Our Now and Forever(61)

“You’ve got a ’57 Vette under there?”

“I do.” The mechanic sighed as a depressed look crossed his face. “And a ton of others waiting for attention. I either need to marry rich or win the lottery so I can spend my days fixing ’em all up.”

“Now that would be a nice life,” Caleb said, and he meant it. Waking up every morning, grabbing some coffee, and stepping into a well-appointed garage to work under the hood of a vintage machine sounded like a great way to spend the rest of his years. So long as Snow was along for the ride.

The men stepped into the waning sunlight, and Cooper slid the rusted door shut. “You’re welcome to come down to Goodlettsville when the events start back up in the spring. If I have the truck running by then, I might let you drive the T-Bird.”

A tempting offer for sure, but Caleb’s first thought was that he wouldn’t still be in town come spring. Or would he?

“Thanks, Cooper. I may take you up on that.”





Chapter 18




Lorelei had been after Snow for days to spill all her juicy details, pointing out that the insipid grin on her face was proof enough that she was no longer sleeping chastely beside her husband. At first Snow had put her off, certain that Lorelei would not approve of her leading Caleb on when she still intended to end the marriage. But more and more Snow was starting to believe that marrying Caleb had not been a mistake.

Marrying him so quickly had been the problem.

And, as her mother had pointed out on the phone earlier in the day, Snow and Caleb were rectifying that particular issue by returning to the dating stage. Not that she’d planned to tell her mother about the bizarre state of her life, but as soon as Snow had heard Mama’s voice on the other end, she’d spilled it all.

By the time they ended the call, Roberta Cameron was throwing around “I told you sos” and planning a big Christmas dinner to welcome home her prodigal daughter and unwavering son-in-law. Too bad Snow didn’t harbor the same happy ending certainty her mother did.

“If that isn’t the face of a woman satisfied with life, I don’t know what is,” Lorelei said, dropping into the booth across from Snow. They’d agreed to meet for dinner at the new Mexican restaurant two blocks down from Snow’s store.

Mamacita’s added a dose of sorely needed variety to their little metropolis—an alternative to greasy diner food, and deep-fried and gravy-covered options. Based on the tantalizing smells alone, Snow would give the place five stars. Her mouth was watering by the time her friends arrived.

Ignoring Lorelei’s comment, Snow said, “Where have you two been? I’ve been sitting here drooling over this menu for nearly ten minutes.”

Carrie sat down at the edge of the seat Lorelei had scooted across, and then she turned to face the table. Only her stomach didn’t fit.

“I’m sorry,” Snow said, pulling the table her way.

Carrie slid in with a grateful sigh. “Oh, man.”

“What?” Lorelei said, suddenly on high alert. “Is she coming? Do we need to call an ambulance?”

The expectant mother turned to scoot back out of the booth. “Get a grip, Lorelei. She isn’t due for another month. I have to pee.”

Snow camouflaged her laughter by taking a sip of her water. “If you keep this up, Carrie’s going to snap and sit on you,” she said. “And I hope I’m around to see it.”

“I can’t help it,” Lorelei said, sticking her nose in her menu. “Having a baby is dangerous. Anything could happen.”

“Right. Because women haven’t been spitting out babies since the dawn of time.”

Slapping the menu shut, Lorelei said, “This is different.” Glancing in the direction Carrie had disappeared, she added, “Carrie lost a baby before.”

This was news to Snow. “What? When? Did Patch—”

“Not Patch,” Lorelei said. “The baby was Spencer’s. He was born with the umbilical cord around his neck and the doctors couldn’t save him.”

Snow’s heart dropped. “Oh, honey, that’s horrible. I had no idea.”

“Spencer doesn’t talk about it much, but I know he still thinks about the baby. They named him Jeremy.” Lorelei leaned forward. “I know this is a weird situation, but Spencer still cares a lot about Carrie, and I’ve come to like her, too. She’s like the little sister I never had.”

“Who married your husband while you were away being an actress.”

“Technically, I was being a waitress. And like I said—weird. But based on what I know of that woman’s life, this baby has the potential to be the best thing that ever happened to her. Carrie deserves some happiness.”