Still grinning, Destiny backed out of the doorway. “I’ll definitely try all of it for lunch. I never turn down food.”
He noted her athletic build, not too thin but definitely not heavy. “Well, you don’t eat a whole lot, I’m sure,” he said as she shut the door and turned to face him.
“I bet I’d surprise you. My father always said that while he may not have had a son, at least he had a daughter who ate like one.”
He laughed. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
“Don’t worry, after smelling everything your grandmother has got cooking in there, come lunchtime, I’ll show you exactly how well I put food away.”
“All right. You do that.” Troy liked it when a girl was comfortable enough to eat around him. The majority of them picked at their food on dates or said they weren’t hungry at all. Haley hadn’t eaten much last night at dinner, but that seemed more to do with the fact that her mind stayed on her work. She’d talked so much about the animals she’d tended that she barely made a dent in her lasagna. It was refreshing to hear about a woman who enjoyed a good meal, and he suddenly wanted another dinner date...but with Destiny. Today, however, until he figured out how to get this relationship going, a picnic lunch of his grandmother’s cooking would have to do.
The front door opened and his grandmother bounded onto the porch, her purse draped over her shoulder, car keys in one hand and a water bottle in the other. “The pies are cooling.” She looked at Destiny. “We’re so glad you got to come out today. Troy’s going to make sure you catch some fish. And there are a couple of other families already fishing on the other side of the pond if you want to talk to them and see how they like the experience and everything, in case you want to write about it sometime.”
“That sounds great.”
“Good deal. I’ve got a little errand to run, but I’ll be back soon. Troy, don’t worry about the store. Just head on out to fish with Destiny. If you see someone drive up, you can get them their gear, but I really want Destiny to get a feel for the fishing hole for her books.” She’d started a tiny sprint to her car as she spoke, and she punched the key fob and then jumped in. “Y’all have fun!”
“We will,” Troy promised.
Destiny watched as his grandmother stomped the gas and left a cloud of dust in her wake. “Wow, she has so much energy.”
“Yes, she does. And did you notice she now has you writing books? Plural. Before you leave town, she’ll have you penning an entire series about Claremont.”
She laughed again, and Troy enjoyed the sound. “Maybe my series on Claremont will be a bestseller. I guess I should get started writing it, shouldn’t I?”
“Maybe you should.” He nodded toward the back. “Come on, I’ve got our fishing poles, but we’ll need to grab some bait.”
Her smile dipped a little. “Just what kind of bait? Not that I care, but I’m curious.”
Oh, she was cute. “Crickets work best for bream fishing.”
“And that’s what we’re fishing for? Bream?”
“That’s what we’re fishing for.” They stepped around the back of the store, which had been fairly quiet until they made an appearance. Now all of the crickets went berserk, each one trying to out chirp the next guy. “They get excited when they have visitors.”
She stayed a couple of steps behind Troy but peered past him toward the container he lifted, already filled with crickets and ready to go. “Because they know visitors mean they’re about to become a fish’s lunch?” she asked.
“Naw, I think they’re just like everyone else around here and like company. Southern hospitality and all. They don’t have any idea about their future on a bream’s menu.”
“I’ll be sure not to tell them.” She pointed to a stack of patchwork quilts on the porch. “Are those for picnics?”
“Picnics and fishing. The bank is grassy, but the quilt provides a little more padding against the ground. You want to pick one out for us?”
“Sure.” She thumbed through the stack. “They’re all so gorgeous. I wouldn’t think your grandmother would want them on the ground.”
“She’s in a quilting group that meets at the church each week. They make more quilts than they know what to do with. Even giving them to folks for every wedding, baby and any other occasion they can think of, they still have plenty left. If you ask me, they get together for the socializing, and the quilts are merely a bonus.”
Destiny withdrew a cream-colored quilt with a pale blue-and-yellow design and draped it over her arm. “The patterns are so elaborate.”
“Each pattern symbolizes something, and she’ll be happy to tell you what, but I have no clue what most of them mean.”
“So I’m guessing she’s made one or two for you?” she asked, as they walked away from the store and toward the pond.
“My hall closet is filled with quilts she made, and a few that were made by my great-grandmother. She quilted, too. My mom knows how, but she doesn’t get into it nearly as much as my grandmother.”
“That’s amazing. So if the patterns mean something, do the quilts that she gave you have some kind of meaning for you?”
Troy had never really thought about it. He guessed the patterns symbolized something, but he’d never asked why she’d given him certain ones. “I suppose all of them do, but the one that stands out the most is the one she gave me for my high school graduation. She made it with fabric from the jerseys of every sport I’d played, from T-ball all the way up to high school football.” He grinned. “That one definitely means something to me. Best gift I got.” He continued walking, taking a few steps down the hill toward the pond, but then noticed she’d stopped. When he turned, he found her rubbing her hand across the bumpy fabric of the quilt, her upper teeth grazing her lower lip and her eyes apparently blinking back tears. “Destiny?”
“A quilt made by your grandmother was your best graduation gift.” She visibly swallowed and looked at him with such tenderness that Troy was afraid she’d misunderstood.
“Hey, I got a lot of things that cost more, some pretty expensive gifts, I’d say. So don’t feel like I didn’t get all that much because I said the quilt was the best one. It’s just that—” he shrugged “—because of the time she put into it and because of each fabric having meaning to me from different stages of life, it became my best gift.”
She smiled, and the action caused a tear to crest over the lower edge of her eye and trickle down her cheek. Brushing it away with her hand, she explained, “I wasn’t feeling sorry for you. I’m just touched that as a high school senior you realized how special the quilt was. Most people wouldn’t get it, especially not that young. I think at this stage of my life, I’d appreciate the sentiment behind the present, but back then I wouldn’t have.” She tilted her head and studied him for a moment. “You’ve always been like that, haven’t you? Putting a lot of thought into things and understanding what’s really valuable in life.”
He grinned. “Not sure how you got all of that from me saying the quilt was my best gift, but hey, I’ll take it.”
She chewed that lower lip again, looking as though she’d said something wrong. “It just seems like that’s the way you’d be, if you liked that gift the best.”
Troy nodded and wasn’t bothered by her assumption. “I guess you’ve pegged me, though it usually takes people some time to get to know me before they figure out that I’m one of those big sappy guys who tears up when I watch a chick flick.”
She grinned. “Steel Magnolias do you in?”
“We’re not even gonna talk about it. I was pathetic.”
Her laugh warmed his soul. She’d really figured out quite a lot about him already, even though they hadn’t spent much time together. He longed to find out as much about her, and he hoped to do it today. Starting right now. “So what was your best gift?”
&nbs
p; “I’m almost embarrassed to say, but since you’re sharing, I will, too.” She inhaled deeply, let it out. “Okay, for high school graduation, my parents gave me exactly what I asked for, a trip to Hawaii with my friend Rita.”
He whistled. “That sounds pretty special to me.”
“I thought it was at the time. But now, all we have are the pictures from the trip, and that’s it. Then for college graduation, they gave me what I asked for again, which was money to start my own business. Mom wasn’t happy about it, and she keeps reminding me that I wasted it―” she paused “―that I’m wasting my life, in her opinion.”
They’d reached the large willow tree that provided the best shade on the bank and, consequently, the best fishing. Troy needed a little time to make sure he spoke wisely. Her comment about her mother had opened a small door, and he planned to step through it with caution, so he nodded toward the moss-covered ground. “Why don’t you spread the blanket out there?”
Still looking disheartened, she unfolded the quilt and waved it to catch a little breeze before guiding it to the ground. Then she sat down and looked out across the pond. “It’s so peaceful here, isn’t it?”
Troy placed the noisy crickets by the tree trunk, then put the fishing poles beside the quilt before sitting near her. He didn’t rush into getting ready to fish but instead joined her in taking in the serenity of the place.
God, give me the right words here, please. I can feel my heart pulling toward her, and I want to help her now. She may have been given a lot of things in her life, but I can sense she’s missed out on even more.
He could tell there was friction with her mother, and he hated that. Family squabbles could weigh you down, especially if you feel you’ve disappointed your family. He knew what that was like, but he also knew how great it felt once you worked things out. Maybe his experience could help Destiny. “Your business that you started, was that with your writing?”
She nodded. “I’m writing on my own now. It isn’t the fact that I’ve chosen writing as a profession that bothers her, but that I haven’t submitted anything to a publisher and tried to get my work in front of more people.” She sighed. “Or I assume that’s what bothers her. We don’t talk a lot.” She shook her head. “Or rather we talk a good bit, but we don’t say all that much.”
Troy understood. “Back when I graduated from high school, my family wanted me to go to college. I’d gotten a few scholarship offers to play ball, and they wanted me to take one.”
Her eyes were still moist, making the bright blue glisten in the morning sun. She focused on his words and seemed to realize that he’d been in a situation not all that different from hers. “But you didn’t?”
He shook his head. “We’ve got a big family, and because of that, we always had a lot of vehicles around. Cars, trucks, tractors, hay balers, you name it. I started tinkering around with them when I was barely big enough to hold a wrench, and I knew in my heart that that’s what I wanted to do, work on engines, make things run. What I really love is to bring an old one back to life again, give something that’s past its prime a new reason to shine.”
She ran her hand along the length of her ponytail, curling the tip around her fingers, and Troy found himself wondering whether that chocolate lock was as silky as it looked. “So you turned down the scholarship and started working at the filling station?”
Troy took his attention away from her ponytail. “Not to start with. I wanted to make sure that when I started working, I knew what I was doing, so I got a two-year degree from the trade school in Stockville and fine-tuned my skills, made sure I knew what was what about all types of vehicles. And then I talked to Bo and Maura about the potential of buying the business.”
Her eyes widened. “Buying the business? You own the mechanic shop by their station?”
Troy had always felt good about his investment, but never as much as right now, hearing more than a hint of admiration in Destiny’s question. But he didn’t want her to overestimate his achievement. “Well, I don’t own it yet, but I’m working on it.” He’d been making extra payments, in fact, and should own it outright by this time next year.
“Troy, that’s wonderful. And I’m guessing that when your family saw how well you were doing at the station, then they were okay about you turning down those scholarships?”
“I think they were okay once they saw that I was happy without going off to college. For some reason they all assumed that in order to feel successful, I’d need to move away from Claremont.” He grinned. “Not sure where they got that, since they’re all still here.”
“The thing is,” she whispered, then cleared her throat and continued, “my mom’s right, at least partially. My big, pie-in-the-sky dream is to have a book published by a big publisher, to see something I’ve written in a brick-and-mortar store, instead of only online.” She looked at Troy and one corner of her mouth lifted. “But if I admitted that to her, then she’d have that much more ammunition against my current online venture.”
“Your writing is online?”
She nodded. “It’s a digital magazine, and it’s doing okay. And I’m the owner, my own boss, which is nice. Rita, my friend I mentioned, works with me and does an amazing job.”
“I’ll be honest. I don’t think I’ve ever viewed an online magazine. I’m sure that’s the way things are going, everything digital and all, but I really don’t spend a whole lot of time on the internet. I usually get on long enough to order whatever I need for the shop, maybe pull up information on how to service a vehicle I haven’t worked on before, but that’s pretty much it. I don’t suppose your magazine would have any of that type of information, huh?”
“No, we publish stories about―” she paused “―relationships.”
“That’s why you wanted to write about Marvin and Mae,” Troy reasoned.
“Yes. Our subscribers enjoy hearing love stories.” She reached toward a long sliver of grass, snapped it from the ground and then ran it between her fingers. “Marvin and Mae’s story was popular with our readers, and I enjoy sharing stories like that....” Her voice drifted off.
“But you’d like to have a real book of yours to hold.”
She nodded, then grinned. “However, should you ever meet my mother, you probably shouldn’t mention that.”
“Noted.” He watched the sliver of grass move as she rolled it between her fingers and knew her mind was somewhere else, probably on her family. Troy didn’t know enough about that situation to ask, but he’d never known of time spent fishing that didn’t coincide with time spent confiding. And he wanted Destiny to confide in him, wanted to know as much as he could about the lady. “You ready to fish?” he asked.
She peered out over the pond at the families on the other side. “Yes,” she said with a smile. “I bet they’re all wondering why we’re taking so long getting started, huh?”
“Nah, lots of folks come out here to enjoy the scenery. But I promised to teach you how to fish, and I’m not into breaking promises.”
A look passed over her face that Troy couldn’t make out, but she quickly converted it to a smile and said, “Then teach me how to fish.”
* * *
Destiny watched as he reached for one of the bamboo poles. He was so comfortable here, sitting on a blanket beside the pond and telling her about his family, his job, his dreams. He was beautiful, inside and out. And the fact that she knew so much about him from his letters only drew her to him more. She’d almost let it slip, mentioning his sensitivity like someone who knew him well. But she did know him well, very well, from reading those letters. When she told him about her magazine, she’d feared he would ask her the name of her website or ask to read some of the things she’d written. But he hadn’t. Probably because he’d read—and written—plenty of relationship stories of his own over the past fifteen years.
If he had, she c
ould have mentioned that she wanted to publish love letters. But in any case, it hadn’t seemed the right time. Or maybe she was too scared that he might see right through her and then this—whatever it was between them—would end.
Destiny did not want it to end.
He handed her the fishing pole and she found that her hands lingered a little longer than they should, touching his in the exchange. She realized that her heart tripped at the briefest contact with this man. Glancing up, she found that his eyes were also focused on their hands.
He exhaled thickly and smiled. “That feel okay for you?”
She assumed all bamboo poles felt the same, but she nodded. “Feels fine.” More than fine, really, while he still held on.
Then he slid his hands away and withdrew a red-and-white cork from his pocket. “This will float on top of the water. When it goes under, you’ll know you’ve got something.”
“A fish, you mean.” She watched his capable hands knot the cork in place.
He smiled. “Well, that’s what we’re hoping takes your bait.”
“What else might take my bait?”
“Turtles or―” He stopped, his mouth open, then snapped it closed. “Just turtles.”
“No, you were going to say something else.” She scanned the water and thought about other things that might take bait. “Tell me there aren’t any snakes out here.”
“Haven’t seen any in a while, and even if there were, I’m sure they wouldn’t be interested in our crickets.” He gave her what he probably assumed was a reassuring smile.
Destiny wasn’t reassured. “How long is ‘a while,’ exactly?”
His eyes focused on hers, and for a slight moment, she was certain they lowered to her mouth. Suddenly she forgot all about snakes, and anything else, and wondered if he were going to act on his current thought. Please.
His eyes slowly moved back to hers, and finally he said, “I promise, I’ll take care of you.”
Destiny nodded, believing every word. He would take care of her, because Troy was the kind of guy who made a promise and followed through with it. Even if she didn’t get a kiss, whatever had happened just now between them was pretty awesome.
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