Mint Juleps and Justice (16 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

B
rooke met Jenny at Vinnie’s Bar-B-Q-rino. The new restaurant was a play on the old seventies sitcom
Welcome Back, Kotter
, and all the meals were named after the characters from the show. You couldn’t get a better bagel or New York–style deli meal anywhere in town, and he’d nailed Southern barbecue too. Not an easy thing for a Northerner to do, but it sure was winning him points with the locals.

The owner swore his uncle had worked on the show back in the day. No one believed him, but he made a mean barbecue in a yummy Carolina style so they let him ride with it. The place had been getting rave reviews. The old premise and seventies music to match seemed to appeal to all demographics. Just inside the restaurant one wall was reserved for graffiti. A crate of paint pens lured customers to partake as they waited for a coveted booth in the busy place. Some folks just wrote their names; others actually did some pretty good artwork and tags.

Jenny picked out turquoise, orange, and white markers and got down to business tagging the
HAPPY BALANCE
logo while they waited.

“That looks good,” Brooke said, admiring Jenny’s handiwork.

“Thanks. Nothing compared to some of the art, though. I should have done this at my place. It looks cool.”

“Except where some jerk painted that eerie devil scene with the flames.” Brooke pointed Jenny toward the other end of the wall. “Look at it. It’s freaking me out.”

“Me too, a little. And I don’t get freaked out easy. Those flames look so real they made me look twice.”

“Justice. Party of two.” Brooke took the paint pens from Jenny and capped them as they headed toward the waitress. “You can add to it next time.”

Once they were seated, Brooke departed from the small talk. “I’m dying to know how things are going with you and Rick. I’ve barely seen you lately. I’m hoping that means things are going great.”

“He’s amazing,” Jenny said. “A man’s man, but such a nice guy.”

“Of course he is. Aren’t all cowboys with white hats the good ones?”

“I don’t know, but Mike’s the one you need to be thinking about.”

“I’ve got updates on that front.” Brooke pulled the menu in front of her, but closed it almost instantly, knowing she’d order the Epstein. There just wasn’t anything better than
arroz con habichuelas
, the Puerto Rican red beans-and-rice dish, served with a toasted bagel on the side for the Jewish part of that character. “For the record, Mike and I have cooled things.”

“What? You haven’t even got hot yet. You can’t cool it already.”

“Actually it got hot and cold in a matter of hours.” Brooke gave Jenny the short version of the hot tub scene and the extreme exit, leaving out the details of the weekend when she’d crawled into his bed. “I knew better. I don’t know what the heck I was thinking.”

“Why? Because he freaked out? His wife died. No, wait. I take that back. She didn’t just die. She was murdered. Give him a break.”

Brooke should’ve known Jenny wouldn’t see it the way she did. “That was eight years ago.

“Oh, come on. He said he was sorry. What guy buys out nearly the whole flower supply of the county and puts that much effort into a forgiveness plan? You’ve got to give him a break, girl. He’s sorry.”

Brooke shook her head. “Sorry won’t mend a broken heart, and that’s all I’m heading for with that guy. Look. It was too soon anyway. I let my guard down and look what happened—I’m just going to wind up getting hurt.”

“But y’all are good together,” Jenny said.

“He might be a widower, but I think he’s probably not over her. I can’t compete with that.”

“Fine.” Jenny pushed the napkin and silverware across the table. “I wouldn’t try to tell you what to do. That would be a waste of time, because we all know how hardheaded you are. Just don’t forget that we all have baggage. You might try to put yourself in his position before you ruin it.”

Brooke took pause at Jenny’s reaction. It wasn’t often she went all serious on her. She may have a point. She just wasn’t ready to hear it. “Quit worrying about me. I want to know about you. What’s going on with you and Rick?”

A smile played across Jenny’s lips. “He’s the perfect guy for me. He loves kids, makes me laugh. He’s just like me, except with boy parts. We’ve been having so much fun. It’s good. It’s easy.”

The waitress walked up to take their order, saving Brooke from the details that Jenny loved to embellish until she made Brooke blush.

Brooke placed her order, then stared out the window as Jenny held a leisurely conversation with the waitress about how things were cooked and made a decision.

When the waitress walked away, Brooke leaned across the table. “I wish I had your carefree way about life. I envy you for that. You keep it so…”

Jenny tucked the menu behind the condiment tray on the table. “So what?”

“…simple.”

Jenny plopped back in the booth. “Trust me. It looks better from over there. Things in my life are anything but simple.”

“I thought you just said everything was going so well.”

“Oh, it is. The problem is on my end. I’m late.”

“You mean
late
late?” Brooke’s eyes went wide.

“Yep.” Jenny said, popping the
p
for effect. “I can’t believe it either.”

“Well, you couldn’t be that far along. I mean you and Rick haven’t been together that long. Or maybe it’s a false alarm.”

Jenny shook her head. “More complicated than that.”

“Oh.” Brooke sat back in the booth. “Not Rick?”

Jenny nodded.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’ll make sure first. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.”

“I can’t believe it, Jenny. Rick’s so perfect for you. Wouldn’t that just be your luck? You finally meet Mr. Right and the timing is all off.”

“If it’s meant to be, it will, no matter what I do. You can’t mess up destiny. If I’m pregnant it’s from that stupid night with Jim. I can’t believe we had unprotected booty-call sex.”

“Jim? Jim, your ex-husband, Jim? Jenny. Really?”

“Well, I’m not the type to just sleep around, and it just kind of happened after his mom’s birthday. We were both nostalgic after all the stupid pictures and memories his mom was stirring up. We even laughed about it the next morning. Too much good wine can make anyone make a mistake.”

“Apparently.” She knew that all too well, though it hadn’t felt like a mistake at the time.

“I didn’t mean you and Mike.”

“Well, if the shoe fits…so have you mentioned it to Jim yet?”

“Yeah. I called him. I knew what his thoughts were about it already, not that I’d want him involved anyway. I told him that if it turned out I was pregnant, he’d be off the hook.”

“You don’t need him. He couldn’t even raise a dog.”

“I know,” Jenny said. “Pitiful, isn’t it?”

“So what about Rick?”

“I’ll tell him, then break it off. What else can I do?”

“Have you considered all your options?”

Jenny leaned forward. “Brooke. You know how much I want children. There’s no way I would ever end a pregnancy. No matter what.”

“Sorry. I was just thinking that if you and Rick are perfect, you could have babies together. That wasn’t helpful, was it?” Brooke felt horrible for saying it without thinking first. “Just know I’m there for you no matter what you do.”

The waitress delivered their sweet iced teas. Brooke toasted Jenny. “To going with the flow. Let the man upstairs take us where we need to go.”

Brooke raised her glass to Jenny’s. “We’re going to be old maids at this rate,” Brooke said. “I’m fine with that. Are you?”

“I never thought I’d be raising a child alone. But I can do it.”

“You know I’ll help.”

“You’ll be a great aunt.”

Brooke’s phone buzzed in her purse next to her. She grabbed it and lifted it with the face turned to Jenny. It read “Mike Hartman.”

“Answer it.” Jenny encouraged her. “Quick, and be nice.”

Brooke hesitated, but then picked up. It was a brief conversation, and Brooke wasn’t doing much of the talking. “It’s probably good timing anyway. We could use some time apart.”

Jenny shot her a look.

Brooke leered back. “No, you don’t need to call while you’re gone. We’ll catch up when you get back in town.” She said good-bye and closed the phone, tucking it in her purse.

“What did he want, and why did you go all ‘space is good’ on him?”

“He’s going to be out of town.” Brooke pressed her lips together. “Montana. Who the heck goes to Montana? Running for the hills, if I had to guess.”

“Oh, he is not. What did he say?”

“He said he’s got a case out in Montana. Some guy he was in the military with. I didn’t ask for all the details.”

“Well, there you go. It’s for work. Promise me you’ll just let it ride until he gets back in town. You’ll have a whole new perspective by then. Trust me.” Jenny folded her arms across her belly, even though it was still flat and taut. “You have to forgive him, you know.”

“I don’t have to, but I probably will. Besides, it’s good timing. It’ll give you and me time to make plans for the unexpected addition. That’s way more important.”

“Oh, great. Maybe I should call and beg him to stay,” Jenny teased. “You know I’m not much on the whole planning thing.”

“That’s why you need me.” Brooke pulled a tablet out of her purse and started jotting things down. “I saw the cutest nursery on HGTV the other day. Never thought I’d have the chance to use those ideas, but I’ll pull them down off the Internet. I guess it’s way too early to know if it’s going to be a boy or a girl.”

Jenny said, “Lord, I’m in trouble.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

M
ike had been away for exactly three days to the hour since Brooke took his phone call at the restaurant with Jenny, but it felt longer. Brooke picked up the stack of florist cards. She hadn’t been able to toss them. It might have been a desperate attempt to make up, but it was kind of working. She’d kept them all. Carrying them to the couch, she tucked her feet up underneath her and read through each one again, one by one—all fifteen of them.

He had an imagination. She had to give him that. He hadn’t wasted any time apologizing, either. He must have already been on the task before she crawled out of bed that morning. What a way to mess up a perfect night, and it had been perfect. Every single moment of it—up to that point.

She wished she could forgive him, but that would mean putting her heart in danger’s way. Everyone had baggage. She could fill a luggage cart by herself, but she couldn’t put her heart through that again.

The guilt Mike felt for his loss had to have been terrible. She’d kicked Keith to the curb, had considered dumping that baggage a treat, in fact. But even now, as imperfect as the relationship had ended up…losing him would still have been awful. She’d never really lost anyone close, a lucky thing for a girl her age. Even her grandparents were still alive. She knocked on wood, just in case.

Any loss is horrible, but the way Mike had lost Jackie…Murder was the kind of thing that you think only happens to someone else. There wasn’t any guarantee that things would have turned out differently if Mike had been there, or that he wouldn’t have ended up dead too.

That sent a wave of fear through her. Things could have been so different. She might never have met him. She missed him. He hadn’t called, but then she’d told him not to. He was giving her exactly what she’d asked for. Time.

Someone pounded on the front door. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Brooke leaped from the couch, grabbing her phone to dial 911.

“Open up,” called Jenny from the porch.

Brooke flung the door open, relieved at the familiar sound of Jenny’s voice. “Jenny? What’s the…?”

Jenny and Rick stood on her porch holding hands with big grins on their faces. Jenny pulled a huge hat from behind her back and plopped it on her head.

“What the heck is going on? Are you two drunk at this hour? It’s barely lunchtime!”

“Only punch-drunk. Can we come in?” Jenny pushed through with Rick in tow.

“Sure.” Brooke stepped aside. “Hey, Rick.”

“Hey, girl.” Rick gave her a quick hug, and then let Jenny pull him into the living room. She bounced onto the sofa and tugged Rick down next to her.

Brooke caught up with them and sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of the two googly-eyed fools. “What is going on?”

Jenny started. “We’re parents.”

Brooke knew she wasn’t hiding her surprise very well. Surely Jenny wouldn’t have lied to Rick, or would she? She really did want a family and going it alone would be hard.
Oh, girl, what have you done?
Brooke tried to sound calm.
“Parents?”

Rick looked proud as he announced, “He’s even already got a name. Hillcrest Joyful Kixx.”

“You what?”
Joyful what? That would be one hell of a name. And I thought stars made up crazy names. This one would take the cake.

“Yeah,” Jenny said. “He’s one of the horses that Cody Tuggle’s mom owns. We bought interest in him together and we’re going to have the biggest daggone Kentucky Derby party you’ve ever seen right here in Adams Grove.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard to impress me with it since I’ve never
been
to a Kentucky Derby party.” Brooke pointed at the monstrosity of a hat on her best friend’s head. “And if that hat is part of it, I’m not sure I’m in.”

“Yes.” Jenny tugged part of the wide brim down and posed, then giggled like a schoolgirl. “This hat is totally part of it. Hillcrest Joyful Kixx will be running the Derby and we’ll be throwing a big party to celebrate it.” Jenny squealed. “Can you believe it? I’m so excited. Isn’t this a neat surprise?”

“Surprised would be an understatement.” It was great to see Jenny so happy, but it seemed kind of a frivolous idea when she was just getting Happy Balance
off the ground, and possibly a family too. Jenny hadn’t known Rick all that long. He seemed great, but then so had Keith in the beginning. “This. Well. This…
is
a surprise.” She turned to Jenny. “You don’t know anything about horses.”

“I’m not training the darn thing. We just own part of him. But I’m going to learn. We went to Colonial Downs and I swear I fell in love with the whole thing. It’s all good. Plus, you know stuff. You’ll help me too.”

Brooke was afraid to say anything so she just gave Jenny “the look.”

“Yes. Oh, I know what you’re thinking. Quit worrying,” Jenny said.

Rick threw his arm across the back of the couch around Jenny. “We were meant for each other. I don’t care whose child she’s carrying, or what happened before I was in the picture. All I know is that I love this lady, and I’ll love this child too. We’ll just have a little head start on things. I knew that day she sidled up to me at the fair she was different.”

What was she supposed to say to all of this?

“No secrets between us.” Jenny turned and smiled at Rick.

“Congratulations.” Brooke leaned across to hug Jenny. “I guess you were right. It doesn’t matter what we do. We can’t mess up what’s supposed to be.” She wished that had been true when it came to her and Mike.

“I have a favor to ask you.” Jenny looked hesitant.

“Why the look? I’d do anything for you. You know that.”

“I need you to help me plan this party,” Jenny said. “You’re so much better at details than I am.”

“Jenny, I don’t know anything about the Kentucky Derby.” It was just like Jenny to want to have a huge theme party, but not to plan it. Well, that was what she loved about Jenny. Somehow she did always seem to keep things light and fun. She sure wished a little of that would rub off on her.

Rick jumped in. “I want to have the party on my farm, and I want to invite all our friends. I’m hoping you can work some magic to make it look suitable. I’ve already arranged for a giant whopper of a screen so we can air the race.”

“That ought to set you back a penny,” Brooke said.

“Money’s no object,” Rick said. “We want this to be a celebration to remember.”

It would be perfect timing to get her mind off Mike. “I’d be happy to help. Do you have a date for it?”

“The Derby is the first weekend in May,” Rick said.

“May is in just a couple weeks,” Brooke said. “I’ll have to do some research. From the looks of things Jenny only knows about the hats.” Brooke shook her head. “Let me go on record that I’m not a fan of the one you’ve picked out there.”

The brim of the hat bounced as Jenny nodded. “ Rick said I look cute. That’s all that matters.”

“Oh, goodness. I could get a toothache from all this sweet going on between the two of you,” Brooke said. “This is going to be interesting.”

“There’s something else.” Jenny chewed on the left side of her lip.

Brooke knew that look.

“I’ve got that big spa gig in Tennessee this month. I won’t be back until the party.”

Brooke remembered the annual event. “So how are we going to do all of this?”

“I can help some from there, and Rick said he’ll help, but I’m going to need you to really kind of do more than help. I hate to ask, but…”

It would take every spare moment. Exactly what she needed. By the time they had the party, maybe she will have all but forgotten Mike Hartman. “Not a problem. Consider it done,” Brooke said. “I’m thrilled to do it.”

“Thanks. You are the best friend.” Jenny’s eyes glistened. “I’ll owe you.”

“You’d do it for me, but then you’re such an awful planner I’d never ask you to,” Brooke said.

“True.”

Brooke pulled up the calendar on her computer. “Okay. Great. I’ll start a plan. When do you head out?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Okay, so we’ll use e-mail to communicate. Do you have a list of the guests?”

“Not yet. We came straight from the lake after Rick got the news that the deal was officially done, but I’ll get it together tonight.”

“How many guests?” Brooke asked.

Jenny said, “A hundred-ish.”

Rick spoke up. “Probably closer to a hundred and fifty.”

“This is going to be a heck of a party,” Brooke said.

Rick put a hand between the women. “Whoa, there. Do you two think you could work out these details over some pizza? I’m starving.”

“Perfect. I’m starved too,” Brooke said. “Let’s move the party-planning session to the pizzeria.”

“No pizza for me,” admitted Jenny. “I feel queasy all the time now, but I’m not going to stand in the way of you two and pizza.”

They headed out to Rick’s truck. The last time Brooke had been in this truck she’d been about as giddy as Jenny was today—on the way back from that trip with Mike.

Rick drove them to the little pizza shop just out of town on Route 58.

When they walked inside Jenny stalled. “Oh, no,” she said as she clasped her hand to her mouth, trying to keep from gagging.

Rick laughed. “This is going to be a fun ride with you, Miss Dramatic.”

“I can’t help it. The smells make me so sick. It’s weird, because I usually love the smell of pizza.” She wrinkled her nose, and dropped her hand to her stomach.

“Want to go somewhere else?” asked Brooke.

Jenny swallowed and shook her head. “No. I think this is just the way it’s going to be for a while.” She turned to Rick and tugged on his sleeve. “Can you see if they have ginger ale?”

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “You got it, babe.”

While he went to the counter and got the drinks, Brooke and Jenny sat in the booth by the front window. The list Brooke had started was already pretty long, and had boxes ready to be checked next to several of the items.

Rick came back with the drinks and a menu.

They picked out a pizza, and Rick went to place the order while Brooke and Jenny googled “Kentucky Derby parties.” “Mint juleps?” Brooke looked at her best friend. “Have you ever had one?”

Jenny shook her head. “No, and I think I’m glad I’m pregnant and won’t have to start now.”

Brooke’s fingers flew across the tablet as she researched the drink. “Oh, it says here you use spearmint. I was thinking like peppermint.”

“Still doesn’t sound good to me,” Jenny said.

“Oh, but look here.” She twisted the screen toward Jenny. “Spearmint is good luck. We are so doing the spearmint.”

“Of course we are,” Jenny said. “You wouldn’t risk the whole day without it.”