by Bree Cariad
Before she could nod or make an excuse to find her family, they found her.
“Another fun tree lightless ceremony,” Barrett said with a deep chuckle, walking up next to the two of them. “What do you think of your new town, Zach? We’ve got class, don’t we?”
“It’s definitely unique,” Zachary agreed in amusement. “I was just about to get DeLynn and myself a cocoa. Anyone else need one?”
“I’ll help,” Barrett said, following him to the booth.
“He’s really cute,” Cherise hissed in her ear.
“I know,” DeLynn agreed with a grin. Her sister was only fifteen and still in the thralls of how exciting the concept of courting was. For some—like Deeka—the reality was even better than the fantasy. For others—like DeLynn—there was a sense that something had gone horribly wrong. But she wasn’t about to burst Cherise’s bubble. Part of the magic of growing up was believing your prince would come find you.
“Please tell me we can leave soon,” Liz said, her teeth chattering. “I’m freezing and it’s still snowing. The roads were already a mess and they’re just getting worse.”
“Ah, come on, Mom,” Evan said, sidling up next to his twin as if he’d always been standing there. “It’s fun.”
“Where’s Blaine?” Charity asked. Her face was barely viewable out of the winter outfit her mother had bundled her into.
“I think he’s helping Jared with something,” Evan said with a shrug. “Maybe they think they’ll find the short.”
The cocoa seemed to be taking a while and when DeLynn turned to see if maybe there had been a line, she was surprised to find Zachary and Barrett in what looked to be a very serious conversation. What was worse, they both turned and looked at her before returning to whatever they were saying. After a couple more words, Zachary looked down at the ground and nodded. The two of them shook hands and when Marilyn handed out the hot cocoas, Zachary took his and after giving her a strange look, walked away while Barrett brought all of theirs in a little container.
“Barrett?” DeLynn said hesitantly when she took one of the drinks.
As soon as everyone had taken one and he had his own in his hand, he put an arm around her shoulder. Leaning in, he whispered into her ear. “You won’t be going over to Zachary’s tomorrow.”
“Why not?” Her heart fell. Had Curtis’s words scared Zach into thinking she was after him?
“You’re cooking dinner tomorrow night.”
“Why?” Not that she minded, but lately Liz had insisted on Cherise doing more of the cooking so she would get proficient in it.
She could feel Barrett’s lips form into a smile. “Because, my dear girl, you have a suitor coming to dinner by the name of Zachary Styles.”
Chapter 6
By the time her two brothers came downstairs the next morning, DeLynn had ten cookbooks spread over the counters as she tried to put together the perfect menu for dinner. The fact was, she had barely been able to sleep the night before as each time she would start to drift off, an idea would hit and she would go over each painstaking recipe in her head before discarding it.
“Whatcha’ doin’?” Evan asked, grabbing a couple frozen waffles and tossing them into the toaster.
“Trying to decide on what to make for dinner tonight.”
As Blaine retrieved the peanut butter and syrup, he stared at her in confusion. “Why? Isn’t Cherise foisting something horrible on us again?”
Evan snickered even as DeLynn fought a grin. Her sister was big into salad and even when their mother convinced her to make a meatloaf, the meatloaf itself was tiny but there was always a huge salad to go with it. They had all been eating very healthy meals. While munching tons of unhealthy snacks on the side.
“No.” Standing up, she couldn’t stop the full smile that practically split her face. “I’ve got a suitor dinner tonight.”
Pausing as he dug a knife into the peanut butter, Blaine raised an eyebrow in question. She nodded and he grinned. “Told you he liked you.”
Evan looked up as the waffles popped up and he put them on plates. “Zachary?”
“Yeah.”
“Cool. He’s a good guy.” After slathering their waffles in peanut butter and syrup, they waved goodbye and headed over to Zachary’s house.
Meanwhile, DeLynn dug back into the cookbooks. Zachary grew up with a mother that cooked amazing, exotic foods, plus he had travelled some. Making him simple fare seemed to her like it would be a letdown. And she wanted him to be impressed with her cooking. She was leaning either toward the chicken tikka masala or sweet and sour chicken, neither of which had she ever made or seen made, when her mother bustled into the kitchen.
Liz looked around her kitchen with a stunned expression on her face. “How much food are you making?”
Grimacing as when she looked around she realized every flat surface was covered in cookbooks, DeLynn shook her head. “I just needed to find the perfect recipe.”
“What have you decided on?” After DeLynn showed her the two possibilities, Liz wrapped one arm around her shoulders. “Honey,” she said gently. “I understand that you want to impress the man, but the best way to do that is to fix him your favorite dish, one you love and that you know will turn out well. Don’t make your first dinner with him even more stressful than it already is by making something you’ve never tried. For all you know, that particular recipe is awful.”
Her mother had a point. “I know, Mom, but he’s used to exotic foods. His mother’s from Hawaii. The food we had the night I was there was absolutely amazing. I just want him to be as thrilled with the food I cook as I was with hers,” she finished in a tiny voice.
Pulling her head over, Liz kissed her on the forehead. “Fix whatever you decide, but if I were you, I’d stick with what you know. Now, I’m taking your sisters out to get a few things done. If you need anything from the store, let me know now.”
Making a quick decision and hoping it was the right one, DeLynn dashed around to make sure they had everything she needed. “I could use some whipped cream, strawberries, and some graham crackers.”
“All right. Now we’ll get out of your hair. And tonight I’m sending the girls over to Jolynn’s house.”
“Why?” DeLynn asked absentmindedly as she put the cookbooks away.
“It’s Zachary’s first dinner. Making him deal with the whole family might be a bit much.”
Thinking about it, DeLynn shook her head. “No, I think they’ll be fine, Mom. He’s met everyone except for Charity and Cherise. He might as well meet them, too.”
“Are you sure? You know how chatty Charity can get.”
Groaning, DeLynn nodded. Her little sister tended to share things she shouldn’t. “She has gotten better since Barrett came into your life.”
Laughing softly, Liz nodded. “True. It’s up to you, DeLynn. Think about it while we’re gone.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
With everyone out of the house except for Barrett who was in his study, DeLynn spent the morning thawing the meat and getting things ready. Her mother had been right. Fixing something she was good at was the best idea. It wasn’t exotic, but it was good. And it was the perfect food to have on a cold winter evening.
By the time her mother and sisters returned home from the store, the distinct scent of chicken broth drifted through the air. “DeLynn, that smells marvelous. What did you decide?” her mother asked as she walked into the kitchen with three large shopping bags.
“Chicken and dumplings with fresh sourdough bread and strawberry mousse for dessert.”
“Oh, honey. If that doesn’t make him want to come back for more, nothing will.”
The stockpot simmered on top of the stove emitting the wonderful scents of the chicken, vegetables, and spices she’d added. When the mousse was ready and in the fridge and the bread had gone into the oven, she dashed upstairs to shower before finishing. DeLynn had the feeling Zachary would think it odd if she wore a dress so she put on a new pair of jea
ns and a sweater before going back downstairs to finish. After putting on her mother’s apron, as making dumplings wasn’t a clean process, she quickly threw together the ingredients, smiling as they took shape as she dropped them spoonful by spoonful into the broth. Just as she was removing her apron, the doorbell rang. Placing the lid back on the broth and checking the timer for the bread, she took a couple deep breaths and headed out to the living room.
Spotting her entire family in the room, DeLynn felt a momentary panic wondering if her mother hadn’t been right in the first place. Maybe it would have been better if not all of her siblings were there. When she spotted Zachary standing near one of the sofas, his normal smile in place as he talked to her sister Cherise, her doubt began to dissipate. As she looked around and realized he had brought flowers not just for her mother but for her sisters as well, there was no doubt left at all. She took a full step into the room and his head turned, his beautiful brown eyes lighting up.
“Hi,” she said, embarrassed at how breathy her voice came out.
“Good evening, DeLynn. You look lovely.” Flushing with pleasure, she beamed as he walked over to her side and when he lifted what she had thought to be a bouquet of flowers, she realized it wasn’t. It was a lei made up of some sort of material weaved to look floral. He placed it over her neck, laying it against her shoulders. Leaning forward, he placed a kiss on each of her cheeks, whispering, “Aloha pumehana,” under his breath.
Her entire body trembled. She had no idea what that meant but would do anything to hear it again.
“I’m afraid I didn’t have time to get one with fresh flowers,” he said in apology, “but I hope you like it all the same.”
“I love it,” she murmured, lifting up the lei to look at it. A buzz from the kitchen made her jump. Remembering that suitor dinners only lasted while there was food, she hoped their dinner lasted a good, long time. “Dinner’s ready.”
The entire family walked in and took their seats at the table while DeLynn walked over to the oven to remove the bread. As she brought it over to the table, she startled as she realized Zachary and Barrett were standing, waiting for her to sit before they would. After putting the bread down, she spooned the chicken and dumplings into a serving bowl and brought it to the table. Once it was settled, she sat down, happy that Zachary was across from her.
As Liz was closest to the bowl of chicken and dumplings, she served each of the bowls as they came by while Barrett cut the bread and sent a platter of it down the table. Zachary dug in when everyone started to eat. DeLynn held her breath as he put the spoon in his mouth. As his eyes closed and a low moan left his lips, she couldn’t stop her grin. “This is amazing,” he said, his eyes opening as he took a bite of bread. “Absolutely wonderful.” His glance met hers and something within it made her feel all warm and tingly.
“So, how’s the house coming?” Barrett asked as he took a second helping.
“Wonderful,” Zachary said enthusiastically. “Blaine and Evan helped me get the new wall finished and we cleaned out the hearth and the chimney. Next week I’m going to paint and then the place will be ready for me to move in. I can hardly wait.”
“If you need help moving in, let us know,” Blaine said as he munched on another piece of bread. “Our finals are the week before Christmas. When are you moving in?”
“LCC is out in two weeks. If the weather is good, I’ll move that weekend so I probably won’t be bothering you boys. You’ll need to be studying, I assume.”
Blaine wrinkled his nose. “Unfortunately. And not fair,” he said, elbowing DeLynn. “You started school three weeks after I did and you’re getting out a week before me.”
“Welcome to college,” she said with a grin making him laugh. Even though most everyone was no longer eating, the conversation was going well and DeLynn had quite forgotten dessert until her sister reminded her…and everyone at the table.
“DeLynn, where’s dessert?” Charity asked, playing with her spoon and looking dangerously bored.
“Oh. Let me get everything cleared and I’ll bring it out.” DeLynn leapt to her feet as Barrett cleared his throat.
“Cherise, Charity, help your sister, please,” he said. Cherise jumped up to help, Charity did so with much less poise, her feet stomping and dishes clanking as she grabbed them. Putting his hand over hers, Barrett removed the dishes from her hands. “Let’s go talk in my study,” he said quietly.
“Daddy!” she said, pouting. “I didn’t do nothin’!” She left the kitchen in bad grace as Barrett gently led her from the room.
“So, Zachary,” Liz said, to cover the silence that had settled on the room with Charity’s little escapade, “what school did you go to?”
“I started out at LCC and got my bachelors there through Seattle University. I went to SU to get my masters and am also getting my doctorate through them.”
“A doctorate. I’ve heard that’s intense work.”
“Yes, it is. And it’s done in the field which means I’m working full time and doing all my work for my doctorate at the same time. It takes four years and I’m just in the first now.”
“What are your plans for after?” Liz asked as DeLynn brought the mousse to the table.
“I’m not positive. Part of me would love to stay in Longdale at LCC. I love working there with the students, helping them to find a deeper part of who they are. But I have also wanted to go serve people in other nations. And a part of me will always belong to Hawaii. I may end up back there someday.” His eyes met DeLynn’s as he spoke and she smiled shyly. She had never considered herself a world traveler type, but she could definitely imagine doing it at his side.
The rest of the dinner went way too fast and before she was ready, Cherise was clearing the table and DeLynn walked with Zachary to the door with her mother nearby.
“Thank you for dinner, DeLynn. It was wonderful,” he said quietly, his hand raising as if to touch her face and then dropping to his side. “I’ll see you next week at school?”
“I’d like that. I’m going to come up every day to study even when I don’t have classes.”
“If you come around lunch, I usually order in pizza.”
“I’ll see you then.”
He smiled and then looked over to her mother. “Liz, thank you for a wonderful evening.”
“You’re most welcome. It was nice to see you again.”
With another warm smile toward DeLynn, he turned and left, closing the door quietly behind him. As she stared at the door, her mother placed an arm around her shoulders. “Well, I think you’ve caught a winner, DeLynn. That boy’s head over heels in love with you.”
“Mom!” DeLynn gasped in surprise. Her mother had always been kind of iffy about Mark, unsure of his feelings even when DeLynn had been sure he was in love with her. This was unexpected.
“Oh, honey. How can you not see it?” Liz asked in gentle amusement. “Now the question is, is he the kind of head of house you need?”
DeLynn didn’t have an answer to that.
The next two weeks went by in a flurry of activity. Getting her last papers done, studying like mad, taking her finals, and the most important part…spending every lunch during the week with Zach. The lei he gave her hung from a nail above her headboard so she could look at it when she was in bed. As much as one made of live flowers would have been amazing, she was glad to have one that would never wilt or die.
The only downside to the two weeks after the Thanksgiving holiday was Chrissa. From the moment she picked DeLynn up the Monday after the four-day weekend, all she talked about was her new friends and their plans. And for a woman who had just spent four days enjoying herself, she didn’t look refreshed at all. Instead she looked drawn and stressed.
“You’re not coming back next term?” DeLynn said with surprise on the last Wednesday of regular classes. The next week they wouldn’t even see one another as Chrissa’s classes didn’t have finals and hers did.
“Nope! Corinne, Jamie, and I are go
ing to travel. We figure we’ll work in a town until we get bored of it and then move on. Exciting, huh?”
“Well, if that’s what you want to do,” DeLynn replied hesitantly.
“I’d invite you, but we both know you’re a good girl. Besides, I don’t think you’d get along with them. They smoke, drink, and swear.”
“Chrissaline!” DeLynn racked her head for anything that might turn her friend from what sounded like a bad idea, but she had known Chrissa too long to think she could change her mind. Once Chrissa Caroll had her mind made up, that was it.
“Oh, please. They’re fun. A lot more fun than Deeka’s been since Curtis.” The way she said his name told DeLynn Chrissa didn’t like their friend’s husband too much.
“They’re going to Italy.”
“What?” Chrissa said in confusion, her mind obviously still intent on her new future.
“Deeka and Curtis. He’s taking her to Italy after she’s done with classes in June. They plan to stay there for a few months.”
“I still don’t know how she ended up with a cripple,” Chrissa snapped under her breath.
“Enough,” DeLynn said in a sharp voice. “I love you and I don’t know where this is coming from, but Curtis is a nice man and he makes our friend deliriously happy. Don’t put him down.”
Chrissa didn’t say another word the entire ride home. And when DeLynn tried to call her to set up a time to meet Deeka for coffee, all she did was get her voicemail. It made DeLynn feel sad, but there was so much positive going on in her life that Chrissa slipped to the back of her mind.
The night before her last final, DeLynn was reading through her textbook and mentally repeating what she read as the main phone rang. Ignoring it as any personal calls came through her cell, she kept studying until a smart rap on the door made her turn. “Yes?”
The door opened and Barrett stuck his head in. He smiled when he saw her. “How’s the studying going?”
“I hope well,” she admitted wryly making him chuckle. Her eyes zeroed in on the phone in his hands.