Cheryl Harper - Her Unexpected Hero

Unfortunately, the coverage varied wildly from favorable to “literally the worst,” but it had taken a turn for the better for the Kingfishers. She was the scorned woman. The innocent one. Her brother, Ash, had rightfully become a hero again. Whit Callaway’s campaign had faltered.

Was saving The Aerie worth the hassle of canceling a society wedding, losing her job and her plans for the future?

Winter shifted on the hard wooden seat and tried not to focus too closely on the answer to that question.

After two months, Winter could feel her chance to directly challenge Whit’s political campaign evaporating. Getting even was not the Kingfisher way, but what about a little payback?

But instead of forcing her way onto his opponent’s strategy team, what was she doing? Rusticating at home and not much else.

Well, other than reading about Governor Richard Duncan’s terrible record on education and teacher pay while she waited for this first get-together to be over. Could she help this guy win reelection? Yes.

But should she?

It would serve Whit right for not listening to her. If he’d stopped his family’s plan to develop a lodge at The Aerie and destroy one of the most important areas of the reserve she loved, they would still be together. He would still be winning, and Winter would be by his side in Knoxville.

Not here, where she definitely did not seem to be winning anything.

Governor Duncan needed better advice. The solution: a Kingfisher heading up his reelection campaign. Win-win. For her, at least.

“I’m not sure exactly what it is, but it’s flowery. What is that?” Macy sniffed again. “Roses?”

Before Winter could change the subject, Christina Braswell stood. “Hamburgers all around. Don’t waste your time with anything else on this menu. Trust your waitress friend to know.” She marched over to the bar and returned with a tray of drinks and hamburgers in baskets.

Macy craned her neck, clearly searching for the fresh spring meadow tickling her nose. Since her brother’s girlfriend and coworker at the Smoky Valley Nature Reserve had become a staple at Kingfisher family dinners, Winter knew there was no way Macy would let it go until she had the answer.

“Lavender.” Winter tugged her denim jacket and patted the large Choose Duncan Again button she had pinned to the lapel. “The fragrance is lavender. My mother grows a lot of it. If she has a signature scent, it’s lavender.”

All the women at the table turned to face her.

Christina held up a frosty mug in a salute. “She does speak. So far, the only forms of communication I’ve seen have been glaring at your phone and sighing. Your brother is a better conversationalist and he mainly speaks in single syllables.”

The criticism hurt, even if it was true. Neither she nor Ash were known for their easygoing personalities or sparkling conversation. Smarts—yes. Determination—yes. Easygoing charm? Not so much.

“I’ve got a lot going on right now,” Winter snapped and then realized it was so untrue. “Or I should have, I guess. I don’t have a job yet. No one on Governor Duncan’s reelection campaign will answer my calls, so that shoots my whole ‘make a difference in Tennessee politics’ plan in the foot. My engagement to a perfect man from a wealthy family destined for the White House is... Yeah, if you can read a newspaper or blog, you already know all about that. The smell? It’s lavender. My mother insists that I use the shampoo she makes herself from the organic ingredients she grows in her garden. Does it smell nice? Yes. Does it lather? No. Does it do anything other than strip every bit of gloss and shine from your expensive haircut?” Winter poked the frizzy fall of dark hair over her ear. “Hard to say. I’m still only a month into the experiment. It may totally remove every hair from my head. That’s the way life is going right now.”

You’re griping about shampoo. Your whole life is wrecked, but what you complain about is the state of your hair.

Yes. I deserve to complain.

Oh, poor baby. Rich husband fell through, and all that schooling and job experience have left you at the mercy of... What, again?

Angel on one shoulder, self-doubt and pity on the other. That was why she was exhausted.

For half a second, Winter was relieved to let off some of the pressure of the worries boiling in her brain. Then regret washed over her. Letting people know she was struggling was an un-Kingfisher thing to do. Her family handled their own problems.

Christina’s eyebrows shot up. “Okay, you do have a lot going on right now, up there in your brain, anyway.” She pointed a french fry around the table. “But Winter Kingfisher can spin all that on a dime. You know it. We know it. Some of us have halfheartedly resented you for it for decades, ever since they stood in your ‘most likely to succeed’ shadow.” Christina nudged her burger closer. “Take a bite. Take a breath . We can help. Some of us are professionals at picking up the pieces after everything falls apart.”

Christina had nailed her problem right on the head. Winter should be above this...floundering. The fact that the bad girl of Sweetwater was giving her a pep talk took some consideration, but Winter appreciated it. She picked up her drink and took a sip because she couldn’t decide whether to agree or disagree, and that ambivalence was irritating. She’d never hesitated in her life.

Now, having someone order her dinner for her was a relief.

“When Astrid and I first started planning this get-together, I had a much rowdier vision in mind. Young, single women. On the town. A bar with real choices other than beer and light beer. With all the excitement over the showdown with the Callaways about the proposed lodge at Otter Lake and the...” Breakup . That was the missing word. Macy shot a worried glance at Winter before straightening in her seat. “ Holiday . Christmas slowed us down, but I’m glad everyone could get together tonight.” She jammed her straw three times to loosen the ice in her drink and glanced toward the bar. “When we get on a regular schedule, we can move this out of town. The Branch is our starting point, not where we end.”

The petite blonde seated across from Astrid, Leanne Hendrix, said, “I’m happy to have a chance to get out.” She tugged on the shoulder of her T-shirt, the hot-pink uniform of Sweetwater Souvenir, the shop she’d been asked to run. “I’d rather sit here quietly with you guys than clean my apartment and binge-watch some television show.”

More awkward silence stretched over the table, but Winter silently agreed. She’d had to come to terms with the fact that she needed new friends. More friends.

“That’s it. We aren’t going to let gossip keep us apart, not anymore.” Christina slapped her hand on the table. “In fact, let’s come up with a name. It’ll be like our little club then. We could do jackets.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Macy drawled. “Let’s start small. Dinner. A successful dinner.” She pointed at Winter. “This girl is half a second from bailing on us, and we haven’t even eaten our burgers yet. Let’s make it through one night.”

Christina rolled her eyes. “Fine. You want to start small, we’ll start small .”

Something about her exasperation amused Winter. She wasn’t alone. Finally, their booth’s atmosphere was closer to being a party than an interview going badly. How long had it been since she had giggled like that?

When everyone turned to look at her again, Winter said, “You guys would be off to a better start without me. I’m not in the mood to party lately. I should get my burger to go.”

Before she could stand, Macy grabbed her hand and held tight. “You are staying. You’re eating. And if you want to talk about everything that has gone wrong or could go wrong or will go wrong or how you’re going to conquer the world next, we are here to listen to it. You may have been too cool for all this before , but I am not. I want to be able to call someone when I need to talk about things . This is why we need girls’ nights out.” She shook her finger at Christina. “That is not the name of our group.”