Perfect Song (Mason Creek Book 2) by Lauren Runow (christmas read aloud .txt) 📕

We all laugh as I walk around, giving everyone hugs.

“Never thought I’d see you back at Pony Up. Well, legally anyway,” Laken teases.

I let out a breath as I take my seat. “Yep, here I am.” I give her a wide, closed-mouth smile.

“We’ve missed you. I’m glad you finally decided to show your face around here. Let’s do shots to celebrate!” Laken jumps off the stool she was sitting at and heads toward the bar.

“Look at you, all city’d up,” Leni says, and I finally get to see what Laken was talking about in the few conversations we’ve had since her son was born. The poor girl has always been petite, but the good Lord not only blessed her with a son, but also boobs to match. The photos she posts don’t do them justice. Breastfeeding did her good, but Laken says she’s super self-conscious about them.

I plaster that same fake smile and shrug as I look down at my black ponte pants, high heels, and matching silk top. Each one of them is dressed more leisurely in either shorts or dresses. Something I’d wear to the park on a Sunday, not a night out. I guess I forgot just how casual it was here.

“How have you guys been? Tell me what I’ve missed.”

“Of course, we have to start with pictures of our babies,” Anna says as she pulls out her phone and shows me the screen saver. “This is Drew.”

I smile at the little boy she’s hugging. “Wait, your hair was different then.” I point to the blonde hair in the picture; it’s a stark difference to the brown with purple streaks that she sports now.

“Yeah, I tend to change it up a lot—one of the perks of doing hair. Faith and I are always experimenting with new things. Plus, when you’re a mom, you want something to help you stay young.” Her smile is just as infectious as it always was.

“Hey, watch it,” Leni yells from across the table. “You’re the youngest one here. We are not getting that old … yet.”

Laken joins us again with a waitress behind her, carrying four shots and four beers.

After we each get our drinks, we all hold up a shot glass as Laken says, “To Justine, for finally joining us on a girls’ night out!”

We clink glasses and drink the liquid. I let the burn rush through me, enjoying that it makes me feel something even if it is a fire-like sensation.

“Okay, Leni. Your turn. Let me see that cutie-pie,” I say as I hold out my hand for her to show me pictures of her son, Trace.

She swipes her phone and picks out the best picture to show me. “He’s a handful but worth every minute.”

I smile at the cheesy grin Trace is showing as he holds up a picture he drew.

“Enough about us,” Leni says. “What is it really like, working for Living Now Magazine? That’s still just a trip to me. I remember reading that when we were teenagers and thinking what they showed was a whole different universe than what we lived here.”

I chuckle under my breath. She nailed it with that one. Before I can respond, someone interrupts us.

“Hey, Anna. Is Beau here tonight?” a deep male voice says from behind me, and I pause.

It’s a soulful tone, the kind that vibrates deep in the chest and makes your heart speed up. I turn around at the sound as the man who the voice belongs to walks around the table and gives Anna a hug hello.

He’s tall with broad shoulders and a brawny stance. He’s not Anna’s husband, and I don’t think he belongs to any of the girls at the table.

He glances around, nodding his hello to all of us. When he sees me, he halts with a glint in his dark green eyes, which are staring at me with a piercing gaze.

His mouth quirks up in a side smile as he drawls, “And here I thought, I knew everyone in this town.”

He’s not the only one. Surprise of all surprises, here’s a face I don’t recognize, and it’s a handsome one, to say the least.

The short sleeve button-up shirt he’s wearing fits just right, not hanging loosely, like most guys in this town. He has a ball cap on, the bill curved tightly and an American flag sewn into the warn camouflage material. His skin is tan, like he’s in the sun a lot, and he has a full beard, though it’s trimmed short against his square jaw. He’s attractive, for sure, and definitely not a man I expected to see in this bar.

“Then, I guess I’ve proven you wrong,” I say, forgetting that I’m not in New York anymore with some random guy trying to pick us up.

I feel Laken kick me under the table, and I turn to her with a sorry shrug.

“Tucker, this is our friend, Just,” Anna says, pointing to me.

He raises one eyebrow when I smile his way. “Just?” he asks like he’s waiting for them to say just Shirley or just Megan.

I hold my hand out to him. “My name is Justine, but these girls have called me Just since grade school.”

He eyes my outfit up and down. “You’re originally from Mason Creek?”

“Aren’t we all? Why else would someone be in this town?” I pick up my bottle and take another drink.

His eyes narrow a touch. “Don’t act so happy about it. Mason Creek is home.”

“To some.” I look down and play with the label on my bottle.

“To you,” Leni yells across the table. “Own it, girl. You’ll always be one of us.”

She holds up her drink for a cheers, and I join in.

She’s right. I need to change my outlook, especially since I’m not sure if I have the nerve to ever go back to New York.

Anna turns to Tucker. “To answer your earlier question, Beau is at home with Drew. We’re here for a girls’ night