Page 78 of Love Me Like You Do

After a lifetime of being the new girl, of trying to fit in, she’d given up. It just hadn’t been worth the heartache. Of course, she wasn’t here to make friends. She was looking for business advice. Still, she could never quite kill the longing to be included.

But she didn’t want to wait around for Abbott’s to decide her fate.

Energy rolled in.

I’m a businesswoman.

And I need advice. When she entered the room, she hadn’t known what she’d expected to see, but it sure wasn’t a bunch of women twerking. She stood and watched them for a moment and realized they were making a reel for social media. A familiar song played on the phone that recorded them doing a synchronized dance.

She also realized they had their backs to her and that she was inadvertently photobombing it. Well, she’d already ruined it. She might as well have some fun. Poking her head in between two of them, she made a face and flailed her arms.

The women startled until they realized who she was, and then they screamed with laughter, which led the others to turn around and see what was going on.

“You must be Hailey.” An extremely chic and beautiful woman reached out a hand. “I’m Glori.”

“Way to make an entrance.” A regal blonde smiled at her. She had an accent Hailey didn’t recognize.

“Wait, did she photobomb us?” someone else asked.

The whole group gathered around to view the recording, and they all doubled over with laughter.

“Oh, my God, that was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. We’re totally posting that.” This woman had a posh British accent and was dressed like a fashion model.

“We’ve been practicing that stupid routine for two months, but we couldn’t stop laughing long enough to record it. And tonight, we finally get our shit together, and then you walk in and just own the room. That was hilarious.” She reached out a hand. “Hi, I’m Stella Cavanaugh.”

“Hailey Casselton. Thanks so much for letting me barge into your holiday party.”

“The more, the merrier.” The woman with the British accent gave her a hug. “Hello, darling. It’s me, Phinny.”

"Oh, I’m so glad to finally meet you.”

The happy, joyful woman wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I want you to meet Knox. She’s a wedding gown designer, so she might be in the best position to help you.”

After introductions, it didn’t take long before this rowdy, fun group of women got serious. As they gathered around a table, one of them—Glori Van Patten, a retired entrepreneur who’d created the Extra bar—got the meeting started. “All right, ladies. Let’s fly through the meeting portion, so we can get to the food. I don’t know what you guys brought, but it all smells fantastic.”

“Oh, you can thank my sister-in-law for the short ribs.” Knox had an elegance about her that made her seem like she was from an upper-crust family. She turned to Hailey. “She’s the chef at Wally’s in Owl Hoot. She’s magic with food.”

“I’m so glad I didn’t eat before I got here.” She’d been too busy with the girls.

“Well, before we start,” Phinny said. “I just want to say I’m so sorry for your situation.”

“Thank you. Did you know the Leesons?” It seemed unlikely, but it was a small town.

“I didn’t, but then, I just moved here last summer.”

“Those poor girls,” Glori said. “My heart breaks for them.”

“How’s it going?” a lovely brunette asked. “I’m Callie, by the way.”

“She runs the Museum of Broken Hearts,” Phinny said. “Just in case, you know, she wants to run an exhibition on the history of lingerie.”

“I love that idea.” Callie reached for her hand. “How are the girls?”

Hailey considered the question. “To be honest, they don’t understand what’s going on. They were staying with neighbors while their parents went away for the weekend, and now they’re staying with us. I think Paisley—the six-year-old—seems to grasp that they’re not coming back. But the youngest…Everly…” Tears stung, and she looked down at her clasped hands. “Tonight, she asked Cole why her mommy didn’t want to come back to her.”

“What?” Phinny pressed a hand over her heart. “That’s just awful. How can we help?”

“Cole’s hired a private investigator to find some family.”