Smitten Book Club

by Colleen Coble

  After she and Grace stopped for lunch, she finally pulled up to the mall. She hesitated. Surely Joey wouldn’t mind if she took Grace into Kohl’s. It wouldn’t actually be going inside the mall—they’d just be entering a single store from the outside entrance.

  “All right, Grace, grab your doll bag and let’s go. This is our last stop, sweetie.”

  Grace smiled and grabbed her things.

  Holding hands, they walked through the entrance, and Lia looked at all the last-minute shoppers. “Guess we’re not the only ones,” she said to Grace with a smile.

  Christmas displays still flashed, and the loudspeaker announced special deals as shoppers milled around. Lia took Grace to Customer Service, where she picked up her package of curtains. As they made their way back through the store, Lia watched Grace closely. She seemed perfectly fine.

  Can we look at the toys, Ms. Burton? she signed.

  “Sure.” Lia took her over to the toy section, where Grace reveled in the selection of dolls and playthings.

  After a while Grace had had her fill. She looked up at Lia and signed, Cocoa, with extra marshmallows?

  Lia agreed with a smile and they headed for the door. Just as they were going out to the parking lot, they met Joey coming in. His face turned from shock to anger.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I told you I had errands to run.”

  “This is a mall, Elliana. Don’t you care about Grace at all?”

  “Joey, of course I do! We just went in and out of Kohl’s—we didn’t go into the actual mall, so I thought it was okay.”

  He pulled a wide-eyed Grace to him. “Well, you thought wrong. I thought I could trust you with Grace.”

  She didn’t appreciate how small he made her feel. Incapable. Which also made her furious. “You have no right to talk to me this way. Parents entrust their children to me every day. Grace and I had a great time, actually. And now you’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

  “It may not be a big deal to you, but it’s all about trust. I need to be able to trust you with my daughter. It’s a deal breaker for me.” With that he stomped toward the parking lot with Grace, while Lia watched after them open-mouthed. She hardly knew what had just happened.

  The windows on his truck fogged up while Joey sat behind the driving wheel and stewed. The shock on Elliana’s face haunted him. What was he thinking? There was no harm done. Grace didn’t even seem to notice she was in a mall. So why had he overreacted? And with the woman he knew now that he loved. He’d blown it. Big time.

  Grace sat sniffling quietly while he drove home. Tiny snowflakes fell on the windshield, and he had to turn on the wipers. He’d go home, get their bags, and they’d head to Burlington for their flight. Maybe the time apart from Elliana would do some good. Still, he couldn’t go away with her thinking he didn’t want to talk to her anymore. He had to make things right.

  If only there was time.

  A gentlewoman must be patient in order for love to take root.

  PEARL CHAMBERS, The Gentlewoman’s Guide to Love and Courtship

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Lia tried to stop the tears. She should have thought it through. She knew Joey didn’t want Grace at the mall. She shouldn’t have rationalized. Had she lost Joey forever?

  She couldn’t help thinking that the rule was more for him, but then, what was he doing there? When he had asked her to watch Grace, she was glad to help. But he could hardly have expected her to stay home when she had so much to do. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and the tears dried up. By the time she got to Smitten Expeditions, Molly’s store, she had pulled herself together. But one step inside, and she knew she’d never get Molly alone to talk. What was she thinking? This was Christmas Eve, after all.

  “Lia, hi. What are you doing here?” Molly’s ponytail bounced with every step.

  “I shouldn’t have come. You’re so busy.”

  Molly grabbed her arm. “Something’s wrong. What is it? Let’s go into my office for a sec.”

  Lia followed her, wishing she hadn’t bothered her at such a busy time.

  “Molly, are these boots still 30 percent off?” a salesperson asked.

  “Yes, the sale is good through today.”

  They stepped through the door of Molly’s office, and Molly turned to Lia. “Now, what’s going on?”

  Lia told her what happened with Joey.

  “Oh, Lia, I’m so sorry.” She hugged her friend. “He’ll come around. It was just the shock of it all that made him react that way.”

  “I guess. I shouldn’t have been so stupid. What if I’ve lost him forever?”

  “I don’t think so. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He’s a man in love.”

  “Oh, I so want to believe it.”

  Molly pulled a couple of tissues from her box on the desk and handed them to Lia.

  “It’s just that he’s leaving for Florida and I won’t see him for ten days. I’ll go crazy wondering what he’s thinking, wondering if he’ll meet someone else—”

  “Now you stop right there. Just give it some time. I know what it’s like for him. He’s lost his spouse, and he’s raising his kid alone, just like me. It’s confusing and overwhelming sometimes. Joey knows you weren’t purposely trying to hurt Grace. He’ll come around.”

  Lia let out a long breath, feeling the tension leave with it. “Thanks, Molly. I’m going to let you get back to work now. Thanks for the pep talk.”

  “Keep the faith, girlfriend. It will all work out.” They walked out the door together, and Lia prayed Molly was right.

  The joy of Christmas had been sucked right out of Lia. She wrapped herself in winter wear and headed toward the church, where her mom had been all afternoon helping to decorate the sanctuary. She couldn’t stay home and sulk on the most wonderful night of the year. Once her car was heated and she was on the road, she turned the radio on to Christmas music. That always lifted her spirits. But all she could see was Joey and how angry he looked when he was at the mall with her. Grace had looked confused and upset, but her hands were silent.

  Lia sighed while another teardrop made a wet track down her cheek. She had to stop. Maybe this was the Lord’s way of showing her it wasn’t right between them.

  But couldn’t they work out these issues? They weren’t so insurmountable. Challenging, yes. Insurmountable, no.

  Still, she wanted to be careful. She didn’t want to push this relationship if God had something else in mind. She had always wanted to follow God’s will for her life—with or without Joey. And once he moved away, she had accepted that it would be without.

  Then he returned to Smitten, and it seemed God had brought them together again for a reason. But only God could help Joey forgive and move forward.

  Lia pulled her car up to the church parking lot, shut off the engine, and rested her head on her gloved hands on the steering wheel. Lord, I need your help to get through this. Please help me focus on you tonight, not my problem with Joey. We are in your hands, and I want your will for our lives. Amen.

  Lia walked by the sheep pen where an angel choir sang nearby and shepherds warmed themselves by a fire. She glanced at her watch. Joey and Grace would be landing in Florida right about now. She hoped they’d have a nice time. Stepping up to the manger scene, she took in the goats, llamas, cow, and Joseph standing by Mary, who cradled a baby in her arms. The cares of the day began to melt off her, and she focused on the gift of Jesus to a lost and hurting world.

  By the time the Christmas Eve service began, Lia was back into the Christmas spirit and resting in God’s direction for her future.

  The church organ played quietly as people stepped into the candlelit sanctuary. A holy hush filled the place, and Lia closed her eyes and basked in the Lord’s presence, thanking him for the peace that filled her soul.

  “Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

  Lia looked up to see Joey and Grace smiling, waiting on her to give the okay to sit down. Lia
’s jaw dropped. “What are you doing here?” she whispered. “Did your flight get cancelled again?”

  “No. We changed our minds.” He looked at Grace, who grinned and nodded.

  Lia was speechless. Was this God’s doing?

  “Can we talk after the service?” he asked.

  “Yes, of course. You want to come over?”

  “That would be great.” He grabbed her hand and held it. She didn’t know what was going on, but evidently he had forgiven her for the mall incident.

  They settled into the music, singing “Joy to the World,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” and finally “Silent Night.” Lia glanced at Grace and saw the little girl’s rapt attention. When the service ended, people quietly filed out.

  Once outside, Lia asked, “Did you get to see the live nativity?”

  “Only briefly,” Joey said. “We didn’t want to miss the service.”

  The three of them walked around so Grace could see the animals. When they arrived at the manger scene, Lia asked Grace if she understood what it meant.

  Grace signed her thoughts about it and warmed Lia’s heart. The child had heard and understood.

  They started walking toward their cars. “You were right about all this,” Joey said. “It is special. Just like you.” He turned and in the shadows of the night reached down and brushed her lips with his own, ever so lightly, yet holding a promise of more. Her heart was light, and she was sure she could float home.

  When they got to Lia’s house, her mom offered Christmas cookies and milk to Grace and sat with her at the table so Lia and Joey could talk alone in the living room. They sat side by side on the sofa, and Joey cupped her hand in his own, then turned to her.

  “I have two gifts for you. Open this one first.”

  It appeared to be a rectangular box. Lia carefully pulled away the wrapping paper and opened the box to find a leather-bound complete set of the Anne of Green Gables series.

  “Your other books looked a bit tattered from years of use,” he said with a laugh.

  “Thank you so much, Joey.”

  “Besides, knowing that Gilbert and Anne finally got together made me think of our story.”

  Her breath caught in her throat.

  “I’ve been a fool, Lia.”

  Lia started to say something, but he stopped her.

  “Let me finish. What you said the other day made a lot of sense. I’m not able to forgive on my own, but I’m willing to be made willing. So that’s what I’ve been praying. God knows my heart. I don’t want to grow bitter. I want God to forgive through me. So that’s how I’m praying.”

  She put her hand on his. “I’m so glad.”

  He sighed. “Then the thing with Grace today. I obviously overreacted. I didn’t know how she would do at a mall for the first time since the tragedy, but I realize she was just fine.” He looked up at Lia. “The resilience of children, right? That’s what you said the other day.”

  Lia nodded.

  “I’ve considered you my best friend from as far back as I can remember.”

  Lia’s stomach clenched. She hoped things didn’t go south from here.

  “But what I didn’t realize was that I’ve loved you that long as well. Remember the day we met? You were all dressed for school, red pigtails down your back. And that new kid—can’t remember his name—accidentally tripped, knocking you into a mud puddle. I remember when you stood up, there was mud on the tip of your nose. You were humiliated—”

  “Thanks for the reminder.” She smiled. “But please, go on.” She couldn’t take her eyes from his smiling face.

  “—but I thought you looked beautiful, and I remember my heart feeling all mushy. I couldn’t admit that to anyone because I’d never liked a girl before that. They all had cooties.”

  She smiled as he covered her hand with his own.

  “That’s when I started asking you to go fishing. I wanted to be with you. I just didn’t understand then that it was love.”

  “Why did you go off to college and get married?”

  “Like I said, I didn’t know it was love. I thought you were my best friend—and you were—I just didn’t know you were so much more than that. I can be dense sometimes.”

  “So I’ve noticed.”

  “Hey.” He squeezed her hand playfully, then brushed an auburn strand from her face. “I love you, Elliana Burton. I always have. I always will.”

  He leaned over and kissed her with controlled passion, passion that made her lips burn and long for more. Tears welled in her eyes when he pulled away.

  “I know you’ll need time to think about this. I’ve only been back since Thanksgiving, and only a few days ago realized my true feelings for you. But since we’ve known each other most of our lives, I hope it won’t come as too much of a shock.”

  Joey got down on his knees then and took a beautiful diamond solitaire from a black box in his pocket. “Elliana Burton, I realize now that I don’t want to be without you, ever. Will you make me the happiest man alive and be my wife?”

  Tears spilled down Lia’s face, and she wrapped her arms around him. “I’ve dreamed of hearing those words from your lips all my life. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!” She pulled him back to the sofa and offered up her lips again—an invitation he lost no time in accepting. She closed her eyes and reveled in his kiss.

  “Does this mean you don’t mind the white coat?”

  She laughed. “As long as you won’t wear it at home.”

  “Deal.”

  “Well, looks like we’re missing a celebration of some kind,” her mother said.

  Lia stood and held up her hand. “Joey asked me to marry him.”

  Her mother clapped her hands together. “I knew it! I just knew you were made for each other! I’m so happy for you.” Her mother drew her into an enormous hug, then turned to hug Joey. “I’ve always wanted a son.”

  Grace walked into the room and signed, What’s going on?

  When Joey told her, Grace grinned from ear to ear, then ran over to Lia and squeezed her hard. “I love you,” she said out loud, and it seemed all the air was sucked out of the room.

  Lia could hardly believe Grace had spoken. Three precious words that Lia knew would penetrate to the depths of her soul and linger for a lifetime.

  “Grace, you used your words,” Joey said.

  She smiled up at him. “I love you too, Daddy.”

  They all gathered around her and hugged and kissed her. When they said their good nights later at the door, Lia told Joey, “I’m so thankful for my name.”

  “Your name?”

  “Yes, Elliana. It means My God has answered me.” She looked into Joey’s eyes and down at little Grace’s shining face and said, “He certainly has answered me. And I am blessed beyond measure.”

  “We’re all blessed,” Joey said. He looked at Grace and said, “Very blessed.” He kissed Lia once more, then stepped into the sparkling light of snow.

  “The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes,” Lia whispered into the night air.

  Her heart swelled with gratitude. Yes, it was marvelous indeed.

  Happily Ever After

  Denise Hunter

  A man in love is in want of an opportunity to prove himself chivalrous. A clever girl will take him up on it.

  PEARL CHAMBERS, The Gentlewoman’s Guide to Love and Courtship

  CHAPTER ONE

  Molly Moore’s shoes squeaked as she limped toward Smitten Expeditions.

  Her legs moved like floppy noodles, her soggy clothes clung to her chilled frame, and there was something slimy tucked between two of her pruney toes. What should’ve been a triumphant return felt more like a walk of shame.

  She flung open the door and slogged across the rustic wood floor toward her office, plucking river muck from her hair.

  Heather DeMeritt’s blond head popped up from behind the registration desk. She’d spent many hours helping Molly with the financial end of the business this past year. H
er blue eyes widened. “What happened to you?”

  Molly stopped in her tracks, her arms falling like hickory branches in a windstorm. Wet branches. Soggy, limp, dead branches.

  “If anyone ever asks you to go white-water rafting, say no. If they ask you to take a party of six whiny tourists on a four-hour guided white-water rafting trip, say no. And furthermore, if you’re ever given the chance to run a stinking expedition business—even if it’s handed to you on a silver platter—run like the hounds of hell are on your heels, and don’t look back.”

  Molly fell into the rollaway chair, heedless of the expensive leather. She dropped her head against the cushioned back and closed her eyes. Please, God. Can you just rewind time for me? Just a tiny little bit?

  “That bad?”

  Molly snorted, barely containing the sob that built in her throat. The group had seemed so jovial at first. So friendly. By the end of the trip, they weren’t even speaking to her. And that had actually been a relief after being raked over the coals for three hours. Bright side: new vocabulary words. None she’d ever use, however.

  Her eyes teared up behind her closed lids as the insults replayed. “They cancelled their activities for the rest of the week.”

  “Still, today was good. $69.00 times six . . .” Heather paused for two seconds. “$414.00.”

  Beautiful and smart. So not fair. Plus she saw the silver lining in everything. Only this time there wasn’t one. “I had to refund their money.”

  “All of it?”

  “It’s what you do when you torture tourists for four hours. Besides, that seemed less expensive than the lawsuit they mentioned.”

  “They should’ve paid for lunch at least.”

  Molly sighed. “Lost it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean I lost it. Down the river. Buh-bye club sandwiches. Buh-bye fruit cups and organic chips. Buh-bye expensive, waterproof cooler, floating down the Green River, keeping my food cool and dry for all of eternity.”