by Kay Correll
Nora climbed out of Harrison’s sports car with as much grace as she could manage. He’d held her hand firmly in his and pulled her out of the low-slung seat. She stood and tried to look nonchalant. Everything was going to be okay. She was just showing him around the festival.
They walked from the parking area to Main Street, which had been blocked off to car traffic. People wandered through vendors set up on the street and in and out of the shops lining the street.
“Wow, there’s a lot of people here.” Harrison glanced around at the crowds.
“The festival does bring a lot of tourists to town. It’s good for business. It’s one of our more popular festivals.”
He eyed her. “Do you have a lot of festivals?”
She grinned. “We do. In the summer we have one almost every weekend. Some bigger than others, of course. The May Festival that officially opens tourist season and the Autumn Arts Weekend are probably the biggest.”
“I see.”
“Oh, come on. I see Sophie standing outside her gallery.” She headed through the crowd toward Brooks Gallery with Harrison following behind her. Or she figured he was. She didn’t look back to check on him, afraid she’d run into those eyes of his. Or his warm smile. Or he’d find some reason to take her hand in his again like when she’d gotten out of his car…
Harrison hurried after Nora, wishing he’d thought to grab her hand so he didn’t lose her in the crowd. Or he’d thought to grab her hand just so he could hold it in his…
He walked up to where Nora had her arms wrapped around a young woman. They were both laughing and talking at once.
Nora pulled away, still holding the woman’s hand.
Lucky woman…
“This is Sophie Brooks, Beth’s best friend, and my almost-daughter.”
“Hi, nice to meet you, Sophie.”
“Nice to meet you. Why don’t you both come into the gallery? Hunt has a fabulous new photography exhibit up.”
They walked into the gallery, where Sophie introduced him to Hunt Robichaux, the photographer, and his wife, Keely. Then he met a Melissa who he thought helped run the gallery. He struggled to keep the names straight.
“And this is Chase.” Sophie beamed as she introduced him. Chase wrapped an arm around her waist.
“Nice to meet you, Chase.”
Just then Mac and the boys came into the gallery. “Boys, best behavior. This is Miss Sophie’s gallery, not a place to goof around.”
“Trevor, Connor.” Sophie opened her arms wide and hugged the boys, kissing on them.
“Yuck, Miss Sophie.” Connor swiped his face as if to wipe off the kisses.
“I haven’t seen you two in forever.”
“That’s ’cause Mom says you’re on the road all the time. Why are you on the road? Do you just go out and sit on them or something? I’m not allowed on the road without my mom,” Trevor added seriously.
“It’s an expression, kiddo. It means she’s out of town.” Mac ruffled the boy’s hair.
“Oh.” He turned to Sophie. “Miss Sophie, Mom said you’re singing tonight and we get to stay up late and go to your concert. But we have to be on our best behavior.”
“I’m glad you’re coming.” Sophie turned to Harrison. “We’ve got an extra ticket to the show tonight if you’d like to come.”
He didn’t miss the slightly panicked look on Nora’s face. “I’d love to.”
“Great.” Sophie smiled.
Nora didn’t.
Harrison did. A big wide grin.
The day was getting better and better as far as he was concerned.
Chapter 22
They walked out of the gallery, and Mac took the boys off to ride some of the rides at the end of the street while Harrison tried to sort through all the names he’d heard and who was who.
Nora was looking at the food vendors lining the street.
“You want something?” he asked.
“A funnel cake?” Her eyes lit up like a kid’s at Christmas.
“Why not? My diet’s been shot since I got to town.”
They got the funnel cake and wandered down to a courtyard area and sat on the brick wall while they ate the delicious treat.
“You got some powdered sugar…” He reached out and gently dabbed at the side of her mouth.
She licked her lips. “Ah, thanks.”
He stared at her mouth while trying to tell himself not to. He broke off another bite of the funnel cake to distract himself. “Haven’t had one of these since I was a kid. I forgot how great they are.” He patted his stomach. “Seriously going on a diet when I get back to Chicago.”
And suddenly he was in no hurry to get back. He’d forgotten how much he loved this little town. The friendly people. The fresh Colorado air.
And now there was Nora.
Chicago was so far away from Sweet River Falls. So far from Nora.
Nora took the last bite of their treat, and he got up and threw away their trash. He returned to sit beside her. His hand brushed against hers resting on the edge of the wall. But not on purpose, of course.
Now that they were sitting and resting, he wanted to talk to her about what he’d found at his grandfather’s cabin and get her take on things. He cleared his throat. “So, I was wondering if I could run something past you. Get your opinion.”
“Of course.”
“So… I happened to run across some information—”
Before he could finish, a woman came hurrying up to them, her eyes flashing. “Nora Cassidy, will you ever stop causing trouble?”
“Hello, Gloria.”
He didn’t miss that Nora’s voice didn’t have its normal friendly tone to it.
“Why are you trying to cause all these problems for Walter? All he wants to do is sell his land.” The woman—Gloria—stood with her hands on her hips.
Walt’s land. Interesting choice of words. Harrison stayed silent and watched the exchange between the two women.
“That petition is just preposterous. The zoning committee already ruled. Why do you always insist on stirring things up?”
“Because I believe the zoning shouldn’t have changed. I think Lone Elk Lake should stay like it is. It’s peaceful and beautiful.” Nora’s words were firm and strong.
“You’re standing in the way of progress. Always so backward with your rustic, run-down lodge. Have you ever thought of selling it? I bet more condos would be a great addition there, too. Bring more people into town.”
Harrison looked at the woman who’d just slammed Nora’s pride and joy. Before he could defend her, Nora stood and faced the woman. “No, I have not thought of selling the lodge. And it’s not run-down. But you know that.”
The Gloria woman seemed to finally notice he was sitting there. “Oh, I’m sorry. It looks like Nora isn’t going to introduce you. So rude. I’m Gloria Edmonds.”
“Harrison Stanworth.”
A look of recognition flashed across her face. “Walter’s cousin? So nice to meet you. Walter has gotten you such a great deal on the sale of the property. So I heard.”
Or so Walt wanted everyone to think what a swell guy he was.
“You must be glad that he could do that for you. Take care of the details, I mean.” Gloria smiled at him.
Nora narrowed her eyes, looking at Gloria closely. “How come you know so much about it?”
“Well, Walter and I are friends, of course. Always looking out for what’s in the best interest of the town.”
Nora laughed but didn’t say anything.
Gloria Edmonds. Why did he know that name?
“Nora, I don’t see why you’d want to oppose this and ruin Mr. Stanworth’s chance for a good sale.”
Gloria turned to him and switched on the charm. Her eyes flickered, and a coy smile crossed her lips. “Well, Mr. Stanworth, I’d be glad to show you around the festival if you’d like. I’m sure Nora has to hurry back to her little lodge. She’s such a little worker bee, you know.”
He
was pretty sure he’d never heard a more condescending tone of voice. “Nope, Nora and I are having a great time.” He stood up and rested his hand on Nora’s arm. She didn’t pull away, which surprised him.
“Well, if you change your mind, or if you’d like to be shown around to the… well, nicer areas of town, you just call me.” She pressed a card into his hand. “Well, I should go. They asked me to judge the quilt contest, but I already know who will win.” She winked, then turned and hurried away.
“Wow… who was that?”
“That was Gloria Edmonds. And I’m sure she’s decided one of her friends will win the first prize at the quilt contest without so much as looking at all the entries.”
“I don’t think she likes you much.” He gave Nora a wry grin.
“Nope, not since the second grade.”
“Well, that’s a long time. What happened in the second grade?”
“It’s kind of a long story…”
“I’ve got time.” He settled back on the wall and she sat beside him.
“So, one day in second grade Annie came to school with her hair in braids. She was so proud of them because her father had done them for her. Her mother had died the year before, and her father was doing his best to raise her. Okay, the braids were crooked, but he’d tried. Gloria started calling Annie Crooked Braids from then on. Annie never wore braids again. After about two days of her taunting Annie, I’d had enough. I stood up to Gloria—which no one ever did—and told her to back off.”
“And did she?”
“Well, mostly.”
“So, this is all about braids and name-calling?”
Nora rolled her eyes. “Nope. Then a few days later we were taking a test. I sat next to Gloria. Not my choice, the teacher picked the seating chart. Anyway, Gloria was acting weird and turning away from me. I ignored her and worked on the test. Still remember it. A spelling test. Anyway, Gloria raised her hand and said I was copying off of her. I, of course, insisted I wasn’t. Gloria’s friend sitting beside her said she’d seen me copying off of Gloria, too. The teacher made me bring my paper to the front, gave me a zero. I was mortified.”
“The teacher wouldn’t listen to you?”
“It was two against one, I guess. And the teacher—Mrs. Ridley—will never forget her name—she made me sit on the bench at recess that day instead of play.” Nora frowned. “I was so astonished she wouldn’t believe me. Anyway, Annie came over and sat beside on the bench and said she believed me. We’ve been best friends ever since.”
“So something good came out of it.”
“Yes. Then I went on to beat Gloria in the spelling bee championship that year. It’s the little things, you know?” Nora grinned.
He laughed. “And after all these years, that makes her not like you?”
“Oh, no. That was just the start.” Nora shook her head. “Lots of things. Annie had a sweater her mother had knitted her before she died. She loved that sweater so much. Gloria spilled paint on it. On purpose, of course, but claimed it was an accident. Then smirked after the teacher turned away.”
“The same Mrs. Ridley?”
“The very same. Turns out Mrs. Ridley and Gloria’s mother were friends, so Gloria was always believed.”
“Sounds like grade school was brutal.”
“Nah, I had Annie. She had me. Then… there was high school. If Annie or I were interested in a boy, Gloria would set her sights on him. She fought us on getting the riverwalk put in along Sweet River behind the shops, too. I think she just fought it because Annie and I spearheaded the effort. There’s more, but let’s just say it’s been going on for years. I mostly try to ignore her.”
“She appears to be the kind of person who’s hard to ignore.”
Nora sighed. “Don’t I know it.”
He really wanted to hear the whole long complete story of Gloria Edmonds, but he could tell Nora wanted to drop it. “So, how about we wander around town some more?”
Nora nodded in approval. “Yes, let’s. But how about we avoid the quilt judging?”
He grinned at her. “Sounds like a plan.”
Chapter 23
Nora almost hated to admit to herself what a good time she was having with Harrison at the festival. They’d continued walking around town, grabbed a bite to eat, and talked. Always talking. He told her about his job and how his mother had recently moved into a retirement facility. She had her own apartment there and a handful of her friends were there, too. Nora liked that he seemed so involved in his mother’s life and making sure she was well taken care of and happy.
And protected her best interests, which had started the whole problems between Harrison and her…
They talked about Connor and Trevor and all the sports they played. She talked about the lodge and the recent improvements they’d been able to do.
Before she knew it, it was time to head over for Sophie and Chase’s concert. He took hold of her elbow as they crossed the rocky parking area and headed to the small arena. As they entered the building, she realized he never had talked to her about whatever he’d started into before Gloria interrupted them.
She showed their tickets to the ticket taker, and they made their way to the front row.
“Grams!” Connor waved wildly. “Over here.”
They walked up to the front.
“We’re in the very first row.” Trevor practically bounced in his seat next to Beth and Mac.
“Trevor, I know you’re excited, but settle down.” Beth put her hand on the boy’s leg.
They took their seats, and Nora looked around at the crowd. The seats were filling up rapidly. She’d heard the concert was sold out. No surprise there. Not only was Chase a big name in country music, Sweet River Falls was proud of their hometown girl who’d made it big in the industry, too.
Soon the lights flooded the stage and Sophie and Chase walked out. The crowd rose to their feet, clapping.
Nora smiled. Sophie looked so happy, and it was hard to miss the look in Chase’s eyes when he glanced at her. Sophie deserved this happiness in her life.
The duo started singing what had become their signature song—Road to Forgiveness. They sang song after song, each one ending in a round of applause.
Chase stepped forward. “Now, if you don’t mind me singing a solo…” He waved to a stagehand, who brought a stool for Sophie. “Here, sit. I have a surprise for you.”
Sophie smiled at him and took the stool. He strummed his guitar and turned to Sophie. “This is one I wrote for you.”
He sang a beautiful melody of forgiveness and finding one’s true love. He got closer to Sophie as he started the last verse.
“And sometimes you meet the perfect person at the most unexpected time. Their heart beats in sync with you and completes you. If you’re lucky enough to find that person, don’t let them go.”
The music drifted away, and he set his guitar down and dropped to one knee. The arena went silent as if everyone was holding their breath.
“Sophie. You are that person for me. You are part of me. I love you… will you marry me?” He held out a ring box.
Sophie jumped up, tears rolling down her cheeks. Chase stood, and Sophie threw her arms around his neck. “Of course I will. You’re my perfect person, too.”
They kissed, and the crowd went wild. Nora glanced over at Beth and saw tears streaming down her face. Beth glanced over at her and smiled.
So much happiness and joy. Nora’s heart swelled. Sophie was like a daughter to her, and she couldn’t be happier for her.
“You okay?” Harrison leaned close to her ear.
“Yes, why?”
“Well, you’re… crying.”
Nora realized she had tears on her own cheeks, and she smiled. “I couldn’t be better.”
Beth entered the backstage area, searching for Sophie. She was surrounded by people, with Chase right by her side. Sophie looked up, saw her, and waved. She stood on tiptoe to say something to Chase, then hurried over.
> Beth threw her arms around her friend. “Oh, Sophie. I’m so happy for you.”
Sophie grinned. “I’m kinda happy for me, too. I had no idea.”
“And that song he wrote for you. It was so beautiful.”
“Don’t make me start crying again,” Sophie threatened with a smile. “I don’t know how I got so lucky.”
“Maybe because you deserve it?” Beth hugged her again.
Chase threaded his way through the crowd, stopping to say something to a few people before he finally came up to them. He slipped his arm around Sophie. “I guess I surprised her, huh?”
Beth laughed. “I guess you surprised everyone.”
“Thank goodness she said yes. That would have been quite a mess, wouldn’t it?” He tossed Sophie a lazy grin.
“Well, you’re lucky that I said yes, I guess, then.” Sophie leaned against him.
“Well, I have to go rescue Mac. He’s wrangled the boys so I could come back and say congrats. Are you staying in town long?”
“Another week, maybe a bit longer. I have some things I need to do at the gallery, and honestly, we can use the break.”
“So, I’ll get to see lots of you?”
“Yes, I promise.”
Beth walked away but glanced back over her shoulder. Chase had wrapped his arms around Sophie and was kissing her, oblivious to everyone else in the room. She turned back around and smiled. Chase was just what Sophie needed.
Harrison dropped Nora off at her cabin late that night and walked her to the door. She was almost getting used to climbing out of his ever-so-low sports car. Almost.
“Would you like to come inside? Maybe have a glass of wine?”
“I’d like that.”
She was probably crazy, because it was already later than she usually stayed up and she had to be up early tomorrow, but she just didn’t want the day to end. And that… bothered her. Because she’d already decided there was nothing between Harrison and her. Nothing.