by Deb Kastner
“Wear the royal-blue one,” she decided for him. “I’ll bring you one of Ben’s ties to match. You’ll be the most handsome guy at the social—other than my Ben, of course.”
Handsome, shmandsome. But to get Mary to think of him in a romantic light, he’d do whatever it took—even wear a tie.
Chapter Seven
Biting back the urge to cry, Mary stared at the heart-shaped invitation in her hand. Serendipity’s Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Social was the next day, and she had already decided she wasn’t about to make an appearance. While she typically loved taking part in community events, the Sweetheart Social, with its emphasis on love and romance that just made her feel alone, was the exception to that rule—especially this year, when her whole perspective on her life had changed.
What single woman would want to subject herself to the walking-through-fire trial of a bunch of happily married couples determined to set her poor single self up with this or that man? In their eyes, she couldn’t possibly be happy on her own. Which she was—or she had been, until Eli had come back into her life. There was only one man for Mary, and all of her attempts to avoid falling for him—and getting her heart crushed in the end—were failing. At this rate, she wouldn’t be able to keep her feelings in check much longer, and then what would she do?
Talk about mixed memories and stir-fried emotions. Whenever she thought of the social, she remembered her very first attendance, in the ninth grade—and most of all, despite her best efforts to the contrary, she remembered Eli.
He’d been a senior then, the star running back on the football team, the guy every boy wanted to be and all the girls—Mary included—wanted to date.
Samantha and Alexis, both outgoing and well liked themselves, each had brought dates of their own, and while they tried to include her, there was only so much they could do without appearing rude to the guys who’d brought them. She might as well have borrowed from Jo Spencer’s wacky T-shirt collection, always on display when Jo was working at her shop, Cup O’ Jo’s Café, and worn one that read Third Wheel.
Young and plain and awkward, she’d slipped into the shadow of one of the cement pillars and watched the multigenerational fun from a distance. Laughing, eating, singing, dancing. It seemed everyone was in the party spirit. Everyone except her.
And then Eli had approached, gently tapping her shoulder and asking if she’d be his partner in a country reel.
He’d laughed, and she’d laughed as he spun her around, not so much an expert in his execution as he was simply filled with the joy of the moment, and it rubbed off on her. Afterward he’d gotten her a glass of lemonade and had politely deposited her right back where he’d found her. Other boys had asked her to dance after that, but she knew it was only because Eli had noticed her first.
And she’d loved him for it. Even now, her heart welled when she thought of the kindness the popular teen had showed one lonely misfit.
As her high school years passed, and her friendship with Samantha and Alexis broadened, she had become less of a social outcast and more of a public expert, and town gatherings had become less painful for her. Even the affable moniker for their little trio—the Little Chicks, due to the way they cheeped and chattered when they were together—helped her adjust.
But now she was back to facing a social gathering with the kind of anguish and awkwardness she had not felt in years—or ever, really. Mary could not think of one thing on earth that would be more tormenting than to watch Eli fall in love with yet another woman, even if that woman was one of her best friends.
Mary balled the invitation into her fist and sighed distraughtly. With an overhand toss, the once heart-shaped piece was firmly ensconced in the trash bin at the end of her desk. Her office was currently in the back corner of her living room. She’d eventually need new space, now that she was officially launching her kennel business. Paperwork was piling up around her ears, especially with the added burden of the police reports. Her living room appeared messy enough without the added clutter. She certainly didn’t need a makeshift office to make it any worse.
Come to think of it, addressing the eons of paperwork added to her by the police department was as good an excuse as any for not attending this event. That should be enough to put people off without having to admit the simple truth.
Happy people and a hurting heart didn’t mix.
She gave a start when the front doorbell rang. She stood from her cheap desk chair and stretched the small of her back, then glanced at her watch.
Eight-thirty p.m. Eli had left hours ago, and she wasn’t expecting any other company.
Samantha and Alexis burst in the door as soon as she opened it, their voices garbled as they strove to speak over each other. As always, they excelled in their exuberance. Mary could well understand how they’d been dubbed the Little Chicks in high school. She only shared the moniker because she always hung around them. There was a rare synthesis of energy when the three of them were in one room together, although admittedly it mostly came from her two lively friends.
“Did you get your invitation? Isn’t it pretty this year? Do you have a date? What are you going to wear? I was thinking red—do you think that color might wash out my complexion too much?”
Mary’s mood shifted. She laughed and held her hands up, palms outward. She couldn’t remain sober in spirit for long with these ladies around.
“Slow down, girls. One question at a time, from one person at a time. I’m in serious sensory overload right now.”
In more ways than one.
Alexis spotted the crumpled invitation and fished it out of the tiny trash can in the corner.
“Now, what is this?” she demanded, shaking the paper heart under Mary’s nose.
“I should think that would be obvious. Didn’t you get one?” Mary responded blithely.
“I know what it is,” Alexis said with an exasperated sigh. “Do you want to explain to me why it’s all crinkled up in your trash can?”
“Not particularly.” Especially not to Alexis. Mary made a face.
Not only would it be awkward for everybody involved, but if Mary told Alexis the true reason she’d destroyed the invitation, that would put a definite crimp in her friend’s developing relationship with Eli. No matter how Mary felt about it personally, that was something she would not and could not do to dear Alexis. And Eli was carrying around enough guilt, thanks to Natalie, for Mary to want to add to his burden.
But she had to give the ladies some kind of an explanation for why she was not attending the event. She knew she’d had an excuse only a minute ago...but she couldn’t seem to recall it. Under pressure, she scanned her brain for possibilities and came up blank.
In the end she shrugged.
“That’s all we’re going to get?” Samantha chuckled. “You know and I know that’s not good enough.”
“You can see all the paperwork I’ve got piling up,” she said in a sudden flash of remembrance, gesturing to her desk. “The police department demands a paper trail a mile long. I’m finding it difficult to keep up with it all by myself. I thought I could spend Friday night catching up.”
Alexis propped her hands on her hips, looking for all the world like a mother about to reprimand her child.
“What?” Mary squeaked.
“If you’re that far behind, hire an administrative assistant,” Alexis said. “You’re an official business now. You can hire employees. In any case, I don’t buy it. Something else is going on. Do you believe her, Samantha?”
Samantha shook her head. Fat lot of help she was being. They were ganging up on her, just as she’d been afraid they would. “Nope. Not for a second. It’s us, Mary. Spill it. What’s really happening here?”
She couldn’t reveal what was really happening without hurting someone she cared for. Which only left her with one option.
/>
“All right, you two. You win. I can’t fight the both of you. I’ll go to the social.”
Alexis whooped in delight, and Samantha clapped her hands.
“You have to promise you’ll dance—at least once,” Alexis prodded, taking advantage of her triumph.
The skin on the back of Mary’s neck prickled. “Why is my social life—or in this case, my pathetic lack of one—all of a sudden so important?”
Samantha beamed. “I’m so overwhelmingly happy with my life right now. Will and his daughter fill up my heart and make me complete. Is it any wonder that I want the same thing for you?”
“Okay, I’ll buy that,” Mary reluctantly agreed. “From you. Even if I don’t happen to agree with you. I’m perfectly content working on my new business and spending my time training my dogs. I’m obviously up to my ears in kennel work. The last thing I need is to try to add a man to the mix. I can picture it now. Utter chaos, collapsing all around me.”
That was the truth, wasn’t it? So why did her mind persist in picturing Eli by her side, bringing order instead of adding to the chaos?
“You don’t know until you try,” Samantha goaded.
“I cannot imagine what makes you think this particular social function is going to spur on the Big Romantic Change in my life.”
“Because it’s time,” Alexis insisted. “I just feel it.”
Mary suspected Alexis felt that way because it was her time. It was hard not to be jealous.
“And it’s Valentine’s Day,” Alexis added. “All the singles in town have their hearts set on meeting that special someone. It’s traditional.”
“Oh, that’s rich, coming from you,” Mary pointed out. “I don’t see a ring on your finger. Are you on the hunt for a man?”
Mary wanted to kick herself. She wished she could take her words back, unask the question. It was rude, and she didn’t want to know the answer, anyway.
“Maybe I am,” Alexis said slyly, her eyes gleaming.
Was she thinking of Eli?
“I did mention the possibility of wearing red, the color of love. You ought to start thinking about your wardrobe. Better yet, let Samantha and me choose for you.”
“I wasn’t aware that the color of our clothing was sending messages. I can’t imagine the guys are too in tune to that sort of thing, at least not the ones I know.”
“Of course not,” Alexis agreed with a hearty laugh. “That part is for us girls to know, and the guys to figure out. Now tell me—what are you planning to wear for the social?”
* * *
The pink cable-knit sweater Mary’s friends had picked out for her was hot and scratchy, and it was making her perspire. That the community center was full to overflowing with everyone from the town octogenarians to the giggly teenagers staying at Redemption Ranch only made it worse. The air was so stuffy that Mary couldn’t breathe.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, she was alone in the crowd, holed up in the shadow of the same concrete pillar that had been her friend all those years ago at her first social. The entire scenario felt oddly familiar, and she didn’t like it one bit.
Thanks to Alexis and Samantha talking her into leaving her glasses at home, she also couldn’t see. Her friends were, of course, nowhere to be found, at least as far as she could tell. Everything was blurry, her stomach was churning, and she felt just as awkward as she had back in high school.
Vanity, meet misery.
Well, as long as she didn’t move away from the pillar, she wasn’t likely to run into or over anyone, so there was that, at least. She would simply stay in the shadows and maintain a low profile—and hopefully some semblance of her dignity, if God was gracious. She was thirsty, but she wasn’t about to chance the dessert and beverage table on her own. She’d probably knock over the whole thing and go straight from awkward to mortified.
She wished for the tenth time in as many minutes that she’d just stayed at home, and not allowed Samantha and Alexis to talk her into something she knew was going to be a total disaster. Since it was their fault she was here, the least they could do was show up to lead around their blind friend, especially since the whole stupid leave-your-glasses-at-home idea was theirs to begin with.
The fiddler began warming up and squares started forming. Mary heard high, familiar laughter and squinted toward the middle of the room, where folks had cleared the way for a makeshift dance floor.
Sure enough, there was Alexis, on the arm of—Eli. Of course she was.
Mary inhaled sharply. Why did it feel like a punch in the gut every time she saw the two of them together? It wasn’t as if she hadn’t anticipated as much. But it wasn’t getting any better with time, not like it should be. If anything, it was worse.
She bit her lip to keep her emotions in check and watched as Eli leaned toward Alexis to say something close to her ear. She squealed and swatted at Eli’s chest. Mary cringed. Flirting, for Alexis, was as easy as reciting the alphabet.
“A. B. C,” Mary whispered under her breath, trying to calm her nerves.
Suddenly she was embraced from behind.
“Where have you been?” Samantha demanded, her husband, Will, and his five-year-old daughter, Genevieve, at her heels. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Then you haven’t been looking very hard. I’ve been standing here for at least a quarter of an hour.”
“Well, you can’t blame me for that, then. How am I supposed to find you, if you’re hiding in the shadows? Why aren’t you out on the dance floor? You promised Alexis you’d dance, remember?”
Because the only man I want to dance with is already out there—with Alexis.
“I remember. No one has asked,” Mary informed her. “Besides, I can’t see to dance because two certain someones convinced me to leave my glasses at home.”
“But your eyes are so pretty when you’re not hiding them behind those awful glasses. You should get contacts.”
“Samantha,” Will cautioned, sounding appalled. He edged forward. “Mary, I am so sorry for the way my wife is acting right now. There is obviously something wrong with the wiring between her brain and her mouth.”
“I like my glasses, thank you very much,” Mary retorted, though she wasn’t really offended. She knew her friend’s suggestion was harmless and made in love. And it wasn’t as if she hadn’t heard it before.
“I know you do, honey,” Samantha agreed. “Keep your glasses if you want. Now as I recall, you promised Alexis that you’d dance tonight.”
“You said that already,” Will reminded her, laying a hand on her shoulder. “It’s not polite to push.”
“It is when I’m her best friend.” She elbowed Will. “Soldier boy here can be your first partner, to get things going.”
Mary’s face flushed as Will shifted, clearly uncomfortable with the less-than-brilliant idea his wife had just offered. He was a wonderful husband to Samantha and a great father to Genevieve, but the former soldier was also a quiet, reserved man, not the touchy-feely type who would want to be dancing with anyone besides his wife. But he also wasn’t one to back down from his duty—even if it was a duty his wife had assigned to him without his consent.
Will cleared his throat and held out his hand to Mary.
“Nonsense,” Mary chided, quick to turn away that notion. “I’m quite certain Alexis didn’t have a married man in mind when she ordered me to dance with someone. And I’ll guess you two haven’t yet hit the dance floor together tonight. There’s another square forming right now. How about if I watch Genevieve for you while you two take a spin?”
Will flashed her a relieved smile as he turned his attention to his wife. Samantha looked torn, but after a moment she took Will’s hand.
“All right, but as soon as we get back, Alexis and I are going to find you an eligible man to da
nce with.”
It wasn’t a threat so much as it was a promise. Mary sighed. Maybe the best thing for her to do would be to grit her teeth through a dance with one of them and then make a clean getaway before her friends could embarrass her any further. But who would be the unlucky man?
Mary crouched to Genevieve’s level and leaned in close so the little girl could hear her over the blare of the live band.
“Do you want a cupcake?”
Genevieve’s eyes widened noticeably and she nodded.
Mary allowed the little girl to lead her to the dessert table, all the while surreptitiously combing the area with her squinty gaze, taking account of all the age-appropriate single men in the room.
Not much to choose from, in Mary’s opinion, and certainly nobody new or interesting. Then again, if she was being honest with herself, not a one of them had ever met up to the standard she’d set in Eli.
But she was going to have to pick one of them, if she was ever going to get out of here. Brody and Slade, a couple of hulking bull-riding cops who served on the force with Eli, were roughhousing like a couple of teenagers just past the edge of the beverage table. At their age, Mary thought they ought to be showing at least a modicum of maturity.
There was Pastor Shawn, who was standing along the sidelines of the dance floor, watching the merriment and clapping and stomping his feet to the music—or kind of to the music. He wasn’t exactly staying in rhythm. Mary checked him off her list. She wasn’t a great dancer to begin with. She needed a man with a strong lead.
What was she going to do?
She would have slipped away right then if she hadn’t been taking care of Genevieve. She could hardly leave the five-year-old to her own devices, and so she waited until the music ended, and Samantha and Will returned to her side.
“That cupcake looks yummy, monkey,” he said, scooping Genevieve into his arms. “Let’s go get your daddy one.” The little girl squealed in delight as Will tickled her and then whisked her back to the dessert table.