“Hi yourself,” she said. “I thought you’d gone home.”
“I was helping with the cleanup. Taking out the trash.”
Her mouth quirked. “A man of many talents, I see. Minister by day, garbage man by night.”
“You look beat,” he said, venturing further into the room.
“I feel like I’ve been beaten,” she said, with a bone-deep sigh.
“You did a great job under the circumstances.”
“I did all right.”
Drop the garbage and go, Seth. Do it now.
Rather than obey the inner warning, Seth leaned against the counter. “So, I keep hearing rumors about the bride’s dress.”
Her eyes widened. “You know?”
“One of the bridesmaids blabbed. Everyone’s been talking about it. Ingenious of you.”
“It’s called desperation. I still can’t believe it worked.”
“I only wish I could’ve seen the look on Maureen’s face when you suggested cutting her wedding gown,” he said, with a soft chuckle.
She waggled her eyebrows. “You should have seen her face when I suggested her husband might like cutting her out of it later.”
He tilted his head. “Cutting her out of it?”
“Yeah, you know, on their honeymoon,” Julia said, with a wink.
Seth started thinking about scissors and a dress… and her. His eyes darkened, and he cleared his throat.
They stared at each other. Julia shifted, and for the first time Seth could recall, she blushed. He watched the pale, reddish tone rise in her cheeks, and a corresponding heat rose in him.
Next time… run.
Chapter Four
Morning came much too early. Bright sunlight pierced through the window as Julia pried open one eye. She immediately slapped a hand over her face.
Did it ever get cloudy in Covington Falls?
Peering between her fingers, she glanced at the clock on the bedside table. She’d slept later than she could ever remember. Who knew playing cruise director for a wedding would turn out to be so exhausting? Julia got up and looked out the window. What she needed was a good run. Back home she’d been fanatical about getting in her daily three miles, and she’d been shamefully neglectful about it here.
Within minutes she was pounding down the pavement, enjoying the stretch and pull of muscles. At the end of the block she turned right. Downtown was to the left, but right now she needed open space. Within minutes she was jogging past Lake Rice. The sun glittered off the water like a million diamonds. It wasn’t a big lake, but it was certainly picturesque. Surrounding the lake were trees of all varieties from ancient oaks and tall pines to graceful magnolias.
Rounding the curve of the lake, Julia came upon the very falls that gave the town its name. Rising over six feet high, the water tumbled over black slate rocks and gushed down into a shallow reservoir. Lush foliage and flowering plants surrounded the pool of water. She paused a moment to drink in the sight, then continued on around the lake.
By the time she turned back onto the street leading to Grace’s house, Julia felt much more relaxed. She bypassed the front porch, in favor of the kitchen door at the back of the house.
“Hello.”
She yelped and spun around to find Grace’s husband, John, sitting at the kitchen table.
“Sorry,” he said, with deliberate emphasis. “Did not mean… to scare… you.”
His speech was clear, but halting, as if he had to search for the right words. He smiled, and one corner of his mouth curled up while the other side drooped down, giving the impression of a tilted question mark. Julia’s encounters with Grace’s husband had been brief so far, as he spent a lot of time in his room. This was the first time Julia had seen him in the kitchen.
There was no way for Julia to escape and not seem rude, so she conjured up an answering smile. “Hi.”
With his good hand, John Graham gestured to a chair across from him. “Join me?”
Okay, not getting out of the room without a confrontation. Julia sidled closer and perched on the edge of the chair, her mind skittering over possible topics of conversation. What could she say to him anyway?
“Grace is so… happy… to have you here,” John said, solving the dilemma.
She relaxed. John’s crystal blue eyes, which he’d passed on to his son, still twinkled with gentleness and good humor despite his physical and verbal limitations.
“You think so?” Julia asked. She couldn’t get over the feeling Grace was only being polite. How happy could she be having the living reminder of a disastrous marriage living in her house again?
John nodded. “She likes… having all her… children… close.”
“I’m not her real daughter.”
“In her heart you are.”
“I think sometimes her heart is too easily won,” Julia said, thinking of her father. How in the world had he managed to fool someone as discerning as Grace?
John rubbed a finger across the plain gold band adorning his left hand. “Not always.”
Julia watched the gesture, her interest in a man she barely remembered growing. “She gave you a fight? How did the two of you happen anyway? You lived next door for years, and then one day you looked over here and decided you wanted to marry Grace?”
“I’ve known Grace since… we were five. We were all friends.”
“All?”
“Grace, Sam, me, and Susan. My wife. Susan passed, and I couldn’t—” For a moment the light in his eyes dimmed.
Julia could almost see decades’ worth of memories flash across his face. She reached for his hand, seeking to bring him back to the present. “Couldn’t what?”
“I couldn’t be… in the house. I would sit… on the porch. All day.”
Father and son were so much alike, Julia thought. Both trying to escape places containing endless could-have-beens. “I’m sorry.”
“Grace would come and sit with me,” John continued. “We talked. I fell in love with her. I wasn’t sure she would ever… take a chance. After everything.”
“With my father, you mean?”
John nodded. “He hurt her… She was not… the same. Sad. Lonely.”
“But you wore her down and convinced her?”
A dry chuckle rumbled through his chest. “I did.”
Julia sat back and rested her chin in her hand, regarding him with a smile. She wished now she’d paid more attention to the man across the street, back in the day. She had few memories of John as a solid, healthy, and vital man. “If it means anything, I think you make Grace very happy.”
The lopsided question mark that made up his smile returned. “Thank you.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Church will be over soon.”
John struggled to stand, and she jumped up to help him to his feet. “Are you running away?” Julia asked.
“People will… come for lunch. It is… hard… with so many people talking. Wears me out.”
“No kidding.”
He gestured to her clothes. “You should go… get ready. People will not just come… for lunch. Come to… see you.”
Julia looked down. Her jogging outfit was sweaty and gross. She had a feeling greeting visitors smelling like a wet, odorous dog wouldn’t make the best impression. “Right. I’ll go shower and change.”
“Do not let them scare you,” he said, with a wink.
“I don’t scare easily.”
He patted her cheek. “Just remember… most of them… mean no harm.”
Her mind latched on to the most important word. “Most of them? What about the rest?”
“They have… nothing better to do than… get in your business.”
Forty minutes later Julia was showered, dressed, and ready to do battle with anyone not included in the “most” category. For the past fifteen minutes she’d heard a chorus of car doors slamming. A glance out the window revealed a packed driveway, along with more cars parked down the street.
Julia heard voices as s
oon as she left her room. She didn’t get halfway down the stairs before being spotted. The lookout was a short, round woman with snow-white hair. Dressed in a navy, polka dot dress she looked like the grandmother from Little Red Riding Hood. Julia wondered if Granny had big teeth to eat her with.
“There you are,” Grandma Riding Hood said as Julia approached. “Grace told me to be on the lookout for you.”
“Was she afraid I might get lost?”
“I think she was worried you might take one look at the horde in the living room and run right back up the stairs,” the other woman said.
Grace wasn’t far off. Julia’s hands felt clammy, and sweat had started to form on her brow.
Get a grip, Julia. They’re church members, not hit men.
“I’m Edith Austin,” the older woman said.
“Austin? Are you related to Sarah’s husband?”
“I’m his mother,” she said, weaving a hand through Julia’s elbow and heading toward the living room. “I’m so grateful you agreed to help out my son and daughter-in-law. It’s an incredible thing you’re doing, especially considering everything.”
Julia glanced over, wondering if this was where she caught it for being related to the no-good scoundrel who broke poor Grace’s heart. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t imagine it’s easy to come back here after what happened between your father and Grace.”
“It is a bit awkward.”
“Plus, it’s been such a long time since you lived here. You barely kept in touch all these years, and yet you agreed to put your life on hold for Sarah and Eric. It’s amazing.”
“Grace was good to me. It’s the least I can do.”
Edith smiled. “You’re a good girl.”
Julia was still gaping at Edith’s last comment when they reached the living room and were instantly surrounded by a ring of people. Edith made the introductions and then started to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Julia called after her.
“I have to finish the potato salad.”
“But—”
Just then Betsy bounded up. “Hi, Julia.”
Julia had never been so glad to see a familiar face in her life. She even allowed her assistant to drag her around the room making introductions.
“Do you remember Mary-Ellen Carter?” Betsy asked, as they stopped in front of a stout, grey-haired woman. “She lives across the street.”
Julia did actually. “Hello. You’re looking well.”
“Thank you,” Mrs. Carter said. “You’ve turned into a beautiful woman. Of course, you were lovely even as a girl, so it’s no surprise.”
“Thank you,” she said, caught off guard by the effusive greeting.
Julia definitely remembered the next woman in the circle. She’d been her ninth grade English teacher. The woman had been in her early twenties then and had been one of the few teachers to make her feel truly welcome.
“Mrs. Shannon,” Julia said, giving her a hug.
“You do remember,” her former teacher said, looking pleased.
“Of course. Are you still teaching?”
“Oh, yes. I hope you’ll stop by for a visit.”
Or maybe not. Julia swallowed. “Mm—”
Betsy gestured to a young woman about Julia’s age. She looked familiar, but Julia couldn’t recall the name.
“This is Nicole Rivers,” Betsy said.
“You might remember me as Nicole Coleman,” she said, holding out her hand.
A light dawned. “Oh. Nicole. We had chemistry together, right?”
“Right. We also used to go to The Old Diner after school.”
How could Julia have forgotten her? Nicole was the closest thing she’d had to a friend in those days. Of course, Nicole had been skinny as a rail with hair half way down her back then. Now, she was rounder, and the hair was cut in a short bob.
Nicole grinned, as if reading Julia’s mind. “I know, I look a little different, but what can I say? I’ve had four kids. Figure goes to pot, and who has time to deal with long hair?”
Julia goggled in amazement. “Four? Wow.”
“Two sets of twins. You’ll have to stop by one day and meet my family.”
“Mm—”
Julia and Betsy slowly made their way around the room, stopping to greet people. Some of them Julia remembered, but the majority she had no clue about. Most seemed to remember her, though. She didn’t know if everyone had come to an agreement, but surprisingly not one person mentioned her father.
Although, what could anyone say without sounding rude or awkward?
Finally, they made it to the kitchen. The place was a regular beehive of activity. Several women were serving up food. The countertops were overflowing with dishes. There was a ham, roast beef, green beans, mashed potatoes, potato salad, and several different kinds of pies and cakes for dessert.
Grace was right in the middle of the chaos, directing traffic. She spotted Julia and rushed over. “There you are. I was worried you’d escaped after Edith left you.”
“Betsy made sure I didn’t bolt.”
She smiled at Betsy. “Thank you for looking out for her.”
“I’m happy to help,” Betsy said.
Grace looked around the kitchen. “I think everything is ready. Betsy, could you find Seth so he can pray before we eat?”
Seth was summarily fetched, prayer commenced, and serving began. As the kitchen started to empty out, Julia stepped up to the line to fill her plate.
“Hi.”
Julia looked over her shoulder. Another delicate-looking blonde was standing behind her. Was no one over 5’2” in this town? And where had they put the dark-haired people? Aside from Seth, she hadn’t seen more than a handful since she’d arrived. This particular dainty blonde looked like she’d stepped out of a 50s-inspired window display. She was wearing a pink, flowery dress, complete with a little, white collar, and matching, three-inch pink pumps. Her honey-blond hair fell in soft waves to her shoulders.
“You’re Julia,” the woman said.
“How’d you guess?”
The young woman didn’t answer. Instead, her eyes drifted down and then back up. Julia had the odd feeling the strange woman was cataloging every detail. When the inspection was over Julia was quite certain she’d come up wanting, and this somehow pleased the newcomer.
“So, you’re the long-lost daughter.”
This was the strangest conversation Julia had ever had. “Long-lost stepdaughter if you want to get technical about it. Who are you?”
“Oh, I do declare,” she said, oozing sugar out of her pores. “I am bein’ so rude. I’m Amy Vining.”
Julia didn’t know people actually said “I do declare” anymore.
“When I heard you were livin’ here, I got a touch jealous,” Amy said.
“Jealous? Of what?”
Amy leaned in closer as if she was about to impart a state secret. “The truth is, I’ve had my eye on a certain preacher since I was a little girl.”
“You mean Seth?”
Amy nodded, and her expression turned dreamy. Good grief, Julia hoped she didn’t turn into such a sop when she saw Seth in a pair of jeans.
Hey, weren’t you going to stop thinking about him?
“I know he loved his wife very much, but a man still needs a companion,” Amy said. “When I heard you were going to be living with Grace, I did worry. After all, you’re not his sister, and I had heard several people remark on how stunning you are.”
“I can assure you there is nothing going on between Seth and I.”
And nothing is ever going to go on between us. Right, Julia?
Amy giggled. “I realized how silly the whole idea was the moment I saw you.”
Had she just been insulted?
Apparently, her expression indicated she had because Amy giggled again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. You are beautiful, of course, but Seth’s wife was such a delicate creature. Ethereal and so spiritual. Why,
the love of Christ shone all around her.”
Oh, now Julia understood where this little inquisition was going. “A little bit like you perhaps?”
Amy bowed her head, making a believable attempt to look modest. “I could only hope to share some of Beth’s finer qualities.”
I’ve landed in another universe populated by little blonde people who talk in riddles, Julia thought.
“I see you two have met,” a male voice said from behind them.
It was Seth. Even if Julia hadn’t recognized the voice, Amy’s gushing smile would have been a tip off. It was truly a thing to behold.
Seth didn’t seem to notice. “I was planning on introducing you two, but I see Amy beat me to it.”
Amy was still in full gushing mode. “I simply had to come and welcome your… um… Julia.”
Julia smothered a smile as Amy stumbled over the title. Actually, she couldn’t be faulted there. Julia didn’t even know how to describe her relationship to this family.
“It’s amazing Julia would be so generous as to come here and help Sarah like this,” Amy continued.
“Yes, we’re all grateful,” Seth said, oblivious to Amy’s adoration. He focused on Julia. “I understand you had an interesting conversation with my dad.”
“How did you know?”
“I stopped in to visit with him when I got here. He told me you’d had breakfast together. I think he was impressed with you.”
“I like him, too.”
Seth chuckled. “He thought you were sweet.”
Julia crossed her arms and huffed. “I’m starting to think I need to work harder to maintain my image.”
“Maybe a little softness is a good thing.”
“Softness is just another word for vulnerable.”
He took a step closer, his expression serious. “When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable we often discover the sweetest treasures to be had in life.”
“You mean like love?” Julia asked, with a brittle laugh.
“Among other things. I’ve always believed God speaks to me when I’m vulnerable enough to admit I can’t do it on my own.”
“I haven’t done too bad on my own.”
Marry Me Page 6
