Easily Amused

by McQuestion, Karen

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “You should. By the way, Mrs. Kinkaid thought you were very cute. She thinks you and I should be dating.”

  “Would that be the Mrs. Kinkaid, the smartest woman in the entire world?”

  He made me laugh. “That’s the one,” I said, returning his grin.

  “Oh, almost forgot.” He tapped his forehead. “I’ve been meaning to give this to you all night.” He reached into his pocket and handed me a package the size of a deck of playing cards wrapped in aluminum foil. “Happy birthday.”

  “Am I supposed to open it or heat it up?”

  “Ha ha—I couldn’t find any wrapping paper.”

  Beneath the foil was a square of yellowed tissue paper with a small bulge in the middle.

  “It’s from your aunt May, actually. She wanted you to have it.”

  My dead aunt sent me a gift? I unfolded the paper to find an antique ring in a silver setting. The square diamond in the center was set high and surrounded by delicate filigree. “Oh, how pretty.”

  “It was her engagement ring. In her last diary she mentioned wanting to give it to you the next time she saw you. She was going to explain about leaving you the house too, but she didn’t get a chance, obviously.”

  I slid the ring on my third finger, left hand. It was a perfect fit. “So why did she leave the house to me?”

  He hesitated; from the look on his face I knew there was something.

  “What?”

  “You don’t want to hear it from me. It would be better for you to read her explanation when we get home.”

  “No, tell me now.”

  “Well, her reasoning isn’t all that flattering, but I really do think her heart was in the right place.”

  “She thought I was a despicable loser who’d never own a house otherwise?”

  “Oh no, nothing like that,” he said. “She just watched you at family gatherings ever since you were a little girl and noticed how you set yourself apart from other people. She thought the neighbors on King Street would be good for you. They’d take you into their fold, she thought.”

  “She was right about that.” I held my hand out to look at the ring on my finger. Beautiful, in an understated way. “King Street is like a Venus flytrap. But in a good way, I guess.”

  One of the young guys who’d been stacking chairs had been watching us. When he walked toward us, I thought for sure he was going to make us get up.

  “Can I ask…” he said and hesitated, giving me a second to read his nametag. Ralph had the lanky build of a teenager. He wore a white button-down shirt and black pants that would never have stayed up without his belt. “Did you guys just get engaged?”

  I exchanged an amused look with Hubert and said, “Well, he gave me the ring, but he hasn’t actually asked me yet.”

  Ralph’s eyes got big. “Do you want us to leave the room? Give you some privacy?”

  “No, it’s OK,” Hubert said. “I am going to ask her, but I want to wait until the time is right.”

  “OK,” Ralph said dubiously. He started to walk away and then turned back. “Congratulations, I guess.”

  After he was out of earshot, I turned to Hubert and asked, “Did you mean that? About asking me later?”

  “It’s a distinct possibility,” he said, “but I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. How about we get to know each other a little better and then decide?” He raised his eyebrows playfully, making me laugh.

  I looked at the ring on my finger and then at Hubert, who’d been at every one of my birthdays since I was thirteen. I wanted him to be there for every one from now on, and not just as a friend. I said, “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Good.” He grinned. “Now I have something to look forward to.”

  “Me too,” I said. “Let’s go home.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Author photo by Greg McQuestion

  Karen McQuestion has written fiction for years, but it wasn’t until she self-published her first novel on Kindle that she found her readers. Her amazing success in this endeavor has earned a movie option and publishing deal for her first novel, A Scattered Life. She lives in Hartland, Wisconsin, with her husband and their three children.

  Reading Group Guide

  Easily Amused by Karen McQuestion

  In the beginning of the novel, Lola is reluctant to let Hubert stay the night because she’s not set up for guests. Can you relate to her hesitation, and what does this say about her personality?

  Lola seems awfully critical of her sister, Mindy. Do you think her attitude is justified? Is this, as she said, a sister thing?

  Lola’s neighbors appear to genuinely care for one another. Is this level of involvement unusual today? And what are the pros and cons of neighbors who know so much about each others’ lives?

  Did you notice that the main characters’ last names were Watson, Holmes, and Moriarty, and did you make the connection to the books featuring Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?

  Lola is so taken with Ryan’s good looks and suave personality that she initially discounts the warning signs that all is not as it seems. Have you or a friend ever experienced a similar situation?

  Piper is described as a take-charge person. How does this work against her when it comes to allowing her husband Mike to help with the care of their son?

  Does Hubert’s easygoing personality and willingness to clean Lola’s house make him the perfect man? Discuss amongst yourselves.

  How do you think Belinda’s dog Baxter got into Ryan’s closed garage?

  Great-Aunt May bequeathed the house to Lola knowing that the neighbors would watch out for her. Do you think May discussed this idea with her neighbors at the time her will was drafted?

  Do you believe Lola and Hubert will end up getting married, and if so, are they a good match?