She shook her head. “Nope.”

He kept a hand at the small of her back as they wound through the crowd to get to the table.

He pulled her chair out and sat close, his arm around the back of her chair. “Hey, all. Caroline you know Jacob and Trey.”

She waved.

“I bumped into Caroline and my dad last week on their way to the courthouse.” Shane turned to his wife. “This is Cassie.”

Cassie raised her glass. “Nice to meet you. My mother-in-law adores you. She’s a good judge of character.”

“Thank you for saying that. I’ve decided I want to be Polly Chase when I grow up.”

Beth had been frowning until Caroline said that and her expression softened.

Cassie laughed. “Right? She’s incredible. You should see her with a group of small children. She’s like the baby whisperer.”

Shane’s smile widened at the interplay between the women. “Just give her a wide berth if you see her on the road.”

“Well that’s how Shane and I met. Polly rear-ended my car on my first day here in town. So it’s not all bad that she’s a menace behind the wheel.”

“And this is Joe Harris and Beth Murphy.”

Caroline tensed ever so slightly. He wouldn’t have even known if his forearm hadn’t been touching the back of her neck.

“We were in the same class, Beth. Nice to see you again.”

Beth nodded. “I remember. Welcome back to Petal.” Joe also murmured a hello.

“There’s a pitcher on the way. Do you want anything else?” Trey asked them.

“Beer is just fine with me. I’m still stuffed from dinner.”

One of Royal’s favorite songs came on, and he stood, holding a hand out to Caroline. “Darlin’, you said you liked to dance so I hope you were serious.”

She took his hand and he brought her to her feet. “I’m totally serious. Just remember what I said about the fancy stuff.”

He bent to her ear. “Remember what I said about letting me lead.”

“I get the feeling it would be impossible not to.” He heard the amusement in her tone and it made him smile.

Though they were surrounded by people on all sides, it was just him and Caro out on the floor. Despite the difference in their size, she fit him easily. “You were so full of it to even pretend you can’t dance.” He spun her easily and drew her back to him.

She tipped her head back, laughing, exposing the line of her throat and thrusting her cle**age up just right. He bent and kissed her chin before he spun her again.

They were out a few more songs before they made it back to the table to cool off and drink a beer or two.

“I am seriously going to steal your boots,” Cassie said when they settled in.

“Thank you.” There was not really a higher compliment in Caroline’s book than a woman complimenting another woman’s shoes. “I just got them. I’m sort of bummed I can’t wear them to work.”

Shane laughed. “I’ll give you twenty dollars to wear them on Monday. I need to stop in to see my father’s face.”

“I have a hearing Monday morning. I don’t think Judge Herndon would be so happy to see them. Your father probably wouldn’t bat an eye if I wore them. He’s pretty laid-back. Your uncle though? He might not be so easygoing.”

“Ha, that’s true. My aunt jokes that she irons his pajama pants.”

“He’s brilliant. He could totally teach a master class on brief writing. I wish so much that I’d learned how from him.”

“My dad often says the same thing. About my uncle being brilliant, I mean.”

“He should know. Your dad is no slouch himself.”

“Thanks. I think so, but I’m obviously biased.”

The conversation touched on all sorts of stuff, some serious, most of it just fun lighthearted stuff. It was nice to not have anything heavy to deal with so she could totally relax and enjoy a night out.

“So, Cassie, I hear you own the bookstore?”

Talk turned to books and the bookstore and adjusting to life in a small town after living in a big city. She and Cassie compared some of their favorite places to eat in Los Angeles, and out of the corner of her eye, Caroline noted that Beth relaxed a little as the conversation progressed.

Cassie was warm and funny, and as Caroline came to find out, had been a surgeon before suffering a debilitating injury. She’d come to Petal to flee an abusive ex who’d nearly killed her. She’d clearly found her prince charming though, in the shape of Shane Chase and the town she’d adopted as her home.

Polly was the common denominator, which was no real surprise. Polly who’d opened up her family and her heart.

Caroline said as much and Cassie nodded eagerly. “I couldn’t ask for a better mother-in-law or grandmother to my son.”

Beth chimed in. “My sister Tate is married to Shane’s brother Matt. Polly sort of pulled us all into the Chase family like she did Tate. My nieces and nephews are treated like her grandchildren. We go to their house for the holidays. She’s a far better mom to us than the one we were born with.”

Caroline couldn’t help but soften toward Beth. She remembered just how awful their parents had been back in the day.

“Seriously, your mother is awesome,” Caroline said to Shane.

“Scary sometimes. She won’t even play when she gets mad. But yeah, she’s pretty awesome.”