"Audrey is easy to get along with," Ben assured them, though he'd had his tussles with her and she’d often won.
"Do you like my mom?" Wyatt turned from the window and looked at Ben.
He could feel the heat rise in his cheeks. "I … well … of course. She's very nice."
"No. Do you like her as a girl?" he pressed, and Zane moved in to stand next to his brother.
Both sets of identical eyes stared up at him.
Ben swallowed hard. "Of course I like her. And as a girl, she's great."
"She needs a new husband."
Now he could feel the air in his lungs grow thicker. "Did she tell you that?"
The boys exchanged looks. Zane shook his head. "No, but moms should be married."
"Not all of them have to be," Ben assured them. "But when the right guy comes around, I'm sure your mother will be happy with him."
The boys exchanged glances again and then headed down the street with Ben lagging behind.
Did the boys expect him to marry their mother? Hell, he could hardly talk to her. The whole situation was uncomfortable.
This was just one more reason he couldn't wait until the wedding was over and he was back home, alone, in his little house where no one questioned him.
7
When Ben and the boys returned to the reception, they found Nichole and Laura on the dance floor. He figured they’d been gone long enough, all of the traditional stuff seemed to be over.
When Laura saw her brothers, she ran to them and grabbed each of their hands. Her idea of dancing looked like a rendition of Ring Around the Rosie to him.
His mouth went dry when he noticed Nichole's eyes raised to his. This was it. He had promised her to dance, and his mother would still come after him if he didn't follow up on that.
Ben walked to her as guests and family gathered on the dance floor. The kids continued to giggle and dance.
"It seems as good a time as any to collect on that dance I promised," he said as he reached his hand out to her.
Even in the dim light, he was sure her cheeks flushed.
Nichole took his hand and rested the other on his shoulder, as he placed his on the small of her back. He was a horrible dancer. Back and forth, and back and forth. Surely she wouldn't want to do this too many times.
Nichole chuckled. "I've never been very good at this. If I step on your feet, I'm very sorry."
That made him laugh. "I was just thinking I'm a horrible dancer. I guess they'll ask us to leave the floor if we cause too much harm to the other dancers."
The laugh that erupted from Nichole warmed his heart. She was a lovely woman. Her laugh was as infectious as was her smile.
The kids bumped into them, and Ben noticed it had caused Nichole to step in closer to him. He adjusted his hand behind her and kept her close.
All three of the kids laughed as they danced in circles and other young children joined them. Ben's family laughed, and it all became infectious, just as Nichole's had been.
Soon the other dancers moved to the outside of the dance floor, and the children took over. There were at least ten of them of all ages and sizes. They danced to the music and spun in circles until they fell. The DJ took that as his cue and started the chicken dance.
Just as Ben was going to comment, Nichole let out a groan. "I love weddings. I really do love weddings. But I hate this dance."
"So do I."
"I'll buy you a beer," she offered with a smile since he knew it was an open bar. "Let's get out of here."
How can you turn down that offer?
They each waved at the kids and walked across the dance floor to the other side. His father gave him a pat on the back as he gathered his drink from the bar and turned to greet another guest. Ben ordered them each a beer and then handed Nichole hers.
She tipped the neck of the beer toward him. "Here's to avoiding that stupid dance."
"Back at you." He tapped his bottle to hers and then took a long pull. "Your kids don't seem to mind that song."
"If it's a silly song that will get stuck in your head, Zane is the first one to sing it until I think my head is going to explode." She smiled behind her beer and then took a sip. "If he hears a song once he knows all the words. Considering the music my ex-husband used to listen to, that wasn't always a good thing."
"Repeated everything he heard?"
"Remember how parents used to wash your mouth out with soap when you said something?"
Ben gave her a shrug. "I heard that it was done. But my mother only threatened."
"Let's say that if I did it to that child, he'd still have soap coming out between his teeth."
The comment made him chuckle. He couldn't imagine someone as sweet as Nichole shoving soap in a child's mouth.
They managed their way back to the table, and the children followed as the garter was taken from his cousin's leg. This was another tradition he didn't understand. But because his brother Gerald pulled him from his chair, he went out on the dance floor, and when Gregory flung the garter into the crowd, it landed right in his hand which hung at his side.
There was an omen that went with the garter, and he wasn't a fan. The slaps on his back in the comments whispered in his ear were congratulations. It was old wives’ tales as far as he was concerned.
He put the garter on his arm and went back to the table. All three of the kids wanted to see it, and Wyatt was quick to ask what it was all about. Nichole gave him an easy explanation which seemed to satisfy him. "Legend says that Ben will be the next man to get married."
When Audrey went to the dance floor with her bouquet, and the women moved in a bunch toward the center of the room, Wyatt focused on Nichole.
"Are you supposed to catch a stretchy thing, too?"
"No, the bride throws her bouquet."
"Why?"
"Tradition says the single woman who catches it is the next one to get married."
Wyatt and Zane exchange glances. "Then you're supposed to be out there."
"I have no intention of getting remarried," she said clearly. "I'm fine sitting here."
The countdown from the floor began. Three… Two… One.
Audrey gave the bouquet a grand fling behind her. It soared over the hands reaching into the air, and squeals and moans from all of the single women could be heard at a deafening pitch.
The bouquet flew over the crowd and into the tables and landed right in front of Nichole. Everyone in the room applauded, and even Zane and Wyatt squealed with delight.
He saw the horror cross Nichole's face, though she tried to plaster a smile on her lips. Then, Audrey and Gregory hurried to the table, taking each of them by the hand.
"Now you have to dance," Audrey instructed. "Together."
"But we've already danced together," Nichole argued as she was pulled to the dance floor.
"Ah, but that was before you were destined." Audrey kissed her on the cheek and hurried back toward her table with her husband in tow.
Ben had thought their first dance was nerve-wracking, but now the spotlight was on them, literally. When Nichole took his offered hand, he felt it shake, and her pulse had quickened. The smile was still pressed to her lips, but as he pulled her closer, he could feel her tremble.
"It'll be over in a moment," he whispered in her ear.
"When you promised me a dance, I didn't expect to have an audience."
Neither had he.
"Your kids have the strangest grins on their faces."
Nichole turned to look at them as Laura bounded out to them. The ah's resonated around the room as Nichole picked her up and Laura turned to put her arms around Ben's neck. He shifted to support her. He wasn't sure he'd ever held a two-year-old before.
"I guess she didn't want to be left out," Nichole said as she motioned for her boys to join them. She held hands with both of them as the music continued and Ben danced with Laura clinging to him as if he were hers.
Something washed over him, through him, as he thought of
the little family enjoying the very uncomfortable moment. It was a warmth he'd never quite known. He was extremely close to his family, but this was different. This was seeing the unity of a family as an adult, and from the inside.
He swallowed hard as the song changed and others took to the dance floor, but Laura kept her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
Well, hell. He'd been attracted to their mother, but now he found he was taken by the kids too.
Ben could be a good friend to them. That much he knew.
8
It was hard to get back to work Tuesday morning. The boys had talked about Ben all weekend, and Monday night at dinner they asked when he was coming around again. Laura had even gone and renamed one of her favorite stuffed dogs Ben.
Nichole had managed to give them an answer, with a smile, which satisfied them, though she had no idea when he'd come back around. She tried to explain he lived out in the country and didn't come to town that often, but that didn't seem to faze them. He'd won them over somehow. She only hoped they'd soon forget about him. Ben Walker, though easy on the eyes, wasn't one to get mixed up with a single mother. Or she had to assume. Nervous energy resonated off of him each time she was near him.
Nichole folded towels in the back room before her first client. Coffee brewed in the pot, and her music played through the speakers. It was a good way to start each morning, she thought.
The bell above the front door startled her. With a towel still in her hand, she walked toward the front to see Lydia, her large leather messenger bag strapped across her.
"Oh, good. You have coffee. Can I help myself?" she asked as she walked toward the pot.
"Of course," Nichole said with a laugh as she went back to her pile of towels. Lydia poured herself a mug full of coffee.
Setting her coffee on the small table in the center of the room, and then following it with her bag, Lydia pulled out a chair and plopped down into it. She shook her short crop of chestnut hair and picked up her mug. "What a weekend, huh?"
"It was wonderful. Have you heard from the newlyweds?" she asked as she took her first sip from her mug.
"No. Pearl says they flew out Sunday afternoon to California. They were going to stay at Gregory's house out there for a few days and then head to Cabo."
Nichole heard her own sigh before she realized she'd even let one out. Forcing a smile back to her lips, she reached for another towel. "I'm happy for them. I'm happier that they're going to settle here. I was a little afraid they'd move to California, and she'd close the shop."
Lydia laughed. "She could never leave her family. And I don't think she could leave this either," she said, looking around the room. "She's awfully proud of what she built here."
Nichole was proud of it too, and knew just how damn lucky she was to be part of it. "So, what's with the business case?" she asked, nodding at Lydia's messenger bag.
With eyes wide, Lydia pulled a notebook from the bag and set it on the table. "We're having a spring open house for the Bridal Mecca." She opened the notebook. "Actually, it'll be for the whole street when I'm done. I have meetings with the barber shop, the deli, and the antique store today."
Nichole set down the towel she was folding and sat down at the table across from Lydia. "This looks like a whole carnival," she said, looking at the concept drawing Lydia had pushed toward her.
"We're going to close down the street on a Saturday afternoon. All of the businesses will stay open, offer a gift or something. We will have the restaurants offer the food and drink. I'll have some games and music at the reception hall, but I want it to be a community event. I'm going to line the street with tables from the hall and Susan is going to make cupcakes." She took out another list and looked it over. "Audrey was going to have shampoo samples and things like that. I'm sure she'll talk to you about that when she gets back."
"I'm sure she will." Nichole looked at the drawings again. "Jake and Missy are going to have their race cars here?"
Lydia laughed. "They repainted them. His and Hers. It's a riot. But they are looking for some additional sponsorship and thought it would be a good time to show them off."
Nichole knew that Lydia sponsored Jake's car, so she could only assume it would boost Lydia's other businesses too. She had to admire her business sense.
Lydia closed up the book. "I'd better get to my first meeting. The printer will have the banners done today for the street lights and posters for every business."
"I can help pass those out if you'd like."
Lydia placed a hand on Nichole's. "I'd like that," she said as she placed her book back into the messenger bag and took another long sip of coffee before she stood to leave. "Oh, hey, how are things going with you and Ben?"
"Me and Ben?"
"Ya." Lydia swung the bag over her head and rested it across her. "You guys looked cozy at the wedding, not to mention you caught the flowers and he caught the garter."
Nichole let out a laugh. "We had a nice time and the kids like him. He's a sweet guy. But there's nothing going on between Ben Walker and me."
Lydia let out a deflated sigh. "That's too bad. You two would be cute together."
"Why not you and Ben then?"
Now Lydia laughed. "He's like a brother to me. No thank you. Okay, I'm off. I'll bring the posters by when I get them."
She left the salon with a little wave, and Nichole was sure she was whistling, too. Lydia Morgan was a wonder to Nichole. Her go-go attitude and her savvy business sense was something she couldn't help but envy. Nichole thought there was a bit of sadness to Lydia too, though it never showed through that peppy exterior. It lingered in her eyes and hinted in the crease of her smile. Perhaps she was lonely. Most of her friends were getting married and having families. Nichole knew how that felt. She knew what it was like to have that marriage crumble around her, too, and to wonder why everyone else got to have a happily ever after.
She shook her head and stood from the table as the bell above the door chimed. Enough wallowing in her self-pity brought on by the curiosity of a friend.
It was time to get to work.
"Hey, Marshall," Nichole called as she saw a man with a scraggly head of hair walk through the door.
"Hey."
"Have a seat in my chair. I'll be right with you."
Marshall Collins was one of her first clients when she'd moved to Georgia. His mother had set up the appointment when Nichole was still cutting in her kitchen. Nichole wasn't foolish enough to think his mother was simply helping Nichole build a clientele. No, she was matchmaking. Lucky for Nichole, Marshall had no interest in her at all. None. For a while, she figured she was the wrong gender. But after she'd gotten to know him, he just wasn't made for socializing. He liked working from home, a software designer of some kind. There was an online social aspect he could deal with, and he never had to leave his home office. Marshall could hold a conversation for a few minutes, but then she knew he got nervous. Perhaps she should be honored that he came in each month, or two, or three, to see her.
She walked to him, placed her hand on his shoulder, and looked at him in the mirror. "It's nice to see you, Marshall. How's your mom?"
That began the conversation as Nichole got to work, forgetting about the weekend and that Lydia had images of her and Ben in her head, just as her children did, too.
9
Ben stood looking out the window over his sink at the vast, sprawling land outside his front door. They'd moved the cattle into the pasture just to the south, and there was some comfort in the noise and the movement.
Knowing Susan was going to stop by, Ben had gotten busy cleaning the pile of dishes in his sink. He figured his mother made her drop by, fully announced, so that he would clean his house. Well, it worked.
Just as he set the last plate in the drying rack, Susan's car bounced over the hill, a plume of dust following.
Ben dried his hands and headed out to meet her. As Susan stepped out of the car, he heard his niece wailing from the back seat.
<
br /> "She's not happy," he offered.
"She's hungry. Hate to do it to you, but I need twenty minutes on your couch."
It took everything he had not to wince. The thought of Susan sitting in his house with her breast out made him a bit uncomfortable. This was his brother's wife. It wasn't something he should see.
"No problem. I'll get the stuff out of the back. What did you bring?"
"I had a bridal shower in town yesterday, and they over-ordered. And because I didn't like the mother of the bride and her snippy ways, I brought all the leftovers back. You should have lunch for the rest the week."
Susan lifted the baby from the car and cradled her against her shoulder. "Bring it in and then come sit with me. I could use the conversation," she said as she turned, not giving him a chance to argue.
He watched his sister-in-law slip through the front door as she consoled her daughter. It was as natural to see Susan with a baby as it was for him to want to hide in the kitchen, or out in the barn when she was feeding her.
On a curse, Ben pulled the two boxes from the back seat and carried them into the house.
He caught a glimpse of Susan on the couch, a sheer blanket covering her chest and most of the baby. Ben quickly moved to the kitchen and set the boxes on the counter.
There was nothing wrong with breastfeeding a baby, and Ben would be on the front line to make sure all women had the right to do so. But he had to admit he was grateful that she covered up for his sanity.
Taking his time, he put the leftovers in his bare fridge. Yes, he was grateful for his sister-in-law.
"Don't tell me you're avoiding me," Susan called from the other room. "When you come out here can you bring me a glass of water?"
Ben let out a long breath. "Yeah. I'll be there in a moment."
He pulled a glass from the cupboard and filled it with ice and water, then he gave himself a little pep talk, and walked out to the living room.
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