Perfect Timing (Cutter's Creek Book 17)

by Annie Boone

  “Then perhaps you should have it?” Mary raised her eyebrow. June liked red, and they both knew it. Mary usually was dressed in blue herself, and they liked having their own preferences.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” June mused, eyes wandering around the seamstress shop. Mrs. Holcomb was in the back, having told them she was sure she had another box of buttons somewhere. Mary did like her buttons so she was willing to put the clerk through whatever it took to see them.

  Her sister nudged her. “What’s going on with you, June? I swear, you’ve reached an entirely new level of quiet and I don’t know what to make of it. Now I need your advice. Should I get this fabric or this one?” Raising the pink one a little higher, she also revealed to June a similar pattern but blue, just about the color of the morning sky.

  June glanced between them and touched them. The bolts were stiff and fairly coarse, unused and firm. Somehow this reminded her of Zeke’s suit when she had grabbed him to keep from falling. He had a nice suit, and she’d been worried it had ripped. But the stitches had held, and she was glad for it. That had been a nice suit, she reminded herself, made of a dark gray.

  The memory was forced away as Mary groaned, staring at the ceiling. It was a rather dark ceiling, June noted when she looked up. Like the night sky nearly, since the lamps that lit the building were so low. He had dark eyes, she remembered, and it made her smile as she thought about looking into them again.

  When her sister cleared her throat, however, June tried to control her thoughts again, attempting to focus. Mary was right. What was going on with her?

  Squinting, June peered at the two fabrics and took one, trying to give the impression that she was being helpful. “Yes, good. This would make your eyes look as blue as a robin’s egg, I’m certain of it. Everyone will notice. You’ll be complimented all night long.”

  As usual, that was exactly what her sister wanted to hear. Pleased, the older girl straightened her shoulders and picked up the bolt of fabric. She was about to turn towards the register but paused. “You should probably get that one then,” she motioned to the pink one she’d been looking at first.

  It didn’t bother her, having Mary choose for her. If anything, it made things easier. Picking it up, she followed her sister to the counter and took a deep breath as an idea came to mind. After all, if she wanted to know anything more about Zeke, her sister, the fount of all town gossip, might be a good start. She and Zeke had known each other somewhat while growing up, and perhaps she would know more. But how to bring it up without making Mary suspicious?

  Her throat constricted but she opened her mouth before she could stop. “Tell me more about Zeke Miller. What was he like, growing up? You had classes with him, after all.”

  June watched her sister’s appearance slowly change into that proud smile of hers, eyes drooping low as she patted her hair down carefully. “Of course, I did. I’ve said that before.”

  It was difficult not to grow impatient, but June inhaled quietly and waited. Her sister was known for her theatrics, after all. Whether it was quietly sharing a secret or publicly announcing one, Mary would do her best to garner the attention she felt she deserved. No matter what. So she waited.

  It didn’t take long.

  “He was a good student. He tried really hard and asked questions in class. Numbers came quickly to him, so that’s probably why he went into business. He was friends with a few others, like Nick and Josh. Oh, Zeke was always a good-looking boy. And helpful—I remember him sometimes coming early to tidy up the classroom to help our teacher. What was his name? I don’t recall.”

  A sound came from behind the door, like something heavy had fallen. June frowned, detaching herself from her sister to glance towards the crack in the doorframe. “Mrs. Holcomb? Are you all right?”

  “Just fine!” a voice called back a minute later. “I’ll be out in a moment.”

  Satisfied, she turned back to Mary. “That’s nice about the teacher. Did he have other friends? Anyone he fancied? And what about his family?” she added in a rush, trying to restrain a blush as she managed to choke out the question she was most interested in having answered between the others. Did her sister notice?

  The girl was fiddling with her bonnet and appeared to take it in stride. “Oh, you know. There’s Mrs. Miller and she’s rather kind. Or, that’s what people say. She’s not exactly nice to me, you know. But I suppose she can’t afford much. I don’t remember anything about her husband, since they were a quiet family. But his father died some years ago. I only remember because Zeke was out of school for nearly a week. He grew a little quieter and never spoke about it. And he barely missed a thing, since he was so good at catching up.”

  She paused, and June waited with baited breath, biting her bottom lip in the hopes of getting that one answer. Her heart went out to him even more now. It had been a while since she had thought of anyone like this. After it hadn’t worked out with Josh, she’d withdrawn her giggles and fluttering handkerchiefs from the available men in the town, realizing she didn’t want to hold onto just anything. She wanted something special, with someone special.

  “Frances said he doesn’t have anyone. He’s come home for good. So far he hasn’t had anyone come for a visit. I guess he hasn’t had a chance to begin courting anyone here in Cutter’s Creek yet. Well, he better not have,” Mary pouted just as the door opened.

  Which was a good thing, because June didn’t know what to say about that. She turned her back on her sister to stare at the counter, afraid of what Mary would think if she knew how she felt about the target of her sister’s future plans.

  Swallowing hard, she took a deep breath and clasped her hands, hoping her sister had no idea what was in her heart. There were too many sweet thoughts about Zeke Miller, and June didn’t know what to do with any of them.

  Chapter 13

  The blonde Pershing girls bustled out of the seamstress’s shop with their cloth, their buttons, and their ribbons. They walked right past the haberdashery, chatting away. One of them looked into the window as she passed and gave a slight wave. John Prater smiled and nodded in return.

  Though John was happy for any business, these particular customers always tired him out. He was just a bit happy they’d needed something other than what his shop offered today.

  Mary was never satisfied and acted as though he hid the best of his goods behind closed doors just so she couldn’t see them. As for June, well, sometimes she was just as hard to please. He had noticed that lately she had grown quieter, but John didn’t know what that meant. And he didn’t even want to be reminded of dealing with their mother.

  In fact, women in general seemed to confuse him. Fiddling with a zipper, John frowned and thought of his own daughter. Nancy was nearing ten years old and was following in the footsteps of Mary Pershing. Though the two of them didn’t know each other, his daughter always wanted a new dress, she wanted to curl her hair, and she wanted to talk to boys.

  Her last idea was driving him crazy and he didn’t know what to do about it. After all, he hadn’t planned to raise a daughter on his own. Without his wife by his side… sighing, he shook his head and continued to put out the new merchandise. The shipment had arrived just yesterday and he was putting it all in place and marking his books accordingly.

  His haberdashery was a small one, too small for all he wanted to do with it. Fixing his coat, John glanced around and mused on his latest idea. He needed help in here, and he needed it soon. The town was growing and they had growing needs. He couldn’t do it all alone any longer.

  “There you are.” The door swung open and he stood from his stool immediately, nearly tipping it over. John ran a hand over his hairless head and patted down his suit as Adele Miller entered with a shy smile.

  He nodded breathlessly. “Here I am. You’re early. Or am I late?” He grabbed out his pocket watch, wondering how he could have been so absentminded to forget he’d asked Adele Miller to join him for supper.

  Shaking her head, she g
ave him a kind smile. Her eyes were sparkling green, unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Brighter than emeralds, in fact, and John struggled not to get lost in them again. Instead, he stepped around the counter and put out an arm for her.

  She took his arm and looked at him with a sweet smile. “You’re right on time. I know we were planning on meeting at the Silver Dollar Inn, but I wanted to see if you needed assistance in closing the shop first.”

  “Ah,” he beamed at her. “That’s mighty kind of you, Adele, but as you can see, the shop is in decent shape at the moment. Now, how are you this evening? Hungry, I hope?”

  The woman nodded, chuckling. “I am, indeed.”

  After he locked up, they headed arm in arm down the street to the Silver Dollar Inn where the restaurant inside was one of the most popular in town. The food was fantastic and the service was impeccable. Caroline Webster was a friendly and efficient waitress—always helpful, but not too overbearing.

  The evening was full of familiar faces already seated around the dining room, but John had stopped by that morning to ensure they would have seats. Window seats, of course, since Adele loved to sit where she could see out.

  While they ordered, John watched her thoughtfully. He remembered what they used to call her. Mrs. Miller, the lonely widow. Mr. Miller had passed away rather unexpectedly some time ago, and then her son, Zeke, had left for college. She worked in a garden in her yard and as a schoolteacher to keep afloat but was quiet and only seen at school and church.

  His wife had died a few years before Adele lost her husband, but now he found himself struggling to run his shop while raising his daughter. Nancy deserved his best, but he wasn’t quite certain what this meant. He was unaware of the important points of raising a girl, especially one who, though only ten years old, was still but a few short years from womanhood herself.

  So, he had approached Mrs. Miller for her assistance. Not quite as a nanny, but more as a governess who could teach Nancy everything she needed to know at this point. The girl needed a woman’s touch and a woman to talk to about woman things. He wanted Adele to be the woman in Nancy’s life to help her mature.

  Adele agreed to lend a hand with Nancy and John was relieved beyond measure. Then, after talking on the porch steps frequently, they began to sit together at church. And then she would stop by his shop during her trips to town. And then he boldly asked if he could see her more often. The two of them had been courting for several months, and he couldn’t be happier. She seemed happy, too.

  Still, the topic he wanted to broach now made him hesitate, and he waited until they were nearly finished with their meal. Fortunately, she had made the perfect transition. “How is the haberdashery doing these days? I know nothing has been able to make it through the pass over the winter, but hopefully, the lanes will open again soon.”

  He appreciated her comforting words and nodded, fiddling with his napkin. “Yes, I’m hopeful about that. The haberdashery is quite busy, actually, and it’s to the point that I’m considering getting some extra help.”

  The woman beamed. “That would be lovely. Then you could expand to a second story, just as you’ve always wanted. I think you should do this, John. Did you have anyone in mind?”

  Taking a deep breath, John tried to grin. “I was actually thinking about Zeke.”

  She blinked, and he gauged her expression. Or lack of. “What Zeke? My Zeke?”

  He tried to laugh. “Yes, of course your Zeke. He’s looking for work, isn’t he? He knows business with his education, and I’d like to get to know him.”

  “Oh,” she nodded, but he still couldn’t read her expression. Though the woman wasn’t looking at him, he couldn’t decide if this was a good or bad thing. So he waited anxiously, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants.

  Afraid he’d done something wrong, John quickly thought it through again. It seemed plain enough. “Is, um, is that all right, Adele? He needs work, doesn’t he? We’d have to work his salary, but I… I mean, I promise I’ll be fair in that regard. I think it would be a great opportunity. I need the help and he’d get a chance to get into business. But I wanted to run this by you first… what do you think? Do you think he’d be interested?”

  The smile Adele gave him wasn’t the one he had been hoping for. The woman before him had several smiles and he was hoping to see her happy one. But this was her hesitant smile. John’s throat constricted.

  He let her talk first. “I don’t know, John. You don’t have to do this for us. He’s my son, and we are courting,” she paused to blush. The small smile that slipped through made her look like a young schoolgirl, but he had to wait for her to continue. “But you’re not by any means obligated to help us like this. You don’t need to. I don’t expect that of you and neither does Zeke.”

  “I want to,” he earnestly shook his head and impulsively grabbed her hand. Adele paused to glance around before looking back at him. “This isn’t about us, I promise. I really could use the help and I think he’s the perfect choice.” Then he paused and sighed. “It’s not much. As a college graduate, I’m sure he wants to be much more than a clerk. But I understand if you don’t think it would be a good idea.”

  John wasn’t positive this was true, but he didn’t want to intrude. Zeke would be a great addition, and he did need the help. The young man was surely trustworthy, and he had been raised by an incredible woman.

  Of course, in the back of his mind, he was thinking about the future. In particular, their future. They had been courting for months now, and he was planning for the day they could put off these pretenses and settle down together. As man and wife. They could be a family, but he wasn’t ready to share that plan with Adele just yet. He wasn’t sure she was ready to say yes. He wouldn’t take that step until he knew that her answer would be yes.

  Chapter 14

  Holding back a sigh, Adele clutched the napkin in her lap. John was so kind to her, but she didn’t want him to go out of his way just to help her and Zeke. Not like this.

  What if something went wrong? She didn’t want to lose either of them, these two men meant so much to her. Her heart was full with the love she had for them both and the love she knew they had for her. The only thing that could be better was if the two men enjoyed being around each other. That part was yet to be determined.

  Besides, Adele told herself, Zeke was educated. There were very few others in Cutter’s Creek that had a completed college education, and to take up the work of a clerk couldn’t be ideal for him. Anyone could be a clerk, after all. It made her reluctant to bring this up at all.

  Their apple pie had just arrived at their table, and she was hoping that would distract them for at least a few minutes when the front entryway was taken up by new diners. Usually, this was possible to ignore, but the mayor and his wife were entering and they didn’t like being ignored.

  “What a crowd!” Mayor Aaron Pershing cried out jovially, waving to everyone.

  She kept her eyes down, but John offered a short wave.

  Mrs. Pershing beamed, as well. “Oh, just lovely. So many familiar faces. Mrs. Hewitt! It’s about time you treated yourself to the shepherd’s pie. It’s delicious, isn’t it? I told you that, I did!”

  “We’ll need to have some of that ourselves,” the mayor nodded agreeably and rubbed his ample stomach.

  They were still standing, but they’d made their way to the middle of the room. Adele tried not to think rude thoughts, but she couldn’t see why this couple needed to constantly make such pompous public appearances.

  His wife nodded and laughed more loudly than necessary. “You had best believe it. Granted, I’m not sure it beats my own pie. But what can you do? This will settle us just fine for now. Eating here means I cook less!” And the two of them laughed like it was the most amusing thing they had ever heard.

  But Adele’s smile faltered because she didn’t see it as funny. If anything, it just made the woman sound like her priorities weren’t on her family, which wasn’t something to b
e commended. That’s what parents were for, to tend to their home and family. Turning back to her dessert, she sighed and wished her appetite would return.

  “Is something wrong?” John was attentive as ever.

  Giving him a hesitant smile, Adele shrugged. “The Pershings worry me sometimes. They’re so theatrical, always calling attention to themselves. Just look at them,” she tried to motion without anyone else noticing. “The other day, Zeke was asking about the daughters. From the way he was speaking, it sounded as though perhaps he was considering courting one of them. I’m not certain which one,” she added, “but I’m afraid I tried to discourage him.”

  From his surprised expression, John hadn’t expected that. “I’ve never heard you say anything negative about another person before.”

  She blushed, ducking her head in shame. “I know, I don’t know what overcame me, John. I… I just don’t want him to get in trouble, you know. From what I know of their family, I don’t think they would be welcoming to Zeke. I also don’t believe they would be a good influence on his life.”

  Her eyes watched him as he considered this. She would have given anything to read his mind. What if he was disappointed in her? Adele knew she shouldn’t have said anything. But she was so concerned about her son, she couldn’t help it.

  “I’m always concerned about Nancy,” John sighed after a minute. “If I were in your place, I’d probably do the same thing. Of course, I might already be doing that,” he added sheepishly, which recalled to her how Nancy was taking an interest in boys. John surely had his work cut out with his daughter. She held back a smile, relieved that he still thought well of her. “But,” he paused for effect and raised his fork lightly. “No one’s character is set in stone. We both know this and have seen it in others. I know we have. Protect your son, but let him make his own choices. Who knows? People can surprise you. Even the Pershing girls.”