“So I heard that you and Matt have decided to join us on the retreat,” Brenda Marco commented after they were all seated and dressing their various choices of coffee.
“Yeah, I think it will be a good time,” Lucy replied, tearing open a packet of sweetener and emptying it into her café au lait.
“What about Lanie? Is she coming, too?”
“Nah,” Lucy answered.
“Traveling?”
“Like always.”
Lanie’s job as a corporate trainer kept her between airports, rental cars, and hotels most of the time. Aside from picking up the luggage she’d borrowed from Lanie that week, Lucy hadn’t spent any time with Matt’s sister for a solid month.
When Brenda didn’t speak again, Lucy glanced over to find her friend’s expression glazed, her lips parted slightly, and her brown eyes fixed on Justin, who had the chair across the table from her.
“Yo. Bren.”
Brenda blinked hard and then looked Lucy in the eyes and started to laugh.
“I’m sorry,” she said at last and then lowered her voice. “He’s handsome, isn’t he?”
“Justin?” Lucy asked, trying not to overdo the innocent routine. “Yeah, I guess he is.”
“Cyndi told me he’s new in Little Rock. Moved here from North Carolina.”
“That explains the slight drawl.”
“Apparently he’s quite the outdoorsman,” Brenda continued. “Thirty-one years old, never been married. Tony says he’s ready to settle down, though, and he’s looking for someone real. That’s what he said, I guess. Someone real. Doesn’t want a woman too into her looks or too made up or high-maintenance. That counts me out, I suppose. Somebody at home on a campground, who can cook a good meal—”
“What, did he fill out a dating questionnaire?”
“I’m just telling you what I know,” Brenda defended.
As much as Lucy appreciated getting some information on Justin Gerard, something about the fact that Brenda knew so much—and was so willing to gossip about it—annoyed her. It was contradictory, she realized.
But still.
As Matt folded into the chair on the other side of her, Lucy looked down at her own outfit, skimming all the way down to the pink wedges she had gotten for a steal the week before.
“Do you think I’m overdressed?” she whispered to Matt. “What do you mean? No.”
She considered his reply for a moment and then sighed. Suddenly, she leaned back toward him once more and asked, “Do you think I’m high-maintenance?”
“Definitely,” he replied. “More coffee?”
Hi, Lord.
We meet in the church parking lot tomorrow morning at 7:00, and we’ll head off in two different cars for a place called Snowball. It’s supposed to be pretty rural there, with dirt roads and log cabins. I’m imagining something like I once saw in a profile on Court TV, with rabid, wild animals and a scary backwoods yeti guy who peers through windows and plots his attack on visiting city girls.
I know. I need to stop watching those things, starting right now.
I was wondering if maybe You sent Justin Gerard to our singles group as an answer to my boyfriend prayers. He’s a hottie, he’s a Christian, he owns his own business, AND he’s supposedly looking for a girlfriend. How perfect is he? I’m going to thank You right now for sending him and ask You to help me not make an idiot of myself in the woods.
Aside from that concern, I’m pretty much ready to go. I’ve got vacation time from work processed and approved. I stowed my Louis Vuitton and packed my things in a leather satchel and backpack I borrowed from Lanie. I’ve bought a fresh supply of chocolate and Oreos in case of emergency and some non-designer utilitarian clothes that are still cute enough to make Justin take a second look.
I don’t think I’ve worn tennies since I was twelve. I didn’t know what to buy, so I got a pair of Keds and some sturdier ones with a pink stripe down the side.
The truth is…I’m not exactly the outdoorsy type. I guess You know that. You’re the One who made me this way. But seriously, this could turn out to be such a disaster! So I’m asking You to help me not do anything embarrassing or humiliating or ridiculous—and to fit into Justin’s outdoor world so that he gives me a chance and falls madly in love with me before the retreat is over. Not too much to ask, right?
I guess I’ll see You on the other side of the wilderness, Lord.
Looking forward,
Lucy
P.S. Any chance I could score a seat next to Justin for the ride to Snowball?
Chapter Three
MATT WOKE UP WITH REAL ANTICIPATION COURSING THROUGH HIM. The Ozarks never failed to inspire him, and spending a few days at their feet, with a stream of great activities planned, was going to do him good.
When he’d first mentioned the trip to Lucy, her reaction was nothing short of underwhelming. Never mind that it took Justin Gerard to get her warmed up to the idea; at least she’d managed to get onboard, and he was determined that they were going to have fun.
A broad smile spread over his face as Matt thought of Lucy out in the wilds of Buffalo National River, baiting a fishing line or reacting to wildlife along the hiking trail. She’d always been a girly girl, and she’d seen her outdoorsy shortcomings as a weakness—something that would keep her from finding the kind of man she’d always hoped to spend her life with. But Matt saw those challenges as something entirely different. They were just part of the overall picture that was Lucy.
Goofy and sweet, elegant yet somewhat unhinged, with crazy-wild auburn hair that she worked far too hard trying to tame and a smile that was all red lips and white teeth. She could light up an entire valley with that smile. In the years that he’d known her, Lucy had managed to cast a strange shadow over every other woman who crossed Matt’s path, and it was an occurrence he’d never quite understood. She was a sort of standard he held other women against to determine if they were fit for him. So far, few of them survived the glare. But if he ever did find a woman with some of Lucy’s more appealing qualities, he thought he’d probably spend the rest of his life chasing her.
When he rounded the corner of her street, Matt immediately noticed Lucy in front of her house, straddling the curb, with her thumb stuck out in hopes of a ride. The bags on the ground beside her were unfamiliar and drab.
“Where’s Mr. Vuitton today?” he asked as he stepped out from behind the wheel.
“Hiding in the closet. I thought these seemed a little less pretentious. I borrowed them from Lanie.”
“Lucy, you are not pretentious,” he assured her.
“Thanks, Mattie. But I didn’t want Justin to get that idea just because I have some killer luggage.”
He paused for a moment and then shook his head. “Whatever,” he sort of sang as he threw her bags into the car.
“How do I look?” she asked, throwing out her arms and shifting from one hip to the other while the breeze caught her reddish-brown curls and eased them back over her shoulders.
“Unpretentious, to start with.”
“Score.”
“And very cute. Now get in the car.”
She tossed him one of her wide, toothy grins as she clicked the seatbelt into place. “Here we go.”
“Yes, we do,” Matt replied, dropping the gear into Drive and pulling away from the curb.
The first thing Lucy noticed when Matt’s Mini Cooper pulled into the lot was Justin standing at the back of Alison’s Buick with Wendy Marshall.
No, no, no, no, no.
“Wendy’s going? I didn’t see her name on the list.”
“I guess so.”
Wendy had been part of the group for nearly a year, and she was one of those girls who was so pretty that they make other women’s self-esteem falter. She had the kind of sun-kissed skin that men probably wanted to touch; long, straight, and silky blond hair; perfect almond-shaped blue eyes; a turned-up little nose dotted with tiny freckles. Wendy reminded Lucy of a cartoon drawing, and she didn’t
want her anywhere near Justin until he’d had the chance to fall in love with Lucy first.
She said a little prayer under her breath before hopping out of the car and meandering over to the Buick.
“Morning, everyone,” she announced, and then she gifted Justin with the most dazzling smile she could muster.
“Good morning,” he returned. Lucy noticed that his teeth were probably even whiter than hers. And she’d bleached hers the night before.
Matt loaded their luggage into the trunk of Tony’s PT Cruiser while Alison wandered around with a clipboard, checking things off.
“I believe we’re all here,” Alison announced. “There are ten of us going and two cars scheduled to shuttle.”
Before she had the chance to tell everyone which cars they were no doubt assigned to, Lucy took the bull by the horns. “So let’s get this show on the road then, huh? Pile in!”
When Justin took her lead and crawled into the back seat of the PT Cruiser, Lucy followed him without pause. Rolling her hand frantically at Matt, she urged him to slide in beside her and exhaled a puff of relief when he did.
Lucy shot another one of her best smiles Justin’s way and sighed again.
Thank You, Jesus.
Brenda took the front passenger seat, and Tony slid behind the wheel as the others made their way toward the Buick. Jeff and Wendy sat in the back with the new guy while Alison and Cyndi headed toward the front.
Lucy leaned forward and touched Brenda on the shoulder. “What’s the new guy’s name?” If anyone would know the 411, it would be Brenda.
“Rob Hogestyn,” she replied, and she spun all the way around in her seat. “His family owns most of San Antonio’s downtown real estate, and he’s developing his own holdings here in Little Rock. He’s already bought up a couple of key properties, and I hear he’s going to build a condo complex just outside the Quapaw Quarter—”
And she’s off!
Lucy glanced out the window and couldn’t help but notice the disappointment on Alison’s face as she glared down at her useless clipboard, her organizational plans undoubtedly dashed. Lucy felt a pang of guilt and resolved to let Alison arrange other less dire details during the retreat. Like who bunked where, which activities they would choose, and in what order. For the moment, however, the transportation seating was taken care of.
Lucy beamed at Justin. “Here we go!”
By the time they reached I-40 and headed west, Lucy had learned about Justin’s upbringing in Charlotte, his aunt Sadie’s recipe for chocolate peanut butter ice cream, and his longtime penchant for rare rib eye steak and roasted asparagus.
“Now that’s the perfect meal,” he told them. “Nothing beats it.”
“I couldn’t really say what the perfect meal is,” Lucy chimed in. “It depends on my mood on any given day. I guess I just like variety. Some days, a glass of chocolate milk and a few Oreo cookies seem like the perfect meal.”
Stop talking now, she warned herself. Just stop talking.
When they merged onto US-65 and turned north toward Harrison, Lucy decided to keep asking Justin questions so she couldn’t make a fool of herself by talking too much. She pretended to be absolutely engrossed as he told her all about his work as a contractor and the perils of owning and operating one’s own business.
This is actually going pretty well, she thought. I wonder if I should ask him—
“So what can you tell me about Wendy?”
A needle scratched its way entirely across the record of their conversation, and Lucy’s brain thudded to a stop.
He finally talks about someone else, and it has to be Wendy?
“Wendy?”
“Yeah,” he said. “She’s really cute.”
Digging her nails into the seat belt, Lucy swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat and plastered a smile across her face.
“She really is, isn’t she?” she said, nodding.
Matt’s elbow pressed into Lucy’s side, and she leaned against it in acknowledgment.
“But I don’t know much more about her than that. We’ve never really had the opportunity to talk beyond the typical courtesies.”
Brenda reeled around in her seat again and looked Justin square in the eye. “I know Wendy pretty well. She had dinner at my house a couple of weeks ago, and since we share an appreciation for George Clooney, we caught his latest movie at the Rave.”
“How was that?” Lucy interrupted. “The reviews were pretty good.”
“Oh, who knows. I don’t care what he says or what his movies are about,” Brenda cracked, and she broke out into a short fit of high-pitched laughter. “It’s George Clooney, for crying out loud.”
Lucy couldn’t help herself. She turned to the left and looked Matt directly in the eyes. An entire wordless conversation passed between them before Lucy faced forward again.
“Anyhoo,” Brenda sang, “Wendy Marshall. She’s twenty-seven years old, and she’s spent her entire life in Little Rock. Never lived anywhere else. She’s a preschool teacher, graduated from the University of Arkansas.”
“Sheesh, Bren. What was her grade point average?” Lucy cracked, and Brenda’s expression betrayed no amusement whatsoever.
Matt laughed out loud, and Tony and Justin joined in. Finally, Brenda managed to break a smile.
“A preschool teacher,” Justin commented. “That’s admirable. Do you know if she’s seeing anyone?”
“She was,” Brenda replied. “But they split up about six months ago, and she hasn’t been out with anyone since.”
Matt slipped his hand into the crook of Lucy’s arm and gave it a squeeze. She knew he was feeling her pain, and she appreciated his show of support. It didn’t help, of course. But she appreciated it just the same.
By the time the group rolled into camp, Lucy could hardly wait to get out of the car. Her ego wasn’t the only thing that had been bruised on the long ride from Little Rock to Snowball, and she groaned as she emerged from the back of the PT Cruiser, needing to stretch her stiff legs.
“Okay, boys and girls, listen up!” Alison called to them, clipboard in hand. She was almost glowing, and Lucy supposed she’d gotten over the disappointment of not orchestrating who would ride in which seat. It seemed she was going to make up for it now.
She’s gotten her second organizational wind.
“We’ve got these first three cabins, and I’ve made up your room assignments. In Cabin A, Cyndi will occupy the bedroom with the double bed, and Lucy and Wendy will have the other bedroom with the two twins.”
Lucy’s heart sank. Sharing a room with her newfound competition seemed unfortunate and ironic.
“Brenda and I will take the studio, which is Cabin B. In Cabin C, there are two bedrooms with twin beds. Justin and Tony will take one of them, and Matt and Rob will take the other. Jeff, you can have the loft on account of your back troubles. There’s a firm mattress on the bed up there.”
“Thanks, Alison.”
“Now let’s take an hour or so to get settled,” she told them as she tapped the face of her watch.
A tour guide on too much caffeine, Lucy thought.
“Have a look at these,” Alison instructed, passing a sheet of paper to each of them. “This is our daily activity schedule. If you have any questions, just let me know.”
“Don’t be late for the bus. Because we will leave without you,” Tony said softly, and Lucy snickered in spite of her best effort not to.
Matt had already begun unloading the luggage from the back of the PT Cruiser, and Lucy saw her opportunity to speak to him alone.
“Mattie,” she whispered as he handed off her bag, “you have to help me out and keep Wendy occupied.”
He stopped what he was doing long enough to grimace at her. “What do you mean? How am I supposed to do that?”
“I don’t care how you do it. Just keep her away from Justin so I have a chance.”
Matt groaned and shook his head as he lifted his own bag from the cargo trunk and plante
d it on the ground with a thump.
“What are you two whispering about?” Alison asked as she stepped between them.
“You’re doing a great job keeping us organized, Ali,” Matt told her. “Nice work. Keep it up.”
Lucy knew he’d encouraged the behavior as a direct hit to her, but Alison beamed like a neon sign in Las Vegas. “Thank you, Matthew. Really. Thank you for noticing.”
Without a glance in Lucy’s direction, he grabbed his bag and headed off toward Cabin C.
“Ready, roomie?” Wendy said with a smile, and Lucy tried her hardest to return it.
“Ready!”
“Let’s all meet up at the lodge for an early lunch,” Alison called after them. “Right down there, everyone. At eleven thirty. After that, we’re off to the river to fish for our dinners!”
When they made it to Cabin A, Lucy followed Wendy into the bedroom and plunked down on the bed farthest from the door. She dragged her bags up beside her on the mattress and reached down into the side pocket of the backpack, producing a snack pack of Oreo cookies that she immediately opened.
Munching on one of them in silence, Lucy looked around the bedroom at the charming patchwork quilts covering each bed and the understated country ambiance. A border painted the same pale yellow as the rest of the room created the look of a floral pattern engraved right into the walls. The subtle and distinct touches, such as a single Gerbera daisy tucked into a small lavender vase and a handcrafted ribbon bookmark peeking from the pages of the Bible on the mission-style dresser, made the room come alive with personality. Despite the obvious differences, she was reminded of the Conroy. Hers was a five-star boutique hotel in the heart of the city, but this little campsite of log cabins and picnic tables in Snowball, Arkansas, was a five-star retreat.
Lucy watched Wendy pull back her golden hair and twist it around her hand into a knot at the back of her head. The clothes inside her suitcase were folded into perfect squares and stacked like neat little crackers in a box. She pulled a pair of sneakers from the inside pocket, and Lucy’s jaw clenched. They were a slightly-worn spitting image of her new tennies with the pink stripe down the sides.
Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas Page 3