Shaking her head, she pushed all thoughts of her family from her mind. They didn’t matter. What mattered were the people here. The ones who loved her and wanted to celebrate her impending birth with her. Caitie had worked hard on this shower, Harper was determined to enjoy it.
A loud cheer erupted as they walked into the room. The tables were full of familiar faces. There was Ember with baby Arthur on her lap, and next to her were Ally and Brooke. Then there were the tables filled with her friends from L.A., and a few who’d flown in from New York. In the center of the room she could see Louise Tanner, sitting with Caitlin’s mom, Deenie, and a group of their friends. Everyone was smiling as though they were delighted to see her, and it brought tears to her eyes.
“You’re not supposed to cry at a baby shower,” Caitie whispered in her ear.
“Did you do all this?” She turned to her friend. “Thank you,” she said, her voice cracking. “I wasn’t expecting to see so many people here.”
“We could have had more but I didn’t want to overwhelm you,” Caitie told her as she led her inside. It took a while for them to reach the table at the front of the hall, as everybody wanted to hug Harper and tell her how beautiful she looked. “You’ve made a lot of friends since you arrived in Angel Sands.”
As they reached the table where Louise was sitting, she stood and hugged Harper tightly. “Thank you for inviting me,” she said, a huge smile on her face. “I’m so excited to be here.”
“Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me.”
“Is your mom planning on joining us?” she asked.
Harper shook her head. “She couldn’t make it.” It was only a little lie.
“Maybe we’ll meet her after the baby is born,” James’s mom said, shrugging. “And in the meantime, I’m happy to fill any grandmotherly duties you might need.” She hugged Harper again. “Maybe we can go for coffee next week?”
Harper nodded. “I’d really like that.”
“It’s a date. Now go and enjoy your shower.” His mom sat down. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
“So we’re not doing any games, just like you requested.” Caitie slid her arm through Harper’s and led her over to her table. “We’re going to have some music and dancing, and of course lots of food. Just a lovely few hours where you can talk to everybody you know and have a good time.”
“And get lots of gifts,” Ally said, grinning as they reached the table. “And I made you a blueberry muffin cake. It’s awesome if I do say so myself.”
“Where is it?” Harper asked, looking around. “Gimme.”
Caitie laughed. “You have to wait. First let me introduce you to a couple of people. This is Ember’s sister, Chelsea. She’s visiting the new baby and we invited her along. I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course it is.” Harper leaned forward to hug the girl who looked uncannily like a younger version of Ember. “Congratulations on becoming an aunt.”
“Thanks.” Chelsea winked. “It’s been a lot of work.”
“It will be.” Ember laughed. “When I get you to babysit. You’re going to love changing his diaper.”
Caitie shook her head. “And this is Aria. She’s not here for the shower, but she heard you were coming and I promised to introduce you. She runs the resort boutique.”
“Hi.” Aria walked over to where Harper was standing, a huge smile on her face. “I’m so excited to meet you. When Brooke told me you were the one responsible for those gorgeous dresses I keep seeing I asked for an introduction. I’m hoping you’ll take my business card and call me tomorrow. I’m interested in stocking your designs.” She passed Harper a thick embossed card.
“For the boutique here?”
“For all of our boutiques across the country. Silver Sands Resort is part of a larger chain, run by Carter Leisure. We like to work with designers to create exclusive ranges that our customers will love. I’ve sent details of your work to our lead buyer, and she’s really excited about them. We have a big fashion show coming up next month, and she wants to talk to you about exhibiting your work there.”
“Really?” Harper looked at the business card. “That sounds great.”
Aria smiled. “Let’s talk more tomorrow. In the meantime, have a wonderful shower. It looks like your friends have done an amazing job.”
“I will. Thank you again.” Harper turned to Caitie with wide eyes as Aria walked across the ballroom. “Did you hear that?” she asked, a slow smile breaking out on her face.
“Every word,” Caitie said, her eyes just as wide. “That’s so amazing, I can’t believe it.” She hugged her tightly.
“Nor can I. After everything that’s happened this year, it feels like my life is finally turning around.” Was it possible to have it all? The baby, the man, and the career she’d always hoped for?
For the first time in forever, she was beginning to think it was.
* * *