Page 83 of Spark
“I do. But we just found out I’m pregnant,” she says, laying a hand on her flat stomach and smiling with such a serene glow that it makes my breath hitch a little.
“Okay, hands up if you’re on mocktails tonight?” Tori calls.
As I scan the group, James, Cora, Alice, Betty, Etta, and Octy all raise their hands, so I don’t feel out of place lifting mine too.
“Okay, seven virgin margaritas and seven slutty ones,” Tori says, laughing as she relays our drinks order to the server.
“They’re a little overwhelming at first, but you get used to it,” the man sitting on my right, who by process of elimination must be Henry, says, nudging me with his shoulder. “I’m Henry, by the way.”
“I guessed,” I admit.
“I don’t think you’ve met my fiancé, Anders, yet, have you?”
I shake my head. “Not yet, I’ve only met James’s husband and Nero and a few of the Barnetts.”
“These guys, they’re the best. I honestly didn’t know this many good people existed until I came here. It’s a lot, but the moment Warrick saw you, you became one of us. So if you can give everyone a chance, I promise you’ll go back home tonight with thirteen amazing new friends.”
After the server arrives with our drinks and takes our food order, all eyes turn to me, and I shrink down in my chair.
“Where are you from, Verity?” Bonnie Barnett asks.
“Everywhere and nowhere. I moved around a lot growing up, but I’ve been in Montana for a few years.”
“In Rockhead Peak?” Betty asks.
“No, recently I was living in Bozeman, but after my car got stolen along with most of my things, I got on the first bus that came into the bus station. It was coming here.” It almost sounds romantic when I say it like that, like me ending up in this town was fate or a miracle, and I like the fairy tale better than thetruth. That I was sleeping in my car and got on a random bus because I didn’t know what else to do.
“My RV broke down on my way to one of the mountain resorts. This is the first place I’ve lived for longer than three months since I was eighteen,” Alice says, her voice quiet but oddly intense, like she doesn’t say much, but when she does talk, everyone listens.
“I used to live in Bozeman. It’s a scary city. It’s much nicer here,” Henry offers.
I’d been expecting an interrogation, but instead of just expecting me to answer their questions, these ladies and Henry have offered something of themselves up in return. It’s unexpected, but really nice.
“So how did you and Warrick meet?” Missy asks.
“I’ve been volunteering with the ranger service, mainly to give me something to do while I’ve been looking for a job. I was directing traffic in the parking lot on the trailhead, and I gave him a map when he was there for a hike.”
“Warrick was hiking?” Parker laughs. “I thought he just lifted weights and cars and elephants to keep those guns the size of tree trunks.”
I shrug. “He came the first day, then came back the next day too. That’s when…” I trail off, unsure how much I should tell them, or how pathetic I’ll make myself sound if I admit I was sleeping rough in my tent.
“Let me guess, he told you you were getting married or he was taking you home or something completely crazy?” Lulu laughs.
“I was wild camping. He found my tent in the woods and told me I was basically breaking the law. I started packing up to move, and he told me I could move into his spare room.”
“Did he even tell you about the insane stuff that this town does to guys first, or did he just throw you over his shoulder like a caveman?” Bonnie asks.
My brows furrow, but as I scan the table, it’s clear that I’m the only one who has no clue what she’s talking about.
“He didn’t tell you, did he?” Cora asks, clearly amused.
“Tell me what?”
“About the crazy Barnett legacy.”
Slowly shaking my head, I look from one face to the next, then finally settle on Cora again.
“Okay, so this is all going to sound completely insane, but after I’ve finished explaining and you think everything I’ve just said is bullshit, I want you to look around this table and realize that this has happened to all of us. Okay?”
