She added, “You’ll get to see all of them tomorrow at the wedding.”
Myles tried keeping the grimace off his face when he said. “How nice.” He then looked down at his watch again before glancing at Ronald and Sheila. Sheila was no longer frowning. There was a softening in her features as if she was considering whatever Ronald was saying.
“Are you sure you don’t want to make that bet?” he asked Lisa.
She smiled. “I’m sure. She might be understanding and sympathizing with him, but in the end she won’t change her mind.”
Myles wasn’t so sure about that. “How long do you think it will take for Ronald to get it into his head that she won’t?”
Lisa laughed. “He’s a typical man. Stubborn and determined. We might be here until midnight.”
“I don’t think so,” Myles said, deciding he would give the couple ten more minutes max. “I drove in from Charlotte this morning and haven’t gotten much sleep. It would be most embarrassing for them if I were to fall flat on my face in the middle of tomorrow’s service.”
Lisa smiled, envisioning that happening. She could just imagine how Reverend Hall would handle it. “So, do you like living in Charlotte? I heard it’s a nice place.”
Myles thought about her question. He wished he could be honest and tell her the truth—that when he had first arrived he had been so lonely for her, there had been times when he’d been tempted to disregard what her parents wanted for her. He’d thought about returning to Chiefland, asking her to marry him and taking her back to North Carolina with him. But the more time he spent apart from her, the more he knew he had done the right thing. She had encouraged him to pursue his dreams so many times; it was a small sacrifice to make sure she did the same for hers.
“Charlotte is nice. I’ve met a number of good people there.”
“Tell me about them.” She shifted in her chair and he picked up the scent of her perfume. From the moment he had approached her at the church he had noticed she still wore the same one and he was glad. It mixed well with her body’s chemistry and always made him think of flowers and honey. It was a tantalizing combination and one that always made him want to make love to her. Whenever. Wherever.
“First there is Bronson Scott, he’s the owner of the racing team I work for. The man is simply awesome. Bronson hired me on as a mechanic and later took a chance on me as a driver.”
“You’ve won a couple of races,” she noted, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she kept up with the races because of him.
“Yes, for Scott Motorsports. It was sheer luck that both Bronson and I managed to make the chase for the big leagues. We celebrated for days.”
And a part of him wished she had been there to celebrate with him. Several times over the years he had been tempted to call her. But her parents’ words had rung in his ears. “If you love our daughter as much as you claim you do, then you will want what’s best for her and let her go.”
“Do you have big sponsors?” she asked him moments later when the other end of the table had gotten quiet.
He glanced in Ronald and Sheila’s direction and saw they had sneaked in a kiss. He almost felt sorry for Ronald, especially if he wasn’t changing Sheila’s mind.
“Yes, the Steele Manufacturing Corporation is one of our biggest sponsors, although there are others. That’s one of the reasons why the race car I drive is steel gray. The Steeles send a lot of money our way, and when we win it’s a big promotion and good advertising for them. And they are close friends of Bronson’s, especially Donovan Steele, the youngest of the four brothers who own the corporation. Bronson and Donovan are best friends.”
Myles looked at his watch again, thinking it was time to get the couple home, although he was thoroughly enjoying being here with Lisa. If he had his way, Ronald would go home with Sheila and he would go home with Lisa.
“So where do you live now?” he asked.
“I have an apartment here and one in Gainesville. The one in Gainesville is right above the shop I own and on busy days when I’m too tired to make the drive back here in the evenings, I spend the night there.”
“You own a shop?”
“Yes?”
“What kind?” he asked.
“A gift shop. It’s located within a mile from campus and most of the customers are college students. Business is good when they are on campus but this time of the year, when most of the students leave for the holidays, business is slow, which is why I’ve closed up until school starts back the first of the year.”
She owned a gift shop? This was news to him. He’d never asked Ronald, preferring to only know that she was in good health versus knowing anything about her personal life. Therefore, he had always assumed once she had gotten her degree, she had done what she always talked about doing, which was to come back to Chiefland and teach school.
“What about becoming a teacher? I thought that’s what you really wanted to do.”
She shrugged. “I thought so too, but changed my mind after my first week in the classroom.”
He studied her expression, and then saw how she quickly diverted her eyes to look down into her coffee. He had a feeling she wasn’t being completely up-front with him about something. Becoming a teacher used to be all she talked about. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to change her mind. He would have to ask Ronald about it later.
“I think it’s time to call it a night or I might be falling flat on my face right along with you tomorrow,” she said, standing. Then to Ronald and Sheila, she said, “All right, you two, break it up down there. Save all that smooching for tomorrow. Some of us would like to go home and get into bed.”
A sly smile touched Ronald’s lips. “Hey, I’m feeling you, Lisa. That’s what I’ve been trying to convince Sheila all evening, that we should go home and go to bed.”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I bet you have. Sheila, please tell Ronald good-night so I can take you home.”
Sheila stood and smiled. “Good night, Ronald.” She then looked at Myles. “And I’m depending on you to make sure he stays in when he gets home. I don’t want him showing up over at Lisa’s place later tonight. Understood?”
Myles laughed. “Do you really think I can stop him if he decides at three a.m. that he can’t hold out and wants to see you?”
“Yes, just throw him in the shower and turn on the cold water,” Sheila said, as she moved to meet Lisa at the end of the table. “That should work.”
“I can’t believe you’re going to leave me this way,” Ronald said, in what actually sounded like a pout.
Myles shook his head and wondered if his best friend would start sobbing any minute now. Just in case, he tossed him a cloth napkin. Ronald glared at him and said. “I don’t need a napkin, I need my woman.”
“Your woman will give you everything you want after she becomes your wife tomorrow. I promise, sweetheart,” Sheila said softly. “Now be good and go home and stay there.” She then grabbed hold of Lisa’s hand and the two women rushed out of the restaurant.
CHAPTER THREE
LISA WASN’T SURE how Myles managed it, but he had kept Ronald from showing up. She wished someone had taken the same notion to her sisters. She heard the loud knock on her door, deciding Sheila needed to sleep for as long as she could this morning, she rushed to open her door to find the three of them standing there. She took one look at their expressions and knew they had already heard the news. Myles Joseph was back in town—and had kissed her.