by Susan Harper
“Okay, that’s enough, you two,” Mrs. Overton said. “Honey, this dinner was just wonderful. I always enjoy your barbeque.”
“Everyone always enjoys my barbeque,” he said.
Felicity shook her head as the family slowly left the dinner table and began cleaning up the aftermath of the messy meal. She pulled Jefferson aside, smiling at him. “If it means anything, I’m pretty sure they all like you,” she said, and he grinned.
“Good, I’m glad,” he said.
“Don’t try so hard, okay?” she said. “Listen, I was thinking about just hanging out here tonight. Spend some time with Iris. I might just pull a sisters’ slumber party at my parents, if that’s okay with you?”
“That sounds like fun,” he said and smiled. “I can come pick you up in the morning?”
“No need,” she said. “I’ll just see you at the shop. I’ll have Iris drive me.”
He smiled and gave her a good-bye kiss before thanking her father for dinner and saying farewell to the family. Felicity went and joined her parents and sister in the living room as they all caught up with Iris and what she had been up to at school. Eventually, it got too late for her parents to stay up and talk. They retired to bed, and Felicity and Iris headed upstairs. Rather than departing to their old rooms separately, the girls headed into Felicity’s dust-free room. She had lived with her parents briefly in the past year after having to sell her deceased fiancée’s home and finding herself without a place to stay, so the room had gotten cleaned. Their parents had left both of their rooms as each of them had left them so they could still use them, but tonight, they were going to have themselves an old-fashioned slumber party.
Some of Felicity’s clothes were still in the drawers, so she threw on a pair of sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt to wear to bed. Iris had to dig through her luggage, but she found herself a pair of pink pajamas that clashed terribly with Felicity’s old bedroom, which was essentially a cluster of pink zebra print.
The two women sat on the bed as they continued playing catch-up. “So, how about you, Iris?” Felicity asked. “You meet anyone special away at school?”
Iris stuck out her tongue. “Nothing impressive,” she said. “I’ve been on a couple of dates, but really no guys who are noteworthy. I’ve really been focused on school and work, honestly.”
“You’re painfully responsible for a little sister,” Felicity said. “It makes my family life kind of boring.”
“Please, nothing about your life is boring,” Iris said. “I mean, that story you guys were telling at dinner about the senator’s banquet? And Mom told me all about how she helped you solve the murder of a TV star?”
“Try television extra, and she turned out to be a private investigator and not an actress at all,” Felicity said. “And, yeah, Mom and Dad were both a pretty big help with that one. Dad hit the killer in the head with a shovel.”
“Sweet!” Iris said. “And I thought I was the one having the grand adventure going away to school. Sounds like all the fun has been right here in Senoia.”
“Yeah, if you want to call it that,” Felicity said.
“You know I know, right?” Iris asked, and Felicity raised brow—not at all sure what she meant by that. Iris huffed. “That you like him. I mean, really like him.”
“Oh, shut up, Iris,” Felicity said and tossed a zebra print pillow in her sister’s direction.
Iris grabbed the pillow and laughed, hugging it close. “I’m serious. You are totally in love with that goofball assistant of yours.”
“He’s my business partner now. He’s not my assistant,” Felicity said. “And I’m definitely not there yet. We’re taking things slow.”
“You two have been together for ten months now, and I bet you two haven’t even made out yet with how stiff you’re being,” Iris said, and Felicity reached across the bed with her foot to deliver a playful kick.
“We have!” Felicity retorted.
“Yeah, sure,” Iris said.
“I mean, sort of,” Felicity said.
“I knew it! You are so lame!” Iris moaned. “Look, I get it. I get why you are hesitant. After what happened to Brian, well, I would be too. But, Felicity, Jefferson is a good guy. Like, really good. Don’t lose him because you’re afraid of what might happen, all right?”
“Am I getting dating advice from my baby sister?” Felicity asked, shaking her head. “Okay, fine. You’re right. I’ve been kind of stringing him along. And I really like Jefferson. I shouldn’t do that to him. It’s just rough, and things have been so busy at work.”
“Speaking of work… What week would be good for you to get off this summer? You promised me a sister road trip, remember?”
Felicity felt like slapping herself in the face. She had forgotten. The last time she and Iris had spoken on the phone, the two of them had decided they would take a trip together over the summer. “Oh, geez, Iris… Work has been crazy…”
Iris frowned, and she was doing her famous puppy-dog eyes that made even Felicity wince. “But you promised!” she moaned, and Felicity felt like Iris was eight years old again trying to guilt trip Felicity into giving her a ride in her car.
“Okay, okay, you’re right, you’re right. I did promise a sister trip,” Felicity groaned. “But I have to talk to Jack and Jefferson about that. Our schedules are nuts right now.”
“So, you’re going to talk to them tomorrow to figure out when would be good, right?” Iris asked, grinning ear to ear.
Felicity sighed heavily. “Yes, Iris, I will talk to the boys tomorrow about our schedules and figure out when you and I can take our road trip.”
“Yes!” Iris exclaimed, falling back into the bed. “I can’t wait! It’s been a year since I’ve seen you. That’s just nuts! And we hardly spent any time together the last time I was in town. This is going to be so fun! Where should we go, do you think? The Grand Canyon? Want to hit up Route 66 or head down to Orlando? We could do Disney! Oh my gosh, yes!”
Felicity laughed. “That’s possible, but before we start planning anything, let me go into work tomorrow to see what the summer schedule is looking like. I want to see how much time we’ll have before we plan anything, okay?”
“Okay, okay, fine,” Iris said. “You’re so lame. But this will be fun! I can’t wait!”
“Same,” Felicity said. “Frankly, I’ve been working non-stop ever since I opened the shop nearly two years ago. I think I’ve earned myself a little vacation.”
3
“And don’t forget to follow up with Mrs. Krindel on her case,” Felicity reminded Jack for the twelfth time that morning. “And, Jefferson, make sure you have Trixie go ahead and pre-order those floral arrangements for the party Saturday. And make sure to—”
“Felicity!” Fix called from behind the counter of the event shop. He and Jack had come down from their perch in the attic to bid her farewell, and Fix had wound up being dragged into helping Trixie with a small project for an upcoming event. He was gluing some flowers onto barrettes for an upcoming luau-themed party. “You know we got this, right?” Fix said, smiling his usual teen smile. “Jefferson and Jack know how to run their ends, and Trixie and I are going to be here all week to help. We’re out of school right now, and I just finished my last online class. You don’t need to worry.”
“Fix is right,” Trixie said confidently. “You and your sister go have fun! You’re only going to be gone, what, four days?”
“You know, you could have taken a whole week,” Jefferson said as he appeared from the backroom, toting a box full of more plastic flowers.
“Yeah, seriously,” Jack added. He had been taking a coffee break on some of the lounge furniture on the shop floor. “You haven’t seen your sister in a year. You two go enjoy yourselves. You’re not even taking her on a real road trip like you promised.”
“It’s a real road trip!” Felicity argued.
“You’re not even leaving the state!” Jefferson argued, plopping the box down by the counter. “A
drive up to Helen, Georgia, from Senoia is not a road trip.”
“We’re going to take a detour to go look at the Georgia Guide Stones,” Felicity said.
“That’s really out of the way,” Jack said. “You’re going to drive three hours out of the way to go look at a bunch of rocks?”
“Pretty much,” Felicity said.
“I bet she is only doing that so she can technically call this a road trip,” Fix teased, and Trixie smacked him with one of the flower barrettes to let him know to back off Felicity.
“We’re going to have fun and spend some time together,” Felicity said. “That’s what’s important. I’ve got us a cabin rented, and there’s going to be a craft fair this weekend. And Helen is always a nice place. We’ll take a carriage ride. Go see some street performers. Shop. Eat fudge. Maybe go for a ride down the river. Enjoy some authentic German cuisine. All that jazz.”
“Is Iris excited?” Jefferson asked, leaving Fix and Trixie to continue their work on the counter to come over to Felicity and give her a hug. He put his arms around her, and he lingered for a bit. Felicity instinctually pulled back a bit. He frowned, but she pretended not to notice.
“Oh, she’s excited all right!” Iris called from behind, and Felicity turned to see that her sister had at last arrived.
“You finished getting the oil changed and tires rotated already?” Felicity asked. “That was fast. Where did you take it?”
“Oh, sis, I did it myself,” Iris said proudly.
“What? Since when do you know how to do that?” Felicity asked.
“I’ve learned a few things at school,” she said. “You should have seen Dad’s face when he came outside and saw me changing the oil in your car. I dare say he was proud.”
Felicity laughed. “I bet. You’re going to have to teach me how to do that.”
“I don’t even know how to do that,” Fix said under his breath.
“Yeah, that’s okay, baby. You make an awesome flower barrette,” Trixie teased.
“Oh, ha-ha, very funny,” Fix moaned.
Felicity bid a final farewell to everyone, giving Jefferson a kiss before heading out the door. As soon as the two climbed into Felicity’s car, Iris went after her about the way she had awkwardly tugged away from Jefferson. “I didn’t,” Felicity said defensively.
“Yeah, sure,” Iris said, propping her feet up on the dashboard. “Felicity, what is your deal? He’s a sweet guy, and you won’t even give the man a decent good-bye hug? He is going to miss you.”
“Can we not talk about this? You and I are supposed to be having a fun sister week,” Felicity said. “So, let’s do just that.”
The two of them talked and played the radio loud, singing at the top of their lungs to their favorite songs. Iris danced in her seat, and the two of them caught up on each other’s lives. While the two of them had spoken on the phone regularly throughout the year, that was hardly the same as spending time in each other’s company.
They stopped at the Georgia Guide Stones. They were sort of like Georgia’s own modern Stonehenge. Large rocks set up on a hill. There were words written on each of the large stones, the same message all in different languages telling the rules for living in a sort of post-apocalyptic society written by an unknown sponsor to the display. After stretching their legs and taking pictures of the Guide Stones, the two of them were back in the car and heading toward Helen, Georgia—a quaint little German town right on the Chattahoochee River.
Iris popped in a CD, and the next thing Felicity knew, the song Chattahoochee by Alan Jackson was blaring through the radio. She laughed. “Excellent choice,” she told Iris.
Iris was singing along at the top of her lungs. “Down by the river on a Friday night, pyramid of cans in the pale moonlight… Talkin’ ‘bout cars and dreamin’ ‘bout women. Never had a plan, just a livin’ for the minute!”
Felicity could not help but join in, and soon, the two of them were singing the chorus loudly with their windows rolled down at a stoplight. “Yeah, way down yonder on at the Chattahoochee, never knew how much that muddy water meant to me! But I learned how to swim, and I learned who I was. A lot about livin’ and a little ‘bout love. A lot about livin’ and a little ‘bout love!”
The car next to them at the light honked their horn, and a few young college-aged boys stuck their heads out the window, shouting “Yeeehaw!” in the girls’ direction. Felicity and Iris simply laughed and continued driving the rest of the way to Helen with the song on repeat until they pulled up outside of the cabin.
They had made good time up to Helen, so the perky woman working the counter informed them that their cabin wasn’t quite ready yet and it would be about an hour before they could check in. So, the girls decided to hit up the town. They found a good place to park, and almost instantly spotted a beautiful, white horse-drawn carriage. “Oh, I’ve never done a carriage ride!” Iris exclaimed.
“It would be a good way to see some of the town to decide what we’re going to do,” Felicity said, and they approached the carriage driver.
“Well, hello, ladies!” the older gentleman said, smiling at them. “The name’s Sam, and this here is Betsy.” He patted the horse on the nose. “You ladies heading anywhere specific?” he asked while climbing into the driver’s seat.
“We just want to see the town. We just got in and our cabin isn’t ready,” Iris said.
“Well, honey, I got you,” Sam said. “One personalized tour of Helen, Georgia, coming right up!”
The friendly man spoke with them the entire ride, telling them all about some of the local hotspots, mentioning that he heard there was a party on the Chattahoochee River that night. “I’m not much of a partier myself,” he said, “getting a little old for that nonsense, but I do enjoy a good cookout by the river. I’ll probably go.”
The town was just lovely. Most of the buildings looked like something you would see out of a German fairy-tale storybook. The cobblestone paths made everything seem so sweet and quaint. Suddenly, Felicity noticed that a street performer with white face-paint and bright clothes was following them. He was running slowly beside them, but moving his legs up and down like he was running faster than he actually was. His ridiculous movements caused Iris to laugh so hard she snorted.
“Beat it, Jurgen!” Sam said, laughing a bit as he spoke. “Meet out local mime,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Don’t let him fool you. When he’s out of his costume, the man likes to run his mouth.”
Jurgen made an exaggerated expression of horror as though Sam had hurt his feelings, once again causing Iris to laugh uncontrollably. “I’m serious, Jurgen, you’re going to startle Betsy!” Sam shouted, and the mime stuck out his tongue and ran off to pester someone else.
“You sure do have some colorful characters around here,” Felicity said.
“You really have no idea,” Sam said with a laugh. He pulled the carriage over to the side of the street and pointed toward a walkway between two buildings where a man in a pirate costume was doing balloon animals, an actual parrot on his shoulder. “That’s Donald. Donald the Pirate. The man dresses that way even when he’s not working. At least Jurgen takes off his clown makeup.”
The two women laughed. “Want to go see the pirate?” Felicity asked, and Iris nodded.
The two women tipped Sam, and he smiled and thanked them before jumping out of the driver’s seat. He gave Betsy a carrot and let her rest, patting her nose and saying, “Poor girl might be getting a little old for this.”
Felicity and Iris headed over to Donald the Pirate and watched him perform a few magic tricks for a group of children. Suddenly, his parrot dismounted his shoulder and flew right over to Iris, landing on her shoulder and causing her to scream in surprise. “Don’t mind Lilly. She’s a good bird.”
“Lilly’s a good bird!” the parrot cawed in Iris’s ear. Iris giggled, and the bird flew off toward Donald.
Iris suddenly touched her neck. “Hey! You little winged thief!”
“Huh?
” Donald asked, then huffed. “Lilly, you good for nothing!” He snatched a necklace right out of the bird’s mouth. “Sorry, darling! I lied. Lilly’s a bad bird.”
“Bad bird! Bad bird!” Lilly cawed.
Donald returned Iris’s necklace. “Sorry, sweetheart. She is a pirate, after all.”
Iris laughed and put her necklace back on. They grabbed a bite to eat at one of the local hotspots before walking back to their car, eager to see if their cabin was ready. Thankfully, it was, and they were able to drive through the woods before arriving at the quaint little one-bedroom cabin. Iris was thrilled to see that there was a hot tub on the porch. Felicity went inside. It was an open floor plan in which a platform separated the kitchen from the living room. To the side was the stairs leading up to a large loft with one large bed that overlooked the rest of the cabin. “Nice,” Felicity said, appreciating the cute black bears all over the cabin. She especially liked the one in the fisherman’s hat next to the fireplace.
“Hey, Felicity! Come meet our neighbors!” Iris called from the porch, and Felicity headed out back, where she spotted an older couple and a young man near Iris’s age standing in the driveway of the cabin.
“Hello,” Felicity said, smiling.
“Felicity, this is Kari and Mike Lull and their son Caleb. They own the cabin rental,” Iris said.
“That’s awesome!” Felicity said.
“We live right across from the cabin you’re renting,” Caleb said, pointing toward some trees. Through the woods, Felicity could see a much larger cabin that probably acted as their full-time home.
“Saw you pulling up as we were heading home,” Mr. Lull said. “I do hope you enjoy your stay.”
“Absolutely. The cabin is beautiful,” Felicity said warmly.
“And the hot tub is a bonus,” Iris said.
“Well, welcome to Helen,” Caleb said. “We’re about to go get ready for a party on the river tonight, if you ladies are interested.”
“What do you think, Iris?” She noticed her sister eyeing Caleb.
