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  “Where did you find him?” Shaylie squatted down and loved on him along with Piper.

  “We’re from Vail. There’s a shelter on the west end of town where we picked him up.” Serena watched as L.B. flopped over and offered up his belly for more rubs.

  “If he comes up missing at the end of the night, we know nothing about it,” Shaylie said.

  “You made it.”

  Serena turned and did a double take. Gabrielle, completely casual in jeans, sandals, and a V-neck, stood a few feet away holding a toddler who was happily eating an ice cream cone. Gabrielle didn’t seem to mind the sticky mess.

  “Hi. Yes. I brought my sister. I hope you don’t mind.” Serena couldn’t believe Gabrielle’s transformation. Her hair was loose and rested just below her collarbone. It was gorgeous. Prettier than she had imagined. And her eyes weren’t hidden behind the black rimmed glasses. They were bright and full of happiness. It was as if a different person was standing in front of her.

  “The more the merrier. I see you met two of my favorite people.” Gabrielle nodded at Piper and Shaylie.

  “Yes. They have threatened to steal L.B. by the end of the night,” Serena said. She noticed Gabrielle took a step back when she realized L.B. was on the ground, belly up, between Shaylie and Piper. “This is Faith.”

  Gabrielle shook Faith’s hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you. All good things.”

  “Thanks for letting me crash your awesome party.”

  “Help yourself to anything you want. Everyone here is pretty friendly.”

  “I’ll take L.B. with me. I’m sure to get more attention this way.” Faith took the leash from Serena and walked away.

  “Serena, how do you know Gabrielle?” Piper asked.

  “Um, I’m her client. She’s working on the Pet Posh Inn for me.” She was surprised that Gabrielle didn’t reveal who she was to her friends.

  “Oh, is that a daycare for dogs?” Shaylie seemed completely invested in the conversation.

  “I’m having it designed for all pets. Dogs, cats, birds, turtles, hedgehogs, anything really. Within reason, I mean. We’re still in the design phase of it,” Serena said.

  “I love that. People treat their pets like family, because they really are a part of the family,” Shaylie said.

  “Hey, what’s going on here? Everyone’s having a good time and we weren’t invited?”

  A woman who looked Serena over several times reached for the toddler cuddled in Gabrielle’s arms. She smiled at Serena and introduced herself as Gabrielle’s best friend, Rosie. The little girl was Carolyn, but everyone called her Care Bear.

  “My wife is over on the swings with Maribelle and our two older children, Rue and Dominique. You must be Serena.”

  Serena didn’t miss the quick elbow jab by Gabrielle and the soft grunt that escaped Rosie. She nodded and pretended to miss their blatant interaction. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Have you eaten anything yet? I don’t see a plate or a drink in your hand. Here, let’s grab some food and get to know one another better.” Rosie linked her arm with Serena’s and all but dragged her away from the group. Serena liked her immediately. She liked all of Gabrielle’s friends. And they were all lesbians. Was Gabrielle, too? And if so, was her girlfriend here or was she single? “You need to try the chicken. It’s amazing. Meredith makes the best marinade. And Gabrielle’s brownies are second to none. You’re Gabrielle’s client, aren’t you?”

  Serena didn’t think she’d be able to get a word in edgewise, so she nodded.

  “Gabrielle mentioned that she invited her client, but she failed to mention how adorable you are.”

  Serena looked over her shoulder at Gabrielle, who met her gaze but quickly looked away. It was unusual to see Gabrielle unnerved, and Serena didn’t know if she should be concerned.

  “She looks nervous, doesn’t she?” Rosie whispered in Serena’s ear. “Don’t worry about me. I’m completely harmless, but I know her better than anyone, so if you want any dirt on her or have any questions, ask away.”

  The first thing out of Serena’s mouth, completely unfiltered and ridiculously revealing about herself, even stopped Rosie in her tracks. “Is she seeing anyone?”

  The grin on Rosie’s face grew exponentially as the horror for asking the question in the first place grew on Serena’s. Rosie reached out and squeezed her forearm. “No, she isn’t. She works too hard, and even though we all tell her it’s not healthy, she won’t listen to us.”

  That still didn’t answer Serena’s underlying question. The chances were good that Gabrielle was a lesbian based on all of her friends, but Rosie never said the word. Serena needed a different approach for confirmation. “It’s hard to date when work takes precedence. I have a hard time, too.”

  “So, you aren’t seeing anyone either?” Rosie handed her an iced tea with a splash of raspberry juice. She guided Serena to the deck where a few chairs freed up as a rousing tournament of cornhole began.

  “No, I had a girlfriend, but we broke up last winter. She was entirely too controlling.” She took a bite of the chicken but didn’t miss the giant smile on Rosie’s face. Her being single was good news. Was Gabrielle interested in her? Had she said something to Rosie?

  “Gabrielle hasn’t had a girlfriend in years. She dates, on occasion, but nothing serious. Work is always in the way. She has to work twice as hard to prove herself worthy in that company.” Rosie clamped her mouth shut even though Serena thought she had a lot more to say about Arnest & Max.

  Serena clenched the arms of the chair and forced herself to remain seated. What did all of this mean? “My job wasn’t glamorous, but it was something I was good at.”

  “What did you do? If that’s not too personal.”

  Serena waved her off. “No, it’s fine. I worked at a bookstore. But now I’m building the place of my dreams. And Gabrielle is helping me.”

  “She really is good at her job. They just take advantage of her, I think.”

  “I feel like we’ll make this work.” At Rosie’s shocked expression, Serena quickly elaborated. “The project. We’ll make the project work.”

  “Ladies, may I sit down?” Meredith waited until they extended the invitation. Both Serena and Rosie gestured to the empty chair.

  Serena scanned the crowd until she found Gabrielle. This time Gabrielle didn’t turn away. She playfully smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead. Serena smiled and winked. She winked! Mortified, she quickly looked at her plate and listened to Meredith and Rosie talk about the cornhole tournament that everyone took too seriously. Serena had never played and was entirely too nervous to try in front of a giant crowd. She looked for Faith and found her sitting on a lawn chair, talking to Phillip. Her plan, although under no execution on her part, was working. It was all fate. She smiled at how comfortable Faith was in a crowd. How different they were. Faith was carefree and didn’t stress as much as Serena did.

  “Serena, what do you do when you aren’t working with Gabrielle?” Meredith asked.

  “I’ve been taking it easy. Last night was the first night in my new house. Faith spent the night. That’s why she’s here with me.”

  “The more the merrier. What does she do? Is she in school?”

  “She goes to Vail’s Culinary Center. She’s graduating this fall.”

  “How exciting. Does she have anything lined up?”

  “She wants to try to get a job here in Denver. Vail has limited options for a recent culinary school graduate, but she wants to stay close to home.” Serena didn’t want to get into detail, but nobody pushed. It was a very pleasant conversation about families and fun, and Serena felt herself relax for the first time in forever.

  “So, nobody’s talked you into cornhole?” Gabrielle sat in a chair next to her mother.

  Serena thought it was sweet how Meredith touched Gabrielle’s knee and Gabrielle squeezed her mother’s hand for a moment. It was a loving exchange, something Serena had longed for her entire life but n
ever experienced. It was so casual, as if they did it all the time. That was one thing she wasn’t going to ever take for granted. A touch from a loved one. She wondered if Gabrielle knew how lucky she was.

  “No. I’ve never played it and I’m not about to embarrass myself in front of your friends and family,” Serena said.

  “Did you ever play sports in high school?”

  Serena had to break eye contact with Gabrielle. “Not really. I was more of a bookworm. Playing sports wasn’t my thing.” Besides not being able to afford to play sports, she was never popular in high school. Being invisible was a survival skill that she applied in every aspect of her life growing up. Not much had changed in the last ten years.

  She pretended to look around for Faith and L.B. even though she knew exactly where she was. She needed an excuse to look away from Gabrielle. Without her glasses and with her hair loose and flowing around her shoulders, Serena found her stunning. Dressed conservatively for work she was attractive, but here in the comfort of her friends and family, she was a knockout. And completely relaxed. This didn’t seem like the same woman she’d battled with for the last few weeks. It was unnerving and exhilarating at the same time. How was she going to be able to work with her now that she knew Gabrielle on a more personal level? Especially since they couldn’t seem to see eye-to-eye on a simple project.

  Chapter Twelve

  “You told her about the attack?” Gabrielle turned and stared at her mother. Meredith held her hands up as if surrendering before the onslaught even began.

  “We were just sitting there, talking about animals and her pet project, and it just came up.”

  “Mom, it doesn’t just come up. It’s very private and personal. And now she has a reason to fire me if she wants to.” Gabrielle threw a towel on the counter in frustration and crossed her arms.

  Meredith walked over to her daughter and put both hands on her shoulders. “You listen to me, Gabrielle. She was very understanding and felt bad about having L.B. around you. She mentioned that you seemed skittish around dogs and I explained what happened. It’s a fact.”

  “Yes, but one I didn’t want her to know.” Gabrielle moved out of her mother’s grasp. “There are a ton of other things you could have told her about me like playing softball at State, or getting arrested at a protest, or even the fact that I graduated top of my class in college.”

  Meredith walked slowly back to Gabrielle. “None of that came up. Just the pet project. I know I shouldn’t have said anything, but I’m glad I did. Something in her just clicked.”

  “Yeah, like let me get a new architect.” Sarcasm dripped from Gabrielle’s voice as she sat at the kitchen table.

  “She’s not going to fire you for being attacked by a dog as a child. You have a legitimate reason to fear them.”

  “But now she knows how unfamiliar I am with dogs.”

  “Is there a pity party going on that I wasn’t invited to? Because I’m usually the host.” Rosie walked into the kitchen and dramatically fell into the chair next to Gabrielle. “I brought the wine.”

  “You’re still here?” Gabrielle slid an empty glass over to her.

  “Anne took the kids home, so I’m either staying the night or you’re taking me home. I heard the magical word ‘Serena’ and had to join in.”

  “Mom just told me that she told Serena about my dog attack.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  Gabrielle threw her hands up. “What the hell? Am I the only one who sees this as a problem?”

  “Yes,” Meredith and Rosie said in unison.

  “Okay, so tell me everything she said. Every word, how it sounded, her hand gestures,” Gabrielle said. If they were going to talk about this, she was at least going to control the conversation.

  “Can I just point out one very important thing that I need to share before we start this?” Rosie grabbed the bag of chips and shoved a few in her mouth. She held her finger up and chewed while both Barnes women waited not so patiently for her to finish. A quick sip of wine and she continued, “I found out that Serena is single.”

  “Big deal.” Gabrielle acted unimpressed, but her heart sped up and she forced herself to refrain from wiping her instantly sweaty palms on her jeans.

  “Normally, I would agree with you, because who cares, right? But the interesting part, the part that made me sit up a little straighter, is that your client, also known as Colorado’s latest lottery winner, is also a lesbian.” Rosie stood and bowed as both of them bombarded her with questions at the same time.

  “She’s the big winner? She won the lottery?” Meredith asked.

  “She’s gay? Are you serious?” Gabrielle asked.

  Rosie held up her hands as both women questioned her. “Whoa. Hang on. One question at a time. Meredith, yes. That’s how she is able to hire Gabrielle’s firm and create her dream come true.” She turned to Gabrielle next. “Yes, she’s a confirmed lesbian. Ex-girlfriend and all. Once I mentioned that you’re a single lesbian as well, things got interesting.”

  “Holy shit, Rosie. You outed me to my client?”

  Rosie shrugged. “After she outed herself. It’s Colorado. You had nothing but gay friends at the party. She met my wife. She met Piper and Shaylie. This isn’t an issue.”

  “Let’s hope not. I can’t afford to lose her under any circumstances.” Gabrielle put her head in her hands and groaned between her fingers. “This didn’t go as expected.”

  Meredith leaned forward and rubbed Gabrielle’s back. “You’re blowing this way out of proportion. Serena seems like a very nice young lady, and I doubt she’s going to fire you because you’re a lesbian. But since you both are, that’s probably an even stronger bond.”

  “Moms know everything. It’s going to be okay. I guess now is a good a time as any to tell you the rest of the conversation.” Rosie sat back, crossed her arms, and smiled wickedly.

  “You’re enjoying the shit out of this, aren’t you?”

  Rosie nodded. “Who wouldn’t, Miss Perfect?” She high-fived Meredith, who didn’t say a word and wisely avoided eye contact with Gabrielle.

  “I’m waiting.”

  “I might have mentioned to Serena that you were single, too.”

  Gabrielle played like she didn’t care. “That doesn’t mean anything. We don’t know what she looks for in a girlfriend.”

  “Or do we?” Rosie asked. Gabrielle raised her eyebrow. “No. I didn’t ask. Even I know when to quit. But the good news is that we have a new friend. She gave me her number. We’re going to get together for a play date. My girls and L.B., the greatest dog in the world,” Rosie said.

  “So, my client and my best friend are going to start texting. Should I be jealous?”

  “This is only going to help you, you know that, right? I’m going to say all good things about you, and who knows? Maybe this rich, hot single woman might be into you.” Rosie wagged her eyebrows playfully at Gabrielle.

  “Can we talk about something else?” Gabrielle acted perturbed, but secretly she liked the idea of Rosie having a relationship with Serena. Serena needed strong people in her life, and Rosie was the best at making everyone feel loved and a part of something good. She knew Rosie was her personal champion and would never say a bad thing about her. “Mom, what did you think of the party?”

  “It was a success. It’s always nice to see our friends and make new ones.” She winked at Gabrielle, who shook her head and smiled at her.

  * * *

  “There’s a Serena Evans here to see you.”

  Gabrielle knocked over one of her containers of pens and almost dropped the coffee she was holding when she heard Miles’s announcement through her intercom. She took a deep breath, grabbed the pens, and straightened everything on her desk.

  “Send her in.” Gabrielle stood and waited for Serena to enter. This wasn’t planned. Fear and dread stirred in the pit of her stomach. Was Serena here to fire her?

  “Hi, I hope you don’t mind that I’m just dropping by.” Serena shy
ly walked into Gabrielle’s office.

  “Come on in. Hi. It’s good to see you.” Gabrielle gave herself an imaginary eye roll and tried hard to not blush at the way she stammered. There was a different charge in the air. She was more vulnerable now. She smiled again and sat down. Serena sat opposite her and handed her a casserole dish filled with something. “What’s this?”

  “Your mom insisted I take home some barbecue, so I wanted to get her dish back to her, and the best way was through you. Plus, it gives me a chance to see how things are going and see if there is anything we need to talk about.”

  Gabrielle could tell Serena was nervous. She took the dish and peeked under the lid. “There’s something in here.”

  “Chocolate chip brownies. It’s impolite to return an empty dish.”

  “You’re sweet. My mom is going to love this.”

  “You’re laughing.”

  “I’m laughing because my mom will be mortified. She didn’t know she was sending leftovers home with Colorado’s latest lottery winner,” Gabrielle said.

  “Your mom didn’t know about me? You mean she’s always this nice?”

  “She’s pretty amazing. We finally told her about you after the barbecue.”

  “We?”

  “Rosie did. She felt the need to share a lot with us while we were cleaning up.” Gabrielle broke eye contact first.

  “Oh? A lot?”

  Gabrielle slipped off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was now or never. “Yes. She mentioned she outed me to you. I hope that’s not going to be a problem.”

  “A problem how?” Serena seemed genuinely confused.

  “I keep my private life private so that it doesn’t become an issue for our clients.”

  Serena laughed. “It’s not a problem, trust me.”

  “That’s good to hear.” Gabrielle made a big production of wiping her brow.

  “I’m also here for another reason. The dish was a great reason, but I want to apologize for not understanding the problems you have with my project.”