I saw the disappointment on our mothers’ faces, but they both nodded.
“Well, I’m not paying until the gig is up and they end this thing,” Cage said, throwing his hands in the air.
“Listen, if you want to pull this off, you can’t be sloppy,” Brinkley said after she set her wine glass down. “You’ve got Marilyn there cleaning your house, and you know she’s a gossip. She’s best friends with Mrs. Runither. So Reese better keep her things in your room and make it look like she’s staying in there with you.”
“I often wonder where that devious mind of yours comes from. How do you think of these things?” Cage asked as the table erupted in laughter once again.
“I’m a reporter. It’s my job to think of these things,” Brinkley said, unable to hide her smile.
“Wouldn’t change one hair on your head, sweetheart.” Lincoln wrapped an arm around her shoulder and tugged her closer.
“So, what’s the plan? Finn cleans up his image that Jessica has tainted, and Reese gets back together with Carl?” Georgia asked.
“That’s the plan. Now that I know what I want to do with my life professionally, I want to move forward in my personal life, as well. It was never that I didn’t want to marry Carl. I just wanted him to support my dreams the way I’ve supported his.”
“And you think he’s done that?” Olivia asked, and she didn’t hide her irritation. I knew she wasn’t a fan of Carl because she’d opened up to me at Maddox and Georgia’s wedding in Paris when Reese had stepped out of the reception to take a call from her ex. Olivia and Carl used to be close, but since he’d ended the engagement, she was most definitely protective of her sister.
“He supports me. He just didn’t like us being apart for a year. There’s a difference.”
Everyone at the table shared a glance, and I saw the uncertainty. But they all loved Reese, and they’d agree because they didn’t want to say what was really on their minds.
That her ex had behaved like a selfish prick, and he didn’t deserve her.
I knew it.
They knew it.
My best friend wasn’t there yet.
But I was going to help her get there.
six
Reese
I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around Millie’s neck as we approached the stable. Finn had done a great job of getting this place ready, and I felt very lucky that my mare was the first one to move in. He’d hired Silas a while back to manage the property while he was on set, and Silas would take over caring for the horses once they filled the stalls. Silas was thrilled to have Millie here now. He was a local who had worked on many ranches in the area, and I could tell he was happy to be working for Finn.
Finn was striding toward the barn, and I waved. His baseball cap was turned backward on his head, and his smile was like sunshine on a cloudy day. He’d always had a way of grounding me and making me feel like everything was going to be okay. He wore a pair of faded jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt. You wouldn’t know that Finn Reynolds was going to be on the cover of the most popular entertainment magazine in the country in just a few weeks. He was just… Finn. The same as he'd always been. Fame hadn’t changed a thing about him. I knew it wouldn’t because this man had always had a strong sense of who he was. It was something that I’d always admired about him. While the rest of us were trying to figure out who we were and what we wanted to do with our lives, Finn just trusted his gut. He didn’t think twice when he started pursuing his acting career while we were still in college, cutting his course load back significantly. He no longer wanted to study business and he’d made that change suddenly after I’d gone into remission after months of chemotherapy and treatment. He’d just said he was done pursuing things he didn’t want to do and he was ready to go after what he wanted, and he’d completely changed course. He’d agreed to stay in school part time, as he knew his parents would want him to finish what he started, but he pursued acting from that point on. He never questioned his decisions, and there’d been many times in my life that I’d wished some of that could rub off on me.
We’d only been home for forty-eight hours, but I’d yet to venture out beyond going to get my horse and see family. But we were planning on going to Cottonwood Café for lunch, so I’d taken Millie out for a ride to calm my nerves.
I knew it was inevitable that I’d run into Carl. He’d been texting me ever since the news broke about me and Finn, and I’d only responded once. I had to play things right, not act too interested, and not show how hurt I was if I ran into them together.