“But you said you’d like to see the house.” Lewis directed this to Hope. “Would you like me to give you the grand tour?”
“I would love that.”
And, just like that, he tipped his chin to Cherry then turned away, escorting Hope toward the front door.
“I want to apologize,” she told him as they entered the house.
“So do I,” he said quietly. Then, in a more formal voice, probably for the sake of the others touring the house, he told her about the volunteers and the construction. But as he spoke, he seemed to be directing her straight through the house then out the back door until they were standing by themselves on a small deck.
“And over there,” he nodded toward town, which was just a block away, “is a place to get coffee. Would you like to see that as well?”
She giggled. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I would.”
Chapter Twenty-five
“I really am sorry,” Hope told Lewis once again. They were seated with coffee now, and though she felt nervous and there were butterflies in her stomach, she was finally ready to throw her cards on the table. “I can’t believe I said all those horrible things to you, Lewis. My only excuse is…well, I was jealous.”
His brows shot up. “You were jealous?”
“It’s humbling to admit it, but yes, I was jealous.” As embarrassing as this confession was, she was relieved to have it out there in the open now.
“Of who?”
“Cherry.”
Lewis actually laughed.
“Why is that so funny?”
“Because it’s so out there. Totally left field.”
“Left field?” She considered this. “So are you saying that it’s not even slightly possible that you might find Cherry to be attractive?”
“Oh, she’s cute enough, in that bubbly cheerleader sort of way. But definitely not my type.”
She could tell by his eyes he was being honest, and yet she still wondered. “So, tell me then, Counselor, why did you clandestinely meet my cute, bubbly, cheerleader-sort-of sister in a bar that day?”
His brow creased as if trying to recall this incident. “Oh, the lounge at the—hey, you mean you were there that day?”
“Never mind. I was there. I saw you two meet, embrace, then duck into the lounge. You were there at least thirty minutes or longer.”
“You were timing us?” His dark eyes seemed to twinkle as if this was all terribly amusing.
“What were you doing there?”
He reached over and placed his hand on hers. “After your grandmother died, Cherry had called and left several urgent-sounding messages—both in my office and my home phone. I’d been pretty busy seeing to the details of the funeral service and all that, since it was my responsibility as trustee. Your grandmother didn’t want to put that on any of her family, which I think was thoughtful on her part.”
“Yes…?” Hope waited.
“So I finally called Cherry, and she said she needed legal counsel. When I told her to come on by my office, she said she couldn’t.”
“She couldn’t?”
“She said that it was because of Josh Thompson. He’s a surveyor who rents office space from me. She didn’t want Josh to see her there and report back to Drew since those two are pretty good friends.”
“So she didn’t want Drew to know she was talking to you.”
“No…” Now Lewis looked concerned—as if he’d said too much.
“And I don’t expect you to tell me what she wanted to talk to you about.” Hope nodded. “But I do appreciate hearing the circumstances surrounding it. And it makes sense.”
“The reason I hugged her was because she was crying and your grandmother had just died, and it seemed like the normal thing to do. That’s all.”
“Thank you for explaining that. I do understand.”
“Good.” He shook his head and chuckled. “I still can’t believe that you were jealous, too.”
“Too?” She studied him.
“Wasn’t it obvious?”
“What?”
“I figured I must’ve looked about as green as your guest room when I saw you catering to Brian with your little breakfast surprise yesterday. And then you seemed disappointed to see me and that stung a little.”
“I was caught off guard. I fixed that for Brian because I’d promised him coffee a couple weeks ago. And I was so pleased with the work that had been done while I was gone. But now I realize that had more to do with you than with him.” She gave him an apologetic smile. “And then I went and accused you of possibly selling my house out from under me. Will you forgive me?”
“Of course. The truth was, I had hoped that if your house was all put together and looking as nice as I suspect it will be in a couple of weeks…well, maybe that would’ve made you change your mind about living here. Well, that and something else…” He smiled mysteriously.
“And I had already changed my mind.” She put her hand on his now. “I decided I was coming back no matter how bad things seemed. I was going to work through them because I was hoping there was a reward at the end. And I’m not talking about money.”
“So…” He was beaming now. And she suspected she was, too. And whether or not they were being observed by onlookers, in a town so small that the news would spread like wildfire, she did not care.
“So…here we are.” She felt slightly lightheaded.
“So, would you do me the honor of going out with me tonight?”
“On a real live date?” She feigned shyness.
“That’s right. On a real live date.”
“I would love to!”
His smile broadened. “And I would love to sit here and talk with you for hours on end, but I promised a client to meet him for lunch, and I’m already running late.”
“As much as I hate to let you go, I will.” She reluctantly moved her hands away from his and he stood. But then he leaned across the table, cupped her chin in his hand, and kissed her lightly on the lips. And she honestly thought she was going to faint. Or perhaps even swoon if women still did that sort of thing. Fortunately she was seated so there was no fear of falling too far. And she simply smiled and nodded as he told her he’d pick her up at six thirty then left.
She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, just basking in the afterglow, but by the time she went back to the Habitat House to get her car, everyone was gone. And when she got home, she discovered that Monroe was up and had picked up painting where she’d left off. And he was doing a pretty good job of it, too.
“You look happy,” he told her as she set her purse down to admire his work.
“I am happy,” she told him. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy.”
“Cool.” He dipped the brush into the can. “My mom called here.”
“How did she sound?”
“Different.”
“Different good? Or different bad?”
“Hard to say. She wanted you to call her. On her cell phone.”
“Okay.” Hope headed for the living room.
“And I think I should finish this up in a few hours. Then I’m going over to Alex’s house, if that’s okay.”
“That’s fine. But could you write down his number for me in case I need to reach you? And keep track of your painting time—remember you’re getting paid.”
Hope decided to call Faye in the privacy of her bedroom, just in case the conversation got sticky in regard to Monroe. But to her surprise, Faye sounded almost pleasant. “I heard you were back in town,” she began. “Do you think we could meet for lunch?”
“Sure,” Hope said eagerly. Perhaps if they were in a public place, Faye would be more likely to keep her emotions in check. “How about the deli?”
“I’m on my way. Want me to order for you?”
Hope told Faye what she wanted, and then finally took the time to clean up a little. She couldn’t believe she’d just been sitting with Lewis, having that wonderful conversation, and she hadn’t even brushed
her hair today. Obviously he didn’t mind.
Then Hope hurried on over to the deli. Faye was already seated at an outdoor table. As Hope got closer, she could see that her older sister looked much better than the last time she’d seen her. Faye was dressed somewhat stylishly, and her hair was different. “You look great,” Hope told her as she sat down. “What did you do to your hair?”
“I put a rinse on to cover the gray. Then I went in for a trim.”
“Very nice.”
“So how are you? How is Monroe?”
“We’re both doing well, thanks. Right now Monroe is painting my kitchen. And he’s a good painter. I hope it’s okay if I pay him.”
“It’s okay with me.”
“And after he finishes, he’s going to Alex’s house.”
Faye’s brow creased. “Who’s Alex?”
“A friend. He’s into art and plays the guitar and wants to teach Monroe some chords. He told Monroe that Sisters has a great music and art program.”
“That’s what I’ve heard. So do you think Monroe really wants to stay here?”
“I think he’s trying, Faye. But he’s going to need some help from you, too.”
“I went to see a counselor.”
“Really?”
“She’s pretty good. She gave me permission to be angry.”
“You needed permission?” Hope tried not to remember the last time Faye had torn into her.
“Sort of. I mean, yes, I was blasting everyone around me. But then I’d feel guilty.”
Hope just nodded.
“But Janna, that’s my counselor, says that I have the right to be angry at Jeff and the way things have gone. But I don’t have the right to hurt people with my anger. So I want you to know that I’m sorry. I’ll try to control myself better.”
Hope smiled. “She sounds like a good counselor.”
“She really is. I’ll meet with her weekly for a while, for an hour. Then pare it down later.”
“Does she do marriage counseling?”
“Marriage counseling?” Faye looked confused.
“I mean for Cherry and Drew.”
“Oh…I think so. Do they need help?”
“Don’t say you heard it from me.”
“I thought everything was peachy-keen with them. Cherry always acts like they’re the happy family—like her life’s just a bowl of cherries.” Faye chuckled at her pun.
“Cherry is a pretty good actress.”
“Yeah, I remember her as a little girl, doing all sorts of things to get our attention, trying to act older, trying to keep up, whining when she couldn’t. I still remember the time I caught her in my makeup. She’d made a huge mess, and I was so mad. That’s when I got that lock put on my bedroom door.”
“I remember that. And I have to admit I thought she was a totally spoiled brat. She was always conniving to get her way, manipulating people, trying to be the center of everything. But now, I wonder if all her antics weren’t just a cry for help. Like she was slipping through the cracks.”
“What do you mean, slipping through the cracks?”
“Well, you were all grown up and doing your own thing, locking her out of your room. I was always pushing her away, too. We might’ve been close in age, but we were so different. She wanted me to play Barbies, and I wanted to escape her. Plus, I had Nona. And Mom seemed like she was kind of tired of being a mom, you know, like she wanted to go climbing and hiking and have her own life. Sometimes I wonder if Cherry didn’t feel kind of left out.”
“Maybe so.” Faye paused as the waitress set their lunches down. “And sometimes,” she spoke quietly after the girl left, “I think if Mom hadn’t been killed in that wreck…well, that our parents would’ve divorced on down the line anyway.”
“Really?”
“Don’t you remember how they fought at times?”
“I guess…but that’s when I’d run over to Nona’s. And I’d tell her about it, and she’d say that was just the Italian way. You fought and then you made up.”
“Maybe so…but I don’t know.”
Hope took a bite of her chicken salad. “Life’s funny, huh?”
Faye just shrugged as she picked up her burger.
“Things we thought were a certain way as kids start to look different as adults.”
“You know what else Janna told me?” Faye said suddenly.
“What?”
“That I’m pessimistic.”
Hope tried not to laugh.
“And that I always expect the worst thing to happen, and so I might even bring it on myself. Like I always thought Jeff would cheat on me. Oh, I never told anyone, but in my heart, I was afraid it would happen. And then it did.”
“But you don’t think you caused it to happen?”
“Not exactly. But my negative attitude could’ve had an impact. And then there’s Monroe. You know how I’m always just sure he’s going to ruin his life?”
Hope nodded as she chewed.
“Well, Janna says that I could be influencing him in that direction.”
“Really?”
“So I’m trying not to be so pessimistic.”
Then Hope told Faye about Monroe’s observation—about how the three sisters named after the three mountains hadn’t exactly been living up to their names.
“Monroe said that?”
“He did. And I had to admit that I haven’t been very hopeful for most of my life. But that’s changing now. I have more hope today than ever before.”
“You do seem different.”
Hope considered telling her about Lewis, but figured it could wait.
“And it’s true that I tend to lack faith. That’s something else Janna mentioned. That I don’t have much faith in people, the human race, or life in general. She thinks it’s associated with losing Mom like that.”
“I think it took its toll on all of us.” Hope suspected her cautious way of living the past twelve years had a lot to do with losing her mom.
“Isn’t it weird how we all went our separate ways after she died? Some families are pulled together by a tragedy. Ours was blown apart.”
“But maybe we’re coming back together now.”
“Maybe.” Faye frowned. “So what about Cherry? Why are you suddenly so concerned about her? Did she tell you something?”
“Sort of. But I probably shouldn’t say too much. Except that I think she needs a friend…and a sister. And I really don’t think it can be me. At least not right now.”
“So, it needs to be me?”
“If you have it in you, Faye. I’m worried about her.”
“I know what I’ll do.” Faye set her soda down with a clunk. “I’ll ask Cherry to help me decorate my condo. The sale closed Friday, and I already moved in, but all I have so far is a bed and a chair. I told Jeff to just keep the furniture and everything. I want a fresh start anyway. But Cherry’s actually pretty good at decorating, and I want my condo to have that Sisters lodge kind of look.”
“That’s brilliant,” Hope agreed.
“I wanted to get it all set up in time for Monroe’s birthday.” Faye looked uncertain now. “In case he decides to live with me.”
“That’s a great plan. And speaking of his birthday, do you think it would be okay if I got him a mountain bike?”
Faye looked disappointed. “It’s okay…except that’s just one more reason for him to like you better.”
“I don’t need to, if you’d like. I just thought he could use a way to get around. But I also have a feeling that he may want a guitar before long. He seems really interested in learning to play from Alex.”
“A guitar.” Faye’s eyes lit up. “That might just work.”
They talked some more, and the whole time Hope was tempted to spill the beans about Lewis and how excited she was…and yet she didn’t think Faye was ready for too much good news about someone else’s life. Not until she had a few more counseling sessions and moved further along in getting beyond her ruined marriage. It co
uld wait.
Chapter Twenty-six
“This all feels so right,” Hope told Lewis as they were leaving Jen’s Garden—a tiny but amazing restaurant where they’d had the best meal imaginable beneath the trees and the stars in a sweet little garden courtyard.
“Like it’s meant to be,” he added as he squeezed her hand.
“Exactly.”
They walked through town, finally stopping at the Coffee Company where a bluegrass band was playing outside. They got coffees and sat and listened for a bit then continued walking until the mountains, where the sun was setting, came into sight.
“Summer solstice is only a few days away.” Lewis put his arm around her, pulling her close to him.
“The longest day of the year…the best summer of my life.” She smiled up at him. “Does it get any better than this?”
He shook his head then kissed her. Then kissed her again…and again. Finally they stopped, and she felt slightly breathless and lightheaded, but she didn’t think she was going to swoon this time.
“If I weren’t suddenly the parent of a teenage boy, not to mention the keeper of a certain little dog, I’d let you keep me out until the wee hours of the night,” she told him. “But I should probably get home and check on Andy, and see if Monroe is back. He might need a ride.”
“I have a feeling you’ll make a great mom someday,” Lewis said as they walked back through town.
“Do you want to have children someday?” she asked, knowing that this was quite a leap in a relationship where the word marriage had never even come up. And yet, hadn’t they already made a big jump today? What was one more?
“I do want children,” he told her. “But I’m not in any big hurry.”
“I used to worry that I was going to wait too long,” she confessed. “You know, you hear about women who get into their forties and find out it’s not as easy as they thought. Now it doesn’t concern me that much. Just having a dog and a nephew is a handful.”
“But you do want children, don’t you?” He turned and looked at her.
“Of course. Someday I plan on having a daughter that I will name after Nona.” She laughed. “A little dark-haired Madolina. Can you imagine?”
Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon Page 23