Laura nodded eagerly. “My cousin has a flower shop, and I know she’d give Hillary a discount.”
“That’s a great start.”
Laura released a deep sigh. “Julia,” she said, and her eyes were sincere. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” To her surprise, she didn’t choke on the words.
Laura hesitated, as if uncertain. “Would you mind if we meet again?”
Should she? It didn’t take Julia long to see they had a far better chance of bringing all their loved ones together if they were on the same page.
“I think that might be a good idea,” she said, and hoped she wasn’t making a big mistake.
Chapter 27
“You’re meeting with who?” Amanda demanded, as she carried a cup of coffee to Julia.
“You heard me.”
“This is a joke, right?” Her sister sat down across the kitchen table from Julia and stared at her with her mouth sagging open. “You do remember this is the very woman who tore your marriage apart, right?”
“As horrible as it sounds, Laura may be the only option I have to move forward.” Julia could hold on to the pain or she could let it go; she chose healing.
She needed to tell someone she’d been meeting with Heath’s ex-wife. Her sister seemed the most logical person, and, frankly, she was surprised by Amanda’s reaction. Perhaps she shouldn’t be, remembering how conflicted she’d felt the first time Laura called.
“I didn’t start out intending to have anything to do with her. Then, once we got past the awkwardness of the situation, I wasn’t as put off as I assumed I would be.”
Shaking her head, Amanda leaned forward and braced her elbows on the table. “You better start at the beginning. She contacted you?”
“Yes, and as hard as it is to admit, Laura did it for all the right reasons. She wants me to help her find a way for Eddie to reconcile with the girls.” Seeing how badly her ex-husband had botched every attempt, it was going to take some creative thinking on their part.
Amanda rolled her eyes. “And how’s that working for you?”
Julia wasn’t sure how best to answer. “We’ve discussed a few ideas.” They were making headway and taking it one step at a time.
“Oh, do tell.”
“When did you become such a skeptic?” Julia teased. “Laura and I are joining forces to work toward a solution. Our goal is to have everything resolved before the wedding. We’re never going to pal around together or be the best of friends. But I’ve learned we don’t have to be enemies, either.”
“Good luck with that, big sister. Eddie can’t seem to keep his foot out of his mouth. How can you be sure anything the two of you do is going to help matters? The wedding is less than two months away.”
Amanda knew Julia’s ex-husband’s last attempt to resolve matters with Hillary had caused far more damage than anything he’d done in the last six years since the divorce.
“I know it’s going to be tricky to pull this off.” Julia knew better than anyone how difficult this would be, and on such a short time schedule.
“That’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one.”
“I know.”
Amanda reached for her coffee and leaned back in her chair. “Does Heath know you’re meeting with his ex?”
This was the negative aspect of her newfound relationship with Laura. “No, not yet.”
Amanda arched her delicately shaped brows halfway to her hairline. “Do you think it’s wise to keep him in the dark?”
Julia shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess time will tell.” This was the one drawback that she could see. Once Eddie and Heath learned what the two women were planning, it could blow up in their faces. Laura was as aware of this as Julia was; still, neither was willing to give up.
“I suggest you tell him, and the sooner, the better,” Amanda advised. “Keeping it a secret is risking more than you should. Besides, did you ever consider that Heath might have a few insights of his own?”
Julia hadn’t. Sipping her coffee, she mulled over her sister’s words. “You’re right, he needs to know.”
* * *
—
The opportunity came sooner than she expected. Sooner than she was prepared for. They were sitting in the Busy Bean, enjoying a scone and coffee, following their morning workout.
“I stopped by the other day and you were out.”
“Which day?” She well knew which one, and hedged for time to decide how best to drop this bomb in his lap.