Page 48 of Love Everlasting

Shannon’s gentle laughter drifted on the breeze like a breath of hope as she plopped down next to her sister. “And I may just let you, sweetie, although this one doesn’t really deserve it.” The smile faded from her face. “Friend or otherwise, the man’s a keeper.”

“So, keep him.” Lacey joined them to sit on the dock, leaning back with palms braced to the wood and legs crossed at the ankles.

That certainly stirred Cat’s pot, lighting sparks in her eyes. “No way, Lace. She needs to distance herself from Sam Cunningham as much as she can.”

“Agreed,” Lacey said quickly, “on the distance, not on how much.”

“What do you mean?” Shannon said, head in a tilt.

“I mean, keep the friendship, Shan, but at arm’s length.” Lacey shifted to get more comfortable. “Which frankly, shouldn’t be too hard once Sam’s back with Jazz because trust me, the woman does not like other women in her man’s life, friends or otherwise.”

Cat pelted a peanut at Lacey’s head. “Oh, great idea, Carbuncle—let’s just keep her in the lion’s den where the beast can eat her heart out.”

Lacey stared Cat down. “Not if she has another lion to protect her,” she emphasized with a smug look in Cat’s direction before facing Shannon once again. “Which means, Shannon O’Bryen, that as much as I hate to admit it, I agree with Cat—you need to start dating again.”

“You do?” Cat blinked several times, obviously not used to Lacey agreeing so readily. A slow grin lit up her features. “Well, of course she does!” She grabbed Shannon’s hand with a giggle. “And I know just the guy to fix you up with too!”

“Oh, noooooo you don’t,” Shannon said. “You are not going to pawn Mrs. Brewer’s son off on me, Catfish. You’re the one she wants as a daughter-in-law, not me.”

“Mrs. Brewer?” Lacey’s gaze bounced from Cat to Shan.

“A cafeteria monitor at the school where we teach,” Shan explained, attempting to scoot away from her sister.

Cat clamped on to Shannon’s arm to prevent her escape. “Okay, okay, we’ll send Horatio sailing.”

Lacey’s jaw dropped. “Horatio? A woman actually named her son Horatio?”

“After Horatio Hornblower,” Cat said, smile shifting sideways, “one of her favorite heroes. Which actually fits pretty well because both Horatio and his mother are from a long line of horn-blowers.” Cat tugged Shan back. “Then how ‘bout that sweet guy at church? You know, the one who turns sixty shades of red whenever you and I come around?”

Shannon’s smile was patient as she inched even closer to Lacey. “Yes, Russell Sternberg is sweet, but in case you haven’t noticed, Catfish, the poor guy is shyer than I am, so I doubt there’d be much talking going on.”

“Not necessarily a bad thing,” Cat teased.

Lacey pelted Cat with a hailstorm of peanuts. “I swear, O’Bryen, somebody needs to put you in shackles till you grow up.”

“Don’t think Mom hasn’t threatened,” Shannon said, pushing several stray peanuts through the cracks in the dock before Cat could pop them in her mouth.

Lacey shook her head, wishing Cat could find a decent guy she actually liked who would help get her back on track. Expelling a wispy sigh, she refocused on Shannon. “Well, what about Chase?” she said, waiting for Shannon’s reaction. “I think you two would be a good match.”

“No way,” Cat volunteered, finishing off the rest of the scattered peanuts. “He’s too serious, too mature, and way too spiritual.” She paused, nose in a scrunch. “Which come to think of it sounds pretty perfect for Shan. But unfortunately, ol’ Pastor Chase hasn’t shown much interest in anyone since you threw him over for Jack, Lace.”

“That’s not true,” Lacey said with a niggle of guilt. “He dated both Katy Hendricks and Wendi Kitsteiner after we stopped going out.”

Cat delivered a deadpan smile. “One date each does not qualify. Face it, Lace—you ruined the man for other women.”

“I did not.” Lacey’s chin rose several degrees, along with her defenses. “I’ll have you know that Chase specifically asked me about Shannon after Jack and I got engaged, wanting to know if she was seeing anyone.”

Cat could have been a statue, her look of stun etched in stone. “You’re kidding,” she said, a definite hint of hurt in her tone.

“He must have meant Cat, not me.” The shock in Shannon’s voice was equal to Cat’s.

“Nope.” Lacey shook her head, actually encouraged that Cat seemed disappointed over Chase’s interest in her sister. A good sign, indeed, when a godly man like Chase didn’t completely turn the wild twin off. “He meant you, sweetie-pie, but when I told him that you were ‘unequivocally against dating at this phase of your life,’ which is what you drilled into my head, yes?”

Shannon nodded.

“I can unequivocally say he was not only concerned, he was downright disappointed.”

“He was?” the twins said in stereo, a matched set with gaping mouths.