“People like the Monroe sisters who have put their talents together to create the Mellow Initiative that provides healthy, farm-grown lunches to the children of Reyfield once a week.”
Lots of hooting for those girls. What they’ve done is truly incredible. Lily uses her extremely popular lifestyle blog to raise funds to sustain a small plot of land on her husband’s farm where fresh fruits and vegetables are grown. Once a week, that fresh produce is taken to the community center where Faith is now the director-general (a.k.a. the big boss) and Grace, who has a partnership with Herbivore Café, teaches middle school aged kids how to prepare fun, healthy meals. The program has been a hit in our community.
“And we can’t forget people like Bella Trotten who just earned a full scholarship to attend Harvard thanks to Reuben Barre and the Harvey Marquette Memorial Foundation…Barely 18 and she’s already outshone her dad! Take that, Daniel!”
Everyone laughs and points their applause in Bella’s direction. The young girl blushes. She had a difficult start in life but with the love and support of Daniel and Grace Trotten, she’s flourished into a beautiful, intelligent young woman maintaining excellent grades even as she works part-time at Eva’s jewelry boutique. She’s an inspiration.
Prescott clears his throat. “Anyway, I’ll stop boring you now and give the floor to our honorees for the night. I’m sure everyone is excited to hear a few words from them. Let’s begin!”
Gracie
I stare at my daughter on stage and my heart is about to burst with pride. She’s all grown up in her strapless floral dress and her dark barrel curls bouncing against her cheeks. What a difference a few years make.
She leans over the microphone and looks at the table where her father and I are sitting with our friends. “And lastly, I’d like to thank my family. My brothers, Sebastian and Gaston for keeping me on my toes.” The crowd laughs. “My parents, Daniel and Grace Trotten, for coming into my life when I was eight years old and shaping me into who I am today. I truly don’t know where I would be right now if they hadn’t opened their hearts to me. I love you mom and dad.”
Daniel’s arm goes tight around my shoulder and I put a kiss on his cheek as the crowd goes wild with applause and our little girl steps off of the stage, clutching her award in her hand.
“That was an amazing speech, honey,” I say as she takes her seat next to me.
Her father leans across the table. “Especially the part about what an excellent father I am.” Everyone at the table laughs.
This evening has turned out so well. It’s rare that my friends and I are able to get together these days. Yet, here we are for this special occasion. Sammie and Keeland. Faith and Maxwell. Isla and Reuben. Jakob rushed off as soon as he could to be with Lily and the gang of crazy kids she’s watching tonight but we caught the whole thing on camera and we’ll give her a private viewing in a few days.
The men leave the table to go refill our drinks and my focus stays on Bella. Something’s wrong. She just received a full-scholarship to the most prestigious school in the country. Still she looks sad and anxious, her eyes hovering on the door.
“What’s wrong?” I ask her as she checks her phone for the millionth time.
She sighs as she tucks the device away. “Just, this guy. Carter. He said he’d be here tonight. And I was sort of looking forward to it but I haven’t seen him. That’s all.”
“Ah,” Sammie says. “Boy problems. Let me tell you, each and every one of us at this table has had boy problems, my friend, and we all managed to get our happy endings.”
“Really?” Bella asks with hiked brows.
Sammie nods. “Before Uncle Keeland and I got together, I couldn’t stand him. Or at least, I pretended I couldn’t stand him.”
“And how did he get you to change your mind?” the teenager asks.
“He sent her half-naked selfies,” Faith mumbles into her glass of sparkling water.
“What?!” Bella laughs as Sammie cuts her eyes at Faith.
“Well, for one thing, I used to tutor math at the community center. Every Tuesday and Thursday at 4:30. That’s how Keeland started teaching his seniors’ art class. Just to get close to me. And he teaches that class to this day.”
Bella sighs wistfully. “Wow. That’s romantic…”
Isla speaks up. “And when your parents were separated ten years ago, they decided to take one of my yoga retreats together. And your dad showed up in these crazy, orange bedazzled yoga pants and a tank top with a plunging neckline and a unicorn yoga mat because his secretary pranked him by packing those things into his yoga bag. A lesser man would have probably turned back and gone home. But your dad wanted so badly to win your mom back, that he swallowed his pride and put up all the stares and ridicule just to save his marriage.”
“And I’m glad he did,” I tell my daughter as I take a sip of my white wine.
Sammie jumps in. “Do you remember when Jakob went all the way to Philadelphia to serenade Lily and win her back? Now, that was romantic!”
“Or when Reuben dragged his twin brother straight from his hospital bed, all the way to Reyfield to prove to Isla that he wasn’t lying to her about his ex-girlfriend?” Faith adds.
“Or when Maxwell got so pussy-whipped that he jumped on a plane with nothing but the shirt on his back and followed Faith all the way across the country?” Sammie laughs.
Bella is giggling now. “So, I should make Carter work a little huh?”
“Just hold onto your faith that the right guy will show up at the right time,” Isla says wisely, “whether it’s Carter or not.”
Right then a handsome young man with peach fuzz on his chin and a suit that’s three sizes too big for him steps up to our table. “Good evening, ladies. Did I just hear my name?”
Bella gasps hard. “Carter!”
He grins at her and his face goes red. “Hi Bella.”
“I didn’t realize that you were here,” she says.
He shrugs. “I told you I would be. I was at the back.” He jerks a thumb over his shoulder toward the back of the room. “Really cool speech you gave.”
“Thanks.”
He stands awkwardly with his hands in his pockets for a beat while all the women at the table stare at him. He looks nervous. “Say Bella – do you wanna dance?”
My girl’s cheeks flush bright red. “Uh sure.”
The whole table coos as Carter helps her to her feet and leads her to the dance floor.
Daniel returns and sets a cocktail down in front of me. “Where is that boy taking my daughter?” The growl in his voice makes me chuckle. He gets this way every time a guy pays Bella any attention.
“Relax,” Sammie says. “They’re just going to dance.”
Daniel doesn’t seem happy about it but he takes a seat next to me. “Little bastard. Dancing with my daughter.” He looks at me. “Gosh—We’re really old now. Do you realize that? Can you believe that this is how we ended up?”
“I don’t mind the way we ended up. Not one bit.” I kiss him on the jaw. “We’re living our happy ending.”
My eyes return to Bella and Carter on the dance floor and even as the song comes to an end, I get this fluttering in my chest, this flicker of excitement that tells me that this may be the beginning of something. Something special. Something new.
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Dirty Forever (The Dirty Suburbs Book 8) Page 23
