“Her instincts are right. Overall, a good choice I should think,” Meg agreed.
“But we have to convince the old man…”
Meg sighed. “All right. Will a phone call do it?”
“It may. But Lazarus plans to be in New York for the Lansing and Jonas meeting, and I thought—You know he likes you, Meg. Thinks you’re a ‘fine piece of womanhood.’”
“That old flirt,” Meg responded with a laugh. Then she pursed her mouth in thought while her usual excitement rose. This had been her package from the beginning, and she wanted to see it through. The best part of any deal was tracking it to a successful conclusion. Besides, it was unfair to put the Neels off any longer, or Clive, for that matter. He had his own accounts to see to.
Clive was still talking. “And since your mother is so much better, I’d hoped you might fly in for a face-to-face. It would only take a couple of days, Meg. I’m convinced you’re the one to cinch the deal.”
Meg rolled off her bed, reaching for a pad of paper from the side table, already thinking of a company in the north of England that might be interested in joining Neels in an island venture “Well, give me a day to make some arrangements here, okay? I’ll call you when I know I’ll be coming.”
Meg hung up, wondering how her mother would react to her leaving for a few days after promising her a whole month. Perhaps Sandy or one of her mother’s other friends would spend a few days with Audrey while she was gone. Two days should do it. Three at the most.
But there was a larger problem looming than what a mere two days could cover, and Meg hadn’t yet given much thought to the answers. She couldn’t stretch her leave of absence from work much longer than the month she’d asked for, yet the idea of leaving her mother to live entirely on her own again concerned her. She and Jack were Audrey’s only living relatives, and neither of them were within easy distance. Besides friends, who would be close by for her mother when she returned to England?
Perhaps it was time they found someone to share her mother’s house or else suggest her mother move in with Jack or Meg. Although Audrey wouldn’t welcome either suggestion, Meg was sure. Audrey loved her independence.
She made a note to talk with Jack and Kathy about the matter and closed her notebook.
But it wasn’t the problems surrounding her mother’s care or the usual excitement of finding all the components necessary to complete a business agreement that crowded her mind as she fell asleep later. No, she had no doubt those solutions would work themselves out with a little extra finesse on her part What made her heart flutter was the knowledge she would see Kelsey again in only a few hours. She wondered why that was still true after all these years, why she hadn’t fallen out of love with him. Or why she’d never found a man to supplant Kelsey’s place in her heart.
But she hadn’t, and that was that. Now she wondered what bothered him, what was on his mind. What did Kelsey need from her?
What if Lissa and Aimee had told him of their proposal?
She sat straight up in bed, wide-eyed, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with—not anxiety. Of course not. She was a grown woman and experienced in worldly attitudes. Such a small thing to cause a tizzy.
Her hands flew to her flushed cheeks, and she jerked them away, then dropped them into her lap.
Oh, what if they had. How mortifying! For her and for Kelsey.
Oh, Father, please, please don’t let either of us be embarrassed in this situation. The girls are so young and they haven’t a clue as to how I’ve felt all these years. Or Kelsey, either. Please, Lord, help me to think clearly in the morning and not hope for the impossible or…anything at all…or make an utter fool of myself.
She lay back down, curled on her side, with the sheet pulled up to her chin. Well, she’d just have to laugh it off. Surely she and Kelsey could share the joke together like the old friends they were.
They didn’t have to let it create a mountain of embarrassment.
Turning over, she punched her pillow. She’d wear her new buttercup yellow dress with the high waistline. It didn’t make her figure look much slimmer, but it went well with her coloring.
No—she’d wear the navy linen. She looked slimmer in it.
By eight the next morning, Meg had settled for a casual soft blue print skirt with a solid blue knit top to match her eyes. Betty Jean’s Café sat on a corner in the old part of town only two blocks from church. It boasted an old-fashioned family menu in a sixties setting Most of its customers came from long habit and loyalty. Meg slipped into the booth opposite Kelsey at exactly the appointed time.
Without his usual straw cowboy hat or his sometimes baseball cap, his gleaming auburn hair lay smoothly brushed against his head. He had dressed in a suit and tie, attire he seldom wore. He had little requirement for it, she knew; few farmers did. Granted, the outdated brown suit and solid green tie could never pass as anything more than very conservative, but he’d dressed up, just the same.
She’d caught him a second before he looked up. His downcast gaze appeared thoughtful, and his mouth had settled into a solemn expression. She blinked, wondering if he planned on going to a funeral
Then he smiled at her, and her heart went on its leapfrog game.
“Morning, Meg.”
“Hi, Kelsey.” She glanced at his almost empty coffee cup. “Have I kept you long?”
“No, not really. Lissa and Aimee needed to be at church early because the junior choir is singing for this morning’s service.”
“Oh, that’s nice.” She owned up to a tiny bite of disappointment. He hadn’t dressed up for her; he planned to attend church to hear his girls sing. “Where are the boys? And Heather?”
He signaled for the waitress to bring coffee. “Heather was invited to Miss Maybelle’s, her Bible teacher, for Sunday morning breakfast along with three other children entering kindergarten next year.”
“Ah, yes. I remember Miss Maybelle. She coached me in every Bible verse-and-fact contest while I was in grade school. I’m amazed at her faithfulness and tenacity.” She chuckled. “And longevity. Does she still own that property to the south of you?”
“Uh-huh. I’ve asked her if she wants to sell it several times, but she isn’t ready to let go of it yet. Been in her family too long. But she lives in town now.” He picked up his spoon, set it down again and glanced away. “The boys had pancakes already and now are riding their bikes in the park. I told them to check in with us in thirty minutes.” He glanced at his watch. “Twenty-five now.”
“With strict instructions not to get dirty before church, too, I bet.”
“You got it. I guess that kind of parenting never changes, does it?”
“No, I suspect not.”
The harried waitress finally came to their table, filled their coffee cups, left containers of fresh cream and rushed away. Kelsey stared after her with impatience. “Did you want something to eat? A donut or something?”
“No. I ate breakfast with Mom before I left.”
“It’s okay to leave her alone now?”
“Yes, she’ll do fine for a short period of time. In spite of her protests to the contrary, she likes her time alone. Anyway, she plans to attend church this morning.”
He nodded and stirred two creams into his cup and two sugars.