Three Little Words (Fool's Gold #12)(89)

She walked into the kitchen and set her purse on the counter. After changing into jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt, she started back toward the kitchen. Only once she got there, she didn’t want to eat. She sighed. Maybe having a broken heart would get rid of those stubborn ten pounds she was always trying to lose.

Someone knocked on the front door. She walked through the house knowing there was no way it was Ford. He would simply walk in the back, as he always did. Something else he wouldn’t be doing again. Something else she would have to get used to.

She opened the door and saw Jo standing there with a blender under each arm.

“Hey,” her friend said. “We heard and we’re here. I have a new recipe for rum slushies. I think they’re going to be a hit.”

Before Isabel could ask what was going on, over a dozen women spilled into the house, and everyone was carrying either food or alcohol.

Felicia followed with Dellina and Annabelle. Charlie ushered in Madeline, who hesitated.

“I’m the one who told,” she confessed.

Charlie nodded. “Madeline called and said what had happened.” She smiled at Madeline. “You would have been a lousy firefighter, but I hear you sell a mean dress and you’re an excellent friend.”

Isabel looked at Madeline. “How did you know?”

Madeline shrugged. “I’ve never seen you look so sad and broken. I didn’t know what to do, so I phoned Charlie. She arranged all this.”

Isabel felt herself fighting tears. She walked over to Madeline and hugged her, then turned to Charlie and did the same. The taller woman held her tight.

“All men are ass**les,” Charlie assured her.

“Not Clay.”

“He’s an exception, but we aren’t here to talk about him.”

Isabel stepped back and nodded. She knew that most of the women in the room would claim their husband or fiancé was an exception, but she was okay with that. Just because her heart was broken didn’t mean the rest of the world couldn’t be happy.

Maeve waddled in, looking more pregnant every time Isabel saw her. “He’s an idiot,” her sister said, hugging her. “I’m here for you.”

“Thanks.”

As always, Jo set up a bar in the kitchen. Drinks were poured, food dished and laid out. There were plates of brownies, plenty of cookies and ice cream. For the salty snackers, bowls of chips and dip were scattered around the living room. The blender went on and off with great regularity, and everyone declared the rum slushies a hit.

By her second one, Isabel went from crushed to crushed and buzzed, which turned out to be a better place. Somewhere around seven-thirty, Consuelo and Taryn walked in.

Consuelo rushed to Isabel’s side. “I’m sorry,” she said, sitting next to her on the sofa. “I just got the message. I had my phone turned off.”

“Enjoying a little new-boyfriend fun?” Dellina asked, then slapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry.”

Isabel shook her head and smiled. “No. Don’t be sorry. We are going to drink to my friend and her official relationship with Kent. Because I love you enough to want you to be happy.”

Consuelo hugged her. “I can seriously hurt Ford, if you want. I know his vulnerabilities.”

“Maybe later,” Isabel said, determined to get through the evening without humiliating herself.

Her house was filled with people who obviously cared about her. Whatever she needed, they would provide. She only had to ask. They would be here for her. She was lucky. She only wished it was enough.

Taryn—still stunning in tight-fitting jeans, a silk blouse and boots—strolled over. “I’m confused. I was told to show up, but the reason is unclear.”

“Ford dumped her,” Charlie said. “He’s such an idiot.”

Taryn sat on the coffee table in front of Isabel. “Seriously? I’ve seen you two together. I would swear he was completely into you.”

“I think he was,” Isabel said, not sure if talking about it made her feel better or worse. “We were having a great time together. I’m the one who changed the rules.”

“Did he freak out when he learned you were staying?” Taryn asked. “Men are so damned delicate. I swear, you wouldn’t believe the trouble I have with the boys.”

“That was part of it.” Isabel drew in a breath. Maybe if she told them what had happened, she could begin to heal the gaping hole in her chest.

“I told him I loved him.”

The room went quiet. She felt everyone looking at her. She drew in a breath and continued.

“I wrote him letters from the time I was fourteen until I was twenty-four. He was in the military, and I thought I loved him, so I wrote letters. They were silly. I was a kid, and he never answered. But writing them kept him alive in my head, if that makes sense.”

Patience nodded. “Of course it does. I’m sure he appreciated them.”

“I don’t know. He kept them. I found them the other day. They were worn, as if he’d read them a hundred times.”

Several women sighed.

“I realized I belonged here. In Fool’s Gold and with Ford. So I told him I wasn’t leaving and that I was in love with him. And then he left.”

She felt the first tear slip down her cheek.

Consuelo grabbed her free hand. “What did he say?”