Courted by Trouble: A Courting Romance (In Hyacinth Book 3) (5 page)

“I guess Kathy would know more than we would what you would need,” Dora said with a twisted smile. “I’ve been so busy this summer I’ve been a horrible friend. It’s late, but is there anything I can do?”

“Just be at the church in two weeks.”

“I can do that.”

“Is your mom back yet?” Cami asked quietly.

“Next week. She’s been very happy every time she called, though, so this summer away was just what she needed.”

“How about you?” Stephanie asked, watching her.

“I’m getting along.”

“Oh, no!” Cami shrieked with a horrified expression on her face.

“What?” they both answered, wondering what was wrong.

“Dora, I forgot your birthday,” she whispered in horror. “Last year I wasn’t doing very well, but this year I should have remembered. I’m so, so sorry.”

“That’s okay,” Dora assured her. “Stephanie and I had a late meal and laughed.” She shrugged. “It’s just a birthday.”

Instantly Cami’s expression turned from horror to annoyance. “Dora, I love you, please know that, but you need to learn that it’s okay to get annoyed or angry when people do stupid things. I did something stupid. Get mad at me.”

“Why? It doesn’t change anything and getting mad just makes me feel bad.”

“Fine, don’t get mad.” Cami pouted making Stephanie laugh.

“Fine, fine, I’m mad. Feel better?” Dora asked with a sweet smile.

“Yes, much. Now, what’s next?”

“You’re getting married,” Stephanie said with a smile. “In less than two weeks, you’ll be Camille Kinsley. Are you ready?”

“Soooo ready. I’m glad Dad was okay with Jerod proposing early. I think if I had had to wait until November, I’d go crazy and drag everyone along with me.”

“And then Kathy has her baby,” Dora added. “Which means you’ll be an aunt.”

“Are you two going to try for a baby right away?” Stephanie asked with interest.

“Well, we’ve talked about it. Both of us want a large family but as Jerod keeps reminding me, we’ve got time. So we’ve decided to leave it up to the universe. We aren’t going to actively work for a baby, but we aren’t going to use anything to stop it either. So, if I’m meant to have a child right away? I’ll get pregnant.”

They chatted until nine when a knock came at the door heralding the arrival of Cami’s parents. Dora helped Camille hide the nightie and the other gifts in a gift bag as Stephanie let them in. Five people in her tiny cabin was way too many. The wedding dress was already safely ensconced in Camille’s closet at home and had been for a week, so they gathered her things and left, taking Dora with them so they could drop her off at home. As Stephanie shut the door behind them, it was with a sense of loss.

Her best friend would soon be married and as much as they might say things wouldn’t change, they would. It was a natural progression. Married women and single girls thought about different things, not to mention they had different lives.

The wedding was amazing and Stephanie couldn’t stop preening a little as she watched Cami walk down the aisle in a dress she had designed. It was startling and oh, so beautiful. She looked around the crowd, but didn’t spot Christopher anywhere. Surprised he wasn’t at his uncle’s wedding, she allowed herself to mourn what could have been and let it go. One of her new maxims was not to worry about things she couldn’t change.

She helped serve food at the reception and she and Dora stuck together, talking to several people but mostly just wandering around and watching their beaming friend and her husband. When they waved as the two of them headed off for their honeymoon, Stephanie had to wipe some tears away. “Be happy, Cami,” she whispered, knowing that wish was already granted.

Fall always had a feeling of finality to it. It rubbed out the warmth of summer and left behind a chill that announced winter was coming and fast. Finding that she needed to be out amongst people more, Stephanie started riding the bus into town every day and spending several hours at the Lava Lamp. In that time frame, she usually saw a few people she knew, Dora stopped by and had coffee with her every day, and she settled into a new comfortable routine.

Letting her fingers glide across the page of her notebook, she was busy drawing one of her latest design ideas when she felt more than saw someone next to her. Looking up, she was startled to look into a pair of familiar green eyes that looked slightly apprehensive.

“Christopher!”

A slow smile crossed his features. “Hey, Stephanie. Can I sit down here or is that against Hyacinth code?”

She wasn’t sure if he was teasing or being serious, so she tried to lighten the mood. “If it is, I’m sure the cops will be here shortly.”

Chuckling, he sat down across from her, eyeing her drawing. “I saw pictures of the wedding dress. That was a beautiful gown.”

“It really was,” she agreed. “I’ve worn my own clothes before, but I had never seen someone else in them. Watching her walk down the aisle was amazing.” After pausing, she said the first thing that popped into her head. “I was surprised not to see you at their wedding.”

He took a long sip of coffee before he answered. “Yeah. I had to return home for a few weeks. I had a long talk with Jerod before I left. He understood.” It sounded as though it wasn’t something he wished to talk about, so she changed the subject.

“Are you ready for winter?”

Snorting, he shook his head. “Yes, and no. I’ve got some goals I’m working on so it’s going to be a very busy few months for me. What about you?”

“I like winter, or at least used to. After all, if it weren’t for winter, we wouldn’t have spring.”

A flash of warmth lit his eyes. “Very true. So are you working on new designs?”

It was easy to talk to him. He had the same kind of internal warmth she recognized in men like Jerod Kinsley and Alex and Xander Covington. As the lighting outside of the windows darkened and the light turned gray, she looked over her shoulders. “Oh, dear. Looks like we might get snow.” Closing her pad, she began to put things back into her bag. “I had best get back to the bus station before it snows. The roads can get gnarly at that point.”

He glanced around. The only other people in the café besides the two of them were the baristas who were gazing out another window and not paying attention to them at all. “Stephanie,” he said in a soft voice and she looked up into his eyes. “Do you want to see me again?”

The question unsettled her. Did she? Yes. But only if she knew where they stood. “Christopher, the courting system here is different. Would I like to see you? Yes. But not at the cost of what could be.” If she spent too much time with him and they weren’t courting, her reputation which was already iffy, would be shot.

He nodded, seeming to understand. “Thank you for your honesty.” Reaching over, he squeezed the back of her hand before standing up and leaving the café without another word. Figuring that meant she would only see him accidentally, she drank the rest of her coffee and picked up her bag. At least she didn’t feel badly about it. Sure, she would have liked to have been courted by him, but maybe Dora was rubbing off on her. She was learning to accept things she couldn’t change.

Heading out the door of the café, the first snowflake drifted down in front of her.

* * * * *

Thanksgiving was a date she had ignored the year before, but this year she had two invitations for dinner, one from the Covingtons and one from Dora and her mother. Figuring that the Covingtons would understand, she accepted Dora’s invitation. The Lexington household was quiet but happy. The kitchen was a strange green and purple plaid design that was rather difficult to look at, but she looked past it as that wasn’t what mattered.

“Thanks for inviting me,” she said as they sat down to a dinner of roast chicken and potatoes. Stephanie had brought along a store-bought pumpkin pie which the other two had seemed pleased about.

“It’s a pleasure to have one of Dora’s friends over again,” Darcelle said with a smile. “It’s been too long.” There was a spring in Mrs. Lexington’s step that surprised Stephanie. From what Dora said, before summer she had been depressed and missing her husband so much she painted the kitchen a different color every other week. But now, it was as though she had a new lease on life. Stephanie could understand. So did she.

“It’s good to be back. What are your plans for Christmas?” In high school, Dora’s family had very specific rules for the holidays. Both Daniel and Darcelle, her parents, had grown up in Hyacinth and in extremely religious households and had brought their traditions into their family.

“Oh, this Christmas is going to be special,” Dora said with a small smile. Stephanie knew she was missing something when Darcelle turned pink. “Mom’s getting married.”

Dropping her fork, Stephanie looked between the two of them. “Really? Who?”

“His name’s George Leighton. He’s my sister Vi’s brother-in-law. We spent a lot of time together this summer. He’s not from Hyacinth but he’s a good man. He proposed a week ago.”

“Congratulations.” Leaping to her feet, Stephanie went to the other side of the table and hugged Darcelle. “I’m so happy for you.” Tons of thoughts rushed through her head. “Is he moving here?”

“Oh, no. I’m moving to Peirsent after the wedding.”

“Wow. Wait. Dora, are you moving too?” Stephanie wanted her friend to be happy but the thought of losing her was almost too much.

“Uh, no,” she said slowly. “In fact, that’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“What do you mean?” Stephanie sat back down and took a bite of chicken.

“This house is big. Really big. I hate the thought of living here alone. Wanna be my roommate? There are three bedrooms to choose from. I don’t know why we ever had four bedrooms, but we do. There’s even one on the bottom floor if you’d prefer that, or Mom’s room has its own bathroom like mine.” It was obvious by Dora’s prattle that she was nervous.

“Thanks,” she said quietly. “I’ll think about it.”

Looking relieved, Dora nodded. “If you don’t, that’s fine, but I thought… you might like being in town.”

Turning to Darcelle, Stephanie smiled. “So tell me about George.” Dora’s mother’s face lit up and throughout the rest of dinner and dessert, they learned all about George Leighton, welder, widower, and professional mini-golfer.

“I had no idea,” Stephanie said with a giggle as she and Dora did the dishes, “that there was such a thing as a professional mini-golfer.”

Snickering, Dora nodded “I know. But don’t mention that to Mom. She thinks it’s wonderful. She loves to putt-putt and the two of them are going to travel next summer around to all his favorite courses.”

As they were half way through with the dishes, the phone rang and Dora reached for it. “Lexingtons… Oh, hi, Mr. Covington. Happy Thanksgiving… Yes, she’s still here… Just a second.” Turning, she held the phone out. “He wants to talk to you.”

Putting the dish rag on the counter, Stephanie took the phone. “Hello?”

“Stephanie,” Alex Covington said warmly, “having a nice dinner?”

“Yes, we had a lovely dinner, thank you. How about you?”

“We did as well. I was wondering if you needed a ride home. It’s beginning to snow again and the bus service is restricted today.”

Smiling at his kindness, she agreed. “That would be great.”

“Wonderful. I’ll be over in about twenty minutes if that would work for you.”

After hanging up, she helped Dora finish the dishes. The thought of moving in with her friend was actually, now that she wasn’t in shock about it, a delightful idea. “Dora,” she said once they finished. “I’d love to move in here.”

Squealing, Dora hugged her. “Oh, let me show you the other rooms so you can choose.”

“I’ll need to know what rent would be, though. I don’t pay rent now so I have a tiny budget.”

“We’ll work it out. To be honest, you’re doing me a favor. I really hated being alone all summer and the thought of being alone all winter was depressing.”

The bedroom downstairs and Darcelle’s bedroom both had an attached bathroom whereas the fourth bedroom, while big, had no bathroom of its own, she would have to use the hall bathroom. As all of them were a huge step up from where she was now, Stephanie shrugged. “Why don’t I take the one on the first floor? That way when your mother and step-father come to visit they can stay in her room.”

The doorbell rang and they could hear Alex Covington talking with Dora’s mom as they walked back down the stairs. “Congratulations, Darcelle. That’s wonderful to hear. Of course, we hate to see you leave, but it’s great to see that smile back on your face.”

“And they invited me to move in here,” Stephanie added as they walked in. His eyes lit up and she hid a smile as he looked rather relieved.

“Did you decide?” Darcelle asked.

“Yes, I’ll move into the first floor bedroom.”

“Oh, lovely. Well, you can move in any time, honey.”

After giving each of them a hug, Stephanie left with Cami’s father, climbing into his truck.

“I think it will be great for you to live back in town,” he said as he started the motor. “Are you ready for that?”

“Yes. I’m spending more time here anyway.”

“Good to hear. Though Camille will probably be disappointed you will no longer be nearby.”

“She’s too busy being a newlywed. She won’t even notice for months.”

The snow was falling pretty hard and the tires crunched on the road as they went along. “Stephanie, you probably realize I wanted to speak to you tonight.”

“I figured there was something,” she admitted. He could have had Jerod and Cami pick her up and take her home.

“Christopher Triton has made a request to court you.”

She heard the words but almost wanted him to repeat them. “Did you just say Chris wants to court me?”

“Yes. He made the appeal at the last town council meeting. How do you feel about it?”

“Confused,” she admitted. “I wasn’t sure how he felt about me at all. Wait… appeal?”

“This was his third request,” he admitted. “The first two were categorically denied.”

“Why?” Her breath caught even as she knew it. The council didn’t think she was worth courting. Stephanie was right; they didn’t think of her as a good girl. Her chest tightened as he began to speak.

“He wasn’t ready. We all know you and have watched you grow up into an amazing young lady. We may be a little over-protective of you for what happened to you almost two years ago. His first request was after that first dinner. It was obvious he didn’t take the courting seriously, that he saw it as just dating. So we said no. The second time was after the last dinner. We could tell he understood more and took it seriously, but he had some things he needed to take care of before we would accept his request. Well, he has proven to the council he’s serious. He not only took care of those items, but he has worked hard since he returned to show us how earnestly he takes it and his future role as head of the house. As such, the council is waiting for my word on whether or not to accept the request.”

Stunned, she watched the snow falling around the truck. They turned him down, not because of her, but because of him. And from the sounds of it, he really must like her because he hadn’t taken no for an answer. “What did he need to do?”

“That’s for him to tell you, not us. I just need to know if you’re interested in being courted by him for the next year.”

Smiling softly, she looked over at the man that was probably more her father than the one she used to have. “I like Chris and yes, I would love to be courted by him.”

Looking pleased, Alex Covington nodded. “Good. And I’m glad to hear you will be at Dora’s. I’ve been trying to find a way to get you out of that cabin for months.”

Laughing loudly, she leaned back in her seat. Her whole world was about to change and she was excited.

Drake and his father packed her belongings in the truck over the weekend and three days after being asked, Stephanie was settled in her new bedroom which was as large as the whole cabin had been.

“We can paint it any color you want,” Dora offered as they unpacked her last small box. “I’m so glad you agreed,” she said in relief, sitting down on Stephanie’s daybed which Mr. Covington had insisted she take. His exact phrase went to the tune of “what am I going to do with a daybed?”

“It was perfect timing for me,” Stephanie admitted, hanging her clock on the wall. “Getting around in winter out there isn’t easy and I’ve come to enjoy my time in town. Plus, it’ll be fun living here together.”

“I agree. Though we’ve got to paint the kitchen.”

Snickering, Stephanie collapsed onto the bed next to her. “Yes, that particular green and purple don’t say food to me.”

“Not me either. Once Mom’s gone, we can paint it a nice, sunny yellow or something.”

Stephanie had become so used to living in the middle of nowhere that it was a novelty to wake up the next morning and to know that anywhere she wanted to go in town was just a short walk away. With snow on the ground, her boots crunched as she walked along the street. She had gone back and forth on whether to go out to the café or to curl up in Dora’s house to do her work, but Darcelle was packing and getting ready for her big life-change so Stephanie had elected to get out of the way. It was kind of amazing how much noise went with other people.