Show Me the Way

by Ashley Farley

  Rita gives Presley the once over, her eyes landing on her hands. “Oh, goodness. You’re bleeding. Let me go inside for my first aid kit.”

  Presley’s palms and knees sting, and when she looks down, she sees that her nylon pants are torn at the knees.

  When Rita starts toward the house, Presley says, “Please, don’t bother. I live close by, up on Main Street.”

  “That explains why you walk past our house every day. Are you stalking us?” asks Emma in a tone that is anything but friendly.

  Abigail covers her mouth to hide her smile.

  Tears prick Presley’s eyelids, and she’s grateful to be wearing sunglasses. “I’m a creature of habit, I guess. Have a nice day,” she says and hurries off before she makes a fool of herself.

  17

  Presley

  By the time she showers and dresses for work, Presley has recovered from her humiliation. She drives to the inn instead of walking, making a detour by 237 Hillside Drive to slip a flyer for the homecoming party in the mail slot. She’s been holding off inviting Rita and the girls to the party. Before, she was a stranger to them. Now, she’s the girl who fell on her face in front of their house. Now that she’s broken the ice with them, she’s ready to make their acquaintance.

  Presley’s curiosity about the occupants of 237 has grown. Abigail and Emma seem so different. What makes them tick? What other sports does Abigail enjoy? What makes Emma so guarded? Do they have boyfriends? Where do they want to go to college?

  Presley’s mind drifts as she imagines the inside of the house. What if she’d taken Rita up on her offer of first aid? Would Rita have invited Presley inside to the sunny yellow kitchen of Presley’s imagination? Would Rita have told Presley more about herself while she nursed her wounds with Neosporin and Band-Aids? Would Presley have blurted, “I think you might be my biological mother?”

  A car horn jerks Presley out of her reverie. The red light in front of her has turned green. Waving at the person in the car behind her, she turns left onto Main Street and continues toward the inn.

  There’s only a slim chance Rita and the girls will come to the party. But Presley will be on the lookout for them, and if, by some stroke of luck, they show up, she’ll use the opportunity to give them a tour of the inn.

  She arrives before anyone else for the meeting in Stella’s office. Even Stella is nowhere to be seen. Making herself comfortable at the conference table, she opens her laptop and accesses her inbox. She’s humming one of Everett’s tunes while scrolling through emails when Lucy enters the office.

  “Someone’s in a good mood.” Lucy eases into the seat next to Presley. “What gives? You’re practically radiating. Who’s the lucky guy? A certain bartender I know?”

  “How’d you—”

  “I recognized the attraction the first time I saw you two together.” Lucy smiles.

  Presley sees no point in lying to her. Aside from Everett, Lucy’s her closest friend in town. “Okay, fine. You’re right. Everett and I hooked up last night. Only it was more than a hookup. It was incredible. I think he might be the one, Lucy.”

  “Lesson number one,” Lucy says, holding up her pointer finger. “Never mistake lust for love.”

  Presley snaps her laptop shut. “Give me some credit, Lucy. I’m thirty years old. I’ve been in love before.”

  “Mm-hmm. With whom?” she asks in a skeptical tone. Lucy either doesn’t believe what Presley experienced before was love or thinks she’s too young to have ever been in love.

  Chin out, Presley says, “My college boyfriend.”

  “And what happened to that relationship?”

  “He moved to New York after graduation and found someone new.”

  Lucy targets that same pointer finger at Presley. “See! Men are not to be trusted. Which is lesson number two. Take it from someone who knows. I’m the ex-wife of an untrustworthy man. My son, Chris, is still innocent, but it’s only a matter of time before he becomes one too.”

  Lucy rarely mentions her ex, and Presley has been waiting for the right opportunity to ask about her divorce. “I never realized you were so cynical about love. What happened to your marriage?”

  “That’s a long story,” Lucy says with a sigh. “I’ll tell you about it sometime over a glass of wine. Well, I’ll have wine and you can have tea.”

  “Better yet, why don’t you tell me over lunch?”

  Lucy considers the idea. “Let’s do it. And we can expense it if we go to the new sandwich shop that just opened on the other end of Main. One of Cecily’s friends has been raving about their sesame-ginger chicken salad. Cecily is dying for one of us to try it out.”

  Presley claps her hands. “Undercover! I love it. Can you go today?”

  Lucy shakes her head. “Sorry. I have to go to my son’s school for an awards ceremony.”

  “That’s exciting. What kind of award is Chris getting?”

  “An English one. It appears as though my son is on his way to becoming the next Ernest Hemingway.” Lucy pulls her phone out, accessing her calendar. “Tomorrow we have the meeting with the tent company at noon. What about Friday for lunch?”

  “It’s a date! Twelve o’clock on Friday,” Presley says and creates an event in her electronic calendar.

  Everett walks in just at that moment. “Where are the two of you going on Friday?”

  “To lunch,” Lucy says. “But don’t worry. I won’t steal her away from you.”

  Presley glares at Lucy. Why would she say that to him? Now he thinks Presley was blabbing to Lucy about their sexual encounter last night.

  She casts a tentative glance at Everett and is relieved when he kisses the top of her head. “I’m glad you told her about us. Do you think Stella will approve of our workplace relationship?”

  When Naomi saunters in, Presley mumbles, “Stella’s not the one we have to worry about.”

  “So, Everett, I just got off the phone with your friend from Atlanta. He booked two rooms for this weekend. I convinced him to stay through Sunday to attend the party.”

  Presley observes the color draining from Everett’s face. Why is Everett afraid of the friend from Atlanta?

  “Great!” Everett says in a deadpan tone. “I look forward to pouring him some drinks.”

  Stella arrives within seconds of Naomi, bringing with her a gush of chilly air and the scent of pine. “I’m sorry I’m late. I’ve been down at the spa. The building is taking shape. I can’t wait for you guys to see it. And wonderful news! Jack thinks he might finish early, in March instead of April.”

  Naomi grunts. “When have you ever known a contractor to finish a project early?”

  Stella presses her lips thin. “If anyone can do it, Jack can.”

  “That’s significant in terms of conferences and weddings,” Presley says. She’s met Jack several times. He doesn’t seem the type to make such a promise without being certain he can deliver.

  Stella joins them with her laptop. Her eyes travel the table. “Where’s Cecily? Has anyone seen her today?”

  “Here I am.” Cecily appears in the doorway with a dining cart loaded with coffee carafes, china mugs, and a plastic-wrapped platter. “I hope you brought your appetites. I’ve been experimenting again. I made some sausage and cheddar biscuits. And I brought coffee.”

  Cecily is transferring the platter from the cart to the table when Presley spies a diamond engagement ring on her left hand.“

  “Cecily—” Presley starts, but Stella beats her to it. “What’s that on your finger?”

  Cecily’s grin spreads from ear to ear. “Lyle proposed last night.” Snatching a napkin from the tray, she dabs at her eyes. “I haven’t stopped crying since. I’m just so happy. If it’s okay with you, Stella, we’d like to get married here.” Sniff. “At the inn.” Another sniff. “At Christmas.”

  “Yes! Of course! But why so soon?” Stella furrows her brow. “Are you pregnant, Cecily?”

  Cecily laughs as she shakes her head. “I wanna marry him b
efore he changes his mind.”

  Stella rolls her eyes. “As if that would ever happen. Lyle adores you.”

  Cecily holds her ring out in front of her. “He does, doesn’t he?” Stuffing the napkin in her apron pocket, she goes about pouring coffee for everyone. “Anyway, I haven’t seen my family in over a year. They’re all coming for the wedding. Will you plan my wedding, Presley? Mom and I have already discussed budgets. We can afford nice but not fancy.”

  “It would be my pleasure. You can do a super nice Christmas wedding on a budget with all the poinsettias and trees and wreaths. You should book your rooms now, though.” Presley looks across the table at Naomi. “And remember, your guests get a 10 percent discount.”

  “Ten percent?” Stella says in a tone of outrage. “We can do better than that for Cecily. We’ll double the discount for your family and throw in a suite in the carriage house for your parents for free.”

  Presley can almost see the steam puffing out of Naomi’s ears, and she’s ever so tempted to stick her tongue out at her.

  Leaning over, Cecily wraps her arm around Stella’s neck from behind. “You’re the best,” she says, kissing her cheek. “Thank you so much.”

  “You’re quite welcome. I’m happy for you.” Presley detects something hidden beneath Stella’s smile. Is she envious that Cecily is getting married at Christmas? She spots a diamond ring on Stella’s hand. Where did that come from? What happened to her silicone band? Presley won’t say anything now, for fear of spoiling Cecily’s big moment, but the ring is gorgeous.

  The meeting goes on longer than expected. When Lucy excuses herself a few minutes before twelve, Stella realizes the time and announces the meeting adjourned. Presley is on the way to her office, when Everett catches up with her.

  Placing a hand at the small of her back, he leans down and whispers in her ear. “Last night was fun. Can we do it again tonight?”

  She laughs. “On three conditions.” She ticks them off on her fingers. “One, you sing to me. Two, you come in through the door and not the window. And three, we start earlier so we can get some sleep.”

  “Deal. I’ll even buy dinner.”

  “From Jameson’s? You big spender, you.”

  “Not from Jameson’s. I was thinking pizza,” he says with a twinkle in his electric blue eyes. Given the opportunity, Everett would eat pizza three meals a day.

  “Why don’t I cook for us? Do you like chicken parmesan?”

  “It’s one of my favorites.” When they stop outside her office door, Everett glances down the hall in both directions as though making sure the coast is clear. “I’m dying to kiss you right now. But if I know Naomi, she’s watching.”

  Whatever secret he’s keeping, Naomi knows something about it. And how does the friend from Atlanta fit in? While she’s tempted to question him about it, now is not the time or the place. And she’d rather wait for him to tell her when he’s ready.

  She puckers her lips, kissing the air. “We’ll save the real kissing for later.”

  18

  Stella

  After the others leave, as we clear the conference table of dirty dishes, I press Cecily for the details about Lyle’s proposal.

  A dreamy expression settles on her face when she says, “He was so romantic about it. He was waiting for me after work last night. We drove to an overlook in the mountains. I’ve never been up there at night. It was so peaceful and beautiful. I wish you could’ve seen it, Stella. The stars were bright and the lights from town twinkled. The air was balmy; we didn’t even need our coats. Lyle spread out a blanket on the ground, and we drank champagne, and he popped the question.”

  I’m hanging on her every word. “And then what?”

  Cecily giggles. “We hurried back to my apartment to call our parents. Of course, my parents already knew. Lyle had spoken to my dad on the phone earlier in the day to ask his permission.”

  My arms break out in goose bumps. “I’m so happy for you, Cecily. I know this is what you wanted.”

  “You have no idea. Can you believe it, Stella? We’re both getting married.” Her gaze shifts to my left hand, and her blue eyes grow wide at the sight of my engagement ring. “When did you get that?”

  Self-consciously, I cover the sparkling diamond with my right hand. “Jack gave it to me last week.”

  Cecily appears wounded. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  I let out a sigh. I don’t like keeping secrets from my best friend. But she’s been so out of sorts lately, and I’ve been . . . I don’t know what I’ve been. “The same reason I didn’t tell you Jack bought the manor house.”

  “Get out of town! He bought you an estate and a diamond the size of a boulder. Let me see that.” She grabs my hand and studies the ring. “I can’t believe I haven’t noticed it before now.”

  I jerk my hand away. “You haven’t noticed it, because I’ve only been wearing it around Jack. And Jack and I haven’t seen each other much these past few days. Truth be told, Cess, I’m confused about a lot of things right now.”

  “That’s unlike you.” Cecily drapes a linen cloth over the cart and pushes it against the wall, out of the way. “Come with me.” She takes me by the hand and drags me out of my office.

  “Where’re we going?” I ask, tripping along beside her.

  “To get some air. I have a headache. I drank too much champagne last night.” We burst through the back door onto the veranda. “Sit.” She motions me to a rocker, turns on a propane space heater, and plops down in the chair beside me. Our few guests from last night have checked out, and we have the porch to ourselves.

  “Talk to me, Stella. You’re not having doubts about marrying Jack, are you? You love him, right?”

  “Of course, I love him.” I spread my arms wide at the grounds and the mountains in front of me. “But I love all this every bit as much. I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose it.”

  Cecily pumps her legs, rocking her chair back and forth. “We all want the farm to succeed. But it won’t be the end of the world if it doesn’t. You’ll find something else to do.”

  I stare at her, mouth agape. “This from the woman who’s been so stressed out about her career she’s been biting everyone’s heads off for weeks.”

  Cecily sinks into her shoulders. “Sorry.”

  “You’re forgiven,” I say. “Anyway, what else would I do? I’m not sure I’d be happy scooping ice cream at the Dairy Deli.”

  “But you’ll still have Jack. Isn’t that enough? I’d be happy scooping ice cream as long as I have Lyle.”

  “Ha. I know you, Cecily. You might be happy for a while. But you would grow bored quickly, and then what would you do?”

  Cecily palm-slaps the arms of her chair. “I’ll have babies. Duh. Don’t you want a family, Stella?”

  “Yes, I want children. I just don’t know if being a stay-at-home mom is enough for me.”

  “Have you considered that maybe you don’t love Jack?”

  My throat swells, tears fill my eyes, and I turn away from her. When the wave of emotion passes, I say, “Is it so wrong of me to want a family and a career?”

  Cecily lets out a sigh. “Not at all. Like you, I want both. I’m mentally preparing myself in case things don’t work out at Jameson’s.”

  I rest my head against the back of the rocker. “Listen to us. We’re being so negative. Brian has assured me we’re a long way from closing our doors. Even if the party bombs, we have the opening of the wellness center next spring to look forward to. With a spa and state-of-the-art fitness center, we’ll be able to market ourselves as a resort.”

  “That’s true,” Cecily says. “I hate to say it, but with everyone being so health conscious these days, not having a fitness center hurts us.”

  Katherine’s grounds crew draws near with leaf blowers, and we have to wait for them to move on before continuing our conversation.

  “You know, Stella, you should tell Jack how you’re feeling. When Lyle asked me why I’ve been so irr
itable lately, I shared my concerns about the possibility of losing my job and having to move away from Hope Springs. He asked me to marry him the next night.” She flashes her ring at me. “He’d already bought this and was planning to propose at Christmas. But he gave it to me now, so I won’t be stressed anymore.”

  I smile at her. “He’s a great guy, Cecily. I’m so happy for you.”

  “That means a lot.” Cecily shifts in her chair toward me. “I hope you’ll be my maid of honor.”

  Gasping, I bring my hand to my chest. “I would love that. I’m flattered you asked me, Cecily.” I reach over the arm of the chair and hug her. “Christmas is less than two months away. That’s not a lot of time to plan a wedding. Are you sure you don’t want to wait?”

  Cecily shakes her head. “Christmas works for both our families. Thank goodness we have Presley to work her magic.” She stands and stretches. “I need to find some Advil for this headache. Are you coming in?”

  “You go ahead. I’m going to sit here a minute.” As soon as she leaves, the tears I’ve been holding back spill from my eyelids. I do love Jack. But do I love him enough to suffer through thick and thin?

  As though I’ve summoned him through mental telepathy, the door opens and Jack emerges from the building onto the porch. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you. We have an issue with the women’s locker room in—“ He stops in midsentence when he sees my face. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Everything.” I run my thumb along the band of my engagement ring. “I’m not sure I can marry you, Jack.”

  “What’re you talking about? What happened?” He drops to Cecily’s vacated chair, and I repeat everything I told Cecily about my concerns for my career if the inn goes bust.

  He listens without speaking until I’m finished. “Are you having doubts about your feelings for me?”

  I care about him too much to lie to him, and he can’t help me unless I’m honest with him. “I don’t think so, but I’m not sure.”