Authors: Valerie Comer
“Sarah? I can’t read your face. Do you like Corbin, or don’t you?”
“I’m confused. I do like him, but he’s so different from me. He’s an
act now, think later
kind of guy.”
“And you think everything. To. The. Death.”
Sarah glared at Lindsey. “Whose side are you on, anyway?”
“Yours, girl. Definitely yours. I think Corbin is a great balance for you. And yes, you for him. It’s okay to have different personalities. God made us all unique.”
Corbin was about the most unique person she knew. “It’s possible to be too different.”
Lindsey tilted her head. “True, but sharing the same faith in Jesus provides a solid foundation.”
“A good start, sure. But there are a lot more things. How you prioritize spending. How you raise kids—”
“Whoa! You guys have talked about kids? You’re way more serious than I thought after only two weeks.”
Warmth crept up Sarah’s cheeks. “No, we haven’t. I’m just thinking ahead.”
Lindsey laughed. “That’s your problem. It’s like you’re picking your retirement home before you turn thirty. Take things one step at a time?”
“Look, I’m trying, okay? You’re my friend. Don’t push me.”
“Aw, Sarah. I’m not poking fun at you. I want you to be happy. I want you to see each new day as a possibility. To give Corbin a chance.”
“I am.” Sarah gritted her teeth. “We’ve gone out. We’re going out again Monday. I don’t know what more you expect from me.”
“To relax and enjoy it?”
“I’m trying, but Corbin seems to think life is one big joke. Like that rock he got out of the river and duct-taped to a washer as the ring for your wedding rehearsal.”
“You have to admit that was pretty funny.”
“I suppose.”
“Oh come on, Sarah. He knows when to be serious. He managed the real ring just fine during the wedding.”
“True.” Sarah rubbed the soft fur on the dragon. “He’s the youngest of five kids, and the only boy. Everyone doted on him.”
“He can’t help that.”
“No, I know. But I think it went to his head. I never know when he’s joking or being serious.”
Lindsey held up a hand. “And you like everything in its neat little compartments. You want comedy routines to be announced so you know it’s okay to laugh.”
“Is that so wrong? It’s not that I don’t like to have fun.” Did she even know what fun meant, compared to Corbin? “It’s just that he’s almost never serious.”
“So he keeps you off balance.”
Sarah stared at Lindsey. “Yeah.”
“Love does that. It messes with your equilibrium.”
“Oh, good grief. I’m not in love with him. We’ve been on two dates, that’s all.” She wrapped her arms around the dragon, holding it close to her chest.
Lindsey reached across and grabbed the dragon’s tail, but Sarah didn’t let go. Lindsey laughed. “What did he say when he won this bad boy?”
Oh, man. Did she have to say?
Lindsey raised her eyebrows. “By the look on your face, it was pretty good. Spill, girl.”
What did it matter? Years — maybe only months — from now Corbin would be long gone, and all she’d have was this plushy to remember him by. She thrust the toy at her friend. “Something about slaying all my dragons for me.”
Lindsey pushed it back. “Sounds romantic.”
It had been, in the dusk of the midway. Now, in the light of day, she wasn’t sure. “After the fright I had on the Ferris wheel, he rode the teacups with me.”
Lindsey burst out laughing. “Corbin in the teacups? Tell me it’s not true.”
“See, I don’t even know why you and I are friends.”
“Sarah, you’re too much. Personally, I think Corbin is perfect for you. He stretches you out of your comfort zone—”
“A place I quite like, thank you very much.”
“And it sounds like you stretch him out of his. That’s good.”
“Just because you’ve been Mrs. Nick for two weeks doesn’t make you an expert in everyone else’s relationships.”
“Hey, girl, I’m on your side. You know how hard it was for me to believe Nick had changed since the jerk he was in high school? He needed a chance to prove to me that Jesus had made him a new man. It wasn’t easy to accept, even while I was being swept away by all the anonymous gifts he sent.”
Having a plush dragon gallantly presented to her was at least as romantic as all the secret admirer gifts Nick had showered on Lindsey.
“So I think you need to give Corbin a chance, too.”
“What do you think I’m doing? We’ve gone out twice, and will again on Monday.”
“But are you letting yourself see the good in him? Are you willing to see him as a potential life partner?”
Sarah opened her mouth, but closed it again when Lindsey put up her hand.
“He’s a good guy, Sarah. He’s a solid Christian man, and I think he’s fallen for you. Open yourself up a bit and see where this takes you.”
“You keep saying that as though I’m already singing the swan song.”
Lindsey quirked an elegant eyebrow. “Aren’t you? You’re twenty-eight. It’s okay to date with the future in mind. It’s more than going to the fair like some teenagers.”
“Hey! It was Corbin’s idea.” One she should’ve turned down, so he wouldn’t see what a chicken she was.
“I didn’t say it was
bad
. I just said there’s more. A whole lot more.”
“Yeah, well, you’re married. I don’t want to hear about the
more
part.”
Lindsey chuckled. “We’ll have that talk later, after Corbin’s popped the question and you’ve said
yes
. Trust me.”
Could she envision his proposal? Man, a guy like him would probably pull off something public and YouTube-worthy. Instead of being thrilled, she’d be mortified. She shuddered. “I don’t think I can do this, Linds.”
“What are you really afraid of?” Her friend’s voice was soft with compassion.
Sarah clutched the dragon tight. “I don’t know. It took a lot for me to stand up with you. That wedding I was in when I was a kid... I’ve managed to block most of the memories, but it was horrible.”
“You’ve never told me what happened.”
“I didn’t really know the people. They were neighbors or something. All they cared about was that I was cute. The ring bearer was a couple of years older, and he was mean, and no one stood up for me.”
“What kind of mean?”
“I took my job of dropping flower petals very seriously.”
To give credit where credit was due, Lindsey did
not
roll her eyes. “I’m sure you did.”
“At first he danced around me, picking them back up and returning them to my basket. When people began to snicker, he dumped out the whole basket, grabbed my hand and dragged me to the front.”
“Uh oh. What did you do?”
“I burst into tears, yanked my hand out of his, and ran back to the pile of petals.” Memory lane was so not a good place. Tears prickled her eyes along with the childhood humiliation.
“And then?”
“He ran after me and kicked the pile of petals, laughing as he scattered them.”
“What a brat. No wonder you were scarred for life.” Lindsey reached over and squeezed Sarah’s hands.
“The junior bridesmaids came and dragged me to the front of the church. Someone dabbed my face with a tissue, and then I stood where I was told for the whole ceremony. It seemed really really long.”
“No wonder you said you didn’t want to be in my wedding party if there were preschoolers involved. I’m glad I didn’t have my heart set on it.”
“Me, too. Anyway, let’s talk about something else. I’ve tried to forget that wedding ever since it happened.”
* * *
“Corbin! Now there’s a sight for sore eyes.” Aunt Deb made a show of peering past him. “Didn’t I tell you to bring a date for Thanksgiving dinner? I don’t see her anywhere.”
She’d been telling him to bring a date for years. Even on the rare occasions he’d been seeing someone, he hadn’t dared inflict Aunt Deb on the unsuspecting girl. Wonder how Sarah would handle her? If she could manage thirty six-year-olds, surely his aunt could be dealt with.
“Corbin Jonathan. I worry about you.” Deb dragged him into the house. “It was bad enough before, but now you live way out of town on that farm all by yourself. How are you even going to meet your intended if you never get out?”
He chuckled. “You make me sound like a hermit. It’s not that bad.”
Aunt Deb whirled and planted her hands on her ample hips. “Tell me three occasions in the past month where you could have met someone.”
Corbin pretended to be deep in thought, scrounging for answers. “There was that wedding I was in a few weeks back. I headed up Team Groom, and there were some beautiful women on Team Bride.” At least one.
His aunt zoomed in like a shark. “Oh? Tell me more.”
“The wedding will have to count as two occasions. After all, there was a rehearsal and a wedding. Two different days.”
“Same girls,” Aunt Deb countered.
He’d pretend she hadn’t said that. He couldn’t very well count the dinner date with Sarah. “And I went to the Arrowsmith Fall Fair last weekend.”
Her gaze narrowed. “By yourself?”
He held back the grin. “No, with a friend.”
“A male friend or a female friend?”
“Female.”
She slugged him in the arm. “Corbin Jonathan! You’ve been holding out on me. Tell me everything.”
As if. “Not much to tell. We just met and have been out a couple of times.”
“And you didn’t invite her to Thanksgiving dinner so we could all meet her?”
“She had plans with friends. And besides, I’m not sure she’s ready for you.”
“Oh, what do you mean by that? All we have are your best interests at heart. What’s her name?”
“Sarah.” If he gave more information, Aunt Deb would look her up on Facebook, send her a friend request, and follow up with Corbin’s baby pictures. No thanks.
“Well, listen up, Corbin Jonathan. Your uncle and I are celebrating our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary in two weeks, and we’re having a big party here at the house. You will be here, and you will bring that girlfriend of yours, you hear? I’m not taking no for an answer.”
He slung his arm across his aunt’s shoulders. “We’ll see.”
Aunt Deb shrugged him away. “None of that nonsense. This is a very important family event, so it’s the perfect time for her to meet everyone. After all, your parents and the twins will be here, too. We’ll see if she’s good enough for our boy.”
“If you’re going to come at her like a piranha, I’m not bringing her. You have to promise to be on your best behavior or I won’t even extend an invitation.”
She opened her mouth to speak but he held up his hand. “I mean it. She’s not like this crazy family. She’s quiet. Reserved. And if you scare her away, I won’t come to your house for Christmas or Thanksgiving for five years.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Don’t push, Aunt Deb. Sarah is too important to me to let that happen.”
Aunt Deb smacked his arm, a wide grin crossing her face. “Well, now you’ve gone and done it. You’re falling in love. I promise to be just the sweetest auntie you ever saw and welcome her in like one of our own.”
Now why wasn’t that a comforting thought?
Chapter 7
“Do you do this route often?”
Sarah swerved her bike toward Corbin’s. “Nearly every day when the weather is decent. This cycling trail is the main reason I chose an apartment on the east side of the river.”
“A bit less handy to your job and the conveniences of downtown.”
She shrugged. “It’s worth it. And there’s a Save-on-More Foods in the mall on this side and a banking kiosk. I don’t go downtown often, unless I need a cupcake from Carmen’s.” She glanced his way. “Besides, you live further from the bright lights than I do.”
His long legs, clad in ankle-length cycling pants, ate up the paved trail, but she didn’t think she’d have any trouble keeping up. There might not be many good days left. Red-gold maple leaves crunched as their wheels rolled through, and a gentle breeze kept the day from being too warm. The blue sky had a hint of turquoise, perfect for October.
“I don’t mind living out of town, but I sometimes miss having people around.”
Of course he did. Not her, though. “I see enough people at work, so I’m happy to be a hermit evenings and weekends. Between all the other teachers, the parents, and the twenty-two kids in my class, that’s enough interaction for me.”
“Yeah, sometimes I miss having a real job.” He pedaled harder, his bike pulling ahead.
“So why not have one?” She pushed to catch up.
“Because the farm takes too much time except in winter.” He glanced at her. “I might work with Heath this winter if we get a lot of snow.”
“Heath?” The name sounded familiar.
“He was on Team Groom, remember? He has a landscaping business, and in the winter he uses his Bobcats for snow removal.”
“Cool. But that doesn’t sound very people-oriented.”
Corbin shrugged. “No, but it will get me into town, and there’s always coffee time at Carmen’s Cupcakes. Anyway, nothing’s for sure. Depends how much snow we get, for starters.”
He seemed kind of different today. Distracted. Maybe he’d decided he didn’t want to go out with her after all, but hadn’t known how to cancel their bike ride. She could be glad he hadn’t just ghosted out of her life without warning. Yet, that is.
“So I was talking to Ms. LeRoy, the school principal, on Friday...”
Corbin glanced her way and grinned, crinkle lines showing around his eyes. “You’re not in trouble, are you?”
That grin went a long way to dispel her fears. “No. So far I’ve managed to avoid trouble at work. But she said the field trip we’d scheduled for late October had to be canceled. I’d planned to take the kids out to Glacial Creamery so they could see how ice cream is made, but the owner was in an accident and they had to close the shop early this year.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. The Desmonds, right? Everyone okay?”
See, Corbin was a nice guy who genuinely cared about people. She was safe with him. “Yes, I think so. Anyway, I was wondering about bringing my class out to your farm. I think it’s important that kids know where their food comes from, don’t you?”
“Uh, that’s definitely true.”