Page 20 of Will (The Cowboys of Calamity, Texas #3)
Will had been eager to read the story as well, but Honey wanted to wait before showing it to him until she was officially hired. Call it superstition, but she had learned through extensive experience that nothing in this business was guaranteed.
She parked at the Blue Moon coffee shop and walked inside. Having already placed her order online, she picked up her iced vanilla latte, waved to Shelby at the front counter, then made her way to the back patio.
“Over here,” Maria called out, waving her hand in the air. She and Amber Mitchell sat at a round table near the tall privacy fence.
Honey waved back to them, then headed their way. It looked like it was going be a small group today, which was fine with her.
She’d been spending all her days with Will since that night at the Crossroads Bar, so she was ready for girl talk.
For a moment, he’d questioned the wisdom of her being in town without him, but after a discussion, they’d agreed that since she would be in a public place, it should be safe.
But he still cautioned her to keep her cell phone nearby, and his protective heart warmed her own.
“I wasn’t sure you were going to make it today,” Maria said. “I know you have a lot going on in your life right now.”
She knew Maria didn’t mean to make it sound like an accusation, but it was true. Honey had been so wrapped up in this situation with Will and finding Ronnie that she’d barely had time to text her friends, much less phone them.
Also, Will had clarified that the fewer people who knew about the threats against them, the better.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been so preoccupied.” Honey took a seat at the table, then hung her purse on the back of her chair. “I’ve been busy working on my profile piece as well as… other things.”
“It’s those other things that we’re the most interested in hearing about.” Amber leaned forward in her chair, resting her chin on her hands. “Specifically, that gorgeous man you brought with you to the wedding.”
Before Honey could answer, Maria did it for her.
“His name is Will.” Maria said, keeping her voice low. “Honey used to watch him compete in bull riding at high school rodeos. Theo was bull rider too, and they became friends, even though they lived over one hundred miles apart.”
Amber wiggled her eyebrows at Maria. “Is Theo the man I saw you dancing with at the reception?”
Yes.” Maria blushed. “Theo is a wonderful dancer and we have our first date this coming Saturday.”
Honey clapped her hands. “Oh, I’m so excited. My brother, of course, never said a word to me about it.”
“Do you have another single brother around?” Amber asked. “Or an uncle? Or a great-uncle? I’m getting to where I’m not picky anymore.”
The trio giggled over her exaggerated frustrations with dating.
“Looks like I got here just in time,” said a woman’s voice behind them.
Honey recognized the voice, but had to turn around to believe it. That’s when she saw Wanda Dale, the seventy-two-year-old office manager from the sheriff’s office, standing right behind her chair.
Wanda wore a vintage turquoise pantsuit and gold tennis shoes. She took the empty chair next to Honey, set her vintage pearl clutch-purse on top of the table, and launched into another of her mini rants, which they knew were born of love and concern for her friends.
“Someone has to prevent you girls from making disastrous choices with your lives.” Wanda shook her head, her silvery-gray ponytail bobbing with the motion. “Unfortunately, it’s turning into a full-time job for me. Who’s in crisis today?”
No one said a word, but amused glances were shared among the three.
Then Shelby arrived to save the day, carrying a large serving tray, and wearing a pocketed apron. “Hey, ladies, wish I could join you today. Taylor was supposed to work this shift, but she has a bad toothache.”
Wanda looked up at her. “Is Taylor still going to that dentist in Comanche? I told her that was a mistake. No one listens anymore.”
Shelby flashed a smile in Wanda’s direction, then picked up a red ceramic plate from her tray. “Hot wings and fries for Amber.”
“Thank you,” Amber said, taking the platter from her. “I’ve been craving these wings all morning.”
Shelby handed a blue ceramic plate to Maria. “Grilled chicken and a beet salad for you.” She passed the yellow plated club sandwich and crispy sweet potato fries to Honey, then promised Wanda that her chicken salad would be out soon.
After Shelby walked back into the coffee shop, Wanda said, “Now where were we?”
“Maria was just telling us about her upcoming date with Theo.” Honey sat back and chewed on a sweet potato fry, ready to enjoy the show. Despite Wanda’s frequent blunt statements and unsolicited opinions, she often had good advice.
“What do you want to know?” Wanda asked.
Maria hesitated, then shrugged, as if surrendering to the inevitable. “Theo and I have known each other since we were kids. I’m not sure we’ll know how to be more than friends.”
“It’s called hormones,” Wanda said. “Beyond that, being friends is a fantastic way to start. It really comes down to whether you’d prefer spending your time with him or without him. And if you’d trust him to keep all your deepest secrets.”
“You make it sound easy,” Amber said.
“Then you misheard me, which is not something I expect from the communications director at the mayor’s office.” Wanda’s toned softened. “Listen, girls, there are no guarantees, but it doesn’t have to be hard.”
At that pronouncement, Wanda stood and straightened the hem of her blouse.
“Just know what you want,” she said, “and go for it.”
“Are you leaving?” Honey asked.
“Yes.” Wanda retrieved her clutch. “My man and I got in a fight this morning and I just realized why he was wrong. I need to go tell him.”
“But your chicken salad hasn’t come yet,” Amber said.
“I’ll have Shelby package it up for me.” She turned to go, then paused and turned back. “Oh, I just thought of one more tip for you girls.”
Wanda pulled up one pant leg far enough to reveal a turquoise sock with the words Never sign a prenup written on the cuff.
“And don’t you forget it.” Wanda wagged her finger at them, then headed out the door.
Amused, Honey said, “That reminds me of a quote I read recently: ‘World domination begins with your socks. Choose wisely.’”
“Maybe that’s Wanda’s plan,” Maria said, laughing, “to dominate the world with one sock message at a time.”
“Why does spending time with Wanda,” Honey mused, “make me feel like I’ve taken a ride on a roller coaster?”
They resumed eating and chatting about books they’d read and shows they liked.
Honey found that her mind kept drifting to Will and how he was getting along with her dad and Theo.
He seemed excited about working cattle with them, which made her wonder if he’d ever considered ranching instead of becoming a Texas Ranger.
Perhaps she should add that to the concise list of questions that had come up while she was editing the profile piece.
“Earth to Honey?”
Amber and Maria were staring at her. “Oh, I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
“It not important,” Amber said. “I was just complaining about dating apps again. I can’t count how many times I’ve been stood up, or a guy has ghosted me after just one date.”
“Is it really that bad?” Maria asked.
“Well, I’ve recently joined a local hiking club to meet men, and I hate hiking.” She sighed. “Maybe I should go on a sabbatical from dating.”
“You don’t need a sabbatical.” Maria pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Maybe just tweak your dating profile. That helped me when I was on the Calamity Connections app.”
“I use a different dating app that covers a much larger area so I could have more options.” Amber pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, then brought up her profile on the dating app. “Here it is.” She placed the phone face up on the center of the table.
Honey studied the photo that went with the self-description, looked up at Amber, then turned her attention back to the photo again. “Is this… you?”
“Of course, it’s me.”
“When was this taken?”
Amber hesitated. “About five years ago.” Responding to their raised eyebrows, she adjusted her estimate. “Maybe seven.”
Honey leaned in and squinted at the picture. Probably closer to ten.
“I’m just going to say it.” Maria turned to Amber. “This picture is false advertising.”
The pretty brunette dropped her jaw. “I––”
Maria stopped her with an upheld hand. “I’m not saying that to be mean, but to point out that guys are visual creatures. So, if they swipe right on your profile, it’s because they’re expecting to meet the twenty-five-year-old with the blond highlights in that photo.”
Amber sighed. “You’re right. I need to remove this picture. In fact, I’m going to delete my entire profile and try to find someone the old-fashioned way, just like you two did.”
Honey didn’t think the way she’d met Will could be described as the old-fashioned way. But there was something niggling at her about their conversation. Maybe she and Will had overlooked the obvious when going through the contents of Ronnie’s locker.
Now she wanted to a closer look.