back when he was all she could see. Back when she believed he loved her. Back before he left town with Julie Wheeler, never to be seen again.
Her heart thudded in her chest, and what felt like an ice-cold stone dropped into the pit of her stomach.
“There you go.” Gracie gave her a smile. “Cam was the past, and now you have Justin.”
Oh, she didn’t want to get into Justin McCoy right now. That was over, too, though he hadn’t accepted the fact yet.
Deliberately she took another bite of her sandwich, chewed and said, “Enough about my pitiful love life. Did you track down the caterer for the Fire Department Open House?”
“I did.” Accepting the change of subject, Gracie dug into her black oversize leather bag and pulled out a manila folder. “Turns out she’s been in Galveston for a family thing.”
“That’s nice,” Beth murmured. “But she’s on track and we’re covered for the event this Saturday?”
“Oh, absolutely. She’s emailed me the finished menu for your final approval. I’ve got it right here.” Gracie handed over a single sheet of paper, and while Beth looked it over, she continued. “She says they’ll be there by ten a.m. to start the setup.”
“Okay, that should work.” She handed back the paper. “The menu looks great. Finger food, easy to carry around so people can talk and walk or sit down if they want to.”
“I’ll let her know.”
Beth nodded. “The open house at the fire station starts at one, and I want to hold the raffle by three. Give us time to get as many people there as possible.”
“It’s a brilliant idea, Beth.” Gracie shook her head in admiration. “Getting Connolly motors to donate a new truck for the raffle? A nice write-off for them, and raffling it off to raise money for the firehouse is really going well.”
Beth thought about that for a minute and acknowledged that her assistant was right. By the time the raffle was done, the Royal Fire Department would have enough money to renovate the old station and buy new equipment without dinging the town for it.
With the catering, the live country music band she’d hired and the guided tours of the firehouse, Beth knew that most of the town would turn out for the event. All of them would be hoping to win that shiny red truck.
“Well, now that we’ve got that one figured out, let’s talk about the food drive for the local shelter.”
“Great.” Gracie dipped her head, and her long, dark brown hair fell across her shoulders. “We’ve put up signs at the schools, asking kids to bring in canned or boxed food. Granted, it’s the end of the school year, so that won’t last long. Still, it’s going great, so far. Plus, the grocery store is pitching in, running a special on canned foods. They’ve set up donation boxes at both entrances, trying to make it easy for people to pitch in.”
“Perfect. It’s only June,” Beth said, opening up her phone and checking through the lists on her notepad. “I want to make sure everyone’s fully stocked long before winter.”
“You bet. I’ve got Tucker Davis hauling the donations to our storage units.” She glanced up. “The drive ends next Friday, and Tucker said he and his brothers can deliver all of it to the shelter, so we don’t have to hire a separate company.”
“Awesome.” She made a quick note, reminding herself to call Tucker herself and thank him for his help.
While Gracie went through the inventory, Beth’s mind wandered. Naturally, it took a sharp turn back to Cam Guthrie. He’d been such a huge part of her life, and then he was gone.
He’d unexpectedly married Julie Wheeler, a girl from their class, and the “happy” couple had left Royal—all within a month of Beth refusing to marry him.
He’d turned to Julie so heartbreakingly fast it had forced Beth to admit that Cam had never really loved her. It had all been a lie, and she was lucky that she’d had the sense to end it before she’d married the man.
Lucky, she reminded herself.
She was alone.
And lucky.
Two
Beth was beginning to feel depressed and wasn’t going to put up with it. “You know what, Gracie?” she said suddenly, “Let’s eat our lunch and let the rest go for today.”
Surprise flashed in the other woman’s eyes. “What about the masquerade charity ball at the TCC?”
Beth frowned a little and nibbled at a french fry. That was a big one. They’d be raising money for the children’s wing of the local hospital. So that ball had to come off perfectly. She smiled to herself. There was nothing to worry about. It was months away and they were both on top of the situation.