Chapter Five
The musical superstar and new Redemption resident Coco headlined the New Year’s Eve lineup at the Last Chance Hall. Tickets were impossible to come by, but Gillian had an in—she was to be a bridesmaid in the dance hall owner’s wedding.
Last year, Gillian and Jeremy had spent New Year’s Eve at a swanky hotel in downtown Austin. She’d worn a killer gold dress and a pair of Jimmy Choo’s, and after he’d popped the question, they’d danced the night away. She’d been giddy with love.
Tonight, she’d dressed rodeo chic in a filmy, flowing short white dress accented with a sparkling gold belt, gold hoop earrings, and paired with new dress boots. She wore her hair up with curling tendrils escaping at her temples. She knew she looked good. She felt pretty. Jeremy paid her the appropriate compliments when he picked her up for their date.
That didn’t allay her unease as they made small talk during the drive out to Enchanted Canyon. Rather than being giddy like last year, tonight she felt nervous and uncertain. Bridal jitters, she kept telling herself.
She wasn’t convinced.
They’d been invited to join Jackson and Caroline for dinner at the saloon before the show started. They arrived to find Maisy already there with a date, a divorced father of two from California named Ben who was in town for the holidays visiting his parents. Gillian liked him right off. He was funny and friendly and good-looking too, with sun-bleached hair and a tanned complexion that suggested he spent a lot of time outdoors. He was sharing a story about teaching his nine-year-old son to surf when Jackson and Caroline arrived.
“Is Angelica joining us?” Maisy asked as Caroline took the seat next to her. The table was set for seven.
“No.” Jackson hung his denim jacket on the back of his chair. “Tucker has promised to grace us with his presence.”
“Really?” Maisy said. “That’s a surprise.” She turned to her date and explained, “Jackson’s cousin moved to town last fall, but we hardly ever see him.”
“He’s been working on his recluse imitation while he explores the canyon,” Jackson agreed. “Mainly he’s been adjusting to a career change. Spent the last year or so in Washington, DC, rubbing shoulders with lobbyists and politicians, and says he needed some time in the wilderness to feel clean again.”
“Understandable,” Ben said.
Gillian was glad to have the heads-up about Tucker. The only time they’d crossed paths since parting ways at Buc-ee’s had been at the Christmas party at Caroline’s bookstore. Neither had admitted to a prior meeting at the time.
She’d thought about him a lot in the weeks and months since September. She’d thought about that kiss a lot as she attempted to understand her actions that day.
The kiss had shaken her almost as much as the argument with Jeremy. Why had she responded to Tucker the way she had when she was in love with Jeremy? Had it been simply the wake of an emotional meltdown during the argument? Had it been heatstroke?
Was it Tucker?
Six weeks before her wedding, she should know the answer, shouldn’t she?
She sincerely hoped that neither Jeremy nor Tucker would bring up what happened in September. How would she respond if that happened? How could she explain it to friends to whom she’d never mentioned the meeting with Tucker McBride?
There was another answer she didn’t have. Luckily when Tucker joined them and took the empty seat directly across from Gillian, the only sign he betrayed of the September event was the knowing twinkle in his eyes when they shook hands and said hello. The conversation over dinner was easy and interesting.
The McBrides shared an amusing tale about an event that occurred during the recent McBride family Christmas holiday in Eternity Springs. Maisy had everyone laughing with a story about an unfortunate encounter between a trio of raccoons, a shed door left open, and popcorn strings intended for First Methodist Church’s Christmas pageant. After that, talk turned to sports, and Jackson mentioned that his cousin was a scratch golfer. Jeremy lit up like New Year’s Eve fireworks. “I’m part of a group that plays twice a week over at Tapatio Springs,” he said. “You’ll have to join us.”
Gillian caught the look that passed between the two McBride cousins, but she couldn’t interpret it. Tucker wiped his mouth with his napkin and said, “I’d like that.”
It turned out that Ben also played golf, so for the next ten minutes, conversation revolved around the various courses throughout the world where the four men at the table had played. Gillian watched Jeremy indulgently. The man did love his golf.
“Do you play, Gillian?” Tucker asked her at one point.
She smiled and shook her head. “No, I don’t. I tried a few times, but Jeremy and I decided fairly quickly it’s better for our relationship that when we travel, I go to the spa, while he plays golf.”
“Good plan,” Caroline agreed.
The discussion flowed to travel after that, and they talked about Maisy’s upcoming trip to Paris, Caroline and Jackson’s honeymoon to the South Pacific, and Gillian and Jeremy’s honeymoon in the Caribbean. “I’m not sure just what all is on our agenda,” she explained to Ben after they placed orders for dessert. “Jeremy is in charge of the honeymoon.”
“You’re the planner, Gillian,” he said. “Not me.”
Gillian frowned at her fiancé as the now-familiar anxiety caused her stomach to take another roll. Jackson broke the awkward silence that followed the comment by pushing back his chair and rising. “I need to get on over to the hall. You all enjoy your chocolate, and Caroline, don’t forget to bring my cookies when you come over.”
“I won’t.” Caroline lifted her face for Jackson’s kiss.
Do I glow like that when Jeremy kisses me goodbye? Gillian wondered. She didn’t think she did. Not anymore. She gave her head a shake to dislodge the unsettling thought and lifted her glass of wine for a sip. Over the top of her drink, she caught Tucker staring at her.
Maisy interrupted the moment by asking, “So is Jackson singing tonight too, Caroline?”
“He’s doing one set with Coco, but that’s all. He’s very excited about the opening band, though. They are some young guys out of Abilene who played a Sunday afternoon at the Last Chance not long ago. Jackson said their songwriter has real talent.”
“He should know,” Ben said, earning smiles from all the women.
Jeremy didn’t respond, and when Gillian glanced at him, he seemed distracted. She followed the path of his gaze and couldn’t hold back a groan. “Oh, no. I know tonight’s concert is the hottest ticket in Texas so I shouldn’t be surprised to see those two, but if either one of them heads this way, I expect somebody to run interference.”
Maisy asked, “Who? What?”
“Lindsay Grant and Erica Chadwick.”
“Ah.” As Gillian stabbed a fork full of the chocolate cake they’d all been sharing, Maisy explained, “They’re old college frenemies of Gillian’s.”
Gillian chastised Maisy with a look, but she couldn’t deny it. Maisy took note of Jeremy’s expression and asked, “Have you met them, Jeremy?”
He wiped his mouth with his napkin before responding with a hard note in his voice. “I’ve heard plenty about them.”