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Chapter 1
Both being believersand good communication. - Mary Garback, Ridgecrest, CA
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“Are you sure this isgoing to work?” Kathy said low to Charlene as they gathered on the sidewalk in front of Peyton Sinclair’s used bookstore and bakery.
“Of course it’s going to work,” Charlene said with confidence, putting her hand on the door handle and pulling it open. “And even if it doesn’t,” she said, her voice softer, “we will simply move on and think of something else. We’re not going to wallow in our failures.”
Goodness, if she had allowed her failures to stop her, she’d have given up on life fifty years ago.
Even though it was March, and the official start of spring was just another week or so away on the calendar, ice and snow still piled up along the streets in Sweet Water, and a cold, icy wind blew from the west.
Charlene was used to the cold, but the older she got, the more she didn’t like it. Although, she supposed falling on the ice was her biggest concern now. Thankfully, the folks in Sweet Water kept the sidewalks relatively clear, and the sidewalks were wet but not slippery.
“I don’t like this pretending,” Teresa muttered as she walked by. “I don’t see why we can’t come right out and tell people that we’re trying to match them up. Surely most people would be happy and would go along with our plans without us having to deceive them.”
“We are not deceiving anyone. We are simply not telling them everything we know. There’s a big difference,” Charlene said, jerking with her head to indicate that Teresa needed to keep moving so they didn’t bring any unwanted attention to themselves.
Peyton was quiet, but sometimes the quiet ones were much more observant, and Charlene didn’t want to tip her off to anything.
As Vicki, the last of the Piece Makers, Sweet Water’s quilting club, walked inside, Charlene followed her and allowed the door to close behind her.
Peyton had just opened ten minutes ago, and her store was empty except for the Piece Makers.
Typically Tuesdays were not busy days for her. Charlene knew this and had planned for it.
What she had to say, she didn’t want an audience for.
They did have a reputation in town, and they couldn’t be this obvious with some of the townspeople, but Peyton was new enough that she thought they might get away with it.
Plus, it was hard to find Peyton outside of her store, and since they would be matching her up with someone who was just as reluctant to leave his home as she was, it had been a little tricky.
Normally, Charlene did not like to match up two people who were too similar, but she felt that in this case, these two were a perfect match.
“Good morning, ladies!” Peyton said cheerfully from behind the counter where she set out bottles of syrup.
Charlene glanced around the interior. One half of the store was filled with bookshelves stacked with books. There were tables scattered around and sitting along the windows in the front. There were bar stools along the counter. In the back, although she couldn’t see it now, there were several more comfortable chairs for people who wanted to sit and read for a bit.
To her surprise, she saw Owen, Peyton’s twelve-year-old son, setting a napkin dispenser on a table and walking back toward the counter.
Owen’s eyes were big and hopeful and had questions in them.
He had specifically asked that they work on getting his mom matched up with someone, which is why, even though Charlene would have waited a bit longer, they were here today. Obviously Owen was asking her if they were there for what he hoped they were, and she gave an almost imperceptible nod.
The boy’s eyes got bigger and brighter, and Charlene, after taking a quick glance at Peyton and seeing she was deep in conversation with Miss Vicki, brought one finger up and touched her lips with it.
Owen didn’t need any other sign from her, and he nodded eagerly.
She gave the boy another smile. He was going to be a good man someday, and if this was successful, she would have found him a good dad.
Maybe that’s part of why she did what she did. Why she was so eager to see people finding someone they could spend the rest of their lives with. That, and she hated to see people leaving Sweet Water.
“What can I do for you ladies this morning?” Peyton said as they gathered on the other side of the counter from her.
“You didn’t happen to make your French toast bake this morning, did you?” Kathy asked hopefully.
“No. I’ve been doing that on Saturdays, and while it’s been extremely popular, I didn’t want people to get tired of it. I think I’m going to keep that to just a Saturday thing.”
