Читать книгу Bride Wanted - Renee Andrews - Страница 11

Chapter Three

“You do realize I don’t expect you to work on the holiday.” Destiny hit the speaker button and placed her cell phone on the white wicker table beside her rocking chair on the B and B’s porch. She’d been out here writing and surfing the internet most of the day, but she hadn’t expected Rita to spend her Fourth of July away from fun, too.

“I know that, and I’ve been at Lake Lanier all morning with my family. Just thought I’d check emails this afternoon before we head to the fireworks in Gwinnett County tonight.”

Destiny took a sip of Annette Tingle’s delicious fresh-squeezed lemonade. She imagined a lot of families spent the day together on lakes or beaches or merely visiting in the family home. Her own family had gathered for a barbecue, according to one of the many text messages her mother had sent throughout the day. The majority of the texts, of course, reminded Destiny that she was chasing a pipe dream and told her she should be in Atlanta with her family and spending her time finding a real job. And as if the text messages weren’t enough...

“Hey, did your mother ever get hold of you?”

The sweet lemonade suddenly turned bitter. Destiny placed the cool glass on the table and took the phone off speaker in case Mr. or Mrs. Tingle came outside. She didn’t need to share her family’s discontent with the world. “Did Mama call you?”

“Just a couple of times. Mostly she sent texts. Oh, and here’s a couple of emails from her in my in-box.”

Destiny’s jaw tensed, and she consciously forced it to relax before she chipped a tooth. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve known she wouldn’t have been satisfied with my responses to her texts.”

“How’d you respond?”

“Same way I always respond. I told her I’m fine.” Destiny heard the front door creak open and turned to see Mr. Tingle heading out with more red, white and blue bunting for the porch railing. Mrs. Tingle followed, opened her mouth to say hello but then closed it when she saw Destiny on the phone, and gave her a polite finger wave as they went about hanging even more decorations. They’d already lined the sidewalk with tiny American flags, placed planters filled with red, white and blue flowers on every porch step and draped each bush with patriotic twinkle lights. And they weren’t finished yet.

“That’s it? You texted that you’re fine?” Rita didn’t do a very good job at muffling her laugh. “So I’m guessing she’s now totally convinced that you aren’t fine, right? Back in college, she’d have already driven over to figure out exactly what was wrong.” Before becoming Destiny’s pitifully paid but devoted managing editor, Rita had been her best friend through high school and her roommate in college. And during those years at the University of Georgia, she got a full taste of Geneva Porter’s persistence.

Destiny’s phone buzzed with an incoming text, and she didn’t bother checking the sender. No doubt her mom’s persistence was still in full force. “She never thinks I’m fine, because if I’m not doing exactly what she has planned for my life, then I’m obviously doomed.” Destiny noticed the Tingles exchange a look as they hung the next section of bunting and realized her voice easily carried across the porch. She smiled at the sweet couple, and Mrs. Tingle smiled back, but there was a hint of pity in her eyes.

Destiny smiled brighter, determined to convince someone today that she really was fine. “The decorations look amazing,” she said to the pair.

“Why, thank you, dear. L.E. is a real champ helping me decorate everything for the holidays. You should see this place at Christmas.” She leaned toward her husband and kissed his cheek.

Destiny may not have ever found love herself, but she knew it when she saw it, and she made a mental note to write the Tingles’ love story for her magazine before she headed back to Atlanta.

“The town is decorated for the Fourth?” Rita asked, reminding Destiny that her friend was still on the line.

“Yeah, every house on Maple Street looks like a cake decorated with red, white and blue icing.”

Mr. Tingle, obviously hearing her description, nodded as though that were an accurate assessment, and Mrs. Tingle followed suit. They were so content, so undeniably happy running the bed-and-breakfast together. Destiny wondered what that’d be like, to “fit” so well with someone that even regular daily activities became a joy because you were together.

She’d never known that. And truthfully, she’d never seen that in her own home. Her mother, quite frankly, didn’t seem to be happy unless she was miserable. Or making someone else miserable, namely Destiny. Her sister, Beverly, however, did no wrong. Destiny loved her younger sis, even if her mom did play favorites and she’d come up with the short straw.

“Oh, just got another text from your mom. She’s asking me if you’ve talked to your sister today.”

Destiny closed her eyes, counted to five—if she went to ten, she’d just miss another text from her mom—then said, “Something must be up. I’ll call you back later. Let me figure out what’s going on with Mom.”

“Good luck with that.”

Destiny smiled and was grateful that her friend was able to afford her that luxury. “Yeah, I know. You go have fun and enjoy the fireworks, and tell your family I said hello.”

“I will, but promise me you’ll do the same. There’s gotta be something fun to do there if they’re decorating the place so much. Maybe Claremont, Alabama, will top the Gwinnett fireworks display.”

Destiny doubted the small town did all that much for the holiday, but if the decorations on Maple Street were any indication, they went all out as much as they could. “I’ll see what’s going on.”

“And you’ll actually join in the fun?” Rita asked. “That’s part of your problem, you know, you work too much and don’t get out to enjoy life. Who knows, you may actually meet Mr. Right down there.” Then before allowing Destiny to provide her trademark answer, that she didn’t believe such a man existed, at least not for her, Rita added, “Hey, what about Troy Lee?”

“What about him?” Surely her friend wasn’t suggesting that the country boy with the tender heart was Destiny’s Mr. Right. Because that would never work, ever. The only reason she wanted to even meet the guy was to get his permission to run his love letters. She’d never take an interest in him herself.

Vivid blue eyes within a sea of black lashes suddenly flashed into her mind, along with that deadly dimple. And the fact that he was so solidly grounded in his faith. That rich baritone reading the Bible verses in church last night had given her chills, and in a good way. He hadn’t been putting on a show at church; he’d believed every word he read in those Bible scriptures about rejoicing. And listening to him, Destiny had found herself yearning to feel that way, to experience that faith, to find that kind of contentment. In fact, she’d thought about the Bible lesson several times throughout the day and about how Troy truly seemed to have the joy mentioned in those scriptures.

She’d never had that kind of joy, or that kind of faith, which emphasized how different her background was from Troy’s. And then there was his family. She’d read lots about them in his letters and how he wanted a family like that one day—big and boisterous and happy. Destiny couldn’t imagine a family like that for herself. No, she and a guy like Troy Lee would never mesh.

“Did you see him today?” Rita continued. “You said you were going to try to talk to him again at the filling station, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I’d planned to, but I wasn’t thinking about today being a holiday. I rode over early this morning, but it was closed.” Then she’d come back and camped out on this porch all day. Oddly, she hadn’t felt bored. The scene was too pretty not to enjoy every minute, and she’d gotten a good deal of writing done for her next few blog posts, primarily focusing on Southern charm and the way all Southerners enjoy a reason to celebrate. She wondered how Troy was celebrating. “I’m going to try to see him tomorrow.”

“Think he’ll give you permission to run the letters? We had another batch of emails from subscribers asking when they’d get to read some of the love letters you promised in last month’s issue. I think they’re wanting some sort of teaser.”

“Well, the teaser was when I said we’d have them this month. That’s as good as I can do until I gain the rights to publish.” And she had to gain Troy Lee’s trust first, which meant spending time with him, but there hadn’t been a way to make that happen today. According to his grandmother, he had no desire whatsoever to share his private letters with the world. Destiny had to somehow change his mind.

“Maybe you should write about him in your blog posts, that you’ve met him and all. Describe him to your readers so they can get to know the man whose letters they’ll read in the next issue.”

“That’s a good idea. And I’ll go back to the filling station tomorrow, and then I’ll go to the fishing hole on Saturday. Should be able to spend some time with him both days.” And she also knew how to see him on Sunday: by making another appearance at church. Funny, she found herself looking forward to visiting the small congregation again.

“Well...” Rita drew out the word. “Maybe he’s your Mr. Right.”

Destiny controlled the tone of her response to hide any indication that she’d discounted that very thought not five minutes ago. “You’re dreaming big today, aren’t you?”

“They say opposites attract.”

Destiny wondered how many opposites Rita noticed when she thought of herself and Troy. Let’s see, there was the faith thing; that was one. A big, happy family; that was two. Honest and trustworthy; a big fat three and four.

She shook the thought—and all of the many opposites, which, she assumed, could pile up quick if she kept counting—and decided to nip this conversation in the bud before Rita got carried away with the crazy notion. “He’s dating someone.” That wasn’t actually true, since from what his grandmother said at church his first official date with Haley Calhoun was tomorrow night. But the two had looked quite beautiful together when Destiny left them talking at the church. And that was close enough to dating; plus, it’d get Rita off her back.

“Aw, that’s a shame.”

“I write about the good guys and the potential that they actually exist. I don’t pretend to believe that one will ever be a part of my world. For me, it’s the bad experiences that ring true. I’ll just keep writing about those, when it comes to my love life.” She forced a laugh. “I sure have plenty of material to work with.”

“Bless your heart.” Annette Tingle’s whispered words came from the other side of the porch railing, where she and L.E. continued tacking up the bunting, and Destiny was once again reminded how her voice carried.

“No, really, it’s okay,” she said to the sweet lady, and gave her another smile that must’ve come off as pretty fake, judging from the way Mrs. Tingle still shook her head.

Another text buzzed in on the line, and Destiny wrapped up the conversation. “Mom’s still trying to get me. I’ve gotta let you go.”

“Okay, but I’m not hanging up until you promise you’ll have some fun before the day ends.”

Destiny laughed, a real one this time. “I’ll have some fun.”

“You’ll have some fun today. Say it.”

“I promise I’ll have some fun today.” She looked up in time to see both of the Tingles nodding.

“We’ll get you an itinerary of tonight’s activities on the town square. Claremont really pulls out all the stops for holidays,” Mr. Tingle said.

“I heard that,” Rita chirped through the line. “And if they ‘pull out all the stops,’ then there should be something you can do to have a good time and forget about work.”

Destiny grinned. “I’m sure you’re right.” She really did need to get her mind off the magazine for a little while. The toll of knowing the majority of her advertisers threatened to pull out if she didn’t get her subscription numbers up was wearing her down.

If she hadn’t sunk almost all of her savings into starting and then advertising it, and if she didn’t have to listen to her mother tell her every day of her life how unwise a move that was, maybe it’d be a little easier to relax and have fun every now and then. Plus, there was Rita. Destiny’s friend had believed in the idea from the get-go and worked as hard as Destiny to make it shine. If Destiny could get her numbers up and gain those subscriptions and advertisers, she’d finally be able to pay Rita the type of salary she deserved. Rita was such a great friend, even calling on her holiday to make sure Destiny had some fun.

The phone buzzed with yet another text message.

No doubt Destiny wouldn’t be allowed to have fun until her mother was appeased. “Talk to you later, Rita.” She disconnected then scanned the list of missed calls and texts.

Shockingly enough, not all of them were from her mother. Half were from Beverly. And as Destiny wondered which person to call first, the phone rang. Thankfully, it was her sister. She clicked the call button.

“Hey, Bevvie, what’s going on?”

“Has Mom called you? Have you talked to her yet? I told her to let me talk to you first, but I know how hard it is for her to keep anything to herself.” Her sister’s voice was breathless, as though she’d just finished the Peachtree Marathon or something. Which, come to think of it, the annual marathon had been this morning, and Bevvie usually ran in the event.

“Oh, wow, did you win the Peachtree?”

Beverly’s laughter rolled through the line. “No, silly, I didn’t even run. I’d planned to, but Jared wanted me to go with him this morning to Stone Mountain. We hiked to the top and watched the most amazing sunrise I’ve ever seen. Oh, Destiny, it was so beautiful.”

The happiness in her sister’s voice pierced Destiny’s heart a little, not because she was jealous of what Bevvie had found with Jared, but because she doubted she’d ever sound—or feel—that happy. How many guys had broken Destiny’s heart? Oh, right, she’d stopped counting after five. “That sounds nice, Bev.”

“Oh, it was so much better than nice, Destiny. I’m so happy! And I’m glad I’m getting to tell you before Mom. You haven’t talked to her yet, have you?”

The phone buzzed, and Destiny didn’t check the display to verify that her mother was still going at it. “Not yet, but I think she’s still trying to get through.”

“Awesome, then I get to tell you the news. Jared asked me to marry him this morning, as the sun came up. Marry him! Destiny, I’m engaged! Can you believe it? Engaged! And we’re going to have a short engagement, planning to get married on Christmas Eve. Won’t that be great? I want you to be my maid of honor, of course. You will, won’t you?”

Destiny blinked a couple of times. “Of course.” She swallowed, gathered her bearings. Her little sister, three years younger, had a great job, a super guy and an engagement ring on her finger.

“I’ve been waiting to put the pictures on Facebook until I talk to you, but you’ll be able to see them soon. Mom took them. Can you believe that? After Jared asked Daddy for my hand—wow, it’s so exciting saying that!—anyway, after that, then he asked Mom and Dad if they could hike the mountain early this morning so they could witness everything and take the photos. I didn’t even see them up there, but they were watching and saw everything. Dad even cried.”

Their mother always sported a camera and loved taking photographs, though Destiny was sure taking engagement pictures of their daughter topped any other photo op. “I’m happy for you, Bevvie.” And she meant it. She was happy. Which really didn’t make sense with the tears dripping solidly down her cheeks. They traced a path along her jaw and down her throat, and Destiny didn’t bother wiping them away.

A tissue materialized in front of her face, and she looked up to see Mrs. Tingle handing her an entire box. She forced a smile, mouthed “thanks,” and then continued to listen to Beverly discuss everything about her morning and her plans for the wedding while Destiny swiped at her cheeks, jaw and throat. “The entire church will be decorated snow-white and accented by crimson poinsettias. I think we’ll use a lot of those little twinkle lights, too. But a lot of that will be up to the wedding coordinator, or wedding planner, whatever you call it. Mom says we’re getting the best, one of her friends from the country club. Can you believe it?”

Destiny imagined all of the plans their mother had already started. Finally, a daughter getting married. Definitely cause for a Geneva Porter celebration. “It’ll be gorgeous, Bevvie. I can’t wait.”

“Me either!”

Destiny took a deep breath, lifted the Fourth of July itinerary from where Mrs. Tingle had placed it on the table by her lemonade and box of tissues, and saw that the parade would start in an hour. She could use a parade right now. Actually, what she could really use was a ridiculous abundance of ice cream, but a parade would do. “I’m going to check out some of the holiday things going on in Claremont tonight. Give Jared a hug for me and tell him I’m excited to be gaining a brother.”

“Oh, I will. I’ve been hugging him all day, isn’t that right, honey?” She laughed as she apparently distributed another hug to her boyfriend—correction—fiancé. “Love you, sis!”

Destiny closed her eyes and prayed that the tears slipping beneath her lashes were the last of them. “Love you right back.” She heard the line click as Bevvie, still laughing, disconnected, then opened her eyes and saw she’d missed two more texts from her mom. Rather than attempt a conversation with her right now, when she knew her mother would pick up on her tiny pity party, she sent a simple text.

Bevvie called with her news. So happy for her! Can’t wait for her big day.

Then she powered down the phone, finished her lemonade and decided that one way or another, she was going to follow Rita’s instructions and enjoy the rest of her day. Starting with a parade.

* * *

Troy loved the Fourth of July. His family always got into holiday gatherings, but the Fourth was especially fun because Claremont had so much to offer for the big day. They’d started out the morning at the fishing hole with the annual family fishing competition. The youngest member of the group, Troy’s three-year-old niece, Lily, won...with a little help from Troy, handing her his fishing rod whenever he caught a fish, while the remainder of the family pretended not to notice and Lily did her best to keep the secret. It was almost as much fun watching the little girl try to contain her giggles as it was to see everyone cheer for her accomplishment each time she “caught” another fish.

Next they’d eaten enough of his grandmother’s crispy fried chicken fingers, creamy potato salad, buttery corn on the cob and every other traditional fixing she’d prepared, then followed that with a family Bible study by the lake. After a little more fishing, a refreshing swim and then quite a few family members taking naps on quilts by the water while Troy and his brothers played a fairly intense round of ultimate Frisbee, the entire group cleaned up and gathered again at the town square for Claremont’s night of “Fun on the Fourth.”

Troy’s four younger brothers, ranging in age from fourteen to twenty-one, were already involved in an impromptu game of tag football with some other guys their age while the town waited for the parade to start. At twenty-seven, Troy was older than the group, so he didn’t join in. He still liked sports, but the guys his age didn’t typically hog the large grassy area near the center of the square the way they did when they were teens. Most, in fact, were here with their wives, and some already had kids. However, the “older” gang still got together regularly for their men’s baseball league, which Troy enjoyed immensely. But even then, he was usually the odd man out, since the remainder of them had their wives or steady girlfriends in the stands cheering them on.

There was a baseball game scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Maybe, if tomorrow night’s date went well, he’d see if Haley wanted to come. He’d texted her earlier and asked if she’d be attending the parade tonight, and she’d responded that she was catching up on some paperwork but that she’d try. He let her know that his family would watch the parade in front of the Sweet Stop candy shop, same place they camped out every year for the event. Scanning the area beneath the red-and-white-striped awning that identified the store, he didn’t see any sign of the pretty blonde. He’d keep an eye out for her, though, because it wouldn’t hurt to spend a little time with her tonight. A “pre-date” date, so to speak. And it’d give his family a chance to get to know the girl he planned on trying to go out with more than once. Their opinion of his future bride was important, as he’d written in several of his letters over the years. Funny how he suddenly felt as though they’d meet her soon, or maybe had already met her.

Is that feeling coming from You, Lord? Have I finally met her? Would he spend this Fourth of July at the town square watching the parade with his future bride?

“I don’t care how many times we come here for the Fourth, it always takes my breath away.” Troy’s sister, Becca, Lily’s mom, smiled brightly as she took in the scene. “I wish Joey could’ve come with us.” Her husband, a Claremont policeman, was on duty tonight and would miss the fun at the square; however, he’d been with the family for fishing and picnicking earlier, so he’d at least participated in some of the family’s holiday fun.

Troy and the remainder of the family tried to keep Becca busy whenever Joey pulled night duty. Even though there was little to no crime in Claremont, his sis still got nervous when her husband patrolled at night.

“I’m sure the decorations will still be up tomorrow for the First Friday celebration. Maybe the two of you can bring Lily here for that and he can enjoy the scene then.”

“I’d forgotten about tomorrow being First Friday.” She nodded. “That’s a great idea.”

On the first Friday of each month, Claremont held a festival where the local artists and vendors displayed their wares and performed for the town. Everyone came to the event and, while it wasn’t the Fourth of July, it would still be a fun activity for Becca to enjoy with her husband. The smile on her face said she agreed.

“And I bet you’re right,” she said. “They’ll keep all the decorations up for tomorrow. Probably the only thing missing will be the fireworks.”

“Probably so.” Troy took in the scene as well, tiny white lights capping the eaves of every storefront, patriotic ribbons and flags hanging from each window and lamppost, even red, white and blue spotlights showcasing the three-tiered fountain in the center of the square.

The place was always appealing, but especially so on holidays, when all the shop owners brought their merchandise out to the sidewalks and visited with the customers and one another as the entire town joined in the fun. Troy’s parents were helping his grandfather welcome customers at Bowers’ Sporting Goods, but his grandmother had opted to stay with the remainder of the family, mainly because she loved watching all of the kids enjoy the parade, and she also liked to catch a little candy for herself.

Several local bands, including Troy’s favorite Christian group, More Than This, took turns playing on the event’s main stage. An abundance of artists had easels set up and were painting outside Gina Brown’s Art Gallery, and Troy spotted Gina alongside her protégés. He waved at the sweet lady who, like Troy, attended services at the church every time the doors were open and, with paintbrush in hand, she waved back.