by Leanne Tyler
“Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“Did something happen?”
“No. I need to talk to your sister.”
“Okay.”
He opened the door to his truck for her and she got inside, putting on her belt as she tried to reason with herself about the stone. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks that the stone wasn’t what she should be worried about. It was Alex. He was the one. And hadn’t she been feeling like that for the last two weeks? It didn’t really matter that they’d just met. When true love happened it just did. Time wasn’t a factor in anything.
He got into the truck and started the motor. She reached for his hand, entwining her fingers with his. He looked at her funny, but she only smiled at him.
“Are you sure you are okay?”
“I’ve never been more perfect.”
He slowly nodded and brought her hand to his mouth, kissing it. Then he released it. “I need both hands to drive until we get on the road.”
She nodded, leaning her head back against the headrest and thought about their future together. She should have no worries now, but she did. What if he didn’t feel the same?
When they got to Mrs. Wright’s house, she saw Keely and Darren going up the walk. She unfastened her seat belt before Alex even came to a complete stop and opened her door as soon as he put the truck in park.
She got out and called to Keely, stopping her from going inside. “Can I talk to you?”
“Sure.” Keely turned to Darren. “Go on in. I won’t be long.”
“Are you sure everything is all right?” Alex asked, following her up the walk.
“Yes. Go on in with Darren.”
“What is going on?” Keely asked as soon as the front door closed.
Sue reached into the pocket and brought out the blood-red stone. “This happened before we came here.”
Keely’s mouth dropped opened and she looked at the stone and then back up at Sue. “Wow. That didn’t happen for me until after I found Darren in the shower in what I thought was my bathroom at the lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains. But it turned out we had a common bathroom that his twin sisters didn’t tell me about. Jama was behind that weekend. Remember?”
Sue nodded, recalling the story. “I accept this happening and what it means, but how do I get it back inside the charm?”
“You don’t. Only Lucinda knows how that happens. I’m sure she’s going to be here today. She and Lillian have been thick as thieves since the Blue Ridge Mountain trip. We’ll just ask her.”
“Is there anything I should know?”
“What do you mean?”
“What should I expect now that this has happened? Has the charm done its work and that’s it? Do I give it back to her? Or does someone else get it now?”
Keely bit at her lower lip. “No. You shouldn’t give it back. Not yet. Lucinda will tell you when to return it. She’ll also know who should get it next. If anyone. So tell me, how did it happen for you?”
“He brought me flowers, and I needed help getting a vase down. He brushed against me and I felt the stone fall down into my bra.”
“It did that to me too. It’s a prickly little stone.” She wrapped her arm around Sue’s shoulders and squeezed as they walked toward the house. “This happened pretty early in your relationship with Alex. That must mean the two of you are really Vous Deux.”
“I know. What if it’s wrong?”
“The gris-gris is never wrong, child,” Lucinda said from where she stood on the stoop. “Lillian has the food on the table and she sent me to find you. So it has happened?”
Sue nodded. “What should I do?”
“Why nothing of course.”
“But the stone?” She held out her hand for Lucinda to see.
“Is pretty and a labor of love that the gris-gris spews forth when the time is right. It’s like a clam producing an oyster. Same principle. Come and we shall go eat. You’ve upset Alex enough. He thinks he did something wrong. Go put the boy at ease.”
Lucinda plucked the stone out of her hand and Sue went inside to find Alex. He was standing in the dining room with Darren talking.
Lillian came in with a basket of rolls. “Good. Everyone is here. Let’s gather around, join hands, and say the blessing. Alex, will you do the honors today? I have a feeling you have much to be thankful for these days.”
Sue took his hand and the hand of Lucinda as they bowed their heads.
“Thank you Heavenly Father for bringing us here today to share in the many blessings of friendship and family. Thank you for bringing me back home so I can be a part of these wonderful people’s lives. Bless Keely and Darren as they prepare for the new life that will soon be joining their home, taking them from being a couple to a family. And bless the hands of the one who prepared the meal today. All these things we ask in your name. Amen.”
“Amen.” Lucinda pulled out her chair and sat down, using her napkin to blot at the corner of her eye. “You could always say a touching prayer, my boy. I remember that one Thanksgiving when you insisted on being allowed to say it. You couldn’t have been more than five. You prayed for I know ten minutes asking a blessing for all the trees, the animals and even that poor roasted turkey we were able to eat.”
“Lucinda, come on, you exaggerate.”
“No she isn’t. I remember,” Keely assured him. “I thought Mom and Dad were going to crack up by the time you finished talking about how thankful you were for even the worms in the ground. But you were so serious about it they couldn’t be mad.”
“How sweet.” Sue squeezed his hand and tried to imagine him as a small boy praying at the table.
“Children can be that. It’s when they grow up that they seem less interested in eating the meal and talking. Let’s all fill our plates before the food gets cold,” Lillian urged. “This reminds me of the Sunday dinner when Jama first brought Kyle over. Remember, Lucinda?”
The woman nodded, reaching for her iced tea. “That was an interesting affair for sure.”
“What happened?” Darren asked, taking a spoonful of potatoes from the bowl.
“Your sister was beside herself going on about that necklace Lucinda gave her. You know the one. Sue has it now.”
At the mention of her name, Sue swallowed and reached up, placing her hand over the gris-gris.
Alex glanced over at her. “Lucinda was the one who gave you the necklace you’re always wearing?”
“Yes,” she said softly.
“Interesting.”
“Why was Jama so upset?” Darren asked.
Lucinda put down her fork. “It was silly really. She had it in her head that she didn’t need to wear it anymore, but I pointed out the error she was making. She put it back on and we finished the meal.”
“And then it didn’t seem like it was any time before Kyle asked her to marry him.” Lillian beamed, handing the basket of rolls to Alex.
He placed a piece of bread on his plate before handing the basket to Sue. “So are you into matchmaking these days, Lucinda?”
“Call it what you will, dear boy. I like to think of it as guiding two wandering souls together.”
“Sounds like the same thing to me.”
“But I don’t do it often. Only when I see the need, when a heart is looking for its Vous Deux. That is when I step in.”
“Vous Deux?”
“Soul mate,” Keely said.
“Is that what you thought?” Sue asked. “Funny. I just wanted to meet someone and start dating again.”
Alex grinned. “Well you did that at least, even if you haven’t found this Vous Deux she’s talking about.”
Sue nodded and dug into her potatoes.
Darren chuckled, then yelped turning in his seat toward Keely. “Why’d you kick me?”
“Muscle spasm. Sorry, darling.” She rubbed her tummy and looked quite innocent. “Please pass me the carrots.”
A silence came over the room as they ate until Lillian served desse
rt of hot rhubarb pie and vanilla ice cream.
“This is wonderful, Mrs. Wright,” Alex told her as Keely slipped out of the room.
“Please, call me Lillian. I’m glad you like it. And if you don’t already have plans for the holidays I hope you will consider joining us. My girls Patty and Claire will be here as well as Keely, Darren, Jama and Kyle and the twins.”
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Keely came back to the table with a second helping of pie and ice cream. “Sorry, but this is so good.”
“No apologies needed, dear. Eat all you want. The baby knows what it likes.”
“Yes it does, but I have to watch giving into cravings or I’ll be big as a house. I can’t seem to get enough of sweets and I read somewhere that is a sign the baby is a girl.”
“But you also like beef and chicken and didn’t we read in that magazine that is a sign it’s a boy?” Darren said.
“You wouldn’t have to be guessing if you’d just find out the sex,” Alex said.
“That’s what I say,” Lillian agreed.
“I kind of like the mystery of not knowing.” Sue smiled when all eyes turned to her.
“Seriously?” Alex asked.
“Yes. I don’t know if I’d find out if I were expecting either.”
“See, Alex.” Keely scooped up a big piece of pie and ice cream, blowing on the pie before sticking it in her mouth.
“If you won’t allow modern technology to tell you, why not get Lucinda to reveal the future to you.”
Lucinda chuckled. “My powers do not work that way, dear boy. And you should know that after all these years. But then, you are a skeptic when it comes to what I can do. Oh sure, you humor me, but I know what you truly think. But deep down, far back in the recesses of your mind there is this tiny glimmer of hope and before long it will change your way of thinking.”
Alex grunted and pushed back from the table. “I know I have said this already but it has been a wonderful meal.”
“I’m glad. Come into the kitchen and I’ll dish up some leftovers for you to take home. There has to be enough for you to get at least one meal out of them for this week.”
“Thank you, but you don’t have to go to any trouble.”
“It isn’t trouble at all,” Lillian insisted.
“You might as well take the food. She won’t let you leave here without it,” Darren said.
Looking embarrassed, Alex followed her into the kitchen.
When he was gone, Sue covered her face with her hands. “That couldn’t have been more awkward.”
Lucinda patted her on the arm. “Don’t fret, child. It will be okay. He is your Vous Deux and the gris-gris never lies.”
“I can’t believe Lillian would bring it up so casually.”
Darren shook his head. “She didn’t realize what she was doing.”
“And then to say how Kyle asked Jama to marry him so soon after…Do you think he feels I expect something like that?”
“No. I’m sure he doesn’t,” Keely added. “At least I don’t think he does.”
Sue didn’t find her words reassuring.
Lillian came back to the doorway. “Sue, would you like to take some pie home with you?”
“Thank you. That would be nice.”
“I’ve also got enough roast for a sandwich. Would you like that as well?”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it, dear. I live to feed others.”
Darren laughed. “Now, she does. When we were growing up she was never at home to cook because she worked two jobs.”
“She provided for her family. Nothing wrong with that.” Lucinda stood and began clearing away the empty dessert dishes. “And by looking at you, you didn’t starve.”
“No we didn’t. Patty and Claire cooked, and Jama cleaned and took care of me.”
“Where was your father?” Sue asked, clearing dishes as well.
“He left when I was small.”
Lucinda shook her head. “It’s such a shame too because your mother is a wonderful woman. She didn’t deserve that.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It’s fine, Sue.” Darren shook his head. “He made his choice. I accepted a long time ago that he didn’t care anything about his family. And we were much better off with him out of the picture.”
Keely placed her hand over his, squeezing it, and he looked at her.
“You don’t have to worry. I won’t ever do that to you or our little one.”
“I’m not worried, darling. Not at all.”
Sue thought about what a stigma being abandoned by a parent could have on a child and she felt blessed to have lived in a home with both parents. She’d never had to deal with the loss whether from death or divorce. She gathered the silverware and then carried the dishes out to the kitchen where Lillian and Alex were doing the dishes.
Stopping in the doorway, she watched their interaction for a few moments and smiled.
“He’s a good catch,” Lucinda whispered, coming up behind her.
She nodded. Had she really caught him? Only time would tell.
Alex drove back to his house, after taking Sue home, thinking about what Lucinda had said about that necklace Sue was all the time wearing. He remembered when they’d first met that she’d said a friend of her boss had given it to her and that it was very unique. At the time he didn’t know her boss had been his sister or that the friend had been Lucinda.
It all made perfect sense now. Hadn’t Keely stood in his kitchen and told him about the necklace Lucinda had given her and the magical powers it possessed?
Pulling up outside his house, he put the truck in park and got out. Both dogs came over to the fence. Duke jumped up in his usual way to be petted. Queenie hung back. He figured in a few weeks she’d be over her shyness and more comfortable around him.
She had taken to Sue which was good. He took to her too. He didn’t care if Lucinda had given her that necklace with the promise of it having magical powers. Slipping his hand into his pocket, he felt of the little bottle that held the good luck potion. How could he fault Sue for wearing that necklace if he was going to carry around this bottle? He wasn’t sure why he did it other than maybe this was that little ray of hope Lucinda had that he’d come to believe in her mumbo jumbo.
He didn’t buy into voodoo, but he did believe in Sue and their chemistry together. For now, that was enough.
Chapter Eleven
Sue carried the shopping bags into her apartment amazed at how many there were. She’d only gone to get her shoes for the wedding, but then she’d found the perfect sheer hosiery to wear with them and a full length slip to keep the dress from clinging in places it shouldn’t. The wedding boutique sales girl had been more than helpful and her pocket book had taken a hit for it, but it was for her sister’s happiness. She knew Kimberly would do the same when her big day came along. At least she hoped she would.
Sighing, she carried the bags to her bedroom and put the shoe box in her closet and then stored the slip and hose in her top dresser drawer with her new strapless bra. Sitting down on the bed, she kicked off her shoes and curled up on her side.
She’d been giving more thought to the type of bachelorette party Kimberly would want. Her sister was great to be with and they always had fun when they went out. However, she knew that their having fun together was different than the type of fun Kimberly had when she was out with her friends. It was obvious every time she got together with the other bridesmaids.
Therefore, she didn’t want to disappoint her sister, nor did she want to regurgitate a Tennessee version of ‘bachelorette gone wild’. Hiring a stripper was over rated. Bar hopping for a night might work, but she didn’t feel comfortable with that either. But it wasn’t about her comfort level. It was about her sister and throwing her a great party.
Getting up, she went to her desk in the living room and opened up her laptop to do another search for ideas. She really was
running out of time on this and maybe she was over thinking it.
Her computer started making chiming sounds and a video screen popped up. She sat down in front of the computer and adjusted her volume level as her mother’s smiling face came into view.
“Hello, darling. How are you?”
“I’m good. And you and dad?” she asked still amazed that her parents liked to video chat instead of calling her on the phone.
“Not bad at all. Getting excited about seeing our girls again. As it turns out, we won’t get up there until the morning of the wedding. We’ll miss the rehearsal and dinner.”
“Oh no! Did you tell Kimberly yet?”
“Yes. And she is okay with it. Not happy, but she understands your dad’s predicament.”
Sue listened as her mom explained how her dad had a procedure scheduled, but that the doctor had to reschedule.
“Of course your father agreed to the date they said and then realized it was too close to when we were planning to drive up. He tried to reschedule, but the next available date was in January and he’d have to go through the recertification process to satisfy insurance requirements again, not to mention we’ve already met our deductible for this year. It made more sense to delay our leaving Florida until he can travel. If your father would fly we’d be there much sooner, but you know he can’t.”
“Poor daddy and his phobia.”
“I know.”
“Who are you talking to, Priscilla?”
Sue heard her dad’s voice before he came into view. “Hi, daddy.”
“Hi, pumpkin. How’s my girl?”
“I’m good.”
“You don’t sound it. What’s wrong?” Her dad sat down in front of the computer beside her mom.
“Trying to plan the perfect bachelorette party for Kimberly. Nothing I can think of sounds good enough to me. I wish she had asked one of her girlfriends to plan it.”
“But she asked you, dear. She knew you were the best person to plan it,” her mother assured. “Trust your instincts.”
“Bachelorette party. I don’t get why girls today think they need to have one. It was created for the man to live it up one last time.”