The Tea Shop

by Bernadette Marie

  The antique store down the street had had a crystal tiara in the window, and Abigail couldn't help herself. She bought it for Mrs. Winters and had it on the table waiting with the arrangement.

  She hadn't seen Mrs. Winters since they had visited in the hospital, though Carson assured her she was doing fantastic in her new place. As she primped in the small office space, in the back of the store, Clare leaned against the doorjamb and watched her.

  "You look happy, Abi. Really happy," she said as Abigail fussed with her curls, and then touched up her lipstick.

  "I want to be happy," Abigail said. "I guess I'm glad he's so stubborn."

  That caused Clare to laugh. "You're a good team that way."

  Abigail chose not to take the stab at her personality seriously. Of course she was stubborn. She had to be. However, had he not been so stubborn, then they would have missed this opportunity.

  The chimes above the door rang and Clare looked behind them through the kitchen. "Your party is here," she told Abigail as she went back to work on pastries.

  Abigail took one more look at herself in the mirror. Maybe she did look happy. Had she seriously forgotten what it looked like?

  She looked down at her dress and realized she still had on her apron. Taking it off, she hung it on the hook as she was going to sit down and enjoy this tea even if she was the host.

  The moment she turned the corner from the kitchen, she caught Carson's eye. The smile that developed on his face told her that he loved her as much as he said he did. It gave her heart a little kick each time.

  Mrs. Winters was removing her jacket, with Carson's help. As soon as she was free from it, she turned to see Abigail standing there.

  "Abigail, happy birthday." She held open her arms and waited for Abigail to move to her.

  Though Abigail wouldn't even think of not hugging the woman, fear bubbled in her throat as she wondered what she would see.

  Abigail moved to Mrs. Winters and let her hug her. Squeezing her eyes shut, Abigail forced any foreign thoughts from her mind.

  Mrs. Winters stepped back and examined her. "You look lovely."

  "As do you," Abigail complimented. "I do believe you're glowing."

  Mrs. Winters leaned in toward Abigail's ear. "I'll tell you a secret. I was wrong to live alone in the house for so many years. It's fantastic to live among others." She stepped back and smiled.

  Carson pulled out a chair. "Mrs. Winters, why don't you sit here," he offered.

  Mrs. Winters took the seat, and Carson turned toward Abigail.

  He took her hands in his and kissed her on the cheek. "Happy birthday, beautiful."

  Mrs. Winters let out a grumble. "Dear Lord, boy. Kiss her correctly. You can't love a woman and not kiss her correctly on her birthday," she scolded.

  Abigail felt the heat rise in her cheeks as Carson tipped his head and placed a kiss on her lips which lingered until every cell in her body buzzed with the delight that his kisses brought to her.

  "There are three chairs. I assume you're joining us?"

  Abigail nodded. "Yes. Clare has taken care of everything."

  Carson pulled out the chair next to Mrs. Winters, and Abigail sat down. Carson then took the remaining seat.

  Mrs. Winters admired the floral arrangement. "These are lovely, my dear."

  "They're for you," Abigail acknowledged. "I know you love roses."

  "I most certainly do."

  "And the box there is for you as well," she offered as Mrs. Winters reached for the wrapped box.

  "You got me a present?" she asked, and Abigail noticed Carson's glance toward her.

  "I did. I saw it on my way to work this morning, and you had to have it."

  Mrs. Winters reached for her and patted her hand, which to Abigail's delight, did not share any visions with her.

  Mrs. Winters went on to rip open the wrapping like a child at Christmas, which delighted Abigail. When she pulled the crystal tiara from the box, she laughed the most joyous laugh Abigail had ever heard from an adult.

  "Oh, my! This is the most delightful thing I've ever seen. Thank you."

  Carson sat back in his chair and crossed his legs, as he did when he observed. "That's a fantastic present, Abigail. Mrs. Winters certainly is our queen."

  "Maybe she's a princess," Abigail countered.

  Mrs. Winters laughed. "Oh, I'm a queen. Most definitely a queen. And dear, Abigail, you can be my princess."

  Abigail smiled. "I'd like that."

  "Carson, come put this on me. I want to wear it every day."

  Carson stood and walked to Mrs. Winters. He took the tiara from her and placed it on her head. "Does that feel right?"

  "It feels perfect. I feel like royalty. Thank you, Abigail. This was a fantastic surprise."

  As Carson rounded Abigail's chair, he ran his fingers across her shoulders, and she stiffened. Again, her head filled with a dark cloud, but she couldn't see anything inside of it. She tried to keep her reaction neutral, though she was sure that Mrs. Winters already knew she'd seen something.

  Clare bounded from the kitchen with a tray of tea pots for each of them.

  Abigail looked at Mrs. Winters. "I don't think you've met my cousin Clare yet. Clare, this is Mrs. Winters."

  Clare set the tray on the table next to them and shook Mrs. Winters' hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. These two talk about you often."

  "They should," she said. "I'm the one who brought them together." She looked at Abigail and then to Carson. "I think they'll live happily ever after." She assured them with her eyes.

  Carson's hand slipped under the table and to Abigail's knee. She turned to look at him smiling at her. She certainly did love him, even if this budding romance was new. Thank goodness they'd worked through her insecurities, she thought as Clare began to explain their tea for the afternoon.

  Of course, Abigail didn't hear Clare's description of anything as she was busy thinking about the man, whose hand caressed her thigh. Perhaps Mrs. Winters was right to marry her love when she knew he was right. They'd have arguments and disagreements again, but he'd stood by her side every time she tried to push him away.

  "Abi."

  She looked up at Carson to see that he was talking to her. "Sorry, what did you say?"

  "I asked you to hand me the cream."

  "Oh," she said as she nodded and handed it to him.

  "Are you okay? You looked a bit lost for a moment."

  Abigail looked at Mrs. Winters, and then back at Carson. "I was just thinking about what Mrs. Winters said about us and happily ever after."

  Carson poured the cream into his tea, then set it on the table. "And what were you thinking about it?"

  Abigail let out a breath as she took Carson's hand. "I was thinking that I was glad we worked things out, and I'm thankful that you're not foolish enough to always listen to me. Not everyone is going to cower from me and what I can see. You're both proof of that," she said as she sent a smile toward Mrs. Winters. "I love you. And I'm glad that she saw that too."

  Carson leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. "I'm glad she did too. Now, Clare said she made a cake for you ladies. I can't wait to try it."

  As Abigail watched Clare bring out the cake she'd been fussing over, and Mrs. Winters' eyes went wide with a child-like wonder, Abigail realized that everything was going to be perfect for them. It truly was a spectacular birthday so far, and she was glad to be sharing it with Mrs. Winters and the man she loved.

  Chapter 29

  Carson lay awake as Abigail slept in his arms. Her naked body conformed to his, and her breath was light on his skin. She smelled sweet, he thought, as he ran his hand over her hair. The dainty diamond earrings he'd given her for her birthday sparkled in the moonlight. She'd cried when she opened them, but quickly put them on. No one had ever given her jewelry before, and that surprised him. She deserved pretty things, and he very much wanted to be the man to give them to her.

  His mind wandered to the last lunch he had wit
h Mrs. Winters. He'd had reservations at the Golden Hotel, and she'd been adamant he change them so they could go to the tea shop. Thank God she had been.

  This woman, whom he was afraid to let go of, had been waiting for him in that little shop. He could never have imagined that his life would change that day.

  He thought about what he'd been told of visions she and Mrs. Winters had about them. The smile that tugged at his lips was directly related to him thinking about them having four children. It was a bit overwhelming, but at the same time exhilarating.

  Would they have sons or daughters? With four, they probably had a few of each. Abigail would be a wonderful mother. Would he be a good father?

  He'd had an attentive father—yeah, he'd make sure he was the perfect father.

  What would his children think of his career? Would they assume he only tore down beautiful things, or would they understand the necessity of it? He couldn't help but wonder if Abigail had come to understand it. She hadn't mentioned the church project for a while, and he hadn't told her about the changes he'd been considering.

  The community meeting had been postponed due to the newest developments. Everything still hinged on whether or not the building could be physically secured before they began. Either way, things needed to start moving. The building needed to come down, or it needed to be started before someone, usually transients or kids, got inside and got hurt.

  Abigail stirred in his arms, and Carson pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  He thought about how new their relationship was. They'd only been together for a month, and here they'd been living with each other, for the most part. They already knew their fate was sealed, and they'd be married. Was there an actual time for that? Was he supposed to wait to ask her to marry him and how was he to know when?

  Pressing another kiss to her head, he realized that Mrs. Winters would have all of those answers. He'd decided it was time to ask them. He was absolutely sure that Abi was the one woman he wanted to spend his whole life with.

  The office buzzed with a new project, and that was what Carson enjoyed about his work. A developer had just purchased an old office building, and he wanted to convert it into offices, condos, and shopping.

  Carson and Doug had toured the building that morning and had just finished meeting with the developer. Doug had gone straight to work on getting drawings started, and Carson followed up on emails about the Ford Street church.

  The restaurateur had contacted him with a list of questions and design thoughts, which Carson was running by the engineers on the project.

  As his day had crept into afternoon, and he felt the fatigue of his job settle into him, he opened a Coke from the mini-fridge in his office and took a long, satisfying swig.

  He could certainly use the caffeine jolt today. The night had been short, though some of that was because he'd made love to the woman he loved all night. The rest of it was the thoughts that had kept him awake racing through his mind.

  Carson looked at the clock again. It was almost three-thirty. He wouldn't hear from the engineers until tomorrow, and Doug would be in his office working solidly on the new project. This was the perfect time to visit Mrs. Winters, he decided.

  * * *

  After telling Emily and his mother that he was leaving early, he headed to the facility where Mrs. Winters now lived. He was happy Glenn had chosen that specific assisted living facility, as it had been one that Carson had helped design.

  He wasn't surprised to find Mrs. Winters in the commons area, surrounded by other women, laughing and sharing stories. He couldn't help but wonder if she shared her gift with them by telling them things as if she were fortune telling.

  Lingering in the doorway, he watched as she held the hand of a woman in a wheelchair. He couldn't hear what she told her, but the woman nodded as Mrs. Winters spoke and then hugged her.

  "Is that your mother?" A male nurse moved to stand next to Carson.

  "No, just a dear friend," he said as he watched her laugh with another woman.

  "She's very popular. Seems to have a sixth sense or something. Lots of the people here do. I think it comes to them when they get older."

  Carson turned to the man. "Do you mean they have it or they think they have it."

  The nurse laughed. "When I first started in elder care, I would have said they made crap up. You know, just to humor themselves. But I've seen stuff around here that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. They know what they're talking about."

  Carson knew that was true—especially where Mrs. Winters was concerned. And as if that sixth sense kicked in, Mrs. Winters looked toward the door and saw him standing there with the nurse. She waved him in.

  He walked to her, taking her outstretched hands, and then kissing her cheek.

  "This is the man I told you all about. The best friend of my late Jeffery. He's a wonderful addition to our family," she shared as she patted his cheek. "Carson, why don't you escort me back to my room."

  She stood and took his arm.

  "You're looking fantastic," he said as they walked slowly down the hall toward her room.

  "Days are numbered."

  When she spoke like that his heart ached. "Well, you wouldn't know it to look at you."

  He couldn't argue with her. After all, she could see the future. He couldn't.

  Mrs. Winters went right to her chair and eased back. "Ah, I'm glad they salvaged this from my house. It's like home."

  Carson wasn't sure what to say to that. He pulled up a chair from the small table by the window and sat down. "It looks like you're making friends here."

  She shrugged at that. "Carson, they are so lonely. People put their loved ones in places like this and forget about them. My family comes every day. You visit. Abigail visits. You know…"

  He held up a hand. "Abi has been here?"

  His question seemed to stump her. "Well, wait." She thought for a moment. "No, I guess she hasn't. But I talk to her every day. She might not know that."

  And for the first time, he thought Mrs. Winters had lost her mind.

  "What do you mean you talk to her, but she doesn't know?"

  Mrs. Winters brushed away his comment with her hand. "You're looking at me like I'm a crazy old woman."

  "I'm sorry."

  "No, you're not, but you're beginning to understand it. She's scared, Carson. I've lived a long time to know that people begin to ignore warnings and assume you're a nut job. She's just learning it. She doesn't want to mess up her business or her relationship. And she's very against you tearing down that church," she added.

  He smiled. "I'm trying to keep it intact," he said, letting her in on his secret. "I want her to know that it means that much to me."

  Mrs. Winters reached for his hand but pulled back with the same look Abigail had when they were at the tea shop. She studied him for a long moment, and the joy which had filled her eyes when she'd seen him had clouded over.

  "Be careful, Carson. Remember there was a reason you wanted that building to be redone in the first place."

  "It's unstable. I have engineers working on it."

  That seemed to ease her as she sat back in her chair. "So, why are you here in the middle of your day? You're a busy man."

  "Never too busy for my best girl."

  She smiled. "I'm second best now."

  "Never." Carson leaned forward with his arms on his thighs. "I did want to ask you something. Abi and I haven't been together very long. A month. But we've exchanged words. We've slept in each other's beds. I know how she likes her tea, her toast, and what she puts on pizza. I've decided I want to marry her."

  The smile on Mrs. Winters’ lips grew wider. "That's always been in the plan."

  "Right. But when? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm ready now. However, I don't think she is, even though she knows it's in the plan. When should I ask her? What do I do?"

  Mrs. Winters closed her eyes. "You'll know, darling. There will be a moment, and it will be the right mom
ent."

  He'd certainly been hoping for more than that.

  When Mrs. Winters didn't open her eyes, he leaned in closer. She had fallen asleep. She'd always been able to run the conversation in her favor, he thought as he kissed his fingertips and pressed them to her cheek. He was a lucky man to have such a woman in his life.

  Chapter 30

  The adjustments Carson had requested for the Ford Street church had come back, and it wasn't what he'd wanted to hear at all. Though the exterior could be saved, the building itself was unsafe. In order to keep it intact, the price just doubled, and the time frame in which he'd promised the city he'd have it done had extended too.

  Carson leaned back in his office chair, folding his hands behind his head. He'd spent all night thinking about how he wanted to propose to Abigail, and when. His focus had been to do it when the church was safe enough to go into. Now it looked like that would be many months away, and he wasn't sure he wanted to wait that long.

  He chuckled to himself, as he lowered his arms and moved back to his desk. The church project had been so important to him, and now it completely revolved around what Abigail thought about it. That was true love, right? When a man lost his ever loving mind and compromised his business to see the woman he loved smile?

  With a grin still on his face, he went back to work on the plans as his mother strolled through the door.

  "Have you seen what Abigail has done with her shop?" His mother set a large gift bag in the chair on the other side of his desk.

  "Good or bad?"

  "Oh, my goodness! Good. I didn't know Halloween decor could be classy. She's genius. And the pastries her cousin has come up for the season; genius too."

  Pride swelled inside of him as if he'd been the one to create his mother's mood over the cute things Abigail did to her store. "What do you have?"

  "Gifts. I bought assorted teas, mugs, tea sets, and some linens she just got in. The ladies in my book club want to start meeting there each month, so I went in to set that up. Carson, she's so fantastic."

  Did his mother even realize how she sounded gushing over his girlfriend? That was a good sign, he decided.