Taking on Twins

by Mollie Campbell

  “Won’t the leadership balk at the idea of a woman applying for admittance?”

  He tipped his head to one side with a slight shrug. “It’s possible. But the bylaws in no way prohibit female entrants. And if you score as well on the entrance examination as I expect, the leadership will have no choice but to admit you.” A hint of sly amusement crossed his face. Coralee was shocked to realize that Mr. Johnson was a rebel deep inside.

  Her eyes strayed to Jake, sitting at the table behind Mr. Johnson, watching the entire scene. He met her gaze with wide eyes and a shrug. She knew what he was thinking: was this what she wanted?

  “I’ll think on it, Mr. Johnson.” She shook his hand as they stood.

  “Yes, fine.” He pulled a sheaf of papers from his bag and handed them to her. “Here you’ll find all the necessary paperwork. If you decide to proceed, a proctor will come to administer the examination after we receive your application. There’s a guide to the examination here, as well. I hope it will go well for you, Mrs. Evans.” He smiled at Coralee, nodded at Jake and took his leave.

  Once he was gone, Jake faced Coralee. His grin turned into laughter, a deep, resonant sound that made warmth spread through her. She couldn’t help joining in. “Can you believe that?” She gasped the words between relieved giggles. “That unpleasant man turned out to be our accomplice.”

  Jake’s gaze turned intense as their laughter faded. “I’m proud of how you handled the whole situation. I know I wouldn’t have been as kind to someone who walked in trying to question my work.”

  She blushed. “It wasn’t as easy as you seem to think. But I couldn’t let my temper cause him to harm the shop.” She remembered the papers in her hand and started shuffling through them. “Look at all this, Jake. The application alone is three pages long. All this is the guide for the examination.” She held up a thick portion of the stack. “What if I don’t know as much as Mr. Johnson thought?”

  Jake grabbed the guide from her hands and flipped through it. “There’s a lot to cover here, but you’ll do just fine. I can help you. Between us, we’ll find all the information you need to impress every member of that Association.”

  Coralee’s excitement faded as reality set in. “Jake, I have to keep working on Papa’s formula. I almost have it ready to test, but if it’s successful I’ll have to package and market it. And I promised Cat I would be at the shop more so she doesn’t have to be here alone so much until business picks up.”

  He took her by the shoulders, dark eyes searching hers. “You’re really going to pass up this opportunity?”

  She met his intense gaze head-on, hoping he would try to understand her position. “There’s too much at stake for me to split my focus between the medication and that examination.”

  Jake ran a hand through his hair. “But entrance into the Association would only benefit the shop. Can’t you see that?”

  Bristling at his tone, Coralee straightened her shoulders. “Of course I can. But that isn’t the point. Jake, you always do this. The shop is my responsibility and I get to make this decision. Now instead of supporting my opinion, you’re demanding that I have to do it your way. Well, I’ve had enough of that. I’m not taking the examination.”

  Seconds ticked past while their eyes remained locked. She could read the thoughts flashing across Jake’s face. He almost argued with her again, but then his lips tightened into a thin line as he gave in. Shifting his eyes away, he turned toward the door. “I need to do some work at the clinic. I’ll come by and pick up the twins tonight.” He let himself out the door before she could react.

  Heart heavy, Coralee spent the rest of the day putting the final touches on the test batches of her medication. She hated that they were back to fighting. Working on the medication with him had been a nice change from the usual tension. But she couldn’t let him walk all over her just to keep the peace.

  After a few more hours at the shop, she returned home to find Cat, Cecilia and the twins entertaining Charlie Albridge in the parlor. She removed her bonnet and hung it on a hook inside the door as she greeted the banker.

  “Charlie, how nice to see you tonight.” A wave of melancholic amusement washed over her. It was obvious to her that Spring Hill’s banker had set his cap for Cat. He showed up at the oddest times with the excuse that he had business with Coralee. Then he ended up spending his visit glued to Cat’s side. It was sweet, but also left Coralee fighting against the longing for a relationship she couldn’t have.

  To her surprise, Charlie handed Coralee a slim envelope as she took a seat near him and Cat. “Coralee, I wanted to speak with you about our last conversation. I drew up a summary of the loan terms I can offer you.”

  She pulled the sheet of paper out and read through the numbers, heart aching. The last thing she wanted to do was to owe the bank money when the shop wasn’t bringing in much profit. But if the willow bark formula didn’t work—and soon—she couldn’t see any other solution to keeping the shop open.

  She finished reading the paper and cleared her throat to get Charlie’s attention. He had turned back to wooing Cat the moment Coralee had looked away. “Thank you for writing this up. Can I take some time to think about it? I’m very hopeful that our new medication will solve our financial problem.”

  “Of course. Just don’t take too long. I can’t guarantee those terms forever.” A knock at the door kept him from saying more. Coralee’s heart jumped into her throat. That had to be Jake, ready to get the twins. She answered the door and led him to the parlor. They had hardly taken one step into the room when Louisa and Phillip dropped their toys and ran to hug his legs, squealing in delight.

  Coralee’s heart felt ready to burst from her chest as she watched the scene unfold. Jake greeted each child with a hug then knelt in front of them. “Now, I want to hear about your day. What did you play?”

  Louisa leaned in close to him, holding up the handkerchief doll Coralee had made for her. “I played dolly. Cece made a bow.”

  “And she looks beautiful. Phillip, what did you play?”

  “Rocks.”

  “Did you dig in rocks? Or climb on rocks?”

  “Licked them.”

  Jake laughed as he stood. “Well, that’s a different way to play with them than I expected.”

  Phillip tugged on Jake’s trouser leg. Jake picked the boy up. “Yes, Phillip?”

  “I miss you.”

  Closing his eyes, Jake rested his forehead against Phillip’s. “I missed you, too, pal.”

  It might have been the sweetest moment Coralee had ever witnessed. And it made her heart ache. Jake was turning out to be an amazing stand-in parent. Something deep within her longed to open up to him, to get close to him again. But as she watched him caring for the twins, she couldn’t forget his response to her announcement about her inability to have a child. He wanted a family and she couldn’t give him one. And just that day, his response to her decision about the examination had proved that he still wanted her to do things his way, no matter what she wanted. The answer was clear. Letting Jake into her heart would only lead to more pain.

  * * *

  All the joy that filled Jake when the twins ran to greet him melted away when he stepped farther into the house and saw Charlie Albridge sitting in Coralee’s parlor. He found himself taking a side step closer to her as the twins ran off to play.

  “Charlie. What brings you out to visit the Holbrook household this evening?”

  “Oh, I had a bit of business with the ladies tonight. But they’ve invited me to stay and visit a bit now that professional matters are out of the way.” Albridge smiled suavely at the women before turning narrowed eyes on Jake. “I’m sure you’ll be happy to get on your way with the children after a long day.”

  Jake planted himself firmly in a chair without breaking eye contact with the other man. “I generally sp
end a few minutes visiting with the ladies, myself.” Pleasure shot through his heart when Coralee took the seat nearest him. Maybe, in spite of their argument earlier, she still preferred his company to the banker’s.

  Cat turned to them, mischief sparkling in her eyes, cheeks rosy-pink. “Jake, we were just telling Charlie about some of the silly things we used to do as kids around here. He only moved to Spring Hill a few months ago so he hasn’t heard the best stories yet.”

  Jake smiled at her infectious delight. “Did you tell him about your run-in with the river monster, Cat?”

  Cat pursed her lips, but Jake knew her well enough to see the slight twinkle still in her eyes. “Jake Hadley, don’t you tell that story.”

  “Now, Cat, it’s a classic cautionary tale. Mr. Albridge deserves to know about the dangers that exist in the area.”

  Cat laughed. “Fine, but Coralee has to tell it. It was her fault, after all.”

  They all turned to Coralee, who offered a bemused smile. “If you want me to, Cat, I’ll tell it.” Cat nodded and Coralee launched into the story.

  “One year, on April Fool’s Day, I was at the shop with Papa. An old man was telling him a tall tale about these gigantic fish they’d found in the Mississippi when he was a boy. Of course, it was all drivel, but Cat upset me the week before and I thought I had stumbled on a great way to get back at her.”

  Coralee’s face glowed as she grew more comfortable with the telling. “That afternoon, I went to the creek, stuffed some burlap sacks with grass and a few rocks and threw them in. Then I ran home yelling for Cat to come see the river monster that had appeared in the creek. She ran back with me and I pointed out those lumpy sacks under the water.”

  She fought back laughter as she finished the story. “She was so excited to capture a real-life monster that she jumped right in the creek and dove down to those sacks. She came up dragging one and didn’t realize what it was until she was clear up on the creek bank.”

  They all turned to Cat to see her response, laughing harder when she stuck out her tongue at Coralee. The oldest sister just arched an eyebrow and continued. “She was spitting mad when she realized it was a prank. But I don’t think she ever came up with one quite as good to get back at me.”

  Cat agreed and laughed, the rest of them joining in. Jake couldn’t take his eyes off Coralee. He had loved her sense of humor when they were younger. Seeing her laughing and teasing again now brought memories flooding in. He forced back the longing that threatened to emerge. He couldn’t ruin their tentative friendship by dwelling on what might have been.

  As the laughter faded, Coralee turned to Cecilia. “How is the planning coming along for the Independence Day celebration?”

  Cecilia rolled her eyes. “The women on that committee can’t agree on a single thing. As the schoolteacher, they expect me to help. Or, more accurately, to do all the dirty work. But in spite of their bickering, they’re managing to make things happen. It’s going to be a lovely celebration, once it all comes together.” Jake saw her eyes dart to the banker as she continued shyly. “Will you be able to attend this year, Charlie?”

  “Yes, I’m planning to enjoy the festivities.” He puffed out his chest and grabbed each lapel on his jacket with a tight fist. “After all, an upstanding banker must be a dedicated participant in his community.” The women laughed, but Jake didn’t find the man at all funny.

  Happy chatter continued as the sisters discussed the events planned for the holiday. Jake glanced at the twins and saw they were starting to tire as they played. He called them over, heart full to bursting when they both came and snuggled into his sides. He didn’t want to leave, but they needed to get to bed. “Sorry to break up the fun, but I have two little people who need rest.” He rose and gathered Louisa and Phillip in his arms, where they each curled against him and rested their heads on his shoulders.

  He was pleased that they went right to sleep when he settled them in their little bed on the floor. But as he sat at the small desk in his room in an attempt to catch up on some reading, he found it was impossible to relax. The words he and Coralee had exchanged earlier in the day spun in his mind. It wasn’t a conversation he wanted to relive.

  Every moment he hadn’t had his nose buried in paperwork at the clinic that afternoon, he had battled guilt. Coralee’s comments had struck a nerve. It was hard to imagine, but in all the years they had known each other, he couldn’t think of one time where they had disagreed and he had chosen to support what she wanted. How could he have ever thought she would accept a proposal from him after he had acted like such a fool for years?

  Pa’s words from the week before came back to mind. His father had seen that Jake had a tendency to barrel right over Coralee. And he had been right in saying that was what had made her so upset the night Jake had planned to propose to her. From her perspective, Jake had only been concerned with what he wanted, as always.

  Jake put down his book, abandoning the pretense of reading. He wished he could go back in time and react better to finding Charlie Albridge visiting at Coralee’s house that evening. Every time he saw the banker, jealousy took hold in Jake’s heart. It seemed like he was always watching Coralee walk away toward another man. Just like she had run straight to Alan when things had gotten rough between them. That lingering thought lodged deep in Jake’s heart, growing and gnawing at him for the rest of the week.

  Chapter Six

  Coralee leaned back in her chair, hoping the rock in the pit of her stomach would disappear. It felt like the shop workroom was closing in on her. Piles of labels and flyers for Papa’s remedy littered the table in front of her, but she couldn’t get into a rhythm of working on the materials.

  She needed to get the new medication ready to launch at the Independence Day celebration. The booth they planned to set up would be Spring Hill’s first introduction to it and she wanted everything to be perfect. The feedback she had gotten from her patients who’d tested the willow bark formula had been overwhelming. The remedy had helped. It had taken their pain away completely. And none of them had gotten sick or experienced hallucinations or any other terrible side effects. After all the hard work, worry and time, she had finally been successful in fulfilling Papa’s dream.

  But now they had to succeed in selling the remedy and getting their customers back into Holbrook’s. She stood and walked to the workroom window to look out at the beautiful summer morning. Her neighbors walked up and down the street, going about their daily business. They were already leery of Holbrook’s thanks to Dr. Jay’s claims that she wasn’t qualified to run the shop. With that already in the backs of their minds, would they have any interest in the new medicine? What would happen if the town still chose to side with the old doctor?

  She paced to the cabinets in the back of the room, focusing on the echoing steps of her heeled boots. Back to the window, where several children were running down the street, yelling as they chased each other. Back to the cabinets. She paused then grabbed a cloth and wiped at some fingerprints on the glass in the cabinet doors.

  Jake’s voice filled her head as she cleaned the glass. He would say that she was letting her fear get the better of her. And he would be right. But the shop meant so much. To her. To Papa. To her family. Even to her friendship with Jake. What if she failed the place that had been her life since she was a child?

  Coralee straightened and put down the cloth. Her past and future, her family’s security, Papa’s legacy. It all depended on the shop remaining open. She would throw herself into selling the new medicine. When it took off—and it had to take off—things would improve.

  Unable to stay still any longer, Coralee grabbed a stack of flyers. She passed Cat on the way to the shop door. “I’m going to go hang up these signs we made for the new medicine. I shouldn’t be gone long. But I may bring the twins back so Cecilia can have the day to herself.”

 
Cat just waved, busy packaging a batch of the medicine Coralee had finished earlier.

  Leaving the shop, Coralee headed to the first spot where she planned to nail up handbills. Cat had designed the advertisements with a lovely, artistic flair. In a flawless hand, she had described the benefits of their new product. A showy line at the bottom announced that they would have a booth at the Independence Day celebration. The pages were quite eye-catching and Coralee was certain people were already taking an interest in them as she finished nailing up the last few.

  Walking in the door at home, Coralee followed the sound of little voices into the kitchen. Louisa and Phillip were helping Cecilia dry dishes, their tiny hands wiping cloths ineffectually over each plate from breakfast. Coralee watched them from the doorway, emotions stirring. The darling children had lost so much, but still managed to be bright spots in her day. Every time she held or talked with them, another piece of her heart became theirs.

  She pushed away from the door frame as she announced her presence. “Hello, Louisa and Phillip. Cecilia.”

  The twins turned, eyes lighting up when they saw her. “There Coree!” Chubby, wet hands reached for her. With a happy chuckle, she enveloped each child in a hug.

  “How would you two like to go to the shop with me today?”

  “Yes! Yes!” They danced around her, chanting loudly. She met Cecilia’s eyes, waved goodbye over the noise and then led the twins outside. Taking one twin’s hand in each of her own, they walked to Holbrook’s. On the way, Phillip pointed at a large dog resting in the back of a wagon. “Look, dog. Woof!”

  She laughed. “Very good, there’s a big, brown dog.”

  Louisa pointed at a young mother carrying a newborn. “A baby, Coree.”

  “Oh, yes. What a sweet little baby.” The little girl was delighted with the infant and Coralee realized what a loving big sister Louisa would be, if her permanent family happened to have more children. The idea brought a pang of loss. She would miss the twins terribly when she no longer had a reason to see them every day.