on her for an extra beat, then he finally stepped away. “Okay, Walt, I can see we’re definitely not wanted here anymore. Let’s leave the women to their fun.”
“Yeah, we hate to leave. It looks like a rip-roarin’ good time,” Walt quipped, gesturing over to Georgie, who was shaking two rattles in her hand listening to which one sounded more soothing.
Dee harrumphed. “You won’t be so down on showers when you see the loot Georgie will come home with. Now scoot.” She shoved them both none too gently toward the front door, then gave them a tight wave good-bye. “Ciao, gentlemen. Come back in two hours to load up the car.”
Kendall couldn’t help but laugh at their surprised expressions just before the door promptly slammed in their faces. “Now that you kicked out the men, and the guest of honor and everybody else is finally here, I’m going to go throw that sherbet punch together.”
She turned to go, but Dee quickly caught her forearm. “Not so fast,” Dee said. “I thought your grandmother was coming.”
Kendall sighed, experiencing the disappointment of her grandmother’s absence all over again. “I know, I’m sorry. I forgot to tell you. She’s in…Las Vegas, I think.”
“Vegas? But why? She knew Georgie’s shower was coming up. Did she have to go away again so soon?”
“Yeah, well, I kind of stopped trying to understand the way Grammy thinks. Unfortunately, that means I’m not even counting on her being around when the bakery opens either.”
Dee rubbed her hand up and down Kendall’s arm in a soothing manner. “I’m sorry, hon. I know how much it would mean to you if Maeve were here for the grand opening.”
“It’s okay.” Even though deep down inside, it wasn’t. She didn’t want to lose anything else in her life. Having already lost her parents and her husband, she couldn’t stand the feeling that she was losing her grandmother too. And it seemed as if Maeve was pulling away from her more and more.
Georgie suddenly came over and shook a rattle in between them. “Hey, this is a party,” she said, frowning. “No sad faces allowed. We need to be celebrating this baby— and celebrating my brilliant matchmaking skills too.”
Dee blinked. “Your matchmaking skills?”
“Yep. Brandi Hunter was on my list of eligible women for Brad. He ended up calling her last week and they totally hit it off! How’s that for skill?”
“No wonder Brad’s been in such a terrific mood lately,” Dee said.
Georgie raised the rattle to her chin in thought. “Hmm… I don’t know about that. He’s still kind of crotchety, but now I’m beginning to think that’s just his personality. Or that he’s only crotchety toward me. Either way, there is marked improvement in his overall attitude lately.” She narrowed her eyes at Kendall. “You’ve probably been seeing him more regularly than any of us. Have you noticed a difference in Brad?”
“Oh. Well, maybe…” Kendall couldn’t quite meet Georgie’s gaze. She had been noticing a difference in Brad all right, but not in his attitude toward her . Unfortunately, that wasn’t the answer Georgie was looking for. To be honest, Kendall couldn’t really tell if Brad was happier. He always seemed to be in a good mood whenever he was at the bakery working with her. If anything, she was the one who was crotchety and frustrated, and every day she worked with Brad, her mood worsened.
“Brandi’s family lives in Virginia,” Georgie added, “which will work out great when Brad goes to his Quantico training in the fall. She’ll be able to stay with her parents when she goes to visit him, which I’m sure she will. And double bonus, Brad told me that Brandi’s father is a retired police chief. So you see? They have so much in common. They’re perfect for each other.”
Kendall’s heart gave a tight squeeze, even though what Georgie was saying should have been music to her ears. Brandi did seem perfect for him. She understood
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