Glancing at the screen, secretly hoping that it’s him, I see an unknown number.
Unknown: Girls’ night at the Willow Tavern tomorrow evening.
Me: Who is this?
Unknown: Sorry. It’s Alyssa from Kincaid’s Auto Repair.
Me: What exactly is entailed in girls’ night?
I hit Reply and quickly add her number to my contacts. Her response is immediate.
Alyssa: Nothing too crazy. Most of the ladies are preggers, but we do have a few drinks, lots of laughs, and lots of talking about men. Mostly Kincaid men all except for Piper, who is married to Heath, and Ramsey, who is a Kincaid cousin but married to Deacon. The rest of us are either married to or engaged to a Kincaid.
Why is it just hearing his last name has heat rising to my cheeks? A night out with the girls does sound fun. I don’t know them, but I’ve always been able to fit in with all kinds of personalities. That definitely comes in handy as a teacher with students, parents, and colleagues.
Me: I don’t want to intrude.
Alyssa: Never. The more, the merrier, and I need someone who’s not preggers to drink with.
She follows her text with a string of laughing emoji, and I can’t help but smile. Alyssa, just from the short time I’ve been around her, seems like she would be fun to hang out with.
Me: Okay, if you’re sure. Just tell me what time to be there. You said the Willow Tavern, right?
I remember passing the Willow Tavern in town, so it won’t be hard to find my way back.
Alyssa: Yes! Tomorrow night at seven. We’ll eat there.
She follows that with the address of the Willow Tavern, and just like that, I have plans for Friday night. I’m thankful because, without the invite, I would have spent the night at home, thinking about how I spent last Friday night. I definitely don’t need another reason to be thinking about Rushton Kincaid.
Pulling open the door of the Willow Tavern, I’m immediately assaulted with country music and the smell of alcohol. Scanning the large room, I spot Alyssa waving her hands in the air and walking toward me.
“Hey.” She greets me with a hug. “We have a table in the back.” She links her arm with mine as if we’ve been besties our entire lives, immediately setting me at ease, and leads me to the table.
“Ladies,” she greets. “This is Crosby. She’s the new kindergarten teacher at Willow River Elementary. She came into the shop the other day to have her flat tire fixed.”
“I feel like I already know you.” One of the ladies smiles kindly. “Blakely Kincaid is my daughter. We met briefly on the first day of school, but there were a lot of us in your classroom.” She gives me a welcoming smile.
“I remember, and she’s a sweetheart,” I tell her.
“She’s rotten, is what she is,” another of the women speaks up, making everyone at the table laugh.
“A rotten sweetheart,” another amends.
“I’ll go around the table,” Alyssa says. “You know me, and I’m engaged to Sterling Kincaid. This is Ramsey Setty. She’s married to Deacon. Ramsey is cousins to the Kincaid brood.”
I nod in understanding, and she keeps going.
“Next, we have Palmer. She’s married to Brooks Kincaid, and they have an adorable little girl named Remi. Beside Palmer is her sister, Piper. Piper is married to Heath. His brother owns this fine establishment. She’s preggers, as you can see. Jade is next to Piper. She’s married to Orrin Kincaid, and she’s also preggers. Kennedy, Blakely’s mom, married to Declan Kincaid, who you’ve met, and also preggers. Ladies, this is Crosby Greene.”
I wave. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m sure I’m going to forget your names, so bear with me. Thank you for letting me crash girls’ night.”
“You’re not crashing,” one of them says. I think it’s Ramsey. “Ramsey.” She grins, and I nod. “Sit. What are you drinking?” She nods toward the pitcher of beer on the table. “Grab a glass, or we can get you something else.”
“No. The beer is perfect. Thank you.”
“Well, now that we’re all here, let’s order. I’m starving,” Jade says, rubbing her hands over her baby belly. “Eating for two is no joke.” She chuckles.
“Do you all know what you’re having?” I ask the table.
“Orrin and I are having a boy. Jade, by the way,” she adds, and I smile in kind.
“Declan and I are having a boy too.” Kennedy nods. I remember her, knowing she’s Blakely’s mom.
“Heath and I are waiting to be surprised. The pregnancy was a surprise, so we decided to just roll with it. My mother-in-law and this lot”—she points around the table—“are losing their minds saying they don’t know how to shop, but the anticipation is part of the appeal.”
“She’s crazy,” another woman speaks up. “I would have driven Brooks crazy had we not found out.” She laughs, then smiles at me. “Palmer.”
“Okay, I think I’ve got it.” I start to point at each one of them. “Ramsey, Palmer, Piper, Jade, Kennedy, and Alyssa.”
“Nailed it.” Alyssa leans her shoulder into mine, smiling.
“I have you all, but not the men you’re attached to.”
Ramsey waves her hand in the air. “You’ll figure it out soon enough. The only ones you might have issues with are the twins.”
“Twins?”
“Yeah, the youngest of my nine cousins are identical twins. We all can tell them apart, but with you being new in town, you might struggle.”
“I did at first, but you learn their personalities quickly, and Maverick is half an inch taller than Merrick. Oh, and Maverick is the more outgoing one. They’re both full of life, but Mav is usually the instigator,” Kennedy tells me.
“Got it.” I nod. I kind of feel like I should have brought a notebook and should be jotting this down.
“Crosby is going to be joining us at book club. That’s next weekend, by the way,” Alyssa tells me.
“Oh, please tell me you read romance too?” Piper asks.
“I do.” I smile at her.
“Perfect.” She offers me a kind smile.
“So, Crosby, you have the rundown on us. Tell us about you,” Ramsey says, grabbing her mug of beer and sitting back in her chair.
“Not much to tell. I’m from Atlanta. I was working as a substitute teacher within their system and waitressing at night or on my days off. When I got the job offer to have my own classroom, I jumped at the chance.”
“It must be hard moving an hour away from all of your friends and family,” Palmer speaks up. “Assuming you don’t have connections to Willow River.”
I shake my head. “No connections and no family.” No friends either, but I keep that to myself. I hope that changes with these ladies sitting around the table.
“I’m sorry.” Palmer’s face falls. “I shouldn’t have—” she starts, but I shake my head while holding up my hand to stop her apology.