Home to Whiskey Creek (Whiskey Creek #4)(29)
Author: Brenda Novak

“Just enjoying the weather,” he said, and walked back to his car before he could bump into anyone else.

* * *

“So what’s Addy like these days?”

This question came from Ted Dixon, one of the ten or so friends Noah met at Black Gold Coffee on Friday mornings. Most of them had known one another since grade school. But the dynamic was slowly changing as people got married and had kids. Today’s was a small gathering. Only five, including himself. Gail, Simon and their two children were on location in northern Alberta, where Simon was working on his latest movie. Callie and her new husband had just left for their slightly belated honeymoon. Sophia DeBussi rarely came out since Ted had offended her during the summer. Even Cheyenne and Dylan, who’d married last February, weren’t here today.

That left Riley, a single father; Eve, whose family owned Little Mary’s “haunted” B and B, where she and Cheyenne both worked; Kyle, the only divorced member; and Baxter, the only g*y member.

If he was g*y… Noah wasn’t going to ask. Why would he? That would just make him feel weird about all the times they’d gone skinny-dipping together, crashed in his bedroom after a party or showered at the gym.

“She’s…filled out,” he admitted with a wry grin.

The others laughed as Eve elbowed him. “Leave it to you to notice that.”

“It’s obvious!”

“So she’s pretty?” Kyle asked.

Noah wasn’t thrilled by that question. He didn’t want to incite the interest of his single friends. Although he couldn’t figure out why, he was already at a deficit when it came to Addy. “Maybe.” He added a noncommittal tone to his voice. “Hard to tell with all the swelling and bruising.”

“I can’t remember her,” Ted said. “What does she look like?”

“Tall and thin,” Noah told him. “Has blond, wavy hair. Comes just below her shoulder blades.” She had a nice ass, too, but he didn’t say that. While he hadn’t thought much about seeing her bare bottom while extracting those slivers, he was beginning to feel differently about it now.

“She should’ve become a model,” Eve said. “What is she? Five eleven? Six feet?”

“She’s at least six feet,” Noah replied. “And she’s a chef.”

The barista called Baxter’s name and he went to get his chai tea.

“How long is she planning to stay?” Riley asked.

Noah shrugged. “She told me she’s here to help her grandmother. I guess she’ll stay until she feels she’s…done enough.”

Baxter returned with his tea and fell back into the conversation as if he’d never been gone. “Will she take over the restaurant?”

“She didn’t act like she was going to fire Darlene, if that’s what you mean.” He dared not say more in case Addy hadn’t made her wishes clear to Milly yet.

Ted sipped his cappuccino, ruining the perfect heart the barista had created in the foam. “She’s not married?”

Noah wasn’t sure Addy wanted everyone to know about her divorce. Regardless, he didn’t want news of it to come from him, so he opted for a simple no.

Eve stuck a straw in her orange juice. “Some guys are intimidated by tall women, won’t even ask them out.”

Noah wasn’t intimidated. He loved tall women, especially if they were confident in their height. But he’d always been tall himself, so maybe that was why. “How well do you remember her from high school?” he asked Eve.

“We had calculus together.” She took a bite of her bran muffin. “She’s smart. I can tell you that. She often tutored kids who were struggling. The teacher recommended her to me and happened to mention that she’d been invited to move two years ahead when she was in eighth grade.”

“She would’ve graduated with us!” Riley said.

“Why didn’t she do it?” Ted asked.

Eve brushed the crumbs from her muffin into a small pile. “There were too many other things going on in her life.”

“Like…” Noah was more curious than he wanted to be.

“Her mother was…flighty and self-indulgent. Addy was embarrassed by her behavior. She also hated feeling she wasn’t as important as all the other things her mother pursued. She just wanted to live a conventional life and go through school the way most people did.”

Riley rested his elbows on the table. “What kind of ‘things’ did her mother pursue?”

“Men, mostly.” Eve lowered her voice so the other patrons couldn’t overhear. “She kept leaving Adelaide with Milly for longer and longer periods of time. It got to the point that she’d only come back to town when she was going through another split or was down on her luck.”

“Hi, everyone!”

They glanced up as Olivia and Brandon approached the table, then shifted to make room for them. Olivia and Brandon hadn’t been part of the original group, but they’d recently started coming on Fridays. Noah doubted their presence was particularly enjoyable for Kyle. Although he’d screwed up his relationship with Olivia and deserved to lose her, he’d been in love with her since Noah could remember, and now she was with his stepbrother.

In spite of that, Kyle didn’t seem to hate Brandon as much as he had when they were growing up. Noah was pretty sure Kyle was the one who’d initially invited them to this weekly ritual.

“How’s Adelaide, Noah?” Olivia took a seat while Brandon went to place their order. “I’ve tried calling Milly’s twice, and got a busy signal both times.”

Noah slid his coffee to the left to give her more space for whatever she was having. “We were just talking about her. I think she’ll be okay.”

“I was telling them about her mother,” Eve volunteered.

Olivia made a face. “Mrs. Simpson—I think that was her name two or three marriages ago—wasn’t much to be proud of. Addy always preferred Milly.”

Brandon returned with a receipt and sat on the edge of his chair, since he’d have to get up again when their order was ready. “We’re talking about Adelaide?”

“Isn’t everyone, after what happened?” Eve said.

“What’s up with her?” he asked.

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Riley replied.

“If she loved being with Milly so much, why’d she stay away so long?” Baxter asked. “I don’t think she’s been back even once in all the years since she left.”