She could count on two things. Escapism via a good book and the ever-wondrous, everlasting support of her best friends. Even though every one of the Inseparables was either preoccupied or engaged with some faction of their own life, they all showed for the weekly dinner at Café Caboose. Emma was distracted by her impending trip with Nate, texting under the table with the rodeo icon every five minutes, as if nobody noticed, and Georgie was ten-minutes late due to a job interview as a stable hand at the Morgan ranch. Shoveling horse manure? Was she really that desperate? Angel seemed edgy and Chrissy was subdued. In spite of whatever was going on in their lives, not one of them had bailed on their dinner. And, because they knew Bella was especially fragile, they purposely avoided any talk of biker dude. For a romanticized blip in time, Bella had assumed Savage was someone she could count on through thick and thin, forever and always. Sadly, he’d proven unreliable, choosing vengeance over love.
