“It’s time to eat!” Sol announced. “Everybody grab a seat!”
Isabel went to the chair she’d been sitting in before, leaving the seat at the head of the table for Solomon. Betty attempted to go to the seat opposite of her but Freddie got there first, pulling out the second one from the head of the table and holding it for her.
She looked slightly embarrassed, her eyes flicking to the chair at Solomon’s left hand. She slid into the chair Freddie had pulled out anyway, looking under her eyelids at Isabel before dropping her gaze to the table.
Freddie took the seat next to Betty, which was at Solomon’s left hand, without hesitation. Isabel was grateful.
“So, Isabel,” Betty began, getting everyone’s attention. “How do you like it here so far?”
“It’s nice,” Isabel responded. “This is only my third day here but I’m happy so far. I’m looking forward to the festival.”
Betty was suddenly gushing with knowledge as Solomon brought full plates to each of them. “It’s a wonderful time for our little town. We hold a festival in November, too, for Thanksgiving, of course, you know.”
“Are there Christmas celebrations like that?” Isabel directed her question to Freddie.
“Two weeks in November and two weeks in December,” Freddie answered with a nod while he picked at the food on his plate. It seemed he was trying to figure out what to eat first. Finally, he picked up a slice of bacon and took a huge bite of it.
“That must be so much fun. We had celebrations in Morningside like that. Not a month long but we had festivals that lasted a week. It was my favorite time when the circus came to town. My mother and I always had a grand time before she fell ill.”
“Your mother was ill?” Betty asked. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It was devastating really. We were very close.”
“I’m sure you miss her a lot,” Betty said, compassion in her voice that surprised Isabel. She didn’t want to figure out how nice Betty really was. It would exacerbate her insecurity like nothing else.
“I do. Very much.”
“But let’s not talk about sad things right now,” Freddie said, though his voice was soft and gentle, his eyes on Isabel. “Let’s talk about how much fun we can have at the festival.”
“When will the children put on their play?”
“I think they have two they are doing this year,” Freddie said, glancing at Solomon for confirmation. “Isn’t that right? Or is the other one some kind of singing or something like a choir?”
Solomon shook his head. “I didn’t know the children were putting on two events.” He looked at Isabel. “It’s usually put on every Wednesday. I don’t know about a second show. We’ll check into that when we go, how does that sound?”
“I like it,” Isabel said. She began to eat the hot food, feeling warmer and more comfortable as time went on. Whenever Betty attempted to make her feel uncomfortable by bringing up something she and Solomon had done in the past, it seemed Freddie was there to jump in, saying he remembered the incident, intentionally letting Isabel know he was there, too. It comforted her.
At one point during the meal, Freddie looked at Solomon and asked, “Have you two decided on a wedding date yet?”
“I want to get things planned first,” Solomon replied. “I think Isabel is on board with that. She also wants to take a little time to get to know each other first. We are still learning all the subtleties about each other, you know?”
“In three days, really how much can you learn?” Betty put in, shrugging. “It’s nothing like years and years of experience with someone.”
“That’s true,” Freddie said, looking at Betty with a hard stare. “But the distance between two people doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder. People change over the years, you know. They mature and grow into new and different people. I read an article in some medical journal that said our minds change as we grow just as much as our bodies do.” He looked at Isabel. “Do you agree?”
Isabel finished chewing her food before she answered, putting one hand in front of her mouth and then clearing her throat. “I do believe that very much. I believe it’s because of the experiences we go through. They change us. Either for the better or the worse. Take you, for instance.” She turned her eyes to Betty, forcing herself to say what she wanted to say and not feel intimidated by the woman. Betty’s eyebrows shot up and the men gave Isabel sharp looks. But she just continued, “You have been away at school. You’ve made new friends and had new experiences every single day. Things happened to you that wouldn’t have if you were still here in Steven’s Gulch. That’s true, isn’t it?”
Betty nodded but said nothing. She still looked like she was in shock from Isabel talking to her.
“That must have changed you some. Given you a new perspective on many things. Ideas for your goals and for your future. I know when my mother fell ill…well, before my mother fell ill, I was just a young girl, growing up without a father and having a good time with my friends. We had parties and dances and, well, just acted like teenagers, I guess. But all that stopped when I went home to take care of momma.”
“And I bet you wouldn’t trade a moment of that time with her, would you?” Freddie asked.
Isabel shook her head. “No. I wouldn’t. If there’s anything I would change it would be that my momma never fell ill in the first place or that she wasn’t in so much pain toward the end. It was…quite heartbreaking.”
“I can only imagine,” Sol said, his voice soft. He reached over and rested a large hand over hers, completely covering it. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
“I’m glad Momma had me there for her,” Isabel said. “And she was a strong woman with a sharp mind that lasted until the very end. She used to tell me not to worry, that she wouldn’t last long and I would still be able to live a rich fulfilling life.”
Isabel noticed when Solomon’s face fell. He was probably thinking about his father. Her suspicion was confirmed when he spoke.
“Pa said something like that to me once. He was never sick but he was talking about how I would have an opportunity to do great things with my businesses once he was gone. I always told him not to talk like that. He was a great man. I miss him.”
“I understand the feeling,” Isabel said. She turned her eyes back to Betty. “I’m glad you don’t have to feel our pain. You have both your parents. I hope you treasure them.” She said the words remembering what Freddie had said. That Betty’s parents treated her like a child. She acted like a spoiled child so it was probably warranted. But then it could have been them who created the immaturity in Betty to begin with, by coddling her. Isabel was under the impression Betty held little respect for them.
But she struggled with herself not to be so judgmental. She didn’t know Betty or her relationship with her parents and it wasn’t her place to judge. She said a quick prayer of forgiveness.
“I suppose I could be a little more respectful of my parents,” Betty said quietly. “But I do love them, you know.”
“No one was saying you didn’t, Betty,” Freddie said quickly, putting his hand on hers the way Solomon had done to Isabel. “Of course you love them. And I love my folks, God bless ‘em.”
This made the rest of them chuckle. They finished off the rest of the meal pleasantly. Betty didn’t hang on every word Solomon said and Freddie managed to rope her into a humorous conversation, freeing up Solomon to have a conversation with Isabel.
As they were leaving to go to the first day of the festival, Solomon made sure to walk with Isabel, though Betty did her best to be on his other side. Freddie managed to worm his way in between them, striking up a new conversation with Solomon as an excuse. He talked about the “Shoot the Duck” booth and said, “You’ve got to show me how to work that cotton candy machine, Sol. It looks easy to do.”
Sol snorted. “It is. Simplest thing in the world. So easy a child could run it.”
“Let’s take your buggy, Freddie,”
Betty suggested.
Isabel jumped on that right away, looking up at Solomon. “I’d rather we take our own buggy or the wagon, Sol, if you don’t mind.” She didn’t want to give Betty an excuse to come back to the house.
He seemed to understand just by looking at her.
“Then that’s just what we’ll do,” he said, nodding. He looked at Betty and Freddie. “You two go ahead in your buggy, Freddie, and we’ll see you there.”
“Sounds like a plan, boss,” Freddie said with excitement. He grabbed Betty’s hand and pulled her to the buggy sitting in front of the porch steps where they’d left it. “Come on, girl. Let’s get there before them so we can try to run the cotton candy machine and make some for us to eat.”
Isabel was thrilled to see a smile come to Betty’s face when she looked at Freddie.
Perhaps there was hope for the two of them.
Chapter 18
Solomon noticed when Freddie grabbed Betty’s hand and pulled her to the buggy. He helped Isabel up into his and went around to climb in on the other side.
“So,” he said in a speculative voice. “I suppose Freddie told you he has a crush on Betty. That’s why you told me their names rhymed perfectly last night.”
Isabel looked at him with a pretty smile on her face. “I didn’t know how he felt until today, actually,” she said. “He told me when we went for our little walk during breakfast. He was very reassuring really. And Betty was on good behavior I thought, even though she did like to take a couple jabs at me.”
“I noticed she wasn’t as snarky after you talked about your mother.”
Isabel nodded. “Well, she doesn’t know me at all, does she? There’s no telling what she thinks I’m really like. She doesn’t know anything about my past. She knows about as much about me as I do about her and that’s very little. All I really know is that she used to be your sweetheart and she lives with her two doting parents.”
“That’s all you need to know about her.” Solomon chuckled. “In reality, there’s not much more to her than that. She’s…a little shallow, I think. I didn’t used to think that about her but lately, it’s been difficult not to. In three days, I’ve noticed how much she didn’t change and how much I did.”
Isabel suddenly grabbed his arm wrapping both of hers around it and squeezing. “I’m excited about the festival. When do you have to run the game booth? It can’t be this morning because you said we didn’t have anything to do today.”
Solomon chuckled. “Actually, I got my days mixed up. Today is the first, is it not?”
Isabel raised her eyebrows. “Is it?”
They both laughed.
“Yeah, the festival starts today but I don’t have to work the game until this afternoon. I have one of my store employees running it this morning. It’s the only job I took on for the first week you’re here. Eventually, I’ll have to go back to my normal routine and I’m quite a busy man. I wanted time to be with you and get to know you.”
“And I’m glad you did that,” she said. “We do need that time. Especially with the other circumstances.” She settled her eyes on the buggy in front of them.
Solomon chuckled. “Yes, that was a completely surprising thing to happen. For both of us, I’m sure. I just want to have fun with you at the festival. Just like my dad said, I want a woman who is adventurous and willing to do outdoor things. Like I used to when I was younger. Swimming and canoeing and fishing and things like that.” He looked down at her. “Do you like to fish?”
She grinned. “I’ve never fished a day in my life. But I’m very willing to learn!”
They both laughed. “I won’t make you put on the worms,” Solomon said.
“Thank you very much.” Isabel scrunched up her face, making him laugh again.
They pulled into Steven’s Gulch ten minutes later and joined the tremendous crowd of people packed into the town square.
Freddie was in front and went straight to the shoot-the-duck game. He pulled his buggy into an alleyway behind the booth and helped Betty down. Solomon noticed they were both smiling, which made him feel better.
But the moment she saw him, Betty seemed to zero in on him. She moved away from Freddie, who was in the middle of saying something to her, so she could approach Solomon with a wide-eyed look.
“Do you have to get right on the game?” she asked. “I was hoping we could walk around a little first.”
Solomon didn’t reply at first. He looked from her to Freddie, who’d been left dumbfounded and hurt by her walking away from him the way she’d done. He returned his gaze to Betty, shaking his head. “I don’t need to be on the game until this afternoon.”
“I’ve always wanted to run that booth,” Betty said enthusiastically.
Solomon was aware that Isabel was standing next to him, still as a stone.
“You have?” he asked.
She nodded vigorously, her eyes shining. He had the mind that she wanted to be there with him while he was tending to the game. “Oh yes! Ever since I was a child.”
“Well, I can make your dream come true!” he said. Her eyes shined and a bright smile came to her face, both of which disappeared with his next words. “Freddie here is a master at this game. He can teach you. I’ll let you two take over this afternoon for me and that will give me another day to get to know Isabel.”
He glanced over to see Isabel’s reaction to his words and was amused to see she was trying not to laugh. She knew what he’d just done. Manipulative or not, it had to be done. Betty just wasn’t getting that he wasn’t interested in her anymore. The thought that Isabel might be intimidated and feel insecure, which she’d already admitted to being, made him very nervous she would just say it wasn’t worth it and move on from Steven’s Gulch.
“Do you like that idea?” he asked Isabel just as Betty was starting to protest that she hadn’t meant that.
“I love that idea!” Isabel responded. “We both admitted we needed time to talk face to face. It’s the only way to get to know someone. Kind of like living with them. We know all the traits and habits of our family members. Living with someone can tell you a lot about them.”
“So it’s settled then,” Solomon exclaimed, enjoying the look on Freddie’s face when he realized he would be in that booth with Betty the entire afternoon. “While we’re here, let me show the three of you how to use the cotton candy machine.”
For the next twenty minutes, Solomon explained how to use the machine, turning it on so it would warm up and then demonstrating how to make the candy. He ended up giving each of them some to eat.
“Delicious!” Isabel licked the sugar from her fingers. “Amazing! I love it, Sol. Whatever made you think to get one of these things?”
“I like cotton candy,” he responded simply.
His three companions laughed.
“You ready to hit some of these other booths, Izzy?” Solomon asked, winking at her. “See if we can win any prizes?”
“Yes!” she said, nodding. “Let’s see what we can win. I’m not hungry anymore though. Big breakfast topped off with candy? I’m full.”
Freddie laughed. “Yes, because cotton candy takes up so much room.”
Isabel stuck her tongue out at him, which only made him laugh harder. He turned to Betty.
“You want me to win something for you?”
Solomon watched his friends with amusement as they walked down the middle of the street, avoiding any passing wagons, buggies, or riders on horseback easily. Almost everyone was on foot. They were aware that most vehicles didn’t fit when all the vendors and game booths were in the way.
A Tender Moment Under the Stars: An Inspirational Historical Romance Book Page 11