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Chapter 28
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The Misfit Inn Chapter 29
"DO YOU HAVE ALL your stuff?" Maggie asked Athena."I'm the one who's been standing down here with a fully-packed suitcase for half an hour." Athena eyed the stack of Maggie's luggage. "You never could travel light.""Some of us had non-wedding related work to do while we were here."And some of us have work to do after you go. But Pru didn't share that particular thought. The house couldn't empty fast enough.After she'd cooked what felt like the world's largest breakfast - enough pancakes and sausage to feed the literal army under her roof - the first wave of her former foster siblings headed out. Right on their heels, Kacy and her parents had picked Ari up. Those who remained had helped with clean-up in the barn. The tables and chairs were folded and stacked, waiting for pick up by the rental company on Monday, and the other detritus from the reception had been swept up or cleared away. Mostly. The lights would take longer to pull down, but later. It could all wait for later.
The Misfit Inn Chapter 30
"I KNEW I'D END up with a few clients from people I know, but word has spread like wildfire. Thanks." Abbey accepted the glass of wine Pru offered. "I've got more people wanting to book sessions than I can manage in the temp space we have set up right now. People here are really into the idea of a spa."Balancing her own wine, Pru settled into one of the deck chairs opposite her friend. "I thought they might be." The news both pleased and worried her. She'd invited Abbey to ply her trade on a whim, a means of testing the waters. But she hadn't expected the idea to take off quite this fast."That's your thinking face. What's cooking in that brain of yours?" Abbey asked."I've been noodling over the idea of a day spa for a while. But I wanted time to gather some data on interest before I broached the subject with my sisters. A spa would necessitate renovations - an expansion or addition somehow. There's - " The back door opened, pulling Pru's attention to the other end of the porch.
The Misfit Inn Chapter 31
"SO, FLYNN SEEMS TO be pretty settled in," Abbey observed.Pru used the excuse of digging in the china cabinet for platters to hide her face. "I suppose a gypsy learns to settle quickly wherever he goes.""Must be nice having that in the house.""That?""A guy who looks like that. I mean, damn. You can't tell me you haven't noticed he's hot.""A woman would have to be dead and six months buried not to notice that," Pru conceded. She passed platters to Abbey and straightened, heading for the fridge."He's certainly got an eye for you. He watches you whenever you're in the room."Pru made a noncommittal noise and grabbed some bacon. What was she supposed to say to that? "The air seems to crackle whenever you're within ten feet of each other.""Crackle? Really?" Pru kept her voice dismissive as she began to peel some pears for an appetizer.Abbey clutched a platter to her chest. "Oh, come on, Pru. Admit it! There's something going on between you and the Irish hottie." She'd a
The Misfit Inn Chapter 32
SHOCK KEPT PRU IMMOBILE as Lydia Coogan left the room. There was probably something she should have said, but she had no idea what. There was no proper protocol for this situation, no Emily Post guide to the right way to handle being caught with your lover by your foster child's social worker. The only possible way it could have been worse would have been if she'd walked in on them in flagrante. Even that could have been explained. Maybe. It wasn't as if celibacy was a mandatory requirement for fostering and adoption. But this?As the front door shut, Pru found the strength to pull away and round on Flynn. "What the hell were you thinking? Engaged?"He ran a hand through his hair - still mussed from her fingers. Jesus. And Ari had seen her standing in his shirt."I panicked. I was trying to protect your reputation - sleeping with your fiancé certainly seemed better than sleeping with a guest."His panic response was to invent a proposal? Pru shoved up from the couch to pace. "Okay
The Misfit Inn Chapter 33
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A ring made.Wearing Flynn's made this whole engagement feel more real. Mistake or not, it was easier to face telling people with it gracing her left hand. Pru had gotten more practice with that when they'd driven to Johnson City to pick up the exception to policy packet Monday morning, explaining her reasons for the request to the woman at DHS. Twenty minutes later, they'd left with the thick sheaf of papers and warm congratulations. They hadn't run into Lydia Coogan, and that was a blessing. Pru had also gotten more details on Mae, who was scheduled for back surgery at the end of the week. At this stage, they weren't clear when she would be back to work or whether she would be back at all."Do you know if she's receiving visitors at the hospital?" Pru asked."Family only, right now."Pru wondered who that would be. She knew from her mother that Mae was long divorced and had no children of her own. It was part of why they'd been friends. Mae took as much joy from
The Misfit Inn Chapter 34
AT THE END OF a long day, Pru was dumping used linens from her massage practice into the washer, when Abbey pounced on her."Pru Reynolds, how dare you keep this a secret!"Pru found herself pinned against the washing machine, her left hand held aloft, Abbey's own load of linens in a pile around their feet. "Jesus, girl, give me a heart attack, why don't you?""Heart attack my ass. Spill!" Abbey demanded.This wasn't how she'd planned on the news getting out. But if she'd really wanted to keep it a secret, she wouldn't have put the ring back on when she was done with massages for the day. She just...liked it there. Tugging free of her friend's grip, Pru bent to gather up the mess in the floor and add it to the load. "So, I'm engaged.""To who?""Flynn.""I knew there was something going on between you two. But engaged? Isn't that kinda fast?"She'd committed to the cover story now and found that it fell off her tongue with greater ease. "Two years isn't fast.""Say what? But I
The Misfit Inn Chapter 35
"SO I SAID, DEANNA, we had a party when you married the bastard. We should have a party for cutting him loose," Wendy declared. Or was it Jasmine? Pru had lost track."The divorce was officially filed this morning, so here we are," the newly single Deanna announced.Pru topped off the woman's wine. "Congratulations on your new freedom."The group of ten women from Nashville had arrived mere minutes after they'd finished prepping the rooms. Flynn had appointed himself bag boy and cheerfully hauled luggage up to the assigned rooms, chatting and flirting the whole way, while Pru and Ari were plating hors d'oeuvres and uncorking some wine. At least three of the women practically swooned on the spot. Not that Pru could blame them. Flynn was sexy as hell on an average day, and when he laid on that Irish charm, no woman could resist him, as evidenced by the fact that Deanna had tried to invite him to drop by her room later. "Sorry about propositioning your man," she said. "If my ex had b
The Misfit Inn Chapter 36
THEY GOT THROUGH THE weekend, giving the Nashville girls a true pampering experience. When she'd mentioned the possibility of expanding to a full day spa, they'd been all over the idea, insisting on getting on the mailing list for when it happened. When Porter brought by the initial concept drawings Sunday night, it seemed like a sign. Or maybe Pru just wanted to cling to the idea that she could do something to distract Kennedy from the situation with Flynn.In the past few days, Kennedy had kept her distance. It had been under the guise of getting over jet lag and unpacking from their honeymoon, but the fact that Kennedy had been a world traveler for a decade made it feel like evasion and avoidance. Pru had felt her disapproval radiating from the house she shared with Xander three miles away. Standing on their front porch, she hesitated over the knocker. The police cruiser was gone, so Xander was on duty. Pru was grateful. One set of disapproving eyes was enough. Still, maybe it was
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