Free Jessie Belle: The Women of Merryton - Book One by Jennifer Peel Page B

eyes on us. Easton didn’t seem to care. I guess the rumors about
Kathryn weren’t just rumors.
    I
acted cautiously as I reached out and touched his hand. “Blake and I are here
if you and Emmy need anything.”
    That
seemed to bring him to his senses. He looked around and everyone quickly went
back to what they were doing. Dawning crossed Easton’s face, but he didn’t seem
to care. “Thanks, Jessie,” he said as he stood up and threw a twenty-dollar
bill on the counter. He walked out to the stares of many of the patrons. I
could hear the gossip starting.
    I
walked back to my office and was almost tempted to message Taylor on Facebook.
We hadn’t communicated in a while and I wondered if she knew what was going on
with her ex-husband. Did she know that Easton regretted not going after her?
Not that it mattered now, I guess. Their drama all took place not too long
after Blake and I got married. I could tell something was off between the two
of them at our reception, but I figured it was normal stuff all couples go
through. Though Taylor and I rarely discussed Easton when we talked, I do
remember her saying about a year after she left, “It’s like I never existed to
him.” She sounded utterly defeated. I almost talked to Easton about it, but by
that time he was with Kathryn. We all knew it wasn’t a match made in heaven.
Kathryn went to school with us, and she and Veronica were friends—enough said.
I always knew Easton would come to regret that decision. A beautiful face and long
legs do not always equate with a beautiful person.
    I
went to work going through invoices—I had my own relationship issues to worry
about. Good news for Easton though, as soon as it came out that Blake had a
daughter, the rumor mill would be back to churning around us.
    At
one-thirty there was a knock on my door. I stood up and smoothed my shirt. I
wasn’t sure why I felt nervous. I hadn’t ever felt that away around Blake. It
was one of things that drew me to him. He had this way of making me feel like I
belonged with him, not to him like a possession, but as part of him. I wanted
to feel that way again.
    I
opened the door to find him standing there looking different than I was used to
seeing him. He cleaned up well. He was still in jeans and a t-shirt, but they
were clean and fit him exactly right. Marrying a health nut had its advantages,
I suppose. I could see his muscles flex as he shoved his hands in his pockets
like he was nervous, too. It made me smile.
    “Hi,”
I said.
    “Are
you ready to go?”
    “Let
me grab my bag.”
    He
waited for me as if he wasn’t sure what to do and I quickly joined him. We were
acting like we hadn’t done this before. It had been awhile, but this was
ridiculous. The thought occurred to me that we needed to put on a show of sorts
as we walked down the hall to the seating area. I reached out and grabbed his
hand and held it. I knew he would never think to do it. Blake wasn’t a
touchy-feely kind of guy. And I felt like I needed to show him I was trying,
too.
    In
a rare showing, his smile appeared as he looked down at our entwined hands. He squeezed
tight and it sent a little flutter through my stomach. This was good,
especially as we walked through the crowded café. We were playing the part of
happy couple convincingly by the smiles and nods we received. I felt guilty in
a way, like we were pretending, but I figured it was a start. Maybe if I could
fake it for a while it would eventually become real. It was worth a shot. For
good measure I leaned into him as we walked out the door. I felt like I was
doing damage control.
    We
walked to his truck and he let go of my hand as soon as we reached it. In true
Blake fashion, the only gentlemanly thing he did was press the unlock button on
his key fob.
    When
we were both settled and securely buckled in he asked me, “Can you take the
afternoon off?”
    I
nodded, very curious. This was not Blake’s style at all. And I couldn’t
remember the last