Authors: Lesa Henderson
Megan abandoned thoughts of Trevor and honed in on what Lee was saying.
“I grew up in Atlanta.”
“That’s amazing,” Megan intervened. “So did I.”
“It’s a small world,” Lee said, with a smile. “Anyway, my dad’s a lawyer and my mother’s a socialite who comes from old money.” He made the last statement without either conceit or judgment.
“Vera is my dad’s sister and the inn was her dream. She and my Uncle Tom found this place on vacation one year when I was just a small kid. My uncle dotes on her and knew it was her dream to own a Victorian house and turn it into a bed and breakfast. So, he bought it for her as a surprise. They moved their business up here and renovated this place.”
“Wow. What does your uncle do for a living? I mean that was such a huge step, unless they’re independently wealthy.”
“Oh no. My dad’s side of the family didn’t come from wealth. The only money my uncle had was through his business as a contractor. It was a huge risk to buy this old house because it was on the verge of demolition when they found it. After hours and hours of sweat and effort, the Lord blessed their endeavors and this place became a huge success, as did Uncle Tom’s contracting business. They’ve been here ever since.”
“Amazing!” It was unfathomable to her that a man would love a woman so much he would risk everything to help her obtain her dream.
“I would spend every summer here that I was allowed, missing only the ones when I traveled abroad with my parents. This is still my favorite place.”
Megan could hear the love he felt for the people and the place. His eyes told the story of the fond memories he carried.
“I can understand why. I’ve only been here a little while and I love it.”
“The summers here are wonderful. When you’re an eleven-year-old boy and there are all these hills, mountains, streams and woods to explore for hours on end…well, it’s almost heaven on earth.”
Megan got the mental picture of a young Lee traipsing through the woods and hiking the mountains, fishing pole in hand, as he searched for the perfect hole to cast his line in. “Is this where you got your love for animals, as well?”
“I’ve loved animals for as long as I can remember, but yes, this is where the dream to work with them was developed—much to my mother’s displeasure.”
“She doesn’t like animals?”
He chuckled at her question. “She tolerates them at best. My mother wanted me to follow in my father’s footsteps and go to work for her father in the family law firm.”
“But being a veterinarian is an honorable profession,” Megan defended.
Lee smiled. “Yes, but somehow Animal Doctor Extraordinaire is somehow not in keeping with the image of the old family money and the
Collins/Grainger
standing in Atlanta society.”
“It must have been a difficult decision for you.” She reflected on the changes she’d made in her own life, the risks she had taken.
“Yes, somewhat. My mother can be a bit of a snob,” he admitted. “But she has accepted the fact, at last, that I am not going to be an attorney. However, I’m afraid she may have a problem should I choose to become Alan’s partner and move up here.”
“Do you think you will?” she questioned, buttering yet another piece of the delicious yeast bread.
“I am leaning in that direction,” he admitted.
“Cindy explained you met Alan in vet school.”
“Yeah. We hit it off right away and it didn’t hurt anything when I discovered he grew up only miles from where I spent my summers.”
“That’s amazing.”
“It was all in God’s plan,” Lee said assuredly and humbly shared, “Alan led me to accepting Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior, and for that, I will be eternally grateful.”
She could read the sincerity in his eyes.
“What about you? What brought you here?” He changed the subject for her.
“These mountains and Cindy, of course. I came up here to visit her and fell in love with the valley.”
“You’ve known Cindy for a long time?”
“I attended private school most of my life, that is up until high school. In my freshman year, my mother transferred me to a public school. I was terribly shy and…and clumsy.” She broke into a self-conscious grin. “Anyway, Cindy was so sweet and befriended me. We’ve been friends ever since.”
Megan moved quickly from her time in college through the years to her job, which was also in Atlanta, and then to her more recent move to Laurel Ridge.
“What about your family?”
“I’m an only child; my father died when I was a child.” Megan hoped Lee did not notice how her voice hardened at the mention of her father. If he did, he was polite enough not to comment and she continued. “My mother still lives in Atlanta.”
“I bet she misses you,” Lee surmised accurately.
“And I miss her—immensely.” Her voice softened at the mention of her mother. “She is the most incredible woman I know.”
“You sound very close.” Another correct assumption.
Megan nodded. She loved and respected her mother. “We are. The decision to move away from her was difficult, but she understands and we talk often. I just couldn’t take the city any longer.” She hoped she didn’t sound lame.
“Well, it would seem we have something in common,” Lee offered.
“Our dislike of city life?” At Lee’s nod, she surprised herself by opening up to him. “I just never really felt like I fit into it.”
Although when she was with Trevor, she had tried very hard to fit in, tried to please him. “
I couldn’t take the hectic, fast paced lifestyle…”
“The traffic…” Lee chimed in.
“The parties and pretenses…” Megan smiled.
“Not to mention, the pressure and stress,” Lee finished
“But here…” She waved her hand expansively indicating the garden. “In these beautiful mountains—”
“You feel as though you belong.”
“Maybe not completely, but certainly more than I did in the city with my upscale apartment and important job in a well established firm.”
“You’re still searching,” Lee surmised.
“Yes, I believe I am.” Megan surprised them both by admitting these words.
Lee reached across the table and covered her hand with his. Megan did not snatch it away. Instead, she drew comfort from the warm friendship she found in his touch and his intense gaze.
Lee cleared his throat and changed the subject. “So tell me, what exactly does a copywriter do?”
“It’s advertising except lengthier. I write mail-outs, newsletters, and brochures for small businesses as well as some major corporations.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
“Very much. It’s been lucrative, but one day, I may just try my hand at writing something a bit different. I’d really like to write a novel.”
“I’m sure you’ll be successful at whatever you try.”
“How could you know that?” She tilted her head to the side, waiting for an answer, as Lee pinned her to the chair with the fervency of his gaze. Megan felt as if her soul had been stripped bare for his inspection.
“It’s just a feeling I have,” he said, with conviction.
“Oh,” was all she managed to say, unable to break away from his eyes; thankfully, the waitress helped her out by bringing their dessert order.
Megan and Lee topped off their lunch with a sumptuous cobbler heaped with homemade vanilla ice cream and whipped topping. When Megan finished her final bite, she sighed contentedly.
“You look like the cat that just ate the canary,” Lee teased.
“I
feel
like that cat.” Megan laughed, patting her full tummy.
“Yes, well, you have a feather hanging out of your mouth.”
“A what?” she asked in confusion.
“It’s more like an ice cream moustache,” he explained. Before she could respond, he took his napkin and gently wiped her upper lip. The warmth radiating through the napkin caused her lips to tingle. Lee had meant it to be a kind gesture but it hinted at intimacy. Their eyes locked yet again, and for just a moment, Megan thought Lee might kiss her.
But he didn’t.
She was relieved.
Wasn’t she?
Theirs was a friendship, a new one at that. Nothing more.
Chapter Nine
The next morning, as Megan set her laptop back on the table and arranged the latest project’s paperwork next to it, she reflected on the phone conversation with her mother the day before.
After several unsuccessful attempts, Megan was finally able to reach her. Helen seemed very different—not in a bad way, just not herself. She seemed almost giddy, like a teenager. She seemed excited about something.
Helen asked about Megan’s well being. They had discussed Sir’s accident, Megan’s work, and Helen’s work, the usual things that kept them caught up on one another’s lives. But, something was different and Megan could not put her finger on it, arousing her curiosity. She was determined to find out, if not before, then certainly during their visit on Mother’s Day.
“What are you up to, Mom? Oh well, I can’t put off this project any longer.” She pushed all other thoughts out of her mind and began work.
Megan worked right through lunch. Since she was on a roll and had no desire to interrupt the creativity, she did not take a break until the phone rang. Her stomach chimed in simultaneously with a growl of hunger.
Megan picked up the receiver to discover Cindy on the other end, inviting her over for dinner that night.
“I’d like to invite Lee as well, if that’s okay with you?”
Megan could hear the hesitancy in Cindy’s question and was quick to reassure her friend. “It’s not a problem, Cindy; we had a wonderful lunch Sunday after church and have actually become friends.”
She could hear the tension leave Cindy’s voice. “That’s great. Other than me, Lee could be one of the best friends you ever have.” No questions asked, no insinuations intended.
“I’ve never had a male friend.”
“Alan and I were just friends and now look at us!”
There was a long pause while Megan digested that comment. “You and Alan make a wonderful couple, but I am not looking for anything beyond friendship.”
“Neither was I,” Cindy agreed readily. Megan could not see the smile on Cindy’s face, but she thought she detected one in her voice.
The two old friends ended their conversation with a time to meet for dinner and an invite from Cindy for Megan to bring Sir along. The Wolff property sat in a valley with rolling hills and was well fenced. It needed to be fenced to accommodate the various animals that were kept there, both on a permanent and a temporary basis. Anyway, Sir loved going to their home where he had acre upon acre of fenced land on which he could roam without the hindrance of a leash, or Megan’s weight to drag along behind him.
When Megan put the phone down, she turned to Sir and said, “Guess what, Sir? We’ve been invited to dine at the Wolff’s house tonight.” His ears perked up instantly and he walked over to the front door as if to say,
well, what are you waiting for?
Megan laughed. “You may as well lie down, boy; we’re not leaving for a while yet.” With a whine, Sir plopped down in front of the door to wait. There would be no leaving him home tonight.
Six o’clock rolled around quickly for Megan. She loaded an excited Sir into her SUV and made the short drive to Cindy and Alan’s. After a short drive, Megan pulled through the gates and up the drive to the Wolff’s large two-story log cabin with a porch spanning its length. Sir was whining before she could even park the vehicle. He was beside himself with excitement. However, when she first opened the vehicle door, he just stood there.
“Well, go on you big galoot.” That’s all it took and he was off like a shot. There was no worry though; once he tired himself out, he’d reappear and lay on the front porch until Megan was ready to take him home.
Cindy greeted Megan on the front porch with a hug.
“Where’s my little angel, Katie?” Megan inquired about her nine-month-old goddaughter.
“She’s sitting in her swing on the back porch, while her daddy and Lee are grilling the steaks.”
“Alan’s steaks? Mmm, my favorite,” Megan complimented as they walked into the cabin.
“I hope you’re hungry, because these are some really huge steaks! I sent the men to the store to buy them and they came back with steaks big enough to feed a couple of pro-football players. They’re more like the size of roasts.” Cindy laughed.
Megan followed her into the well-equipped kitchen, asking, “What can I help you do?”
“Not a thing. I have the table set and the salad and baked potatoes are ready. I’ll pop the rolls in the oven and put ice in the glasses when the steaks are almost done.”
Alan and Cindy were excellent hosts, who went out of their way to make any guest feel comfortable and welcome. By the time the steaks were ready, it had grown dark outside, so the four of them enjoyed a candlelight meal around the dining room table. Lee volunteered to start a fire in the fireplace, since spring nights in the mountains could still be chilly.
The fire further complimented the atmosphere, casting a soft glow on the room and filling the Wolff home with an inviting and relaxing ambiance. Even Katie, who had been fed a half-hour earlier by Megan, dozed contentedly in her swing next to the fireplace.
At first, Megan feared she would be unable to relax and be her usual self around Alan and Cindy in Lee’s presence. She feared she would be reserved and self-conscious, spoiling the evening for her friends.
She shouldn’t have worried. Alan and Lee bantered amiably back and forth, while they ate. As with any other friend, Lee teased Megan. She felt her reservations melting. The conversation throughout the meal was playful and lighthearted, and at one point, Lee stopped eating, put his fork down and stated, “Wait a minute, there’s something wrong here.”
This had everyone’s attention and they watched in bewilderment as Lee carefully examined everything on the table.
“What…what is it?” Cindy asked.
Lee turned toward Cindy, and in a serious voice, said, “You are a brave, brave woman, Cindy.”
“How so?” Cindy’s brows drew together in perplexity while Alan and Megan curiously waited for an explanation as well.
“You’re not afraid to use your good china,” Lee simply stated, and when he saw the blank stares his friends were giving him, he explained, “With the Queen of Klutz dining with us, I thought you would have chosen something made of rubber or paper or such.”