His words hit so close to the truth, she cringed. “I guess I’ve just done a lot of different things.” But as the words left her mouth, she realized that she wanted to tell him the truth. The whole truth. But this wasn’t the spot. She glanced around the crowded restaurant, full of families enjoying their meals. “What do you say about checking out some more of those covered bridges after we eat?” she asked.
He smiled. “Sounds great to me. Maybe we should get our dessert to go and picnic it up.”
Caroline laughed. “Yes. Let’s picnic it up.”
Thirty minutes later, they were back in Michael’s SUV. Caroline clutched a doggie bag with two desserts in her lap.
“Which bridge?” Michael asked. “Same one or a different one?”
She thought for a minute. “Same. I liked our little picnic spot.”
Once they had everything spread out on Michael’s stadium blanket, he reached into the bag and pulled out a Styrofoam container. “Dig in,” he said, grinning.
Caroline sighed. “Actually, can we talk first?” Her heart pounded. Suddenly, telling the whole truth about her past didn’t seem like such a great idea. But she didn’t want to spend more time with Michael until he knew what he was dealing with.
Michael placed the container back on the blanket and regarded her seriously. “Of course.”
“Remember how I told you that I was a kindergarten teacher?”
Michael nodded. “Yes. But you’re not anymore.”
“I worked in a small town in Georgia. Our school won a contest, and some of the Braves baseball players came to school to talk to a few of the classes and hang out with the kids at recess.”
“Lucky kids,” Michael said.
She shrugged. “I guess.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, Lance DeMarco was one of the players that came to school that day.”
“Poor guy. I saw on the news what happened to him.”
She froze for a second. “Yeah. Well, anyway, my principal introduced me to Lance. And to make a long story short, we started dating.”
“Wow.”
“And a few months later, we were married.”
Michael let out a whistle. “Okay, I did not see that coming.”
Chapter Twenty
Michael could barely register his thoughts after the shock. Caroline had been married to Lance DeMarco? He tried hard to process the information.
“Lance was really good at getting his way,” Caroline explained. “He was the picture of a smooth talker. The only person he didn’t fool was my mama. She saw through him immediately.” She shook her head. “Unfortunately, I wouldn’t listen. I fell for him hook, line, and sinker.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“The media was all over our relationship. There I was, this backwoods country girl who taught kindergarten at a poverty-stricken school. And he swooped in like Prince Charming and we fell in love. It seemed like the kind of story movies are made of.”
“Wasn’t there a TV movie loosely based on it?”
She chuckled. “I think so. Believe me when I tell you that the last thing I wanted was to be in the spotlight. But once we were married, it was like I was on a roller coaster that wouldn’t stop. There were always events to go to and appearances to make. Lance became the most recognized athlete in the world. And I was expected to stand next to him and smile, no matter what was going on.”
Michael wrinkled his brow. “What was going on?”
She leveled her brown-eyed gaze at him. “Can I trust you? I mean really trust you?”
He reached over and grabbed her hand. “You can trust me with your life.”
“And you won’t tell anyone who I am or what I’m about to say?”
He held his hand up. “Scout’s honor.”
She nodded. “Well, not too long after we were married, he seemed to change. A lot. He tried to ‘fix’ me by turning me into some kind of cookie-cutter Atlanta housewife. There were people hired to consult on my wardrobe, my accent…you name it. It seemed like he wasn’t in love with me as much as he was in love with the media story of us. After our wedding pictures were in People, he got more endorsement deals. His agent said that having such a fairy-tale love story made him even more attractive.”
Michael shook his head. This woman had been through a lot.
“When I wanted to start a family and he threw a fit about it, it became apparent to me that we didn’t have a real marriage. So for the last two years, we lived apart. He had an apartment downtown near the stadium where he stayed most of the time.” She sighed. “I suspected that there were other women but was never certain until…”
“I know. I saw the news stories. Those pictures from the tabloids were pretty incriminating.”
“The worst part is that Valerie Stephens was my best friend. But I guess you heard that already.”
“Yeah, I saw it. Such an awful story.”
She nodded. “I guess she thought she was the only one. Because when the story came out about multiple girlfriends, she kind of lost it.”
“So were you there? When she…”
“When she shot him,” she finished for him. “Yeah. I was there.” She tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice. “Here’s the irony. The reason he was at the house was because he wanted to beg my forgiveness and try to talk me into staying with him. I told him there was no way and followed him outside, arguing. I had no idea she was out there until she’d already pulled the trigger.”
“It’s a wonder she didn’t shoot you too.”
Caroline nodded. “That’s what everyone says. After the funeral, I couldn’t go anywhere. There were paparazzi literally camped outside of my house. That’s why I decided to come here.” She tugged at a lock of hair. “And color my hair.”
“It’s a good look for you.” He grinned and then grew serious. “I can’t imagine what the past few months have been like for you.”
“Believe me, that’s a good thing. It’s like I’ve been held captive.” She squeezed his hand. “But I feel free here. Like I can be myself again.”
“I’m glad.”
“And now you know why I couldn’t let anything happen between us. I needed to make sure you knew what you were dealing with. Who you were dealing with. Because I know that is a lot of drama to unload on someone.” She gave him a tiny smile.
“Hey,” he said softly, “it means a lot that you trust me with it. Your secret is safe with me.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “And this thing between us can go as slowly as you need it to.” He grinned.
“Thanks for being so understanding.” She returned his smile.
“You’re safe with me,” he whispered. “Safe.” But he couldn’t help but wonder if his heart was safe with her. She seemed far removed from everything that had happened. Did that mean she’d dealt with all those feelings and was ready to move forward? Or would the feelings haunt her later and catch him in the cross fire? One glance at her beautiful face and he knew that, either way, he was already invested. He could still turn back…but he didn’t want to.
“You’ve been awfully quiet the past few days,” Leah remarked. “Is everything okay?”
Lydia Ann looked up from the letter from Abby that she was rereading. “I guess I’ve just been tired.”
“Are you sure?” Leah wrinkled her brow. “Because you know you don’t have to work at the bookstore if you don’t want to. It’s probably a lot of work to try and get it ready to reopen.” She rocked gently on the porch swing. “We would love to have you at our store.”
Lydia Ann smiled. “Danki. But Caroline needs my help.” She sighed. “She’s truly alone.”
Leah nodded. “It’s very kind of you to help her out.”
“I’m enjoying it,” Lydia Ann explained. “It isn’t that much different than getting a quilt store ready to open.”
Leah fell silent. Finally she turned to Lydia Ann. “It means so much to your father that you’re here. I hope you know how much he’s missed you.�
��
Lydia Ann chewed on her bottom lip. “I have missed him too.”
“There’s something else you should know,” Leah said. “It means a lot to me that you’re here too. But I think I owe you an apology.”
Lydia Ann looked at Leah in surprise. “An apology? For what?”
“I should’ve tried harder to include you in our family, especially after your husband fell sick.” She shook her head. “I, of all people, know what it’s like to be left behind with two children to raise.” She reached over and clasped Lydia Ann’s hand. “I should’ve written you more and offered you more encouragement. But I didn’t. Instead, I feared you didn’t want anything to do with me.”
Lydia Ann didn’t want to admit it, but there was a touch of truth in her statement. “It’s okay. I had support from Levi’s parents and others from the community.”
“I wish to extend my apology anyway. I’ve prayed for you and your daughters for years.”
Lydia Ann smiled. “Sometimes that is the best thing anyone can do.” Prayer had certainly sustained her over the years.
Dat stepped out onto the porch. “I know two little girls who are going to sleep well tonight,” he said, pointing at Mary and Katie, who were chasing each other around the yard. He put his hand on Lydia Ann’s shoulder. “They remind me so much of you when you were that age.”
Lydia Ann chuckled. “If only I’d have had a twin.”
Dat chuckled. “Having Emma and Abby visit during the summer was enough, don’t you think?”
She joined in his laughter. “We did have some fun times.”
He patted her shoulder. “There are still fun times to be had.”
Lydia Ann reached up and covered Dat’s hand with her own and looked at her two healthy children playing in the yard. He was right. Sometimes she focused too much on the bad. But there were a lot of good things in her life. And the people who surrounded her right now were a big part of that.
Chapter Twenty-One
Caroline hummed to herself as she brewed a pot of coffee. She felt a million pounds lighter now that Michael knew the truth. The whole truth. She just hoped he didn’t wake up and feel weirded out about the whole thing. He’d joked on the way back to her place that he might have to Google her to see how she looked with dark hair. And since he worked in the world of journalism, she suspected that he would probably look at some of the media stories about her. It would be hard not to.
“Good morning,” Lydia Ann called from the front.
Mary and Katie’s excited chatter filled the large space.
“I’m at the coffee bar,” Caroline said. “Would you like a cup?”
“Jah,” Lydia Ann said. “That would be wonderful.” She stepped into the coffee bar area. “You look awfully happy this morning.”
Caroline smiled broadly. “I am happy.”
She couldn’t remember when she’d last said that out loud and meant it. It had been ages. Sure, things weren’t perfect. She knew there was a long road ahead of her as she dealt with Lance’s death and the life she’d left behind. Besides that, she still held on to the fear that someone would learn her true identity and she would lose the peace she needed so much. But having Michael in her life helped a lot. She trusted him to keep her secret and appreciated the way he didn’t put any pressure on her. Last night he’d only given her a hug. She appreciated that so much. So many guys would’ve been pushing her to get physical. But not Michael. He seemed to want to make sure she was comfortable with things between them. Not that she’d mind kissing him…but she knew she wasn’t quite ready for that step yet.
“I’m glad to hear it.” Lydia Ann smiled. “Do you think we’ll be ready for the opening next week?”
Caroline nodded. “I sure do. And guess what? Michael is going to do an article about the store for the magazine he works for. That should really help us out as far as customers go.” She’d argued against his idea at first. What if someone figured out who she really was? But he’d promised not to use her name in the article and to only photograph the outside of the store.
Lydia Ann raised her eyebrows. “Michael seems like a good friend to you.”
“He is. I think he’s one of those elusive ‘good guys’ who are so hard to find.” At least she hoped so. She’d trusted her instincts in the past and had been proven wrong. Michael seemed like the real deal, but after everything she’d gone through, she wasn’t quite ready to trust him blindly. But things were off to a good start.
“What’s on our list for today?”
“I’d like to brainstorm a little bit,” Caroline said. “I wanted to run something by you.” She carried two steaming cups of coffee to the table where Lydia Ann was sitting.
“Danki,” Lydia Ann said, grasping the ceramic cup in her hands.
Caroline sat down in the chair across from Lydia Ann. “I’m considering having a story hour a couple times a week for kids.” She motioned toward the section of the store that housed the children’s books. An alphabet rug on the floor and a full toy box beckoned children when they came in the store. “With my background as a kindergarten teacher, I know how much kids enjoy listening to stories. So I thought maybe that might help drum up some business. Perhaps parents would bring their kids for story time and they would purchase coffee and pastries while they waited.”
Lydia Ann nodded. “That sounds like a good idea to me.”
“I also thought about adding some more merchandise,” Caroline explained. “Maybe things that are locally made. Quilts, paintings…things that will catch the eye as people come inside.” She pointed at the entrance to the store. “I don’t want to have too much, though. Maybe just a few select pieces to display in the front.”
“Those all sound like good ideas to me,” Lydia Ann said.
Caroline beamed. “Great.”
“Miss Caroline,” one of the twins called from the other room.
Caroline stepped into the children’s area to find Mary and Katie sitting on their knees and hovering over Bandit.
Katie rubbed Bandit’s belly, and the puppy squirmed in his bed, clearly enjoying the attention.
“Is Bandit ready to go outside?” Mary asked.
Caroline chuckled. “I think he would love to go outside.”
Katie picked up the puppy and cradled him in her arms. “I love you, Bandit,” she murmured.
Mary leaned close to the puppy. “Me too.”
They headed out the back door with the squirming puppy, chattering back and forth.
“Precious,” Caroline observed. “They’re so precious.”
Lydia Ann smiled. “Gifts from God.”
Caroline couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever have children of her own. Despite the way her marriage had worked out, she regretted that she hadn’t become a mother yet. She’d been looking forward to being a mom since the day she got her first baby doll as a little girl.
She thought of how Mrs. Landis had told her that her day would come. And she’d like to hold onto that thought, except that so much had gone wrong in her life. She wondered if this dream might be another that went unfulfilled.
“Mr. Landis?” Mr. Sinclair’s assistant said over his speakerphone. “Do you have a few minutes? The boss would like to see you.”
“Yes. I’ll be there in a second.” He saved the blog post he was working on about the covered bridges of Lancaster County.
“Hey there,” Jenny peeked over the cubicle. “You aren’t in trouble, are you?” She grinned.
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. And thanks for respecting my privacy.”
She laughed. “Michael, everyone hears everything around here. Next time someone buzzes to your speakerphone, pick up the receiver.” She winked. “Otherwise, all information is fair game.”
“Don’t you have some marketing to focus on?” he asked, unable to hide his smile. They might not be romantically compatible, but Jenny was definitely a force to be reckoned with.
She made a face. “Not before I tell y
ou that we have reservations. Monday.” She grinned. “So don’t make plans.”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “Monday isn’t good for me. Sorry.” Caroline’s opening happened to be Monday, and he planned to cover it for the magazine. He hoped to get the owner to sneak away for lunch too.
Jenny’s bright smile faded. “You don’t have another lunch date, do you?” She furrowed her brow.
He stood. “I’m covering a business opening for the magazine.”
Relief washed over her face. “Oh. I’ll change the reservation, then. I’ll try for Tuesday.”
He nodded. “Fine.” Something was up with Jenny. He had a sinking feeling that she was intent on trying to rekindle things between them. But he didn’t have time to worry about that right now. He had a meeting to get to.
“Michael,” Mr. Sinclair said a few moments later, “please have a seat.” He pointed a pudgy finger at a worn leather chair across from his massive desk.
“Everything okay?” Michael tried to shake the worry. But if he got let go from another job after such a short time, he wasn’t sure his ego would recover. He might have to change career paths.
“Things are more than okay.” Mr. Sinclair smiled. “All that Twitting you’re doing is working.”
Michael bit his lip. Twitting? Really? But Mr. Sinclair didn’t seem like the kind of man who enjoyed being corrected by someone young enough to be his grandson.
“The businesses that purchase our ads are seeing an upswing in traffic, both to their physical stores as well as their websites. They’re crediting you with getting the message out about some of the interesting things to do and see in our area.”
“That’s great news.” Relief washed over him. Maybe he wouldn’t be out of a job today after all.
“Even better, ad sales are up. And we’re expanding beyond our normal customers.”
Michael nodded. “Excellent.”
“But that means I’m going to need you to do a little more traveling. So far, your stories and the information you’re posting online center around the general area.” He pressed his fingers together. “How do you feel about a little road trip?”
Love Finds You in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Page 11