Love Finds You in Maiden, North Carolina

by Tamela Hancock Murray

  Their energy spent, Hestia and Booth dropped into the leaves and laid beside each other. Hestia didn’t want to rise, and Booth made no motion to stand. She looked at the fall sky. From the corner of her eye, she noticed he looked upward, too.

  “See that cloud?” He pointed to a fluffy confection. “What does it look like to you?”

  “An elephant.”

  “An elephant. Yes, I’d say you’re right. I can see the trunk and ears. How about the one beside it?”

  She didn’t know what she saw. “Your turn to go first.”

  “A heart.”

  “A heart?” She noticed that, indeed, it did look like a fat heart. “Yes, I see what you mean.”

  She sensed that he had turned his head to look at her. She turned to look at him, too. Those blue eyes. She could look into them forever. His eyes reminded her of the sky, but she didn’t dare tell him so. She longed for the freedom to share such thoughts, but she couldn’t. She had to settle for something anemic. “I’m glad you came over when you did. You always seem to know just when I need you.”

  “Do I?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He drew his face closer. She felt her eyes closing ever so slightly. She wanted him to kiss her. Very much.

  “Mercy!”

  Hestia jumped and sat up, and Booth followed suit. Hestia hadn’t heard Miss Olive approach, and judging from the way he mimicked Hestia’s shock, Booth had also been oblivious. They greeted the older woman with shy voices and rose to their feet. Ever the gentleman, Booth extended his hand to help Hestia rise even though she didn’t need assistance.

  “You had better be standing upright. This is an absolute disgrace! The two of you lying down like that. What do you think you’re doing?”

  “We were just playing, Miss Olive.” Booth brushed leaves from his jacket.

  “Playing? I’ll say you were playing. Just wait until I tell your aunt, Hestia. She will be very disappointed. Don’t you think your family has enough disgrace with Selene being in the shape she’s in, without you acting in such a way?”

  “I’m sorry, Miss Olive.” Hestia felt confident that she blushed enough to show her chagrin. “We really were just having a little innocent fun. Please forgive me. And if you don’t mind, I wish you wouldn’t burden Aunt Louisa. You’re right—she does have enough on her without worrying about me, too.”

  “What about you, Booth? I expected much better of you.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry I caused Miss Hestia to appear anything but the most virtuous woman that I know her to be. Please forgive me. And I beg your forgiveness, Hestia.”

  She nodded.

  Holding a basket of pecans, Miss Olive stood before them like a grumpy schoolmarm. “I came to bring these pecans I had left over from harvesting my trees. I know you have some from Artie Rowland, but mine are the kind that are easy to shell.” Having outdone Artie, she peered down her nose at them. “It seems you two have other things to do than worrying about pecans.”

  “No, ma’am. I don’t have anything else to do. I can shell pecans this afternoon,” Hestia hurried to assure her. “Thank you for bringing them.”

  “I can help you, Hestia.” Booth sounded as though he were a dull student trying to gain the teacher’s favor.

  “In the presence of her aunt, I hope.” Miss Olive squinted her eyes at them.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Now Hestia sounded like the dull student.

  “Mercy! The two of you are acting as though you’re children.” Miss Olive surveyed the misplaced leaves. “Now just look at all the extra work you two created for yourselves.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Booth surveyed the leaves as though he’d never seen them before. “I’ll help Hestia rake them back.”

  “I would certainly hope so.” The topic exhausted, Miss Olive ventured elsewhere. “Is your aunt home?”

  Hestia nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I know she’d love to see you.”

  As Miss Olive took her leave of them, shaking her head all the while, the two recalcitrant young adults watched her.

  “I’ll rake.” Booth grabbed the rake from where Hestia had left it propped on a nearby tree.

  “I can do it,” Hestia protested, although her enthusiasm for the project had waned.

  “You can take a turn.” Hestia doubted he planned for her to work, but she admired him for saying she could. “If I were a little younger, I’d be tempted to stick out my tongue at her.”

  “Now, Booth!” Hestia mocked. “I can’t believe you’d consider such a thing.”

  He gave her a sheepish grin.

  “Truth be told, I was tempted to do the same thing.” Hestia giggled, and Booth laughed. Hestia looked back toward the house and saw the front parlor curtain open a couple of inches and shut back. “She must be tattling on us now.”

  “Your aunt knows Miss Olive pretty well. I imagine since we’re now hard at work raking, she’ll excuse us. Let’s just pray she doesn’t make this out as more than it was.”

  “True.” She wondered what would have happened in that moment, had they not been interrupted. Would there ever be another moment like it again?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Hestia’s energy spurred Booth to take action on his own yard. He was glad Hestia had gone into her house. What had he been thinking? He had come so close to kissing her. He never should have gotten close enough to be tempted. With wistfulness, he recalled the moment. She’d been willing. So had he.

  The Browns’ black-and-white mutt wandered into the yard and sniffed a pile of leaves, digging into them. Booth looked at Rover for help, but the elderly dog had no intention of leaving his position on the front porch. Booth shooed the mutt with a voice louder than he intended. The little dog ran away with a little howl.

  His thoughts returned and swirled like falling leaves. What was he to do? He stopped and realized the truth. They were in love.

  Hestia felt justified in taking a break after so much raking, but she couldn’t concentrate on anything in the newspaper. She sat in a chair in the parlor since Selene was occupied in their room, but she couldn’t situate herself comfortably. Looking up from the paper, she stared at the philodendron plant in the corner without seeing it.

  What had just happened? Or almost happened? Booth had seemed to want to kiss her, and she had yearned to kiss him. But Miss Olive had interrupted. Maybe it was for the best. If she didn’t go back to Haw River, she could forget any career in medicine. Not that her family supported such an idea. She wondered if Papa had insisted she help her aunt just to discourage her. During her stay she’d learned almost nothing about medicine but much about housework.

  Sighing, she decided to do a little dusting and headed to the kitchen to retrieve a dust rag from a drawer. Once in the kitchen, Hestia heard the whir of the Singer sewing machine coming from the little room off the kitchen. She ventured into the room and found Aunt Louisa engaged in a project. The fabric she was sewing looked to be of quality. The pretty green color reminded Hestia of spring.

  Aunt Louisa stopped pumping the machine with her feet and looked up. “Oh! It’s you. What a relief.”

  “I’m glad. I think.” She laughed. “My, but you’ve gotten ambitious.”

  “Did I tell you the quilt brought thirty-five dollars for the church?”

  Hestia whistled. “That’s wonderful.”

  “The news encouraged me to get back into sewing. I always did love to sew. Come here.” Aunt Louisa crooked her finger. “Look.” Standing, she held up a garment for Hestia to see. It was a dress in the linear style Selene preferred, only with plenty of room in the waist. “It’s for Selene. What do you think?”

  “It’s a maternity dress?”

  Aunt Louisa nodded.

  “That’s a grand idea. She certainly needs some clothing that fits loosely.”

  “I can take it in at the sides for her once she has the baby.”

  “Oh, that is so thoughtful of you. I haven’t thought about Christmas yet. Maybe Booth wo
uldn’t mind taking me into Lincolnton to shop.”

  “Good idea.” She smiled. “I have a feeling he won’t mind. And I suspect you wouldn’t mind, either.”

  “I’m that obvious?” She felt herself blush.

  “Young love is always obvious, especially to us old folks.” Aunt Louisa sighed as though the years had melted from time. “I remember young love very well. I was happily married for many years.”

  “Yes, you were a fine example.”

  “Enough of this sentiment.” Aunt Louisa flitted her hand at Hestia. “Now don’t you mention that you caught me in here sewing. This is a surprise for her for Christmas.”

  “So when did you get the fabric? It’s lovely.”

  “Oh, I have my ways.”

  Hestia wondered if she happened to have the material on hand or what. Why was she being secretive?

  As Judith and her mother dropped off Hestia at Aunt Louisa’s after the quilting bee, she bid them farewell and watched the motorcar depart. Seeing that Hestia could use a weekly break, Judith had invited Hestia to take part in her quilting bees. The meetings had become events that Hestia anticipated, a time to be with women of all ages as they sewed to raise money for missions.

  Hestia breezed through the front door, refreshed by the fellowship.

  “Is that you, Hestia?” Aunt Louisa called.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Look on the table. There’s a letter for you.”

  Following her aunt’s instructions, Hestia saw a letter from her old friend Gertie. In the recent past, she would have been eager for news. Not anymore. She almost couldn’t remember Haw River. Sighing, she took a moment to sit on the sofa and read the correspondence. It opened innocently enough, with news about all their friends and acquaintances. Learning about their comings and goings made her feel wistful. She had gone from feeling a sense of immediacy about their concerns to discerning that she had become an outsider, someone they’d ask about on occasion but not thought of with the urgency of the past.

  “What’s taking you so long?” Aunt Louisa called.

  Obviously her aunt wanted to learn all about the meeting. Shaking her head and smiling to herself, Hestia put the letter back in its envelope and went to see her aunt.

  Aunt Louisa’s expression reminded Hestia of a little girl waiting for a new doll. “Did you have a good time at the quilting bee?”

  “Yes, we’re making progress. Next time I’ll take a batch of sugar cookies. I have a new recipe I want to try for Christmas festivities.”

  “So you don’t mind spending Christmas with us?”

  Hestia didn’t answer right away. “No, I don’t mind. I won’t say I don’t miss anyone back home, but I do enjoy being here.” She thought of Booth.

  “Good. I imagine your letter is from one of your friends.”

  “Yes. Are you afraid I’ll be homesick?”

  “A mite.”

  “You really do want me to stay for Christmas, don’t you?”

  “I’ll admit I’ve grown fond of having you here.”

  Hestia smiled. The admission of fondness was as close as her aunt would ever admit to love. “Thanks for the letter. Is Selene in the bedroom?”

  “No. She’s decided to try to make us dinner tonight. Candied yams and pork chops, I do believe.”

  “She’s become quite domestic of late.”

  “I do believe she has a hankering to impress Artie. For a time the postman flirted with her mightily, but she didn’t seem interested. He’s a handsome fellow, too. She could have done worse. But her eyes light up when she’s around Artie.”

  Hestia couldn’t argue. “Funny, I never would have judged her to become interested in someone as conservative—or as devout—as Artie.”

  “Me, neither, but you won’t see me complaining. He’s been encouraging her to read the Bible, and they’ve been discussing the hard verses and teachings, such as Paul’s admonitions about women’s roles in the church. Seems our New York flapper doesn’t take too kindly to such restrictions.” Aunt Louisa chuckled.

  “If anyone can help her understand the Bible, I have a feeling Artie can. She’ll listen to him sooner than she’ll pay attention to us. They seem to have respect and regard for one another.”

  “Yes. That’s got to be the Lord’s doing, His way of using this scandal to bring her to Him. Sometimes it takes a tragedy in one’s life to get one to come to the Lord.”

  “True. I hadn’t thought of it that way before.” Hestia stared at the curtains but didn’t truly see them.

  “Too bad nothing more can come of it. Once she goes home, Artie will be back where he was, with no one. Such a shame, too. He’s a nice fellow. We must pray for him not to be lonely after Selene leaves, and we must pray that once Selene gets back to her home, she won’t fall back into her old habits.”

  Hestia thought about Selene. Her manner had become humble, and she no longer reminisced about her old life. “I have a feeling she’s learned her lesson. And I know she won’t be seeing Ned anymore. He’s courting some other flapper.”

  Aunt Louisa harrumphed. “I hope someone warns the new girl what a rounder he is.”

  “I have a feeling word gets around about things, even in New York.” Hestia held up the letter. “Speaking of word, let me see what Gertie has to say.”

  “Hope it’s good news.”

  “Me, too,” she said.

  “Oh, and a letter also came for Selene. Can you take it in to her?”

  “Of course. Seems we’re popular today.” In no hurry to read Gertie’s letter, Hestia stopped by the kitchen to check on Selene and let her know she received mail.

  “How’s the new dish coming along?”

  “Why don’t you tell me?” She took a clean spoon from the silverware drawer and dipped out some of the dish for Hestia. “Taste.”

  Hestia obeyed. The flavors blended very well. She nodded. “As you would say, it’s copacetic.”

  Selene giggled. “It doesn’t need more salt?”

  “No. Besides, people can always add salt to taste, but once it’s in, you can’t take it out.”

  “True.”

  “I think Artie will be impressed. That is what this is all about, isn’t it?”

  Selene shrugged. “Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.”

  “So it is about Artie.”

  “Yes. And no. Sure, it’s the bee’s knees to have a fellow to impress, but I figure I’ll be home soon enough. Might as well make the most of my misery here by picking up a new skill. Maybe one of the fellows back home will like a woman who can make a meal on the cook’s night off.”

  “You have a point. Aunt Louisa was just saying Artie will miss you when you’re gone.”

  “Yeah. Sure.”

  Hestia thought she caught just the slightest touch of wistfulness in Selene’s voice, but she decided not to ask about it. “Here’s a letter for you. It just came in today’s mail.”

  Selene stopped her task long enough to take the letter from Hestia. “Oh, good, it’s from Flora. She’ll fill me in on all the news.”

  “I’ll leave you to your letter.”

  “Don’t bother. It’ll be more fun to share.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Sure, I’m sure. Flora’s already told me that Ned has someone else. It can’t get any worse.”

  Touched by Selene’s willingness to share her life, Hestia agreed to stay. “Read away.”

  Dear Selene:

  What’s the latest with you? We still miss you. You’re missing so many things here. When are you coming home? What’s the holdup?

  “So she still doesn’t know.” Hestia found such a fact hard to believe.

  “No, and she never will.”

  Everything’s jake here. Some new fellows from Chicago attracted Mildred’s attention at the Saturday bash, and she asked them if they’d take us out to a swanky joint.

  Hestia gasped. “You mean, your friends asked two gentlemen if they’d take them out
for an evening?”

  Selene looked at Hestia as though she were a dullard. “That’s right. What’s wrong with that? I think the fellows like it.”

  Hestia wasn’t sure but decided not to argue.

  At first I was worried that we’d be in trouble once the check came. What if we didn’t have enough money to pay? But they both turned out to be darbs, so we didn’t have to wash dishes after all.

  “Darbs?” Hestia asked.

  “They can be counted on to pick up the check,” Selene explained. “The girls were really lucky. I don’t think I would have taken a chance like that.”

  I wasn’t so keen on the one I got. He turned out to be a flat tire. But Mildred’s gotten stuck on her date. I think they’ll be an item soon. By the by, she wants to fix you up on a blind date with his brother. You’d better hurry back before they’re gone for good!

  Speaking of dates, you might as well take any opportunity you can. If you think Ned’s carrying a torch for you, you can forget it. He eloped!

  Both women took in a collective breath and said, “Eloped!”

  Selene looked at the letter as though it were written in Chinese.

  Hestia took the letter from her. “Let me see that.”

  And not even with the same woman he had a crush on right after you left town. This is someone altogether different. I don’t know the girl—she’s apparently someone from the Catskills and they met while he was visiting his uncle in August. Well, I say good riddance. Who needs him? All the swell guys think you’re the berries, and we can paint the town red once you get back.

  Selene seemed dazed. “I can’t believe it.”

  “It sounds mighty suspicious to me. Do you think it possible that he—no, I don’t even want to suggest it.”

  “What?”

  “Read for yourself.”