While You Were Speaking: Spring Flings and Engagement Rings

by Maria Hoagland

  She should have known it would be gone. Actually, she did know. That was why she’d brought it, after all.

  “Don’t worry. There wasn’t much anyway.” He stood and took it to the sink, quickly squirting in some dish soap and washing it. “It was a great appetizer, but I’m still hungry. Want to grab a bite?”

  Of course he was. “Sure.” She needed his advice anyway.

  As soon as they were outside the building and on their way down the street, Lucy dove into what she couldn’t quit thinking about. “What do I do?” As if Crew could read her mind.

  “About what?” Crew looked both ways and darted across the street. No need for her to ask where he was going. Choco-Latte. The guy had a wicked sweet tooth.

  Lucy groaned in embarrassment. Like the two of them hadn’t already been there earlier today. She followed him at a more dignified pace, catching a glare as he stared her down from the sidewalk, his arms folded as if telling her to hurry.

  A car slowed way down, the driver laying on the horn. “Hey!”

  Lucy turned to see who’d completely overreacted to her being in the street. Like there wasn’t room for a driver to go around, since there wasn’t another moving car in sight.

  “No jaywalking!” Good old Dora. She chewed her gum like the cows out on the Slade family ranch and just as crass as ever.

  Lucy smiled as if Dora’s gesture was nothing more than a wave. “Hi, Dora!”

  Dora grumbled and drove on, and Lucy continued as if there’d been no interruption. “They want me to go to dinner with them.”

  “Who?”

  “The Hughes family. I took them to the drive-in today.”

  “Okay. What’s the big deal?” Crew opened the door to Choco-Latte and held it for her, and the two went up to the counter.

  While Lucy had thought she was hungry before, with all the stress going on inside her right now, she didn’t want anything more than something to drink. “Hi, Presley—”

  Crew edged forward, teasingly boxing Lucy out so he could place his order first. “I’m dying for a brownie. Ooh. And an Italian soda—or is iced hot chocolate a thing?”

  “Yeah, it’s called chocolate milk.” Lucy elbowed him in the ribs. She gave Presley an all-suffering look. Crew could be such a child. An entertaining child who was her best friend. “Feel free to surprise him, spice it up with whatever flavoring, but I really just want the usual.” A plain Dr. Pepper would be the comfort of home that she needed right now.

  She turned from the counter to resume her conversation with Crew. They took a couple steps away when she repeated his last question to her, but with emphasis. “What’s the big deal?” She paused a beat. “They’ll think I have designs on their son.”

  “Well, you do.” It wasn’t a question.

  She glared at him.

  “Don’t you?” he asked innocently.

  How did he know about Zach? Her heart pounded, bracing herself for his teasing.

  Except he didn’t. He couldn’t know. She took a deep breath and pretended she hadn’t been panicking. Crew had been referring to Carter. “I mean, yes, maybe, but not that they know.” She dropped her head, placing her hand over her eyes. “That would be so embarrassing. I don’t think I could survive that and show my face in public again.”

  Presley called their names, and they claimed their orders—a couple of cups with who knew what in them as well as a huge, decadent brownie.

  “Well, you’d better survive, because Carly would kill me if you left her in charge of the Harvest Ranch cleanup.” He took a bite of his brownie before they’d even made it back outside.

  “And then there’s the brother.” Lucy hadn’t meant to say it—it had just slipped out. When she thought of the Hughes family, it was less about Carter than it was Zach. Which was logical, since she knew Zach more than she did Carter. Carter was the one she’d invited. Carter was the one who was her business idol.

  She tried to cover her sudden embarrassment with a sip of her Dr. Pepper, forgetting to take a moment to prepare herself for something other than the original. The sputter that came from her was one hundred percent real.

  Crew raised an eyebrow, watching her to make sure she could breathe. She nodded that she was okay.

  Was that lime in her Dr. Pepper? It was subtle, but it entirely ruined the flavor. She considered heading back to make Presley re-pour the soda, but she gave up and tossed it into the nearest trash can. She had to figure out what to do, and Crew needed to help her do it.

  “The brother?” Crew took another bite of his brownie.

  She nodded once. Might as well tell him everything if she wanted good advice. “Zach. He’s amazing, and funny, and . . .” She allowed her words to die out. No matter how interested she was in him, he was off-limits. She was getting way ahead of herself picturing them in a relationship when they’d met only yesterday.

  “Then what’s the problem?” Crew asked.

  She could come up with a whole list, but she started with the one she thought would be most convincing. “It’s unprofessional.”

  He stared at her, unconvinced.

  “They’re leaving after Carter’s speech on Saturday.”

  “Okay, then keep your distance. No sense getting involved.” He was pressing her buttons, saying what she wanted and expected him to, but his tone argued with that logic.

  “Too late.” Lucy wrapped her arms around herself, remembering Mikki’s arms around her neck. “She hugged me so tight.” She could still feel it, the warmth and acceptance she imagined only a grandmother could give. “I haven’t had that in a really long time.”

  “A hug?” He looked genuinely confused but took another bite of his brownie, and she suddenly regretted not ordering one. He must have read her expression, because he broke his dessert in half and handed one to her with the napkin.

  “A family.” She sounded pathetic, but if she couldn’t be honest with her best friend, who could she be honest with?

  He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, forcing her to look at him. “Lucy.” He said her name like it was a complaint. “God gives you a family. You don’t join them like you do a gym.”

  “I know.” She took a nibble of the brownie, welcoming the gooey chocolatey-ness. “You’re right.”

  But Crew being right didn’t change a thing. Lucy couldn’t stop longing for the closeness the Hughes family had. To be part of that, even peripherally, was admittedly, though pathetically, so nice. Even if it was only for a day. Though if she was honest with herself, it was the brown-haired, green-eyed guy with the goofy smile who commandeered her thoughts. Just the memory of his laugh warmed her insides.

  Which was why, when Marnie’s text came through later that afternoon reissuing the dinner invitation, Lucy left the office for the restaurant the Hughes family had chosen. She was all nerves and insecurity the entire walk down the street, but the hostess opened the door before Lucy could change her mind, and she was led to a room at the back where the family was gathered.

  “Lucy! You made it!” Trina jumped up from her seat at the end of the table and enveloped Lucy in an enormous hug before Lucy even had a chance to pull out the empty chair next on Trina’s left.

  “I did.” Her nerves were chased out by the genuine smiles and greetings welcoming her. “A girl’s got to eat.” Her eyes immediately sought Zach’s. When their gazes locked, she had a smile just for him.

  Trina gestured to the last empty seat, across from her son, and a thrill went through Lucy as she sat down. She couldn’t ask for a better view throughout dinner.

  “That’s right,” Bill said, handing her the roll basket. “I hope you don’t mind we ordered family style.”

  Of course they did. And it made dinner that much more homey. She would have assured them that was fine, except that the conversations were already past that, their sentences tumbling over each other like puppies in a box, excited to spend time together.

  “Did you hear Fletcher Forsyth recently filmed around here somewhe
re?” Moose asked the table at large.

  “Gavin Stone is starring in it,” Mikki said.

  “Gavin Stone? As in the guy who plays Cruise Donnelly in all the Grantham Robbins spy movies?” Zach’s brother-in-law, Blake, asked.

  “Gavin Stone doesn’t do romance,” Mikki said.

  “He didn’t say Gavin Stone does romance,” Moose responded to her.

  “I can’t believe how many labradoodles there are in Harvest Ranch,” Trina said, almost to herself.

  Quietly taking it all in, Lucy widened her eyes at Zach, who grinned in response.

  “But the Fletcher Forsyth movie is a romance,” Mikki said.

  “Makes you wonder if you’re missing something.” Bill had that conspiracy-theory look about him, and Lucy wasn’t sure if he was answering his mother or his wife.

  “I think it has something to do with the bookstore?” Marnie said.

  Lucy could clarify on both conversations, but they were having so much fun on their own. Besides, their exchange bounced around the table so quickly, she didn’t dare interrupt.

  A couple of servers set steaming dishes in the center of the table. Even with this many people, it looked like there would be too much food, and it smelled amazing. So much better than a frozen dinner.

  “So what was it that made you want to hire Carter?” Trina asked Lucy as she piled mashed potatoes on her plate and handed her the bowl.

  The question was a little jarring, since she couldn’t quit sneaking looks at the other son. She took a second to collect her thoughts. “He’s inspired me in so many ways.” She wasn’t sure she could list them, but being Carter’s family, they had to know the impact he had on people’s careers and businesses—even their lives. She dished out her own helping and handed the bowl to Blake, who started serving some to Ezra before claiming his own.

  “But what drew you to him?” Mikki asked. Even from the other end of the table, she’d obviously been listening, despite holding her own conversation. “What is it about Carter you like?”

  Interesting wording to that question. Lucy took a few moments to consider her answer. “His sincerity.” At first, she’d been skeptical, having difficulty trusting someone who made his living by public speaking. After the first few minutes of the video a friend had shared on social media, though, she’d been hooked. He appeared one hundred percent genuine.

  “He has to be,” Bill grumbled. “It’s his platform.”

  “His brand,” Marnie corrected under her breath.

  “That doesn’t mean he’s insincere,” Trina countered—ever the mama bear sticking up for her cub, even if he was grown. “He truly is trying to help people. He’s always been that way.”

  Bill shrugged it off, unimpressed.

  “And his generosity,” Lucy added. Though this second one wasn’t what had initially led her to hire him, it was something she’d been especially impressed with all day. She wasn’t sure how she could accept him speaking on Saturday for no fee, but he’d gone to great lengths to hide the fact that he’d donated it right back.

  “Don’t you think it’s interesting—” Moose turned to Blake as if it were only the two of them in a conversation. “—that a lot of celebrities are considered generous because they donate to charities when all they really are doing is looking for tax write-offs?”

  From his high chair, Ezra peeked around his dad at Lucy. She made a silly face, and he giggled. Pleased, Lucy smiled and returned her attention to the conversation.

  “I don’t think Carter makes enough money that he’s looking for a tax shelter,” Blake said.

  Ezra ducked back and forth until he recaptured her attention. She made the face again, and he laughed harder this time. She looked away only for a moment, and when she turned back with a different silly expression, his laugh became an earsplitting squeal of delight. The couple at the table just outside their private room looked over, and Lucy forced her expression neutral, pointedly not looking at Ezra or she would burst out laughing herself. The kid was so much fun.

  “Do you know any nice girls for Zach?”

  Trina’s unexpected question brought Lucy’s attention back to their end of the table with a snap.

  Zach gave his mother a surprised, annoyed look and then back at Lucy. Grumbling, but without an audible word, he went back to cutting a bite of asparagus, a hint of color darkening his complexion.

  A zing of protectiveness shot through Lucy. After the fun they’d had together this afternoon, she didn’t want to set him up. If anyone in town should have a chance with him, why not her? “I—” How could she get out of this? “I don’t know his type.”

  “I like blondes.” He didn’t look up. “Bookish ones.”

  Well, that wasn’t her. She took a bite of mashed potatoes to cover the taste of disappointment. She was absolutely not blond, and studious wouldn’t be anyone’s first adjective to describe her. She hadn’t finished college, didn’t feel a particular need to at the moment, and hadn’t cracked much more than the occasional beach read since.

  “No, you don’t,” Marnie murmured, throwing Zach a why-are-you-lying look. “You’ve always liked brunettes.” Leave it to a sister to call him out.

  Lucy watched the exchange between the siblings with amusement and a little interest, but when Zach glanced up at her, his eye catching hers, her heartbeat quickened. Maybe there was a little interest, on her part at least, to go along with the amusement, and if his covert glance was any indication, maybe he’d been thinking about her too. She could barely breathe around the hope swelling inside her.

  “We all know Carter’s type.” Trina gave a pointed look at Lucy.

  She means me? Lucy felt the color drain from her face. She must have misunderstood what Trina meant. They didn’t think—she and Carter—?

  And yet, two short days ago, that had been her dream. A silly, insignificant fantasy she’d never actually put any thought into. Now that she’d seen him in real life, she couldn’t say she was as enamored with the idea. Carter was every bit as handsome and nice as she’d assumed, but any real interest wasn’t there. The mystique of meeting her idol had worn off already.

  “I thought he was still hung up on Eden,” Marnie said.

  Zach’s head shot up, his eye darting to Lucy as if gauging her reaction.

  Marnie was still talking. “He’s been hung up on her since high school.” She looked at Zach to back her up. “Has he ever mentioned being serious with anyone else?”

  Zach swallowed and shifted in his seat. “Actually, he did recently.” He filled his fork with the last of the mashed potatoes on his plate. “These are good.” He lifted it into the air so everyone would know what he was talking about. “Are there any more?” He stretched his neck to peer into each of the bowls at the center of the table. He must have found what he wanted, because he nodded at his sister. “Not as good as yours, of course, but could you pass them?”

  Lucy was fine with Zach changing the subject, even if he had been rather obvious.

  The family got back to more comfortable conversational topics, still bouncing from one to another like a dot-to-dot picture that made absolutely no sense. And she loved every second.

  12

  After the comments over dinner about Carter’s type, Zach couldn’t stop thinking about how Lucy really wasn’t. Lucy was brunette—an extremely pretty one—when his brother preferred blondes and redheads. It was just one more trait that didn’t fit. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was up, and like a burr in his sock, he couldn’t keep going, hoping that if he ignored it, it wouldn’t bother him anymore.

  With Blake and Marnie returning to their cabin for kids’ bath and bedtime routines, he slipped away to give his brother a call.

  “Hey, man,” Zach said when Carter picked up. “I was expecting voicemail.”

  “Then why did you call?”

  Zach shrugged, though Carter couldn’t see that. “In case you were between dinner and whatever social events the conference has planned.
What are you up to?”

  “Between dinner and whatever social event they have planned,” Carter quipped back dryly.

  Of course. Smart aleck. “You missed the big outing to the drive-in today, but I’m assuming you’ve already heard all about it?” Surely, he’d had a moment to catch up with Lucy.

  “I haven’t.” Carter didn’t sound all that interested, either.

  “Lucy was kind enough to show us around—and patient enough to listen to all of Moose and Mikki’s stories.”

  Carter chuckled. They’d endured enough of their grandparents’ long-winded and sometimes fantastical recollections to understand exactly what that entailed. “And she put up with it?” Carter muttered, probably more to himself. He sounded impressed.

  “We all liked her. Especially Mom.”

  “That’s . . . good?” Carter said it slowly, questioning why Zach was bringing it up.

  Okay. Change of topic. “How’s the convention?”

  From then on, their conversation was back to their normal topics—box scores and sports highlights—when Carter had to go. Rather than answering any questions, their short conversation underscored the strangeness of the situation with Carter’s fiancée. Why wouldn’t he be excited to talk about it? Something was definitely up.

  Zach would dig into this Lucy Morrowitz, and he would start first thing in the morning.

  The next day, Zach had been mining the residents of Harvest Ranch for useable information about Lucy Morrowitz all morning, and for what? Because he was concerned about his big brother? That, of course, was ridiculous. His brother was old enough to take care of himself. Except that he wasn’t in town to do so. Since she wasn’t hurting Carter’s reputation or anything like that, Zach had been tempted to let him take care of the whole Lucy situation, but whatever was going on didn’t just affect Carter. Lucy was endearing herself to the family, especially now that he’d told his mom that Carter and Lucy were getting married.

  Nothing about this was on the up-and-up. The two of them were keeping a secret, and Zach wasn’t about to let his mother get hurt by the deception. She’d already had enough where Carter was concerned. Back when Carter had been in college, he’d had a fairly serious relationship with Eden, a young woman Trina had adored—though Zach hadn’t seen the appeal. She was fine, but she was no Lucy. Trina, however, had prepared herself for a wedding, planning without deciding the specific details, even finding them the perfect house to start their life together just down the street from her in Hawthorne, Massachusetts. When Eden and Carter had gone their separate ways, Trina had been almost as heartbroken as his brother had been over the demise of their relationship.