Love at First Laugh: Eight Romantic Novellas Filled with Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever After

by Krista Phillips

  She sighed. “That’s a tall order. Mom and Dad always said God gave us brains, so we were to use them.”

  “I don’t disagree. But using your brain, doing what you think is right and makes sense, doesn’t preclude relying on God. It’s not an either-or proposition. I don’t think God asks us to sit on our hands and wait for a divine nudge before we get dressed in the morning.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “I know, but the idea’s the same. If your intent is to do what God wants for you, if that’s what you’re praying for and earnestly seeking, then you start on the path that makes sense and listen. God’s pretty good about making it clear when you need to turn.”

  “Maybe for you.”

  “I don’t know. From what you told me about Flippin’ for You, it seems like God made it clear it wasn’t where He wanted you.”

  She scoffed. “In a blaze of fire.”

  “Well.” He hesitated, not sure if he should ask but unable to bite back the words. “Were there little things before then, maybe from the very start that could have kept you from that path if you’d been listening to them?”

  Deidre pulled her lower lip between her teeth. After a moment, she gave a small nod. “Yeah. I guess, looking back, there were. So…what? I’m just horrible at hearing God?”

  He chuckled and pulled her closer to his side. “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m not perfect at it, either. But it gets easier, the more you do it. When things come up, you stop and pray and see if you get clearer direction.”

  “Okay. So…Paul coming here, causing problems? What’s that?”

  Jeremiah rubbed the back of his neck. “I want easy answers, too. I think we all do. The fact is, I don’t know. Sometimes I think you have to weigh the good against the bad. And never stop praying. But didn’t you say you think that issue’s resolved?”

  “Yeah.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Then I think you just keep moving forward, praying and listening as you go.”

  “All right. You’ll pray with me?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Why aren’t you hanging out with Deidre tonight?” Danny flopped onto Jeremiah’s couch and toed off his shoes. “Not that I’m complaining.”

  “She needed to head back north and help her sister pack. I got the feeling she wanted to see her folks and brother, too.” Jeremiah shrugged. He’d half expected she might ask him to come along. He’d almost volunteered. But…maybe it was too soon. Though she’d met his parents.

  “What?”

  “What what?”

  “You look pensive.”

  Jeremiah shook his head. “It’s nothing. When do you think Matt’ll get here?”

  “After the garage closes, I imagine. You in a rush?”

  “No. Sorry. I’m just…wired, I guess.”

  Danny snorted. “You’ve got it bad, man.”

  Jeremiah shrugged again. “Are we doing pizza or am I throwing something on the grill?”

  “Your house, your call. What are you in the mood for?” The doorbell rang and Danny pointed toward the hall. “That’s probably Matt. Why don’t you ask him?”

  “Ask me what?” Matt kicked his shoes into the corner and dropped into the recliner. “Figured the doorbell let you know I was friendly. You order the pizza yet?”

  “We were just discussing pizza versus grilling.” Jeremiah stuck his hands in his pockets. “You want pizza?”

  Matt shook his head. “Not necessarily, it’s just what we always do, so I kind of figured. But if you want to grill, I’m game. Whatcha got?”

  “Burgers?”

  “I like burgers.” Danny smiled. “Especially burgers I don’t have to make.”

  “Sure, I’m game. What’s the deal with all the domesticity?”

  Danny’s voice took on a sing-song quality. “He’s in loooove.”

  “Yeah? With the new girl, what’s her name, Denise?”

  Jeremiah frowned. What was so hard about her name that people couldn’t remember it? “Deidre. And I didn’t say that. We just started hanging out. I’m not even sure you can call it dating. It’s not like we’re going out all the time.”

  Matt nodded at Danny. “Nailed it in one, didn’t you? Listen to him hedge.”

  “I’m not hedging. You two are idiots. I’m going to go turn on the grill.” Jeremiah stalked out of the living room and into the kitchen. He paused to call back over his shoulder, “You know where the drinks are if you want something.”

  Stepping out onto the deck, he pulled the cover off the grill and opened the lid. In love. He couldn’t be in love with Deidre. Could he? No. There was no possible way. He’d known her a month. He liked her. A lot. And he could see how it might turn into something more down the road, but time was key. He’d jumped into those words with Elise and he wasn’t making that mistake again. The next time he told a woman he loved her, he was going to be sure she really meant it when she said it back.

  Back in the kitchen, he got ground beef out of the fridge and dumped it in a bowl, cracking an egg over it and squirting a healthy dollop of steak sauce in for good measure. He ground salt and pepper over it and reached in, squishing it together with his hands. When it was mixed, he formed three gigantic patties and set them on a plate.

  “Need any help?” Matt ambled into the kitchen and leaned against the island.

  “Nope. We’re set. How’s everything at the garage?”

  Matt lifted a shoulder. “Same old. Though we’ve got a few folks from Waynesboro coming over to us, which is nice. Mr. Patterson was starting to wonder if he’d need to close up shop.”

  “You talk to him about buying him out yet?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Why not?” Jeremiah washed his hands and picked up the plate with the burgers, jerking his head toward the deck. “If he’s thinking of closing up, shouldn’t you let him know you’re interested in carrying on?”

  “What if it’s not viable? I figure we probably do routine maintenance on eighty percent of the population, but they’re going outside for major repairs. Oil changes aren’t really a sustainable business model in a small town.” Matt hooked his thumbs in his back pockets and followed Jeremiah onto the deck.

  Jeremiah laid the burgers on the grill, smiling as they sizzled. “Mr. Patterson’s managed for what, forty years? How much of wanting to close up is a desire to retire? You need to talk to him, man.”

  “Yeah, I guess. So, Danny right? You in love?”

  Jeremiah shook his head. “Not yet.”

  Matt considered a moment and nodded. “You want to be.”

  “Let’s just say I see possibilities and leave it at that.”

  Chapter 13

  “I’m so glad you’re home.” Deidre’s mom wrapped her in a tight hug and kissed the top of her head. “Even if you’re only here for the weekend. The house has been quiet without you.”

  Deidre shook her head. “You know you’re enjoying it. Weren’t you on my case about finding a roommate, getting an apartment just three months ago?”

  “Well, yes. But I didn’t expect you to move three hours away. I like having you nearby.”

  “Yeah, well, they don’t have Peacock Hill nearby. It’s where I’m supposed to be, Mom.” Deidre squeezed her mom’s hand and dropped into a seat at the breakfast table. She’d gotten in last night, basically just in time to get to bed after saying hello. It was good to be home. “Dad back in the den?”

  “Of course. Watching some home improvement show or other. I’m not sure why he retired when all he does is tinker in the workshop or watch those shows. Why not just keep doing?”

  “This way he gets to hang out with you more. You know you love it. Besides, I thought you had a list of improvements you wanted to do around here? Get him started on those.” Deidre stood and crossed the room to poke her head in the den. “Morning, Dad.”

  “D! You’re up.” He clicked the TV off and stood, holding out his arms. “I’m so glad you came home for the weekend.
Bring any pictures of your progress?”

  She chuckled. “On my phone. Sit down. You might even like some of these, Mom. There’s this really gorgeous tromp l’oeil in the breakfast room that I think you’ll love. I’m going to try to keep it from getting damaged, but the plaster needs a lot of work, so I’m not sure if I’ll succeed.”

  Her dad sat on the sofa next to her and, after a moment’s hesitation, her mom sat on the other side. Deidre smiled and thumbed to her photos. Her mom tried to stay out of the handyman and renovation talk. Something about wanting her daughter to have a special connection with her dad. But Deidre had never really understood it. Why couldn’t her mom just embrace what her daughter loved, even if it was something she shared with her dad, too? Either way, they’d found a tentative common ground with decorating and Deidre was doing whatever she could to capitalize on it. “Here we are. See, Mom?”

  Her mother angled her head and nodded. “Those leaves are so lifelike. And the birds…I hope you can work around it, but that water damage is really close, isn’t it?”

  Deidre nodded and scrolled to the next photo that had another close up of the art, this time with a huge crack running through it. “I don’t think I can do anything about this one.”

  “What if you documented it carefully and then did what you needed to do to fix it and found someone to recreate the paintings when you were finished?” Dad reached over to the phone and flipped to the next photo.

  “Oh. Well now. Who’s that?” Her mother’s voice warmed with approval.

  Heat crawled up Deidre’s neck and she cleared her throat. “That’s Jeremiah. He’s doing the stone work.”

  “Mmmhmm.” Her mother arched an eyebrow. “Married?”

  “No.” Deidre flipped to the next photo. Unfortunately, it also featured Jeremiah. How many pictures had she snapped of him while he’d been busy working? Clearly she’d been enjoying the view a bit too much.

  “Looks like he does good work. Keep going.” Her father’s voice was less amused than her mom’s.

  Deidre scrolled as quickly as she could past the pictures with anyone other than the house in them. “Here’s the new roof I put on.”

  “Oh, go back. I want to know more about this young man. He’s quite handsome. Seems to know his way around tools. And…he’s captured your interest. Which makes him interesting to me.” Deidre’s mom patted her knee. “Do you only see him on the job site?”

  “I’ve been going to church with him, too.”

  “Really?” Her father nodded. “Maybe he’s not so bad after all. Why haven’t you mentioned him?”

  “Because I didn’t want the Spanish Inquisition?”

  “Darn it, I broke the rack down for parts just last week. What did you do with those manacles, dear?” Her dad sent her mother a bland stare.

  “Didn’t you use them as planters?”

  “Fine. You two are ridiculous. We’re…dating. I guess.”

  Her father frowned. “Shouldn’t you know if you’re dating someone or not?”

  Deidre hunched her shoulders. “We haven’t really talked about it.”

  “So what makes you think you’re dating and not, say, good friends?” Her mother’s stare was like a laser boring into her soul.

  Flames licked at every nerve ending. This was exactly why she hadn’t wanted to mention him. She’d wanted to wait until she knew what was going on. But she also didn’t need to be the one to bring up the conversation with Jeremiah. Pushing Paul had been the first step toward the end. “We might have kissed.”

  Her mother made a humming sound as her father pushed to his feet.

  “Dad. I’m twenty-six. You realize I’ve kissed people before.”

  Her mother laid her hand on her arm and made a tsking sound. “That’s not going to help, Deidre. Honey, sit down.”

  Her father sat, arms crossed, and glared at Deidre a moment before shaking his head. “How do you kiss someone if you don’t know whether or not you’re dating? Is this what the world has come to? No wonder people don’t bother getting married any more. They just shack up because no one can be bothered to make any kind of relationship status official. After all, someone better might come along, so why commit?”

  “Dad. It’s not like that.” Was it? She’d never seen him with another girl. He’d never mentioned one. And there was no one at church giving them the evil eye…surely if he had someone else, she would’ve made her presence known. “It’s just…new, okay?”

  “New. Old enough to be kissing, but still new enough that you don’t know what it is.” Her father waved his hand, cutting her off before she could speak. “I know, I know, it’s different now. Show me the rest of the house. Then you need to use that thing for its intended purpose and ask this young man what his plans are before I do it for you.”

  Deidre winced and flipped to the next photo on her phone. He would, too. That wasn’t a question. This was the man who’d called her prom date’s parents when the guy was fifteen minutes late picking her up because he’d had a flat tire. That had been an awesome way to start the evening. “I love you, Dad.”

  “I know that. And I love you, too. But you’re not getting around me that way this time.” He winked and patted her knee.

  Deidre paced the length of her parents’ small suburban back yard and stared at her phone. She couldn’t go inside without a definitive answer. And she couldn’t bring herself to call him. He’d surely laugh. Or worse. What if this messed everything up? She liked Jeremiah. A lot. She wanted him around for a long time to come. She closed her eyes and stopped in her tracks. Was she falling in love with him?

  Swallowing the nerves that wanted to crawl up her throat, she tapped her phone. Call or text? It’d be easier to get it out in writing without sounding like a fool. She’d just double check every letter before she hit send. Three times. She tapped out a message.

  “Random ? 4u – r we serrated?”

  No. She stared at the phone. Serious. How did it get serrated out of serious? And now he was going to think she was an even bigger dork than he probably already did.

  “I do think you’re sharp – intellectually speaking. And a snappy dresser to boot.”

  Ding-a-ling. She couldn’t stop a smile though as she tapped back.

  “Dating. Are we?”

  There. No mistakes. And she looked like a needy and obsessive teenager who had to shoehorn a guy into a relationship definition conversation at the first possible opportunity. Why wasn’t he answering? Gah. She was twenty-six years old. She didn’t need to do stuff like this just because her dad told her to. So why had she? Because she wanted to know the answer.

  Insecure.

  Wasn’t that what Paul had yelled at her as part of his tirade three weeks before it became clear she wasn’t wanted on the show anymore? And now she’d proven it. Again.

  He wasn’t texting back. She slid her phone in her back pocket and trudged to the house.

  “Well?” Her dad glanced up from the kitchen table.

  Deidre shrugged. “He didn’t answer. So I guess not. Happy?”

  “It’s Saturday morning, maybe he’s on a job and can’t get to his phone. Give him some time.” Her dad patted her arm as she walked past. Sure. That’s why he’d responded the first time. There was no point in getting into it with her dad. He was a great dad, but not really the person you went to when you heart was breaking. “Your brother and sister should be here any minute. Why don’t we plan to go to that restaurant where they bring meat around on skewers for dinner?”

  “Yeah. Sure.” Not even the prospect of seeing Duncan and eating at a churrascaria could lift her heart out of her shoes. She dragged herself up the stairs to her room and sat on the bed. How pathetic was it that, at twenty-six, she was still more at home in her old bedroom than anywhere else? Deidre took a deep breath and gave herself a firm mental shake. She was going to make a success out of Peacock Hill. Even if she had to do it with a broken heart.

  Chapter 14

  Jeremiah c
hecked the map on his phone. Fifteen minutes to go a mile? How did people live up here? It was Saturday evening. Didn’t these people have places to be? He crept forward as the traffic on the D.C. Beltway inched ahead. At this rate, he wasn’t going to be there until well after Deidre and her family were seated. Would Claire be able to save him a seat? Did it matter?

  For the six millionth time, he questioned his decision not to text back. But some things just needed to be done in person. Claire, at least, seemed to think he was doing the right thing. Hopefully, Deidre’s sister knew her well enough to know if this was right or horribly wrong.

  His phone rang. Jeremiah punched the speaker button. “Yeah?”

  “Hey man, you there yet?”

  Danny. He’d laughed for a good five minutes when Jeremiah had called to ask if he’d gotten Claire’s number. Of course, he’d had to explain the whole situation. But his friend had come through with the contact info so… “Not yet. The traffic up here is insane. I thought Charlottesville at rush hour was bad.”

  Danny scoffed. “I keep telling you, man. C-ville’s nothing. It’s why I don’t really mind the commute. Let me know how it goes, okay? And say hi to Claire for me.”

  “Sure. Will do.”

  “I’ll be praying.”

  “Appreciate it.” Jeremiah disconnected the call and banged on his steering wheel. If he had to drive up here with any regularity he’d go insane. Finally, there was a gap big enough to squeak his truck over into the exit lane. He gunned the engine. Maybe it was a pointless exercise, but it felt good after creeping along. He might actually make it before dessert after all.

  The phone directed him through the maze of office buildings that made up Tyson’s Corner and, after another almost ten minutes, he pulled up to the valet stand outside the restaurant. He grabbed his blazer off the passenger seat, tucked his phone into the pocket of his khakis, and smoothed the pink and black striped tie his mother insisted matched the cobalt blue dress shirt. After taking a ticket from a kid who appeared entirely too young to be parking cars, he took a deep breath and shrugged into the coat. If the reflection in the glass doors was any indication, he at least looked presentable.