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“Laura, is something wrong?” he asked, then quickly added, “I’m glad that you’re here, but—” he decided it best to state the truth “—I haven’t heard from you since I graduated from Tennessee, so to see you now, over two years later...” His gaze moved to her belly. “Do you need help?”
Her lip quivered, and then tears pushed free. She quickly brushed them away with two flicks of her hand. “I told myself I wouldn’t cry.”
David felt bad for causing her to release those tears, but he didn’t know what else to say or do. However, he did know this—he would do whatever it took to help her. “Hey, it’ll be okay.” Rounding the counter, he did the only thing that seemed right—opened his arms and let her move inside his embrace. But he had no idea why she needed his comfort, so he said another silent prayer for God’s guidance.
Laura let him hold her for a moment, but then he sensed her gaining her composure again, her shoulders rising as she sniffed then eased out of his hug. She looked up at him, and David suddenly felt taller than his six-one. He’d forgotten how petite she was, no more than five-four. Her size made him feel an even stronger urge to protect her from whatever had her so upset.
“I’m sorry I fell apart. I’ll be okay.” A lock of blond hair had escaped her barrette and rested along her cheek. She gently pushed it behind her ear. “It’s been a long day.”
David knew that was an understatement, but he’d maintain his patience and wait until she was ready to explain. He tried to think of what he could do to make her feel more comfortable. He had no idea where she’d parked or how far she’d walked to get to his store. Finding a spot at the square was sometimes difficult, so she could have walked a bit to get here, probably not all that easy with the pregnancy. “Why don’t we sit and visit?” He pointed to the reading area nearest the counter. “I’ve got some lemonade in the kitchen. I’ll get us a couple of glasses, and you can tell me what’s going on.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
He went to the small kitchen in the back and poured two glasses of lemonade then returned to find her sitting in one of the oversize chairs pressing her hand against her belly and smiling.
“Here you go.” He placed a glass on the table beside her and then took a seat on the sofa nearby. “Everything okay?” He indicated her hand, still rubbing against her stomach.
She nodded. “Yes, they get a little more active as it gets closer to night.” A soft chuckle escaped when her hand actually edged out a little as something pushed—or kicked—from inside. “Makes sleeping quite a feat.”
David would have said something about that kick, because he’d never seen anything like it, but instead he keyed in on the most important word in her statement. “They?”
Another nod, then she said, “Twins.” She took a sip of the lemonade, swallowed and then announced, “Twin girls.”
“Twin girls,” he repeated, amazed.
Then, before he could ask anything like how far along she was, she added three words that put every question David may have had on hold.
“And they’re Jared’s.”
He focused on her stomach. Twins were there. Jared’s twins. His mind reeled at that. It’d been, what, over four months since he stood beside Jared as a groomsman at his wedding?
David continued staring at her swollen belly—he couldn’t help it—and wondered how far along...
“Seven months,” she whispered, obviously following his thought process. “I found out about the pregnancy the end of May, the week I graduated. By that time, our relationship had been over for two months, which was exactly how far along I was.” She held the glass of lemonade, palms sliding up and down the clear column as her shaky voice continued. “I didn’t know he’d been seeing Anita—seeing both of us—and then...he married her.” Her attempted smile caused a couple of tears to fall free, and again she wiped them away. Then she seemed to gather the courage to tell him more and said, “He told me he’d pay to get rid of the baby.” One shoulder lifted. “He had no idea there were two.”
David’s mouth opened, but no words came, and his opinion of his old roommate plummeted.
“My parents wanted me to put them up for adoption. They said it’d be better, you know, since I don’t have a job or anything.” She placed her glass on the table. “I got my early education degree, but schools aren’t that interested in hiring a teacher who’s going to have to miss work for doctor appointments and will be out for six weeks of maternity leave.”
He tried to put the pieces together but still didn’t see what had brought Laura here, to Claremont. However, he wanted to make sure that she knew, whatever she needed, he would try to help. “I hate it that you’ve had a hard time, and I’m really sorry that I haven’t tried to contact you since I left.” He’d thought of her often, but it didn’t seem right calling Jared’s girl, even after he knew they weren’t together anymore. Plus he’d been seeing AnnElise Riley for the majority of that time, and she’d never have understood him reconnecting with an old, moreover attractive, female friend. Her jealousy had been over the top, which really made the fact that she’d cheated on David with her old boyfriend—and consequently left town with him—sting.
David shook away the bitter memory and concentrated on the woman in his bookstore. Now he wished he’d at least tried to check on her over the past couple of years.
“I didn’t call you, either,” she said softly, “so we’re even.”
That was true, but somehow it didn’t help David’s tinge of guilt. When Jared married Anita, he should have called to see if Laura was okay. And she was so not okay. She’d been several months pregnant when Anita walked down the aisle. David still couldn’t get a handle on that fact. Why hadn’t Jared at least mentioned it?
In any case, David would do what he’d always done back in college—help Laura after Jared had left her hurting. “Well, I’m glad that you’ve come here now, and I want you to know that if there’s anything that I can do to help you, I will.” He placed his glass next to hers then took her hands in his. “I mean that, Laura.”
She blinked, nodded and then David saw pleading in those vivid blue eyes. “When my parents realized I wouldn’t give up the babies and that I couldn’t get a job in the school system, they offered to take care of everything. They wanted me to live with them, let them support me and the babies, for as long as I needed.” One corner of her mouth lifted. “You remember how they were always fighting, how Mom was always threatening to leave or actually leaving. I didn’t want my babies to grow up around that tension.” Another sniff. “I want them to have a real home, somehow. And I want to take care of them.”
David had met her parents a few times when they visited Laura in college. Her mother had always seemed angry or been pouting over one thing or another, and her father had tried to explain and make amends for her behavior. Laura had been even more independent because she didn’t want to rely on them. “You didn’t take them up on their offer.”
She shook her head. “No, I couldn’t. I’ve stayed with them the past few months, since I graduated, while I tried to find a job. At first I was able to substitute teach, but the schools don’t even call me for that anymore. I think they’re afraid I’ll go into early labor.” She gave him a soft smile. “Probably wouldn’t be too great for my water to break in a classroom of first graders.”
He grinned. “Yeah, probably not.”
“But I want to show my folks that I’ll be okay on my own. And I really didn’t want to stay in Nashville.” She touched her hand to her stomach, then added, “Jared and Anita live there.”
David nodded. Jared and Anita were beginning their life in Laura’s hometown, and he was certain she wouldn’t want the slightest chance of running into her babies’ father and his new bride.
“So, here goes.” She took a deep breath, pushed it out. “I need a job. I want to support myself and my babies. And I thought of you and your bookstore, and—” she scanned the surplus of books “—I would work really hard for you. I know I’m limited physically now, but I can still sell books, and maybe I could help you start some reading programs or something like that? Something that would let me work with children, like I would have been able to do with my teaching degree?” She paused a beat then quietly added, “And I’ll need help finding somewhere to live. I have a little cash in my savings, and I thought with this being a smaller town and all, maybe the cost of living would be lower than Nashville.” She looked at him hopefully. “Do you think I could help you out? Or, I guess what I’m asking is, do you think you could help me out?”
He swallowed thickly through the lump lodging in his throat. He’d seen the worst figures ever this afternoon on his P&L statement, had even wondered how he’d stay in business past the holidays. Hiring someone wasn’t something he’d have considered, at all. He couldn’t pay himself, much less someone else. But this was Laura. And her baby girls. David knew the only answer he could give, even if it didn’t make sense and even if it might give Milton Stott an early heart attack.
“Yes, I can use your help.”
Chapter Two
Laura had been around David enough in college to know when something wasn’t going right in his world. Right now, as he talked on the phone to the woman who owned the Claremont Bed-and-Breakfast, she could tell he wasn’t getting the answer he wanted. He’d removed his glasses and placed them on the counter, then he pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to what the lady had to say.
“No, Mrs. Tingle, I understand. I’d forgotten about the crafting folks coming in for the First Friday festival. They don’t usually stay overnight, though, do they?” He flinched as she apparently delivered another bit of bad news, then his head slowly moved up and down. “That’s right. I wasn’t thinking about everything happening next week. Yes, the bookstore is going to offer some activities for the festival. I just haven’t decided exactly what I’m doing yet.” His jaw tensed. “Okay, I’ll let Laura know you should have some rooms available in a couple of weeks.”
Laura waited for him to look her way then mouthed, “No luck?”
He held up a palm and gave her a half smile in an apparent effort to let her know everything would be okay. But Laura’s stomach quivered, and she began to think everything might not be okay. What if every room in town was booked for this festival he mentioned? For two weeks! Then what would she do?
“Yes, ma’am, we are having a book signing for Destiny Lee at the store next Saturday. That’s the only thing I’ve officially set up so far, but it’s definitely happening. It’s her first signing and she’s pretty excited about it.” He nodded. “I’d heard she included a story about you and Mr. Tingle in the book. I look forward to reading it.” He continued listening, then finally said, “That’s okay, I’m sure we’ll find something.”
Laura didn’t think he sounded so sure, and she wasn’t feeling a whole lot of certainty, either. She waited for him to click the end button on his cell then asked, “Do you think all of the hotels in town are booked, too?”
He picked up his glasses and slid them back in place to rest on his nose. “See, that’s the thing. Claremont doesn’t have any hotels.”
Laura felt her jaw drop. “None that have rooms, you mean?”
“None at all. The town’s population is only 4,500. Usually the bed-and-breakfast offers more than enough room to house tourists...except when we have the crafting festivals.”
“First Friday, that’s a craft festival?” She’d heard him mention the term in his conversation.
“No, the First Friday festival happens every month, and it’s basically a combination of crafters and performers, as well as a chance for all of the square’s merchants to showcase their merchandise.” He leaned against the counter. “First Friday brings in practically everyone from Claremont and the surrounding counties, but they don’t typically stay overnight. However, November’s First Friday is a little different, in that it leads into the annual Holiday Crafters Extravaganza, which lasts a full week. The crafters will have booths set up around the square through the following weekend, and each of the local stores coordinates activities for the festival, as well.”
“And they’ve booked all of the rooms at the B and B,” Laura said.
“As well as all of the hotel rooms in Stockville, which is the nearest city. Not that that would matter, though, since Stockville is a good twenty miles away, and you wouldn’t want to drive that far.” His brows lifted as he apparently thought of something, and then he asked, “About driving...how long will you be able to drive? I’m assuming there’s a certain time when the doctors tell you to stop driving in pregnancy?” He glanced at her stomach and probably wondered how she could fit all of that behind the wheel. Laura had almost doubted the possibility herself, but she’d been able to pull it off by adjusting the steering wheel and seat.
“I don’t have to stop driving,” she said. “I did ask my doctor before taking the trip here today, not because I thought I couldn’t drive but because I was traveling so far. She told me as long as I took periodic breaks to rest, I’d be fine, and I didn’t have any problems.” Laura had been amazed at how smoothly the trip had gone, but apparently the drive to Claremont wasn’t her biggest dilemma. Thanks to the crafters in town, she had no place to stay. She’d been so worried about getting a job that she hadn’t thought to consider locating a place to live before she traveled nearly four hundred miles. Her mother often said she acted too impulsively, and this was yet another time she’d be proving her right.
David must have noticed her anxiety because he moved to the seat next to hers and reached for her hand. The warmth of his large palm encircling hers reminded her of all the times he’d consoled her in college whenever Jared had let her down. Why couldn’t her heart have fallen for someone like David instead of always tumbling head over heels for the one who’d treat her wrong? Even in high school, she’d been drawn to the bad boys. They just seemed so intriguing, dangerous and undeniably tempting.
“Some girls are just drawn to guys that treat them badly,” her mother had said in an apparent effort to make Laura feel better about her situation. It didn’t help. In fact, it only made her more resolute that she would not be hurt again, because she wasn’t going to rely on a guy again.
Uh-huh, right. Then why did you come running here to David? her mind whispered.
Laura shook that thought away. She’d never thought of David “that” way. He was her friend and he’d always been there for her, just like he was now. This was a different situation entirely. She wasn’t relying on a guy; she was counting on a friend.
“We’ll find somewhere for you to stay,” he said, solidifying the fact that she could, in fact, count on him. “Even if we don’t find a place tonight, you have somewhere to go. You can stay in my apartment.” He pointed to the ceiling. “It’s above the bookstore.”
Laura was touched that he’d offer, but she knew she couldn’t accept. Asking David for help with the job was one thing; living in his apartment would be something different entirely. She’d gotten too close to Jared without the boundaries of marriage, and she’d been left to raise her babies on her own. She was certain that wasn’t what David was offering, but still...the two of them staying together in his apartment wouldn’t give the right impression to the people around town, or to David, for that matter.
She didn’t need him thinking that she wanted more. She didn’t—not with David or with any guy. Not for a long, long time. The wound inflicted by Jared was still too raw. “David, I don’t think that’s a good idea, for us to stay together....” She searched for the right words but didn’t have to say anything because David halted her progress.
“Oh, no—” he shook his head “—hey, that wasn’t what I meant. You can stay in my apartment, and I’ll stay with one of my friends in town.”
She felt her cheeks flush. “Oh, I should have known that wasn’t what you meant.” A little surge of adrenaline, or something, pulsed through her veins as she tried to shake the embarrassment. She was seven months pregnant...with twins! “I’m sorry,” she said, then added, “and embarrassed.”
Still holding her hand, he tenderly squeezed her palm. “It’s okay. A few years ago, those first three years of college, I’d have been exactly the kind of guy to ask a girl to stay at my place and wouldn’t have thought a thing about it, but that’s the old David.”
His comment reminded her of the fact that he’d changed during his last year at UT. Something had happened that caused him to turn away from his wilder ways and back to his faith. Laura had been so wrapped up in Jared at the time that she hadn’t thought a lot about what caused David’s rapid transformation. But now she wished she could recall.
“So you don’t have anything to worry about.” He grinned, and Laura spotted a slight dimple creasing his left cheek. Funny, she’d never noticed it before, but she liked it, very much. And she liked David, even more for making her feel at ease with her crazy presumption.
She laughed at her foolishness and slid her palm from his. For some reason, it suddenly seemed a little too intimate for their current relationship, friend-to-friend and boss-to-employee. “Okay, then, if you don’t mind, and since there doesn’t seem to be another place in town, I’ll take you up on your offer.”
The bell on the door sounded as someone entered the shop. “Welcome to A Likely Story,” David called toward the front. Then he stood and held out a hand to help Laura rise from the chair.
She occasionally had a little trouble off-balancing her weight when she stood, and the support of his strong hand was a welcome addition. “Thanks.”
“Anytime,” he said, and she knew he meant it. David would help her stand and help her with a job and even help her find a place to live. Already, in less than an hour, he’d done more for her than anyone else had in years, and the gratitude for that compassion washed over her at once. She blinked back the urge to cry.
Luckily, a blond little boy dashed through the aisle knocking a few books from the endcap as he circled and taking Laura’s attention off of herself and the man currently taking her under his wing.
“Kaden, please, slow down.” A pretty brunette picked up the dislodged books and tucked them back in place then gave David an apologetic smile. “I told him we needed to hurry if we were going to make it to the bookstore before you closed at six, and I’m afraid he got the impression that we had to run all the way in.”
“Not a problem at all,” David said, tousling the boy’s blond curls. “What ya so excited about, Kaden?”
“My teacher says I need some more books because I’m not—what did she say again, Mom?”
“Challenged,” the lady said. “He’s breezing through the sight word books and because of that, he’s becoming a little disruptive during reading time at school.”
“And we only get library day on Tuesday, and I can only check out one book for the whole entire week, and I really want more books than just one book, so Mom said we could come and buy some.”
“I see,” David said to Kaden.
Laura liked the way he didn’t change his voice to talk to the boy. He spoke to him as though speaking to an adult, and Kaden nodded his head as if he totally believed David did see and understood his dilemma. Then he seemed to forget all about David as his attention zoned in on Laura. “Wow, how many babies are in your tummy?”
“Oh, my,” his mother exclaimed. “Kaden, that isn’t something that we ask...” She tapped her finger against her chin and seemed as though she didn’t know how to complete her instruction to her son. Then she looked at Laura. “I’m so sorry. We have a baby at home—well, she’s eighteen months now—but I had explained to Kaden when I was pregnant about how baby Mia was in my tummy. However, I forgot to explain how some women may not want to give the details....”
Kaden’s brows drew together and he shrugged as though he couldn’t figure out what he’d done wrong, and Laura laughed. “It’s fine,” she said. She pointed to her stomach and told Kaden, “Actually, there are two babies in my stomach. Two baby girls.”
“Wow! Cool!”
This time David laughed, too, and Kaden’s mother simply shook her head.
Kaden, undeterred, moved right on to his next pressing question. “So, can you help me find some books?” he asked, focused intently on David.
“Tell you what. This is my friend Miss Laura, and she just started working at the bookstore today.” David tilted his head to Laura, and she smiled at Kaden, who turned his attention from David to her. “I think she will be able to help you find some really good books, and while she’s helping you, I’m going to go get her things out of her car.” He glanced to Laura. “Sound good?”
She felt a tinge of excitement at already being trusted to help a child. This was going to be...wonderful. “Sounds great.” She’d dropped her purse on the table, so she turned, opened it and retrieved her keys. Handing them to David, she said, “It’s the same Volkswagen I drove in school, and it’s parked by the five-and-dime. I’ve got one large suitcase and a smaller makeup bag.”
“That’s it?” he asked.
“I brought some teaching supplies, just in case.” She still hoped that she’d eventually get to teach. “But for now, I only need the two bags. I appreciate you getting them for me.”
“No problem at all.” David seemed to realize he’d forgotten introductions. “Mandy, this is Laura Holland. She’s moved to Claremont and is going to be working here. Laura, this is Mandy Carter—Mandy Brantley, I mean. You’d think after all this time I’d get used to that.”
“Not a problem,” Mandy said.
“Mandy is married to the youth minister, Daniel Brantley, who also happens to be one of my best friends. And she owns Carter Photography on the square. She’s a pretty amazing photographer. You’ll have to check out her studio.”
“Thanks,” Mandy said. She smiled at Laura. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too.”
“So, you ready to help me find books?” Kaden asked, grabbing Laura’s hand and tugging her toward the children’s area.
“Sure.” Laura let him tug her away, but even though she listened to Kaden talk about the kinds of books he liked, she also heard David ask Mandy whether he could bunk at their house tonight. Laura hated making David move out of his own apartment, but she didn’t know what else to do.
“Which ones do you think I should try?” Kaden squinted at the titles on the shelves with his hands on his hips.
“Well, let’s see.” Laura scanned the books and was pleased with the variety David offered. “How about these Dr. Seuss books?”
“Already read ’em.”
“All of them?” Laura asked.
He bobbed his head. “Yep.”
“Here’s a good one. Where the Wild Things Are.”
“Read it, too.”
Mandy had finished talking with David and now walked to stand behind her son. “He loves to read.”
“I can see that,” Laura said, reaching for Curious George’s First Day of School.
“I like Curious George, but I’ve read them already,” Kaden said matter-of-factly. “But that one would be good for baby Mia.” He pointed to the Curious George Pat-A-Cake board book.
“We’ll get that one for her,” Mandy said to Kaden, “but let’s find some for you, too.”
