“You two seem very happy.”
He nodded his head. “We are. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in my life. The only thing that would make it better is a wedding ring.”
Tucker took a sip of his tea. “Then give her one.”
“I don’t think she wants to get married.”
“Yes, she does. She told Colleen…”
Oh, no. What had he just done? In his effort to have an interesting conversation with Christian, he had somehow spilled the beans that Meg wanted him to propose.
“What were you about to say?”
“Nothing. I wasn’t about to say anything.”
Christian leaned forward, his hands clasped together in front of him. “Tucker, I know you were about to say something. Spill it.”
“It’s not my place.”
Christian stared at him. “Do you mean that Meg told Colleen she wants me to propose?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Christian squinted his eyes. “But you’re not saying that it’s not true?”
“I’m getting very lost in this conversation.”
Christian leaned back and crossed his arms. “So she wants me to propose?”
“Have you tried their tuna salad here? I hear that it’s the best in town.”
“Stop trying to change the subject. And, also, you’re a terrible liar.”
Tucker sighed. “Fine. I didn’t mean to say that out loud, but yes. Meg told Colleen that she would like to get married but she’s afraid you’ll never ask her again.”
There. He said it. There was no taking it back now.
“Oh, my goodness. All this time I thought she might never want to get married, and she’s just been waiting for me?” The smile on Christian’s face was so broad that it practically touched both sides of the town square.
“I guess this is joyous news?”
Christian laughed. “Oh, yes, this is great news. But we must keep it a secret that I know.”
Tucker shrugged his shoulders. “Of course. I’m great at keeping secrets.”
* * *
SuAnn couldn’t stop smiling. Since her dinner the other night with Nicholas, her cheeks had been hurting. He’d taken her to a wonderful Italian restaurant over in Charleston. Sitting on the veranda near the water, the Spanish moss-covered trees offering beautiful views of the orange and purple sunset, it had felt like a fairy tale.
They’d walked along the water after dinner, reminiscing about old times, and it seemed like no time had passed. SuAnn hadn’t felt this way in decades. Having Nicholas there felt like finding her favorite stuffed animal from childhood. The comforting feeling was hard to describe, which was exactly why she hadn’t told her daughters.
Now she was at the mall with them, Dixie and some stranger named Tina that had managed to get an invitation. She didn’t care much for new people, especially ones that seemed to be mooching off her daughter and Dawson.
“What do you know about this woman, anyway?” She asked Julie as they stood in line for coffee.
“She’s down on her luck, Mom. It’s Christmas. We’re just helping her out.”
“Well, you’d better give her a deadline to get out, or else you’ll have one of those cases I see on the court TV shows.”
They moved up a spot in line. “Oh, good Lord, Mom. Relax.”
“I’m serious, Julie. They’re called squatters, and you have to move heaven and earth to get them out of your house!”
Julie rolled her eyes. “Let’s change the subject. Janine and I would both like to know where you’ve been lately?”
“What do you mean?” SuAnn asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Having daughters meant that she could get nothing past them. What was it about women that allowed them to sense things that men didn’t? It really was a superpower.
Julie looked at her and laughed. “You’ve always been a terrible liar, Mom. We know something’s up. Besides, you’re getting new wrinkles from smiling so much. And pardon me for pointing out the obvious, but you’ve never been someone who smiled a lot.”
“Thanks a lot!”
“It’s not a put-down, Mom. It’s just that you normally have more of a… scowl on your face.”
“Julie! What a terrible thing to say to your mother.”
They moved to the front of the line and ordered their drinks. Julie got her regular peppermint chocolate mocha with whipped cream on top, and SuAnn ordered a white chocolate latte with light foam. Nothing ever changed.
As they sat at one of the tables waiting for their drinks, Julie continued to press her.
“All I’m saying is that it seems like you’re happier lately, and we’d love to know why and celebrate that with you.”
“Or make fun of me,” SuAnn said under her breath.
Julie reached over and touched her arm. “Mom, we wouldn’t make fun of you for being happy. It’s okay to feel good about your life, you know.”
“Okay, fine. When I was in high school, there was a boy named Nicholas. We were very much in love and planned to get married, but things just didn’t happen the way we thought they would.”
“I never knew you had a high school sweetheart. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I married your father, and there was no use in bringing it up.”
“So he contacted you?”
SuAnn couldn’t help but smile again. Stupid happiness kept overtaking her poker face.
“He did more than contact me. He showed up at the bakery out of the blue, and we went to dinner the next evening in Charleston.”
Julie grinned. “That’s amazing!”
“He’s so wonderful, but it all seems too good to be true.”
“Mom, you deserve something great to happen. Are you in love with him?”
“Well, I used to be. But we’re older now, and I’m sure we’ve both changed. We’re going to take it slow.”
“That’s a good idea. I’m thrilled for you.”
She looked into her daughter’s eyes and saw honesty. She was genuinely happy for her.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” Julie said, craning her head to check for their coffee order.
“Would it bother you if I said Nicholas was my soulmate?”
“Why would that bother me?”
“Because of your father.”
“Mom, I know you loved Dad. But that doesn’t mean he was your soulmate, and that’s okay. You might have the chance of a lifetime here to reconnect with the man you were always supposed to be with. Don’t feel guilty or weird about that.”
SuAnn smiled yet again. “Thank you, Julie. You know, you and I have really come a long way.”
“We sure have.”
“I’m still worried about this Tina woman…”
“Oh, Mom,” Julie said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
* * *
“Aren’t these adorable?” Meg said, holding up a tiny pair of pink cowboy boots. “Vivi is going to have a fit over these!” She added them to her pile of goodies as she walked toward the register.
“Christian is going to strangle you,” Colleen said with a laugh. “Vivi’s room isn’t big enough for all this stuff!”