“But you can thank me if you like.”
Did he have any idea the effect he had on women? Even the teen behind the counter gazed adoringly at Troy, who was completely clueless about the admiration being hurled his way. And Destiny felt her own sadness lift, merely from being around the guy. “All right, then. Thanks.”
The other side of his mouth kicked up to match the first, and Destiny was treated to a full, and quite beautiful, smile. “You’re welcome.”
“Oh, the band is getting louder, and I hear Daddy’s siren!”
“Well, come on, let’s get you out there.” He started toward the door, while Destiny hung back near the counter. The tables had cleared out now, with everyone heading to watch the parade. She could sit down and eat her ice cream in peace and without risking another spill. Troy had cleaned up her mess, bought her ice cream and made her feel better about life in general. She didn’t expect him to include her in his nightly activities, too...unless, say, he really wanted to. Because she’d quickly figured out she liked being included in Troy’s world―liked it very much, in fact.
“Don’t worry, one scoop will be much easier to carry in the crowd. And you don’t want to miss the parade. Bet you haven’t seen anything like it in Atlanta.” He held the door open and paused, with Lily pulling steadfastly at his arm. “You are coming with us, aren’t you? Lily’s kind of tired of waiting.”
“Yes, I am, come on, Uncle Troy!”
“That okay with you, Lily?” Destiny asked. “For me to watch the parade with y’all?”
“Yes!” She took a big swipe at her chocolate ice cream with her tongue. “But come on, we have to hurry!”
Destiny moved to catch up with them, then followed in Troy’s wake as he wove through the crowd. It didn’t take but a few seconds to see his destination, to a group yelling excitedly at the approaching police car. In the center, and screaming with the most enthusiasm, was his adorable grandmother. Watching the feisty lady, she could see how the woman wouldn’t have thought twice about mailing some of her grandson’s love letters in to the magazine’s contest. Unfortunately, she also didn’t think twice about the necessity of gaining his permission.
“We’re glad you made it!” she screamed to Destiny. “You’ll want to see the parade so you can put it in your book!” Then she turned toward the police car moving closer and waved her hands. “Hey, mister, throw me something!”
The policeman shook his head but his smile grew wide, and he indeed tossed her an abundance of assorted candies.
“Look what your daddy threw us, Lily!” she called. “Come here, Greatie will help you grab them up!” Then she dropped to the ground with all of the kids and scooped the goods into a homemade tote.
Destiny was so taken with the scene that she almost forgot about her ice cream.
“Better eat that quick.” Troy pointed to the melting treat. “Because I have it under good authority the majority of the cars and floats are tossing candy, and you’ll want to get some.” He’d already killed off his cone before the police car passed, but she still had half of her scoop and the entire cone left. “And some of those kids get kind of crazy with the candy tossing. They’ve been known to pelt a few faces, accidentally of course. Wouldn’t want you to lose an eye to a rogue Jolly Rancher.”
She laughed. “No, I wouldn’t want that either.” Then she picked up her pace eating the cone.
“That was my daddy!” Lily squealed. “Did you see him?”
The question was obviously directed to Destiny, and she took another lick of her ice cream and then nodded. “I sure did.”
“Isn’t he great?” A ring of chocolate surrounding her lips emphasized the little girl’s broad smile.
“Yes,” Destiny said, enjoying all of this more than anything she’d experienced in a long time, “he is.”
“Here, take one of these.” Troy’s grandmother handed her a crimson tote similar to the one she used to gather candy. “It’ll help you get more loot.”
Destiny examined the bag and now noticed it had “Aidan’s Grandma” appliquéd in gray on the side. A closer look showed that each bag identified a different name, with the one Destiny held emblazoned with “Troy’s Grandma.” Glancing up at the dark-haired man at her side, she saw Troy laugh.
“She’s fairly proud of her grandchildren. She’s made one of those for each of us, and she uses them for everything from parade loot to grocery shopping,” he said. “You’ll definitely catch enough candy to fill that one up.”
And when she turned, another waterfall of bubble gum and jawbreakers headed her way from the top of the football team’s flatbed truck. The players seemed to have more fun trying to peg members of the audience than riding in the parade. In fact, they made it look like a sport.
Destiny gathered another batch of candy and dropped it in Lily’s bag. The little girl laughed, thanked her and then continued picking up candy from the ground with her mom and great-grandma. When Destiny stood to see the next float, a large Ring Pop nearly pegged her between the eyes. Thankfully, Troy saw it coming and snagged it with one hand.
“Hey, watch it,” he warned the bulky football player on the back of the flatbed.
“Sorry, Troy, didn’t realize how much I put on the toss.” He shrugged, then yelled to Destiny, “Sorry, ma’am!”
“It’s okay!” she yelled back, as the truck moved farther away and a group of young cloggers stopped in front of them to dance.
By the time the parade ended, Destiny’s bag bulged with candy. She stepped toward Troy’s grandma and held up the heavy tote. “I need to give your bag back.”
“Oh, I want the bag back, but I got plenty of candy on my own. Just give it to me another time. You still coming out to see our fishing hole on Saturday?”
Destiny nodded. “I am.”
“Then you can bring it to me then. No worries. But keep the candy. Lily and I got plenty for ourselves, didn’t we, sweetie?”
The little girl yanked a red lollipop out of her mouth, causing her to emit a loud smack. “We sure did.”
“Lily, why don’t we walk over to the other side of the square and see if we can find Daddy before he has to go back to work?” A pretty dark-haired woman who Destiny had already determined must be Troy’s sister stepped toward them, the tote dangling from her arm identifying “Rebecca’s Grandma.” She looked about the same age as Destiny. “Hey,” she said. “I’m Troy’s sister, Becca, and Lily’s mom. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Oh, sorry,” Troy said. “Becca, this is Destiny. Destiny, this is Becca.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Lily’s mouth smacked with another removal of her lollipop. “I’m ready to go see Daddy.”
“I’ll go with y’all,” Jolaine Bowers said, then she scanned the crowd. “Aidan went over to the sporting goods store to help James lock up. I’m not sure where the young boys headed off to, probably talking to some of the high school girls. What about you, Troy? Want to come with us, or are you sticking around here?” Her eyes glanced to Destiny, but she didn’t look as though she disapproved. Then again, she probably thought Troy was helping their family business make its way into Destiny’s nonexistent novel. She had no idea Destiny wanted to put Troy’s words into print.
“Gonna stay here for a while,” he said.
Jolaine, Becca and Lily all waved goodbye before they darted across the center of the square with a large portion of the crowd. Troy stood his ground, while Destiny felt a little awkward about what to do now.
“You want some candy?” She held the bag open for him to peek inside.
“Nah, I ate my quota while the parade passed.” He looked down at her as he spoke and reminded Destiny of the difference in her five foot five and his six foot plus. Something about standing next to the guy made her feel very small, and very protected. She’d never liked
feeling dependent on a guy, but she liked the way this felt, whatever it was.
He nodded toward a hot-dog cart at the street corner. “Come over here for a minute. I need to get something for you.”
“Oh, I’m not hungry. At all.” She hadn’t stopped eating since she’d arrived at the square, and even though the entire consumption involved sugar, she still couldn’t add anything else to the mix. Especially not a hot dog.
He laughed. “I’m not buying food. Just trust me.” He took a step toward the silver metal cart, and Destiny followed. Oddly enough, she did trust him, and trust was something she had a hard time with, especially when it involved guys.
But she trusted Troy.
Would he ever trust her? Enough to say yes when she asked about those letters?
They neared the hot-dog stand and Troy lifted a finger toward the older man handing out the food. “Hey, Marvin, I need a few more napkins, please. And a cup of water, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure, Troy.” The man lifted a roll of paper towels, pulled a couple off and then filled a cup with water from a pitcher. After wrapping the napkins around the cup, he handed it to Troy. “Want a hot dog or two, as well? I’ve marked them down to half price since the parade ended.”
“Not this time. I’m afraid we filled up on candy.”
“Happens to the best of us,” the older man said with a grin. Then he turned his attention to a family making their way toward the cart and eyeing the remaining hot dogs in the warmer. “Hang on. Customers.”
“No problem.” Troy stepped away from the cart and indicated for Destiny to come along. He stopped beside a bench, then reached for her tote. “Let me put this down for a minute while I help you out.”
“Help me out?” Destiny watched as he placed the bag on the wooden bench, then put a finger beneath her chin and gently tilted her head. She felt her pulse race, everything tingling from the place where his warm finger touched her skin. She blinked, swallowed and wondered if she was about to experience a kiss from the guy currently making her head spin with his gentle touch.
He smiled, removed his finger and unwrapped the napkins from the cup. Then he dipped them in the water, lifted them back out and instructed, “Close your eyes.”
This was the most bizarre thing any guy had ever done, but she followed his command and slid her eyes shut. What did he plan to do with those napkins? And did it involve kissing? Because right now, she very much wanted to be kissed.
The cool paper touched the tender skin beneath her right eye, and she gasped, then opened her eyes to see Troy’s face merely inches from hers.
“I’m not sure what upset you earlier, but I’d like to wipe away the evidence, if that’s okay with you.” He gently guided the wet napkins along her skin.
Realization dawned. “Oh, dear, I have mascara streaks?”
His smile was soft. “Just a few. And it’s okay. I understand that sometimes girls need a good cry. I grew up with a sister, you know. You okay now? You seemed to enjoy the parade.”
Her throat thickened at his compassionate tone, as though he honestly cared whether she’d been upset. “I am okay now, thanks.”
He dipped the napkins again, let the excess water drip free and then cleaned beneath her other eye while Destiny felt her control slip. She could see how girls would fall in love with Troy’s letters. She could see how girls could fall in love with Troy, period.
He moved a finger beneath her chin again and examined her face as he slowly removed the tearstains. And for the briefest moment, Destiny felt it again, that inclination that Troy was thinking about easing closer, touching his lips to hers and letting her learn how incredible it would be to experience his kiss.
“Okay, customers are gone now. So, who’s your friend there? Don’t believe we’ve met.” The man from the hot-dog cart clapped his hands together as Troy finished up.
“There,” he said quietly while the older man stepped toward them, “good as new.”
Destiny swallowed, forcing her heartbeat to slow and her breathing to return to normal. “Thanks.”
The older man stepped between them and faced Destiny. “You’re a pretty girl, young lady.”
She smiled at the sweet man, even if he may have ruined a first kiss. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry, I forgot the introductions again. Marvin, this is Destiny. She’s visiting Claremont to write stories about living in a small town. Destiny, this is Marvin Tolleson. He runs Nelson’s Variety Store.” Troy pointed to one of the shops across the square. “They’ve got the best hamburgers and milkshakes you’ll ever taste.”
“And hot dogs,” Marvin added. “You’ll have to try one sometime, when you aren’t too full from sweets.”
“I’ll do that.”
“And if you’re writing about Claremont, I’ve got plenty of stories to share. Been here since I was born, you know. Seventy-four years and counting. Me and my sweet Mae got married right there in front of that fountain in the middle of the square back in 1958.”
Destiny sensed a love story that needed to be written. “I’d like to hear about how you met, what tips you’d give young couples starting out and how you feel your marriage benefited from living in a small town.” She smiled. “That’s exactly the type of thing I write about, in fact.”
His wrinkled cheeks slipped high with his grin. “Well, we’re over at the variety store every day, open at seven and don’t close till the last customer’s served. Though we both take a nap or two in between. We live above the store, so even if we’re taking a power nap, we aren’t far away. You’ll be able to find us.”
Destiny laughed. “If you’re napping, I’ll come back when you’re awake.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He glanced at the thinning crowd. “Looks like folks are heading home. I’m gonna pack up the cart until tomorrow night’s First Friday Festival. You’ll want to see that, too, if you’re writing about small-town living. First Friday is the best part of a new month, if you ask me. Definitely worth writing about.”
“Then I won’t miss it.”
“Good deal.” He began tucking napkins, buns and paper plates into the appropriate slots on his cart.
“You want me to help you roll that over to your store?” Troy asked.
The man closed the silver lid and winked. “Help me? I figured you’d do the job.”
Troy laughed and moved to the end of the cart. “You want to walk with us over to Nelson’s?” he asked Destiny.
“Sure she does.” Marvin tweaked Destiny’s arm. “That way she’ll get to meet Mae. You want to meet my sweetie, don’t ya?”
“Of course.” Destiny walked beside the man, the two of them following Troy as he pushed the cart along the sidewalk and toward the variety store. They passed several people along the way, and each time, Marvin and Troy addressed them by name, and then one or the other would perform a quick introduction of Destiny. It amazed her how friendly the townspeople were and how they seemed genuinely interested in meeting the newcomer. Back home in Atlanta, people were friendly with traditional Southern home hospitality, but a smile or a simple “hello” did the trick. Here there was something different to the greetings. It reminded her of Christmas, when everyone is happy and excited and pleased with life.
Christmas in July. Was Claremont always like this?
“There she is.” Marvin’s tender tone emphasized the love he still had for the woman he’d married over fifty years ago, and Destiny felt her heart clench. What would it be like to find that kind of lasting love?
Mae Tolleson had silver hair that framed a round face. She wore a checked blue dress with a white apron and stood at the doorway to their store distributing hugs to the customers as they left for the evening. Looking up, she spotted her husband. “Marvin, how’d the cart do?”
“Ah, the cart did okay, but I was amazi
ng.” He chuckled as he neared his wife, and she rewarded him with a hug and a kiss on both cheeks.
“And modest,” she said, peeking over his shoulder when he hugged her tighter. “I haven’t met you before, have I?”
Marvin broke the hug and flicked a thumb toward Destiny. “Mae, this is Destiny. She’s a writer visiting Claremont to tell the world about small-town living. And she’s interested in writing about us.”
“About us?”
“How you met, fell in love, married and stayed together,” Destiny explained. “It’s rare nowadays to see a couple stay together and even rarer to see them still in love after so many years. I think my readers would enjoy hearing your story.”
“Why, that’s so sweet,” Mae said, the last word stretching with her yawn. “Oh, excuse me.”
“Kind of past our bedtime,” Marvin said. “But you don’t need to talk to us right now, do you? You could come back tomorrow if you want, and we can share our story. Will that work?”
“That’d be great.”
“Come at lunchtime, and we’ll feed you real good,” he added.
“He’s telling the truth,” Troy said. “Nelson’s makes the best lunch around. I’d recommend the cheeseburger.”
“That’s Troy’s favorite,” Mae said, and then she looked from Troy to Destiny. “Are you two...friends?”
“We just met this week, but Troy has offered to help me with my writing, show me the ins and outs of small-town living.”
A look passed from Mae to Marvin, and Destiny could tell they’d gotten the wrong idea about her relationship with the handsome mechanic. But she couldn’t come up with a single thing to say that would dispel their thoughts, especially since she was still resisting the crazy urge to kiss him. So she remained quiet, and when the duo bid them good-night and headed inside to lock up their store, she wondered what it’d be like to have a guy like Troy look at her the way Marvin looked at Mae.
Chapter Five
Today I decided I want six kids. Granted, I know you’ll have a say in this as well, but I thought I’d let you know while I have it on my mind. See, I just got back from Claremont Hospital. The whole family went last night and waited the ten hours that Becca was in labor. She was amazing. There’s no other way to explain it. The nurse let the family go back to see her throughout the night, and I was in there twice when big contractions hit. She grabbed my hand and gritted her teeth while thick tears streamed down her cheeks, and I found myself crying, too. Joey didn’t like seeing her in pain; neither did I. I know I won’t like seeing you in pain either. But then, this morning, Lillian Grace entered the world, and Becca’s pain became the most exquisite joy I’ve ever witnessed.
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