“Yeah, I’ve given it some thought.” I take a deep breath, then tell him what I’ve been holding back. “I think I’m in love. No, actually, I definitely know that I am, but I haven’t told her yet, so I probably shouldn’t be telling you.”
“Holy shit,” he says, and I can hear the grin behind his words. “Who is it?”
“Nora Leigh.”
He instantly starts laughing. “Tell me something I haven’t known for a decade.”
Before Noraand I leave for the dreadful double date from hell, we grab Nathaniel and bring him to the tea shop to conduct a very important side quest.
Ann has insisted she’s fully recovered from her little “hiccup” with George last week and is ready to meet a real man, “like that darling Mick, but forty years older.”
While I don’t believe Nathaniel and Mick bear any similarities, Nora is attached to her plan, and I am attached to making Nora happy.
The purpose of this meeting is, purportedly, for Nathaniel to tell Dottie about the legal part of his herb garden. It overproduces, and he dislikes wasting the excess herbs.
But we’re also going to introduce him to Ann.
“This is a nice place,” Nathaniel says as we walk into the hubbub of Tea of Fortune. It smells of herbs, and although it’s loud, it has a warm, earthy atmosphere.
I raise my eyebrows and nod. “Yes. Full of tea.”
Nora nudges me, indicating that this was not a normal response, as if I’m not fully aware of that myself.
“It’s a little warm in here, don’t you think?” she asks. “Why don’t you roll your shirtsleeves up, Nathaniel?”
He peers at her, blinks, and then does as requested as we walk further into the tea shop.
“Oh, there they are,” Nora says. She bustles toward the table where Dottie and Ann are sitting, located in the middle of the teahouse. While we didn’t tell Nathaniel going in about our dual purpose for this meeting, wedidinform Ann, and she’s wearing a blue summer dress that matches the blue strip in her rainbow glasses.
“We’re meeting those two lovely ladies?” Nathaniel asks, observing them as we come closer.
In a whisper, I say, “Yeah, but only the one on the right is single.”
I don’t want him to accidentally flirt with Dottie, thus collapsing the tenuous house-of-cards romance Nora has formed in her head.
“Well, hot diggety dog,” he responds, which makes me chuckle.
We reach the table, and Dottie stands to shake hands with Nathaniel. “Hello, I’m Dottie, and you must be Nathaniel. I’m so glad you could come over and meet with me. It’s wonderful to make your acquaintance. The young people have told me so much about your lovely garden.”
“Everything?” He darts a worried look at me and tugs on the end of his beard, Ann’s gaze following the gesture in a promising fashion. She rises to her feet too, studying him.
“Oh no, we haven’t told them about the—” I cough, catching myself at the last second. Mostly because Nora is giving me a death glare. “The mint bushes.”
“But I love mint,” Dottie cries out. “Mint makes a wonderful tea.”
“And a fine mint julep,” Ann adds.
“I love a good mint julep.” Nathaniel takes off his hat and holds it in both hands before turning a hopeful glance on Ann. He seems unsure at first, and then he just drops his hat and reaches with both hands to shake Ann’s, apparently deciding that the hat is less important than a hearty two-handed shake.
Dottie’s phone rings, and she clucks her tongue as she answers. “Oh, dear. A flood, you say? Yes, I’ll be right there.”
She hangs up the phone and turns toward us. “Dears, would you mind terribly much giving me a ride home? There’s a problem with the plumbing.”
“Of course not,” Nora says.
I glance at Nathaniel, trying to make sure he’s happy with this turn of events.
He smiles encouragingly at me, then says, “But we drove over here together.”
