It Had to Be Him(29)
“Great. Casey knows the dates. Go ahead and bill my account for booking the reservation.”
“You got it. Thanks, Mr. Randall. You guys have fun.” Megan mouthed a silent “thank you” to Toby and drove off, probably grinning like a lunatic. Because the hotel offered to let their privacy-craving customers buy out the whole place, the customers were used to paying a non-refundable third of the fee. That was just one more good thing about catering to the rich.
“Haley-Bug, we’re one step closer to getting the money we need to fix up our new house. A few more reservation deposits like that and we’ll be on our way!”
“Yay!” Haley clapped her hands as if she knew what Meg was talking about. How great was it that her daughter was happy just because Meg was? A far cry from the relationship she had with her father. Thank God her sister and Grandma had been there for her growing up. Probably she should remember to thank them for that.
As they pulled up to their rickety dock, Meg spotted a pile of building materials stacked neatly near the shore. After she freed herself and Haley from their life jackets and unloaded their supplies, they went to check out the stack. It was everything she’d need for her new dock. An invoice weighted down by a rock lay on top.
She studied the paid receipt, looking for any clues as to who would have been nice enough to buy her the materials anonymously. Maybe Zeke. He’d seen how bad and a little bit dangerous the dock was. Nothing on the paper gave it away. She’d figure it out and then pay whoever it was back after she got the loan.
Just as she was thinking that moving back home might not be so bad, a voice that had the same effect on her as fingernails trailing down a chalkboard made her cringe.
“Well, there you are, Meg. Funny how you’ve been back for days and we haven’t run into each other.”
Not funny. On purpose.
She slowly stood as Haley attached herself to Meg’s legs as if Cruella de Vil were approaching. “Hey, Amber. How are you?”
Amber navigated her way down the grassy hill toward them in her ice pick heels. She hadn’t changed a bit. Long blonde hair, tall and thin like a model, but with silicone-enhanced curves in all the right places and a fake, stiff smile. Like a Barbie on Botox.
Amber always dressed as if attending a swanky cocktail party. Probably because there weren’t any of those in Anderson Butte unless Amber was throwing one. “I wanted to be sure you knew about the fund-raiser for the new children’s section at the library we’re holding tomorrow. Everyone’s coming.” Amber leaned down and said to Haley, “There’ll be lots of fun games for you, sweetheart. And I’m just dying to meet your daddy.”
Haley’s head whipped up. “My daddy?”
Frickin’ Amber. She’d done that on purpose. “We’ll talk about that later. Why don’t you go grab a juice box from the backpack while I talk to Mrs. Downey?”
Haley frowned as she slowly headed toward the backpack that lay under a nearby pine tree.
Amber’s eyes got fake big and she threw her hand over her mouth. Probably to hide her evil sneer. “Oh, Meg. I’m so sorry. I’d forgotten Haley doesn’t know who her father is. But I hear he’s a real looker. And he’s moving here . . . but doesn’t have a job?”
The condescension in Amber’s voice raised Meg’s hackles. “Yeah, so maybe Haley and I will stop by tomorrow if we have time. Thanks.”
“If it’d be embarrassing for you to come and not be able to make a donation, we still need someone to work the ice cream booth from twelve till one.”
The old Meg might have “accidentally” poked Amber in the chest and made her totter off her ridiculous heels. But Haley was watching. “The ice cream booth is always fun. Sign me up.”
Her evil deed for the day accomplished, Amber beamed a satisfied grin. “If your ex is looking for a place to stay, my guesthouse is available. Maybe I can even find a way for a good-looking guy to work off his rent. See you tomorrow.”
Meg’s blood boiled as she watched Amber slither away like the snake she was. Amber’s not-so-thinly veiled reference to the time she’d slept with Meg’s boyfriend in high school and then later married him had hit its intended target.
That woman, married or not, would probably love to get her hands on Josh just to irritate Meg. A week ago, that wouldn’t have bothered her a bit. She would have told Amber they deserved each other and good riddance.
Now she wasn’t so sure. It seemed Josh had been more invested in their relationship than he’d let on back then. And there’d been other small changes in him too. When he’d mentioned dancing with her, which he hated to do, she’d almost accepted just to see if he’d really do it. Luckily, her brain did its job and reminded her heart not to engage.