She rushed to the defense of her profession and creative men in general. “Dad! Some of the best chefs in the world are men.”
Her daddy placed his palms on his hips as if examining the hopeless situation. “Now’s the time to lay them floors, boy.”
Wes frantically shook his head in Henry’s direction.
“Actually, Nate,” Henry started, “I think that—”
“Don’t you pay no mind to Fancy Pants behind me, boy.” He placed a massive palm on Henry’s shoulder. “I reckon since you like spending so much time in the kitchen, then I’ll give you something to do besides lollygagging.” Dad slid a look to Julia before gesturing to the storage room behind them. “Julia had a leak a month back, and I’m just now gettin’ to fixin’ it, and you’re my lucky volunteer. Besides, we’re expanding the kitchen, and now’s as good a time as any.”
Henry’s face paled.
“Dad, Henry has other things to—”
“Come on, now. He can get right back to writin’ his fancy music after he learns how to lay a floor. Life skills.” He tapped his forehead. “Never know when it will come in handy.” He slapped Henry on the back, nearly toppling him.
Julia cringed. “Dad.”
“Don’t worry one bit, boy. I’ll go easy on ya. We’ll make those pretty fingers of yours a little sore, but we won’t break ‘em.” He leaned close and winked. “Unless my nail gun don’t like you.” Her dad released a loud laugh.
Wes’s palms rose helplessly.
“Dad, I think—”
“It’s alright, Julia. Truly.” Henry released a sigh of…resignation? Frustration? No, his expression boasted a teensy bit of humor, if she knew her new friend at all. Henry Wright might not need as much protection as she thought.
“In fact,”—he turned to her daddy— “Julia and I were just discussing how to be brave, Nate, and I feel fairly certain time with you is a sure way of improving my courage.”
Her dad, brow furrowed, stared at Henry for a full five seconds as if digesting his words and “funny talk.” A laugh burst out. “Ain’t that the truth. If there’s anything I’m good at, it’s improving a city boy’s courage.”
Chapter Twelve
E isley weaved through the dining room of Julia’s bakery. Destination: kitchen and a bacon-and-egg breakfast sandwich. Nathan followed behind, a book clutched by his side as usual. She tossed a wave to her cousin, Amy, who stood at the register, her walnut-colored curls back in a ponytail. “Good morning.”
“Back atcha.” She pointed her pen toward the kitchen doors, her periwinkle eyes narrowing in warning. “Your take-out’s in the back, Eis, but watch out for the noise.”
“Noise?”
“Your dad’s laying the new floor for the kitchen expansion, and he’s pulled Henry in on the work. I don’t think I’ve heard Henry say a word since they started, but Uncle Nate’s filled the silence without any trouble.”
“I have no doubt.” Eisley groaned and slowed her pace. “And exactly when did they start?”
“They were already back there when I arrived.”
Eisley winced. Amy usually pulled in about five thirty in the morning. Why, oh why, did her dad feel the need to do the dominant ‘rooster’ action with any guy who acted like he was from a city?
Julia stepped out of the pantry just as Eisley and Nathan entered the kitchen. Her dark blue eyes, so much like their mama’s, glimmered above a genuine smile that, after months of hiding behind the pain of her attack, was beginning to appear more often. “Stopping by at nine o’clock on a Friday morning, Eisley? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
“I had to take Nathan to the eye doctor to fix his glasses.” She tousled her eldest’s sandy hair. “We’ve stopped in to grab a quick breakfast treat before I drop him off at school then head to work.”
Julia stepped to the counter and opened one of the compartments. “Hey, Nathan, I have a couple of those chocolate croissants you like.”
“Yep, let’s sugar him up right before social studies class.” Eisley caught the two croissants in transit and passed one to her frowning seven-year-old. “How about a cup of Greek yogurt with that, sis? Or a piece of bacon? Or something to counterbalance the sweets?”
“I tried, buddy.” Julia grinned at Nathan and passed along a yogurt from the fridge.
Aunts and grandparents. They could get away with anything.
“At least I got out of school for the morning.” Nathan’s smirk curled his adorable little nose. “I missed the entire P.E. class.”
“You go, man.” Julia raised a palm for a high-five.
“You really shouldn’t encourage him in his truancy, Julia.” Eisley barely held her grin in check. “It’s not very auntly of you.”
“We introverts have to take care of each other…in a nonintrusive, low stress kind of way.” She shot Nathan a wink.
Eisley’s laugh burst free. “Right.”
“And it’s P.E.” She shuddered, passing Nathan a plastic spoon for his yogurt. “I don’t want to ever relive those memories. They’re almost as fun as pep rallies.”
“What’s a pep rally?”
“I’ll warn you long before you need to know, buddy.” Julia leaned close. “Just remember, there’s no shame in hiding in the bathroom.”
His hazel eyes grew wide. “Are they as bad as spelling bees?”
Julia gasped and her palm flew to her chest. “No way. Nothing is as bad as spelling bees—even when you know all the words, like a smart kid like you. On a stage!”
He shuddered. “And all the people watching!”
“I loved spelling bees. And pep rallies.” Eisley’s statement, punctuated with her hands on her hips and a quirked eyebrow, meant nothing to her sister and son based on the knowing look they exchanged.
Introverts. Seriously? Pep rallies were awesome! One of the highlights of her high school experience had been when she volunteered to dress up as the mascot for one of them. A pirate, complete with the giant, suffocating head. Good times. “I thought you were going off to Aunt Millie’s today. You don’t have much more time to clear out the house, right? Doesn’t the moving truck come in two weeks or something like that?”
“I know.” Julia shot a look to the back room. “But I couldn’t leave Henry alone with Dad. Can you imagine? I mean, it’s not like Henry can’t take care of himself, but it’s…Dad.”
“Good gravy, Julia. It’s not like you’re a walking time bomb yet, but you are cutting it close.” Eisley scanned her sister’s protruding abdomen, a little envious that the baby bump looked considerably smaller than anything she remembered carrying. “We need to figure out a way to rescue Henry and get you to Aunt Millie’s, despite Dad’s ‘toughen up the city boys’ routine.”
“Well, I have to admit, Henry’s handled him well.” Her sister’s gaze drifted to the back room, a gentle smile softening her entire expression. Something was…different. No worried crinkles in Julia’s brow. No twisting of the necklace until it looked like she might choke.
Julia liked Henry.
Eisley’s lips slid into a slow, wonderfully match-make-y smile. Oh, yes, there was definitely something there that wasn’t there before! The matchmaker melody from Fiddler on the Roof resounded in her head in full chorus to such a degree that Eisley almost started swaying to the imaginary beat. She blinked out of her daydream, and a sudden idea formed into a plan of yenta proportions. “I think I can fix this.”
Julia froze in her walk back across the kitchen and turned. “Fix?”
She raised a finger to her sister to “hold on” and then marched through the kitchen. “Just leave this to me.”
Eisley followed the hammering sound and found her dad on his knees, nail gun in hand, with a gloved Henry holding a glossy wood floor plank. His hair stood in erratic confusion—she hoped more sweat-induced than getting toggled around by a gruffy mountain man.
“I see you’ve roped poor Henry in as your wingman today, Dad?”
Her dad’s head
came up from his work. “He needed something worthwhile to do.” Dad nodded toward his unlikely cohort. “And he’s been a good help. Smart one, there. Too quiet for anybody’s peace of mind, but we’ve gotten along alright, ain’t we, Twinkle Toes?”
Twinkle Toes? Eisley looked at Julia, who rolled her eyes heavenward.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn, actually.” Henry grinned and shifted his position to get a better grip on the flooring. “And Nate says we’ve made great time.”
“Should be done in ‘bout an hour, I reckon.”
Eisley examined the work. They were making good progress, in more ways than just the floor. Perhaps her plan would work better than she’d hoped. “Hey, Dad, Julia and I were just talking, and she’s heading to Aunt Millie’s today. You know how much work she still has to do with sorting and all?”
“A whole house full of crazy stuff.” Her dad shot another couple of nails.
“Well, she feels a little uncomfortable traveling all that way out there alone since she’s so close to delivery.”
“Eisley, I never said—”
Eisley ignored her sister’s harsh whisper. “Any ideas who could ride up there with her for the day and maybe help her move some of those boxes?”
“Did you check with your mama?”
“She’s tending to Emily, remember?”
“That’s right.” Dad rocked back on his heels and looked at the ceiling. “Did you check with Greg?”
Eisley bit her bottom lip. If her dad kept going with his list of names, she’d never get Julia alone with Henry. “You know how he is. Off on some veterinarian adventure somewhere. I doubt he’d be available.”
“Rick’s gone to pick up computer parts in Mt. Airy, or she could ask him.” Nate narrowed his eyes and studied Julia. “I reckon she ought not to be moving any of them big boxes in the shape she’s in. Don’t want baby Jenkins comin’ before his time.”
“Definitely.” Eisley shrugged. “I’d help but I have to get to work. And you’ve got to finish that porch on the back of Creed Spencer’s house while the sun’s shinin’, right?”
He rubbed his jaw and scanned the room. Eisley nearly squeezed her hands together waiting for the realization to happen.
Dad slapped his knee. “Well, why don’t she take Henry with her! He ain’t got nothing better to do.”
Eureka!
The exchange between Julia and Henry confirmed Eisley’s matchmaking joy. Their gazes locked with shock first then melted into a sort of shy curiosity. “Dad, that’s a great idea! As long as Henry doesn’t mind.”
“I…I’m sure Henry has work to do.” Julia’s voice edged up half an octave. “And…and I wouldn’t want to inconvenience him.”
“It’s no inconvenience.” Henry’s quiet response, paired with the look he gave her sister, confirmed all the fairy dust twinkling to life in Eisley’s head. “I’d be happy to help.”
“And if you’re worried about getting through Aunt Millie’s papers, I’ll pop by this afternoon before my date with Wes and help you sort them.”
Julia’s eyes widened, and she looked to Henry, who shared the same shocked expression as her sister. He stood from his place on the floor, his mouth opening to speak but releasing nothing. What was going on?
“No, no.” Julia’s palm came out as if to console. “I really appreciate your willingness to help, but there’s no need to come to the apartment this evening. Just…enjoy your night with Wes.”
“Right. And…and if she needs extra help with…papers, I can offer my services,” Henry added, a little rushed.
Eisley narrowed her eyes, attempting to peel away what little secret these two held.
“Exactly,” Julia agreed. “I’m sure Henry is a great…paper sorter.”
Her sister cringed, apparently realizing she’d agreed with Henry’s offer a little too quickly, and his smile stretched so far it completely distracted Eisley from her suspicions. They were perfect for each other—and completely horrible at hiding anything.
“What’s going on?”
Julia backed toward the door. “Taking your advice, of course, as younger sisters should.”
Eisley rolled her eyes. Her sisters hardly ever took her advice.
“Y’all are about to drive me crazy, that’s what going on. Ain’t you got places you need to be?” Her dad pushed himself up from the floor and began pointing his nail gun as he talked, starting with Eisley. “You need to get that grandson of mine to school.” He shifted the nail gun toward Henry and Julia. “And y’all don’t seem to be in too much of a hurry to get to Aunt Millie’s house for sortin’ whatever it is you’re gonna sort. I’ve a mind to put Henry back to work, is what I think.”
“No, no.” Julia’s cheeks reddened while she fidgeted with her apron strings. “We’ll be on our way now, right, Henry?”
“Indeed.” He nodded toward her dad and stepped up to the door. “If you’re certain I can’t help you further, Nate.”
“Right now, the best thing y’all can do for me is give me some peace and quiet to get some work done,” he grumbled then winked at Nathan.
Eisley sent Julia and Henry a wave as they ran from the room, and then took a long-awaited bite into the chocolate croissant she still held in her hand. “Something’s going on around here, Dad. I sense it.”
“Well, why don’t you sense your way right over there to the wood by your foot and hand it over so I can finish this job.” His sentence pulled her from staring at the doorway through which Julia and Henry had disappeared.
She sighed and reached for the wood. “Oh Dad, what am I going to do with you?”
∞ ∞ ∞
“Do you think she suspects anything?” Henry slid into the passenger seat and closed the door, the sparkle of mischief in his eyes unfurling the laugh Julia had stuffed underneath the need to get out of the kitchen before she spilled Wes’s engagement party secret.
“I think we’re pretty horrible secret-keepers, Henry.” She started the car and reversed out of the space, casting him a look as she did so.
He chuckled and turned her way, buckling his seatbelt. “I’m brilliant at keeping secrets if no one asks me questions about them, but once pinpointed?”
“Guilty as charged.” She shook her head and put the car into drive. “Maybe it’s a good thing we’re going to be out of the way for most of the day. We’ll be less likely to blow the entire surprise.”
“And once we return, I can help with decorations.”
“That would be amazing.” She shot him a look from her periphery. “But, I’m sorry you got roped into going with me in the first place. Don’t you have an appointment with one of the luthiers today?”
“I phoned him this morning and rescheduled.” His gaze met hers. “We agreed on this plan with Wes together. We should finish it together, don’t you think?”
She shoved her hair behind her ears and faced him head-on, biting back a sliver of worry. The thought of spending time with him inspired her pulse into an accelerando with contradictory undertones of panic and hope. “Thank you.”
Quiet followed for a few minutes as Julia adjusted to his presence beside her and navigated the transition from town to the increasingly unpredictable backroad toward her aunt’s house. Though the silence carried a little awkwardness, something about Henry’s natural gentle demeanor tamped down the tension in her shoulders.
She trusted him. And that hadn’t happened with a man in a long time.
“Hey, Henry.” She waited for him to look at her before she continued, acknowledging the breaking of the silence and giving him time to focus on her words rather than the passing woods he watched through the window. “We’re going to be heading way back into the mountains to get to Aunt Millie’s house, so the road may be a little bumpy.”
“I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen of your mountains so far.” His finger slid over his phone without making any contact with buttons. A nervous action, perhaps? He had long slender fingers—she’d noticed
them when he played the piano. Elegant. Strong.
“I…I hope my presence doesn’t cause you to be uncomfortable, though.”
His gentle response pulled another glance from her periphery. She drew in a deep breath and returned her attention to the road, sifting through her pretzel-like emotions for a solid answer. “I…I’m not uncomfortable with you.”
His fingers paused in their movements. “I thought…perhaps…”
“Me too.” Her lips tipped up on one side. “I think…I think it may be partially because I know you’re as nervous as I am. A kind of kinship.”
“I suppose we must stick together.”
“Especially in the face of challenging personalities like my dad’s.”
The awkwardness unwound a little more with his chuckle. “I believe he meant to frighten the introversion out of me.”
Her laugh tumbled out. “And he only gets louder the quieter you are.”
His palms rose. “In my defense, I did try to talk once the shock had worn down. I’m much better one-on-one.”
“Me too.”
She nestled into the comfortable silence among…friends. Her smile spread despite her best attempts. A vanilla-smelling, British-speaking, tenderhearted friend. That sounded a whole lot like a cupcake with all the extras.
And she loved cupcakes.
The road narrowed a little more, losing some of its refined pavement to partial gravel.
“We are going into the country.” He gripped the door handle.
She tightened her hold on the steering wheel, tossing him a grin. “I’m scaring you, huh?”
“I may or may not have the theme from Psycho playing in my head right now.”
Her laugh erupted again. “It does seem to be the quiet ones you have to look out for, remember.”
His chuckle tingled a welcome hum over her skin, and even Little One joined the fun with a kick or two. What was happening here? Could she truly feel safe enough to care about this man? Heat returned to her cheeks. She really needed to talk to her counselor.
When You Look at Me (A Pleasant Gap Romance Book 2) Page 11