Mr. Handsome smiled, and said, “No, she is breathtaking. This ring pales in comparison.”
Violet smiled at him for a brief moment, and turned back to me. “Oh, I’m so sorry, where are my manners? Evan, this is my sister Lilly Harrington, the big fancy chef from California,” she said, still beaming at me. “And Lil, this…,” she said, snaking her arm around his waist, “…is my Evan.” Violet looked up at Evan adoringly, and he widely smiled back. Great, now I’m smiling. It was impossible not to instantly get caught up in their joy.
I extended my hand to him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Evan,” I said.
He took my hand in his, and smiling, he pulled me into a warm hug. “No need for handshakes, we’re family now,” he said, and released me from the hug, still holding my hand. “And the pleasure’s all mine, Lilly. I’m Evan Sanderson. Violet has been talking of nothing but you for weeks. I am so glad to finally get the chance to meet you. You are pretty famous around here.” I have never been greeted by someone for the first time like that before. Looking at him now, I can see why Violet is crazy in love with him. Sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and wide, killer smile. Wow, this guy seems incredible.
I looked at Violet, who was still beaming, and said, “Wow, you know what? I don’t even know what to say after that, thank you! That was very sweet.”
“Isn’t he? Lilly, I am so, so happy you are here. Everything feels just so perfect,” Violet said.
“I’m happy to be here too. I wasn’t expecting a welcoming party the minute I got off the plane. This is such a nice surprise,” I said.
“Oh, it was actually Evan’s idea. I needed a break from the wedding plans, and Evan wasn’t on call today, so we took a little road trip, and now here we are,” replied Violet, as we started walking toward the baggage claim.
“On call?” I asked.
“Yes, I’m a physician at Glenbrook General. Your father introduced us,” exclaimed Evan. My father was a nephrologist and had been there for almost forty years.
“Oh, wow, you’re a doctor. How exciting,” I said, and looked at Violet, giving her a quick wink. “What kind of doctor are you?”
“I’m an obstetrician.”
“So you get to deliver babies every day? Very cool,” I said.
“Thank you, Lilly. I love what I do. I am actually in the process of opening a practice with two colleagues of mine. We are about halfway through construction.”
“Oh, that’s great. It’s nice to have the opportunity to go out on your own professionally. I’ll admit I have thought about opening my own restaurant on occasion,” I confess. Of course, I had never admitted that to my friends in California. I had never even said that out loud until just now.
Violet clapped her hands together loudly. “Oh, Lilly, that would be so great! You know,” she said, quickly changing the tone in her voice, “if you were to, ya know, move back home, I’ll bet Evan’s contractor could give you a great deal, with you being family and all.” She looked right at me, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Of course she would be talking about me moving back here. I’ve been back for all of fifteen minutes.
Evan chuckled at her. “Sweetie, let’s let her be here for more than an hour before you try holding her hostage,” he joked, picking up my suitcases before I could grab them.
Violet smiled back at him. “Hey, I am honest about what I want, and that is why you love me, mister.”
“I do,” he replied, kissing her lightly on the lips. “We should probably start heading back to Glenbrook, your mother is probably on pins and needles waiting for you two.”
“You’re right. Let’s go,” I replied, and followed Violet and Evan out of the airport to his car.
The drive to Glenbrook was smooth, and pleasant. Upon getting to know more about Evan, I learned that he is originally from Valdosta, which isn’t far from our little town. His mother died of breast cancer when he was six years old, and was raised by his father, who stayed single all while Evan was growing up, and he finally got remarried after Evan graduated from medical school. He also spent a year after he got his medical license in Chile helping to build a birthing center for women who did not have access to regular healthcare. He also does volunteer work, gives to charity, and during the holidays he dresses up in costume with one of his best friends (who is the pediatrician in town) and goes to the pediatric ward of the hospitals in the surrounding counties to cheer up sick children and their families. Violet has truly found a terrific man, and I couldn’t be happier for my sister.
When we pulled up to the driveway of my childhood home and I looked at our huge wraparound front porch, another memory from the night before I left flashed in my mind…
“Well, Luke, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I had a lot of fun with you tonight,” I said, holding onto my giant brown teddy bear with a blue bow around its neck in one arm, and three stuffed bunnies in the other.
“You say that like you’re surprised or somethin’, Lil. That hurts,” Luke said, smiling as we stepped up on my front porch. Just as I set my stuffed animals down on the swing, he took hold of my hand and sighed. I was surprised that his skin felt hot against mine. “I still can’t believe you are leaving tomorrow. Ha, you’re such a nerd. Who starts college a week after graduating high school?”
“This girl does. Besides, I don’t know why you care so much. We never really became any kind of friends until Jack started dating Daisy, and then you were always hanging around here with him all the time. You only talked to me because you had to,” I said.
Luke looked right into eyes, a little stunned. “Is that why you think I was hanging around here so much?” He was looking at me like I had three heads.
“Well, yeah, I guess I do. Wait, are you mad at me?”
“No, I’m not mad, just...yeah, I guess I am mad. Are you really that blind?” Luke said, frustration dripping off his words.
“What does that mean? What is your problem?” I answer back.
Luke clenched his jaw and he took a deep breath. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “Lilly, I started coming over with Jack because when he told me he had a thing for Daisy, I thought if I came along…that I’d get to see you. I would sit here on the couch, staring at the TV, sometimes for hours while they flirted and kissed, which was disgusting by the way, just in case you might walk into the room and I’d get to see you for five minutes. I just…oh man, are you really gonna make me say it?” He paused for a long moment. “I am in love with you, Lilly.”
I just stared at him. I couldn’t speak. Luke Beckett was in love with me? Jesus, I really was blind. I just thought he was a flirt…I mean, I’d seen him be this way with other girls at school all the time. My scalp started to tingle and my face suddenly felt like it was going to catch fire. “Luke, I…don’t know…” I couldn’t speak.
“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter now anymore does it? I’m out of time. But…there is just one thing I have to do before you go.”
I gulped. “W-w-w-what’s that?” I stammered, my hands shaking.
He took a step closer to me, so that we were only inches apart, and before I can think, he leaned down and kissed me…
Violet leaned over in her seat and honked the horn three times. “Hey y’all, we’re home!” she shouted, and opened the car door before Evan can turn off the engine.
I shook my head to try and forget that memory. I haven’t thought about Luke in years, and now I have thought about him twice just on my way home. I had to get a grip on myself. I opened the car door, and saw behind me that Evan and Violet were getting my bags from the trunk. Wow, with service like this you’d think I was a queen or something. Just then, my parents walked out onto the porch of our home. It looked exactly the same as it did when I left. And so did Mama. Blonde hair, blue eyes, delicate features…my mother was just beautiful. She held her arms out for me. “Lilly, come here and give me a hug!”
I jogged up the steps and into my mother’s waiting arms. I took a deep breath an
d instantly I felt home. She still smelled the same, like her favorite perfume. “Hey, Mama,” was all I could say.
“My baby girl,” she crooned. “Oh, honey, I’m so happy you are here. It’s been much, much too long,” she said. She held out my arms and looked at me up and down. “Lilly, look at you! You look so beautiful! So sophisticated!” I smiled back at her. Looking to my father, she asked, “Calvin, isn’t she beautiful?”
I looked at my Dad, and he smiled at me. “Of course she is, Rosalind, she’s a Harrington. So, do I get a hug or what?”
I smiled brightly and wrapped my arms around his neck. I breathed in his scent, and he also smelled the same as always. His best cologne and a hint of spearmint mouthwash. “Oh Daddy, I have missed you so much.” I pulled away from the hug and looked at both of them. “You both look great, seems quiet country life is still agreeing with you.”
“So it seems. Well, come on in darlin’, I believe we have some catching up to do! Dinner’s waiting for us inside, and I hope you’re hungry. You’re Mama’s been cookin’ up a storm in that kitchen for almost two days,” Daddy said, winking at me. “So, how was your flight?” he asked, and we walked arm in arm inside the house.
“Well, shorter than I expected, I guess. I slept through most of it.”
“Did you not get enough sleep last night?” he asked with a furrowed brow, like only a concerned father would.
“Well, some friends and I went out for dinner last night, and we stayed out a tad late,” I said, remembering just then the image of Tara doing shots off a cute bartender’s stomach. I smiled at the memory, and my Dad smiled back at me, knowing I was thinking about something I probably wouldn’t be repeating in dinner conversation. “Where’s Daisy?”
“She’s should be here soon. She had to cover for another nurse whose kid was sick, but she’ll be here any minute. I think she said she was picking up a bottle of wine,” he said, smiling. I smiled back, remembering that Daisy had become a nurse, and how strange that still seemed to me. Now that I thought about it, I think Violet and I were only members of the family that didn’t go into medicine. I was the big Cali chef, and Violet just started her first year as a kindergarten teacher. My dad was a nephrologist, Daisy was a nurse, my mom had been a nurse before she retired, and now I am getting a brother in law that was an obstetrician. Daddy put his arm around me, and led me inside the house.
“Well, I should probably take my things upstairs, don’t you think? That should give Daisy plenty of time to get here before dinner,” I said. I had wanted to stay in a hotel, but I quickly lost that argument. There was no way my parents were letting me be here in town again and not in the room down the hall that was my own piece of the world for eighteen years.
My Dad waved his hand in the air. “Nonsense. That can wait until after dinner.”
“Well, I’ve been on a plane all day, I at least need a minute to freshen up,” I said.
Daddy nodded at me and smiled, saying “Okay, but you can leave the rest of your bags here. We can get them later.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll be right down, Daddy,” and with that I headed upstairs with one of my suitcases. I walked down the hall and stopped at the door at the end. I smiled and reached my hand up to run my fingers over the sign on the door: a wooden plaque with the words “Lilly’s Room” carved into it, hung on a nail by a pink ribbon. I took my hand down and with a deep breath I turned the knob and walked inside. My room was exactly the same as it was when I left it. The walls were pink with white trim, and they were decorated with posters of my favorite bands. The carpet was a soft white, and there was a large pale pink shag rug in the middle of the room. My full sized bed was still decorated with my old flower comforter, and in front of my pillows were some of my old stuffed animals, including the ones that Luke won for me. My old desk was still there, and above it hung a corkboard with different pictures of friends, stickers, concert and movie stubs, and a pendant from my old high school. I set my luggage down and walked closer to the corkboard. I smiled as I saw pictures of Violet, Daisy, and I together. There was a school picture of Violet, one of Daisy in her cheerleading uniform, and one of Jack, Daisy, Luke, and I at our graduation. I touched Luke’s face in the picture with my fingertips and sighed. I wondered in that moment what he was doing now. I bet he was married now to a beautiful woman (blonde I would guess) with two children and a dog. For the briefest of moments I felt a little bit sad, knowing that could have been me. I shook my head, remembering myself again. I quickly grabbed my billowy navy dress out of the suitcase, my cream heels, and my makeup bag and headed into the bathroom that was attached to my room. I changed as quickly as I could, and freshened up my makeup. I looked at my hair and it was a lost cause. I took it down from the ponytail it had been in and brushed it, then flipped my head upside down and twisted it into a messy bun. Deciding to play up my messy mop, I grabbed my large cream colored rose hair clip that matched my shoes, and slid it into the side of my bun, hiding the hair tie. Not bad for having been on a plane all morning.
I came back down the stairs, and Daddy was waiting for me. “Wow, you went from beautiful to gorgeous in ten minutes time. You are definitely your Mama’s daughter. Come on, dinner’s ready, let’s go catch up,” he said, and we walked arm in arm to the dining room. As soon as I saw the room, my mouth fell open. I looked at the table, and it looked as if Mama was hosting a dinner party for twenty people. The table had our usual burgundy silk tablecloth with my great grandmother’s cream lace tablecloth laying over it that we only used for holidays or special guests. My homecoming must have been something to celebrate for her to bring out the silk and lace. There were beautiful cream taper candles in the silver candelabras I got my parents for Christmas five years ago. In between the candelabras were cream votive candles floating in water in crystal dishes. It was so beautiful. There was a huge ham and of course Daddy’s barbecue turkey, with every side dish imaginable from deviled eggs to mashed potatoes to homemade dressing. The desert table was filled with several different pies and cakes. Oh God, I was going to need a dolly to get me upstairs after eating all of this. Daddy took his usual place at the head of the table, with Mama at his left side. Violet sat next to Mama, and Evan was on the other side of her. I sat down on Daddy’s right, and there were two empty place settings next to me, and an empty setting at the end of the table. I looked up at Mama. “Um, why are there so many place settings? Are there other people coming?”
Mama grinned at me. “Well, one’s for Daisy, obviously, and the other two are for Evan’s groomsmen. We thought we should all get to know each other better since we’re gonna be spending so much time together the next few weeks,” she said, winking at me. Meeting the groomsmen…they were probably both doctors too. I smiled back at her, and then we began our tradition of holding hands and saying grace around the dinner table.
About thirty minutes into the meal, we were back in full swing, catching up on everyone’s lives. Mama had begun doing her annual holiday volunteer work at the local soup kitchen three times a week. Violet told me that her kindergarten class was putting on a pageant at our annual Christmas festival in town. I swear, in this town, there are at least two festivals per season. Christmas is by far the biggest there is. Daddy had begun to cut back on his hours at the hospital to spend more time with Mama, and they were planning to take a vacation for their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary in January. In all the hustle and bustle of the conversation, I heard the front door open, and a familiar voice called from the foyer. “Hey, y’all, I’m here! Where’s she at?” Daisy. Hearing her voice instantly puts a grin on my face.
“We’re in here, Dais,” Mama called. Just then, Daisy ran into the dining room with her arms out. She came right to me and pulled me out of my chair, and into a bear hug. “Wow, Dais, uh, hi.” I choked out. Funny how much force one tiny little woman can have.
“Oh my God, girl, it’s great to see you! How you been? Look at you, you look like you just came back from a fashion show,” she asked,
sounding winded. She placed a bottle of wine in the ice bucket and we both took our seats next to each other. Daisy looked so different since the last time I saw her. She had short brown hair with light brown highlights that was cut into an angled bob, and she had three earrings in one ear, and four in the other. Topping off the look was a tiny little diamond stud on the left side of her nose. On most people, I would think it was ridiculous, but on Daisy, it was very cute. She was still in her blue scrubs.
“Thank you, little sister. I’ve been great, we’ve all been catching up on what everyone’s doing. Look at you, in scrubs! You look very professional,” I said, proudly.
“Oh, she’s the best L&D nurse on her unit,” Daddy said, beaming. “Although, I will confess, I wish she had taken me up on my offer to work in my practice.”
“L&D? Should I know what that means?” I asked.
“Labor and delivery,” Daisy replied.
“I love when she’s on duty and one of my patient’s is in labor. She’s an amazing nurse, makes my job so much easier,” Evan said. Violet smiled at him.
“Well, thank you all for the nice words, but come on, I want to hear more about Lilly! It’s all medicine around here most of the time, what’s it like being a famous chef? I heard last week that you’d been contacted by one of those actors from one of those vampire movies to cater some big party,” she said, beaming.
“Wow, word travels fast. It was just for a consult, nothing major yet. We haven’t even spoken, their reps called the restaurant and requested a meeting with me to sample some of my dishes, that’s all.”
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