Page 101 of Fake It Till You Make It

“I know. But I trust that Eli will explain it to everyone.”

“And who’s going to explain it to him?”

“It can’t be me. I wouldn’t know where to begin. Eli taught me so much about myself. I found I don’t need a man to be my meal ticket, even though he fed me.”

“That was true from the moment that you walked through our doors. Rattling off your credentials. Standing up to Eli with his policies and rules. Changing his life and ours for the better. We needed you, Amarie. Not the other way around, honey.”

“Since you put it that way, I sound pretty awesome. I don’t think I believed that when I got here. Everyone else with their accomplishments seemed so grand compared to mine. But I’m not afraid anymore to be who I am. And I know whatever it is life has in store for me, I can do it. And I’m thankful to have met you, Leah.”

“Come on,” she said, walking her out into the September humidity. Amarie was happy that Leah hadn’t pressured her to stay. She just spoke her truth. What did surprise her was that Leah had invited her mom to stay in the house with her. The two had really hit it off.

“Mama, I’ll call when I get where I’m going,” Amarie said from behind the wheel.

“Absolutely. You and Prince be good to each other, okay? And guess what? If it doesn’t work out, I’m gonna take a page from my daughter’s book. And I will try someplace new. Now, you get on down the road before it gets too late.”

“Yes, ma’am.” When Amarie pulled away from the curb, Leah and her mom were hugging each other. She selected her favorite playlist, ugly crying to Prince’s “When Doves Cry.”

“Oh gosh,” she sobbed. “I can hear my fur babies meowing for me to come back home to them.” Geez, she could actually smell them. And she gagged, her tongue extending from her mouth trying to expel an imaginary fur ball.

“Lawd, take the wheel. What is that smell?”

The funk permeated the car and bored into every crevice, Amarie’s eyes watered, and then her vision blurred. She swerved to the shoulder to avoid wrecking her beautifully polished car. She slammed on the brakes. Bags went flying, and out came Graffiti, paws extended, mouth open, eyes wide. A sleepy Artist right behind him, claws digging in for purchase. Rolling down the windows wasn’t enough to rid her nose of the stench. She exited the car, sucking in large volumes of mountain air. Billy, Jean, and Diana looked up from their grassy feast.

Hands balanced on her knees, she spoke to her confidants. “Hello, ladies and gent. Seems I’m back where I started.”

Rounding the car, Amarie snatched open the rear door to gauge the damage. There, in Russell’s Louis Vuitton tote bag, was his jacket covered in clay litter. Two wide-eyed screaming kittens, claws in leather as if expecting the next avalanche, and fragrant poop balls dotted her back seat.

“Mom,” Amarie screeched at the top of her lungs. Now she understood why Bethany seemed nonplussed about her departure. Amarie would not turn around, she would delay just long enough to clean up this—

“Need some help, darling?” Kanaan walked up, his tow truck blocking the one road out of town, sirens flashing.

This is Service, Amarie thought, hanging her head.

Chapter Thirty

THIS HAD TObe the largest Founder’s Day Festival on record. The pie-eating station had contestants in place with hundreds of ladies cheering on their men. The kids had started earlier with the potato sack races. Tons of hay had been donated by Matt Johnson for a hayride later tonight. Outside of the New River Gorge Bridge Day celebration featuring base jumpers from all over the world, Service’s festival attracted the second largest crowd, a few thousand people over the two days. Many faces in the crowd he recognized, most he didn’t. A few folks had painted #SexyKittyVet on their windshields.

Eli stomped onto the stage with most of the townsfolk glaring at him for one reason or another. Tobias and Noah had his six, but he’d never felt more alone. Amarie’s sad doe eyes had seared his brain, he could barely fix his mind on announcing the winners of the auction. His apology hadn’t carried much weight in swaying her to give him another chance. She hadn’t mentioned the money he owed her, not once. What could he offer her?

Stupid, a voice whispered in his head. Amarie was aromantic, and she needed a grand gesture, something she wouldn’t expect. But she had the creative gene. Eli, well, was Eli. Stubborn, controlled, and unyielding. But he’d bend like saltwater taffy for Amarie.

“Where’s Amarie?” Gracie Lou had her hand cupped around her mouth, megaphone style. Caleb sat beside her in his pickup’s tailgate waiting expectantly. Even Bucky had shown up, lingering close to Ruth and Phoebe. She’d moved back home, and according to Matt, things were headed in the right direction for the family. Of course, Matt was astride Harry’s back ready to kick Bucky if he got out of line.

“I heard Amarie caught you in bed with your ex-wife,” Delores added.

“What?” Eli grumbled. He grabbed the microphone. “That does not make a lick of sense.” The PA system whistled, and a united groan flowed up from the sea of cars and trucks.

“Then where is she?” Lois Kline demanded from the hood of the land bus, Adele at her hip, sharpening her claws on the metal bars of her cage.

“I want to thank you all for showing up here today. For your contributions in support of saving Calvary Vet Clinic and our family lands.”

“Yay, Amarie. Amarie. Amarie.” That was Phoebe’s little voice. An onslaught of cheering started. Followed by blasts from car horns, and a foghorn that had more than a few babies screaming.

“Seems the auction site is back online,” Eli yelled over the noise. “So, it’s time to name some winners.”

Hoots and hollers sounded from the ladies, but Eli didn’t miss the groans. He held the phone in his grip, which shook when he saw who was in the lead for him. With the site being hacked, the website had added an additional day ofbidding with a countdown clock ticking backward, with two minutes of the clock.

TigerTamer1000, Lourdes Pendleton’s online handle, flashed red underneath his picture. She winked at him from the crowd. Please, let Amarie rescue him. But he knew she hadn’t placed a single bid, too honest to shortchange the other ladies from a possible match with him and his brothers. But Eli knew the truth, she was his one.