“Yes,” he said. “My job is important to me, but I want to experience life too. I can see that with you.”
A whirl of excitement pushed through her. “I know. I didn’t even know that’s what I wanted. But I do.”
“The timing and the stars just finally lined up for us. We owe ourselves the chance.”
“Yes. You’re right.” She slid her hand down his arm, then laced her fingers with his.
He rested his body against hers as he looked to the sky. “What a special night.”
She followed his gaze, and at that moment a shooting star zoomed across the sky. Instinctively, her hand reached for the sky.
Tucker said, “Tell me you just saw that too.”
“I did.”
“My mom always told me that a couple witnessing a shooting star together means they’ve found their soulmate.”
“This is better than snow,” she said.
“I’d follow you anywhere,” he said.
“You won’t have to,” Sheila said. “I’m going to be right here in Chestnut Ridge with you.”
“Well, that’s good, because even if it snowed three feet, I could snowshoe to come see you.”
She froze. “Wait a minute. You don’t really get that much snow, do you? Please tell me you don’t own snowshoes.”
“I don’t, and you won’t need any either.”
“Thank goodness, because that might be a little too much snow for me.”
“No such thing. We’d just have to build more snowmen to clear the sidewalk, and how bad could that be?”
“Not bad at all as long as it’s with you.”
Epilogue
Sheila rang in the new year with Tucker at the Ruritan Club celebration with Randy and Natalie, and all of her new friends. It wasn’t exactly the lavish affair she was used to, but it was a lot more fun. People brought their families, and even Paul made an appearance at the party, and was a hit handing out silver dollars to all the kids in the crowd.
Jack and Diane brought the children, and he was already making progress on the rebuild of the house. It was moving as fast as if it were an old-fashioned barn raising, according to Paul. Orene’s house smelled of salty ham the whole following week after she fed half the county all the things that were supposed to guarantee a good year, and just about every bit of it was cooked in some kind of pork fat.
There was cornbread fried in a skillet until it was crispy around the edges and with the slightest sweetness to make it only narrowly escape the cake category. According to Orene, the golden color of the cornbread was supposed to bring extra spending money to those who ate it on New Year’s Day.
There was a mess of collard greens, the color of money, andanother huge pot of black-eyed peas that she’d shelled and frozen over the summer just for the occasion. “The more you eat,” she said, “the more you luck you’ll have.” That was the week Orene taught Sheila how to make Hoppin’ John by using leftover ham fried to a crisp, black-eyed peas, collards, and spices mixed into rice.
On Valentine’s Day, Tucker surprised Sheila with dinner at Primland, a fancy resort not too far from Chestnut Ridge. It was an evening in fancy clothes with music and dancing, and they ended it in the observatory looking at the stars.
Sheila wasn’t sure if it was all the good-luck rituals that made the difference, because this was the first year she’d done all of them.
By spring, Tucker had made as many trips to Richmond as she had to Chestnut Ridge. They spent most of their free time together, and things were only getting better and better. Richmond was losing its luster as her friendships in the mountains grew stronger.
Sheila knew her life was in Chestnut Ridge with Tucker, and she couldn’t imagine spending it anywhere else.
Sheila tapped lightly on Tucker’s office door. “Do you have a minute?”
He got up with a lazy smile and walked over and kissed her on the nose. “I always have time for you.”
“You looked busy.”
