“Like I was ripped open and had an internal organ taken out,” Morgan said, coming into the living room with Rory at her heels. He helped her lower herself onto the couch and then sat down beside her.
Cara looked back and forth between the two of them, unable to tell if Morgan’s impromptu trip to South Dakota had been successful. Rory and Morgan had always been close friends, so the fact that he helped her into the house wasn’t a surprise at all. But was there more? Their faces were impassive, and it just wasn’t fair.
“So, how was the trip back?” Regan asked. She glanced at Cara, and then at Laurie. It was obvious all three of them were about to explode from curiosity.
“It was all right. We had to stop a couple of times for pain pills and food to eat to go with the pain pills and all that good stuff. Oh, and we got engaged, so that was fun.”
Morgan had spoken so casually that it took a second for her words to sink in. When they did, her three roommates started to scream, and they would have dogpiled her if she hadn’t held up her hands to remind them that she’d just had her appendix taken out.
“This is so awesome,” Regan said, leaning down and giving Morgan a very careful hug. “And Rory, welcome to our little family.”
He grinned. “Glad to be here. It’s about time, if you ask me.”
“So, how long were you going to wait to tell us?” Laurie asked.
“I figured you’d give me plenty of chances to work it in. Plus, I couldn’t hide this for long.” Morgan held up her hand, and the overhead light glinted off the ring on her finger.
The girls all screamed again and gathered around. Rory just sat there, looking bemused.
A second later, Cara heard pounding on the front door, and she went to answer it. Two guys stood on the porch, looking worried.
“Hey, we just moved in next door, and we heard screaming over here. Is everything all right?” one of them asked.
Cara laughed. “Sorry about that. We just found out that one of our roommates got engaged. I guess we’re a little hyper. Come on in.”
She held the door wider, and after glancing at each other—probably wondering if they were safe—the guys came in.
“Hey, everyone, we have new neighbors,” she announced. “This is . . . Okay, who are you?”
“I’m Alex,” the first guy said, then pointed to the other. “And he’s Bryce.”
“We bought the old antique store and we’re going to renovate it into an art gallery,” Bryce said.
Cara looked back and forth between them curiously. “Twins?”
“Nope, just brothers.”
“An art gallery will be fun,” Regan said. “Welcome to town.”
“Thanks,” Alex said, and Bryce nodded.
“I’m Cara, and that’s Regan, Laurie, Morgan, and Rory.” Cara pointed out each person in turn. “Morgan and Rory just got engaged.”
“Congratulations,” Bryce said. “I guess all the screaming was warranted.”
“Yeah, sorry again. Can we get you some ice cream or something?” Cara offered.
“No, we need to get going. We’re ripping out walls tomorrow, so we’ve got a lot of prep work to do tonight. But thanks for the offer, and it was nice to meet you.” Alex lifted a hand in farewell, and then he and Bryce stepped out of the apartment and closed the door.
“Hmm. Two cute new neighbors, and two girls left unattached in this apartment,” Laurie mused. “This could be interesting.”
“Oh, no. Just because you’re engaged doesn’t mean that you get to start playing matchmaker for the rest of us,” Regan said. “I hereby refuse to like either of them, with no other reason than because you want me to.”
“And I’m going to be far too busy finding a girl for Brennan to date anyone myself,” Cara added.
“Why does anyone have to play matchmaker for anyone?” Rory asked. “Seems to me that fate does a pretty good job of that herself.” He snaked his arm around Morgan and pulled her a little closer. “Granted, sometimes she takes her own sweet time, but I have no complaints.”
“I have to disagree,” Laurie said. “Look at Millie. She’s been alone for decades now. I don’t think fate’s just taking her time on that one—I think Millie’s been totally forgotten.”
“Do we have to all fall in love, though?” Regan asked. “Is there some kind of law about it? I mean, I read all kinds of books for work and lots just for myself, and love seems to be everyone’s main goal. It’s not just in the romance novels, either, but in everything. Does that mean we can’t be happy if we don’t have a significant other?”
“I’m kind of surprised to hear you say that, Regan,” Rory said. “I thought that with all the reading you do, you’d be more of a romantic.”
Regan shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I am, but I’m also a realist. What happens to Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre after the book ends? Does she get tired of taking care of him and resent his blindness? And we all know what happened to Romeo and Juliet. Dead, both of them.”
“Mr. Rochester does regain some of his sight,” Rory reminded her.
“Yeah, but his hand didn’t grow back.” Regan sighed. “I don’t know. I guess all this reading has left me a little cynical.”
“Don’t confuse love in a book with love in real life,” Rory said. “Book romances have such highs and lows that real life can look downright boring, and we don’t appreciate it for what it is when it comes along for us.”
“Hey!” Morgan punched him in the shoulder. “What are you talking about, boring? Who rode to South Dakota on a motorcycle and then lost her appendix for you? Should I go for my liver or my spleen next time? Would that be more impressive?”
Rory chuckled and pulled her a little closer. “I wasn’t talking about you. The last thing you could ever be is boring.”
“Well, I certainly hope not.” Morgan settled down into the circle of his embrace, looking a little more mollified, but not entirely convinced. A second later, he whispered something in her ear, and she grinned. All better.
Cara listened and watched quietly. She loved this little group. Regan, Morgan, and Laurie were like sisters to her, and she was excited to add Rory and Laurie’s fiancé, Logan, to the mix. They were good guys, and she knew they wouldn’t try to break up this friendship that had been formed between the girls in high school and only became stronger over time. As far as romance for herself went, she had to admit to feeling a lot like Regan did. Maybe it wasn’t in the cards for her. She couldn’t see herself making a guy happy.
“Okay, okay, enough of all this philosophical talk,” Laurie said after another minute or two of banter. “Cara has promised to play for us this evening.”
Suddenly, all the eyes were on her, and the room went silent. Cara blushed. “Um, sure. Way to kill the party.”
“As if.” Morgan shook her head. “Come on, girlie. Out with it.”
Cara cleared her throat, even though her high school choir teacher had told the class never to do that. “Okay, this is the song I’m singing with Max tomorrow. He wrote it after a bad breakup, and I really like it.” She strummed the first few notes. It was awkward, doing this without him. She took a deep breath and then launched in.
She was a little shaky on the first line, but then gained confidence and soon lost herself in the music. When she finished, she looked up to see tears in Laurie’s eyes, a big grin on Morgan’s face, and a thoughtful look on Rory’s. Regan looked like she was trying to hold back whatever it was she wanted to say, and that made Cara nervous. It could be good or bad—Regan wasn’t shy about her opinions.
“Well?” Cara said after a long minute of no one speaking.
“I say, if whatever producer doesn’t pick you up after hearing that, they deserve to be boiled in hot oil for being an idiot,” Regan said.
“That was fantastic, Cara.” Laurie leaned over and gave her a big hug. Morgan and Rory also told her how much they liked it.
“Thanks, everyone. And that would be great, Regan, but I’m really j
ust there to help Max. It’s his demo.” Cara stood up. “I’m going to hit the hay. Got a big day tomorrow. Morgan, Rory, congrats again. Good night, everyone.”
Cara slipped into her room and closed the door behind her. She leaned against it and took a deep breath. She wanted the praise, craved the praise, but when she got it, she didn’t know what to do with it. Being liked for who she was . . . this was new.
She put her guitar back in its case and set it in the corner of the room. Then she stood in front of her closet, trying to decide what to wear. She wanted to look like a calm, cool, confident backup guitarist, but she wasn’t sure what one of those looked like.
A light tap sounded on her bedroom door. “Come in,” she called, and Morgan stepped in.
“Hey. Are you supposed to be walking around?”
“The doctor wants me walking just a little more every day,” Morgan said, inching her way across the room and taking a seat on the bed. “I think the long car ride wasn’t the most awesome idea, though.”
“You should go lie down.”
“I will. In a minute. When I’m done talking to you.” She patted the bed beside her, and Cara obediently walked over and sat down.
“You seem pretty bugged by this whole thing.”
Cara inhaled deeply and then let all the air out in a rush. “I am, and I don’t know why. I mean, isn’t this what every musician wants? This demo is going out to producers and agents and all kinds of important people, and maybe someone will hear it and like me. I’ve never had a chance like this before, even though it’s by no means guaranteed. I should be screaming and jumping up and down—although, the neighbors would probably come check on us again.” She grinned. “I don’t know, Morgan. I feel like I need therapy. I just keep going around and around in my head on this and I can’t make the cycle stop.”
“Tell me what’s scaring you.”
“That I’ll do a terrible job and ruin the demo for Max and no one will sign him on. That no one will call and want me to record for them. Or maybe that they will call, and then they’ll meet me and won’t like me.”
Morgan fixed her with a look. “Cara, are you talking about your weight?”
Cara blushed. She’d been down this path with her roommates so many times, it was like watching old reruns on TV. “I know, I know. I’m not big anymore and I look fantastic and I shouldn’t keep thinking of myself as the fat girl.”
“And?”
Morgan wasn’t going to let her get away with anything, apparently. “And I was an amazing person before I lost the weight and I’m an amazing person now, and I’ve always been beautiful.”
Morgan patted her knee. “Good girl. I see that the words of our brainwashing sessions have sunk in. However, I don’t think the meaning has. You don’t believe what we’re trying to tell you.”
“It’s just so hard.”
“Hard? I know it’s hard. All the crappy stuff that happened in the past . . . Yeah, I don’t know how to get rid of it either. But I do know that there’s hope.” Morgan paused. “My mom came to see me in the hospital.”
Cara blinked. “She did?”
“Yeah. She’s met a nice guy and she’s engaged. And she found Luke. He’s in a rehab.”
“What? No way!” It sounded like Morgan was getting the second chance for her family she always prayed she’d get. “That’s amazing.”
“Yeah, it really is. I have no idea what’s going to happen from here on out, but the past doesn’t have to be our present, Cara. And it definitely doesn’t have to be our future. Now, if you’ll excuse me, being so wise is exhausting and I do think I should get to bed. Have a great time tomorrow, and stop overthinking everything. Just be in the moment. Pretend you’re back here in the living room with us, and you’ll be fantastic.”
“Thanks, Morgan. Do you need some help?”
“Just a boost off the bed.”
Cara slid her hand under Morgan’s elbow and helped her up, and then went back to contemplating her closet. Calm, cool, and confident. This either called for black or red. She grinned. She’d follow in Morgan’s footsteps in more ways than one—she reached for her black jacket and jeans.
Chapter Three
Cara settled in to Max’s passenger seat and tried to calm herself. Her hands were trembling, and she hoped they’d stop before they reached Denver or she’d never be able to play her guitar. She glanced in the back to make sure she’d brought it, even though she knew she had.
Max climbed into the driver’s side and buckled up, then turned to her with a serious look on his face. “You’re shaking so much, you’re making the car jiggle.”
“I am?”
“It’s faint, but I can feel it. Cara, if you’re not up for this, I won’t force you into it. This has to be something you want to do.”
“No, I want to. Making a demo is something I’ve dreamed of my whole life, and even though it’s just one song, this is a huge opportunity. I’m not going to throw it away.”
“There is such a thing as not being ready.”
“I’m ready, I promise. I really promise.” Cara held up her fingers in a Scout salute, but noticed that she was still shaking. She clasped her hands together and tucked them between her knees. “I’m just cold.”
“It’s the middle of summer.”
“I just ate a lot of ice cream.”
“At eight o’clock in the morning?”
“Okay, okay.” She gave in, exasperated. “I’m nervous. I’m really, really nervous. I’m throw-up-in-the-bushes nervous. But you know what? I’m going through with this because I’d be an idiot not to. And I’m not an idiot.”
Max reached over and touched her shoulder. “You are definitely not an idiot. But we’re only going if you’re sure.”
“I’m beyond sure. It’s time for me to do this.” She pasted a bright smile on her face. Bright smiles always fooled people, right?
Max didn’t look very convinced, but he started the car and they pulled onto the street. “So who’s covering for you today?”
“We have a part-time employee who helps out when one of us can’t be there. It’s all good. And Brennan, of course, who’s amazing with the customers. They’ll hardly notice I’m gone. Oh, that reminds me. Help me make a list of all the single ladies in Aspen Ridge.”
Max chuckled. “Why?”
“So I can start setting Brennan up with them. I need to create a database.” She paused, then chuckled. “A date-a-base. Get it?”
Max ignored her. Probably just as well. “If we made such a list, I’d want a copy for myself.”
“What?” Cara turned and looked at him. The guy was seriously hot. “Why do you need help getting dates? You’re a ski instructor/musician. What girl wouldn’t go for you?”
Max shrugged and guided the car onto the highway. “You might be surprised.”
“I may have to play matchmaker for you too. What’s your type?”
“I don’t know if I have a type. I’ve dated all sorts of girls and haven’t really narrowed it down.” He paused for a second, looking thoughtful. “Definitely not a game player. I’ve been there, done that. Didn’t like it. And I’m not into catty, and I’m not into fake eyelashes. And I think that’s about it. I wouldn’t want to miss out on a great girl because I had a stupid rule.”
“Okay, no fake-eyelash-wearing catty women who play games. There are lots of women in Aspen Ridge who could work.”
“Name me some. Maybe they’ll jog your memory for Brennan’s list.”
“Quinn at the bakery. She’s really cute, and she’s super nice. And her chocolate chip cookies? Holy cow.”
“I like chocolate chip cookies.”
“So does Brennan. Let me start writing this down.” Cara grabbed her purse from near her feet and pulled out a notebook. “She’s at the bakery pretty much all day, every day, so you wouldn’t have a hard time getting a hold of her.”
“Good to know. Who’s next?”
“My roommate, Regan. Brennan says she’
s awesome, but he’s not interested. How about you?”
“I didn’t get the feeling she liked me very much.”
“Oh, come on! Of course she likes you.”
“She probably likes me in a ‘friend-of-my-roommate’s’ sort of way, but I don’t know if she likes me personally.”
Cara nibbled on the end of the pen. Funny, because the writing end of a pen was called a nib. She pulled herself back to the task at hand. “Do you want me to ask her?”
“No, I’ll find out for myself. Who’s next?”
“Lexie at the pet shop.”
“I haven’t been to the pet shop yet.”
“Oh, it’s great. They’ve got so many animals—and they’re all super healthy.”
Max shook his head as he changed lanes to get around a semi that was going far too slowly. “The girl, Cara. Tell me about the girl.”
“Oh.” Cara laughed. “Well, she looks super healthy too.”
“Does she have a shiny coat?”
“She does have really pretty hair.”
“Okay, put her on the list.” Max chuckled. “You and your priorities.”
“I like animals.”
“Yeah, I can tell.”
They spent the rest of the drive into Denver discussing all the eligible females in town and up at the lodge. Max, too, vetoed Alana because of her age, and that made Cara sad. Alana shouldn’t have to be alone just because she was thirty-five. He also vetoed Sloane from the diner, even though she was probably around thirty. Sheesh. What was wrong with a guy dating an older girl?
“We’ve just got one problem,” she said, skimming down the names. “What if you and Brennan both fall for the same girl? Then I’ve created a problem instead of fixing one.”
“Just give us the list in reverse order from each other,” Max suggested. “If we both start at the top and work down, surely we’ll each find someone awesome before we start dating the girls the other guy’s been out with.”
“You make this sound like choosing a car or a shirt,” Cara said. “Romance just isn’t that logical.”
“I don’t see why it can’t be,” Max said. “Isn’t it about the law of averages? The more you date, the better your chances of falling in love?”
Five Golden Rings (Main Street Merchants Book 3) Page 3
