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“Areyoustillmoping?”Cindy asked as she and Grace got ready for Delia’s wedding in Cindy’s childhood bedroom.
Grace’s parents’ home was overrun with relatives in town for the wedding, so she’d retreated to the calm and quiet of Cindy’s house.
Grace bent her knees to look into the mirror and applied one last brush of the soft rose-hued lipstick she’d worn since she’d discovered it four years ago. It was perfect for her skin tone, and it lasted better than any other product she’d ever tried. She glanced at Cindy as her friend sat on the vanity stool in front of the dressing table mirror, applied a coat of Tangee lipstick, and smacked her lips together to rub in the coloring.
“I am not moping,” Grace said, adjusting a stray lock of hair in the back of Cindy’s hairstyle. Her friend had doused her hair with a liberal coating of Sun In, and the smell hadn’t fully dissipated. She had no idea why Cindy insisted on using the odorous product when her hair always lightened naturally in the summer months anyway.
“Just because Levi couldn’t come this weekend doesn’t mean anything. As you know, summer is the busiest time of year for farmers.”
“I know,” Grace snapped, then sighed. “Sorry. It’s just I so wanted him to come, to meet everyone and them to meet him. I know he’s busy and couldn’t get away, but still, I …”
“Wanted to show him off?” Cindy asked with a teasing grin. “He’s not too ugly, at least for an unsophisticated farm boy, and he’s not entirely dumb or completely unable to carry on a conversation.”
Grace glanced in the mirror, making a face as she placed her hands at Cindy’s throat, pretending to throttle her.
Both girls laughed.
“Seriously, Grace, he’s pretty wonderful. Not only is he handsome, but he also has that boyish charm thing going for him. He’s smart and funny and a lot of fun. I like him, and not just for him. I like him for you. When you’re with him, you seem like the very best version of yourself. When he’s around, you’re so happy it would be utterly disgusting under other circumstances.”
Grace hugged Cindy’s shoulders and straightened. “I just wish he could have been here, not because I want to show him off, which we both know that I do. It’s because I wanted him to see Holiday and meet my family and know where I came from, if that makes any sense.”
“It does.” Cindy rose from the stool and turned to Grace. “We might have to skimp on our grocery budget the rest of the month, but these dresses are worth it.”
The yellow polka-dotted dress with puffed sleeves and a lace bib on the front was perfect for Cindy’s complexion and hair color.
Grace smoothed her hand along the front of her cream cotton dress overlaid with sheer fabric featuring teal velvet roses. A teal velvet ribbon tied into a bow at the front of her waist, with the streamers ending just above the skirt’s deep flounce. A ruffled, rounded neckline and sheer sleeves with a tight six-inch button placket at the wrist made her feel feminine and pretty. She and Cindy had both opted for wedge sandals, so they could dance as long as they liked in stylish comfort.
“Come on. We don’t want to be late,” Grace said, adjusting a wayward curl. She’d spent the morning with her hair wrapped around big pink foam curlers, then swept the curls away from her face in a style she hoped closely copied one she’d seen Raquel Welch sporting in a recent magazine article.
Quickly stuffing a few essentials into handbags, they rushed downstairs.
“See you at the church,” Cindy called to her parents, who were in the kitchen, then she and Grace hurried outside and headed down the tree-lined sidewalk toward the Holiday Community Church, where the wedding would take place.
Even though Grace wasn’t part of the wedding party, she’d offered to arrive early to help with anything that was needed. Of course, Cindy had also offered her assistance.
They arrived at the church to find the florist was running late and hastened to help set out the flowers when they arrived. From there, they’d answered questions from early guests, checked on the bride and declared her beyond gorgeous, chased two ornery boys away from the guest book, then finally went to find seats.
She and Cindy had just walked into the back of the church when Grace was jostled and bumped into by the person behind her. She turned to apologize, only to have her jaw drop open in shock.
Levi smiled down at her, and her heart felt like it sprouted wings and soared right out of her chest. Up until that moment, she hadn’t allowed herself to acknowledge how desperately she’d wanted him there beside her.
“Hi, stranger,” she said, leaning against him so she could speak in his ear above the din of the growing crowd.
“Hi, Miss American Pie.” He kissed her cheek, then blushed as he noticed several people staring at them.
“I’m so glad you’re here.” Grace laced their fingers together and led him to the pew where Cindy had taken a seat by Grace’s brothers. Micah was threatening to mess up Jason’s combed hair, while Cindy lectured them both on behaving in the church.
“Levi Gibson, I’d like you to meet my brothers. Micah is the old one wearing a scowl. Jason has his tie on crooked,” she said with a mocking smile, then playfully tugged on Jason’s tie.
Levi grinned and shook hands with both of them, then waited for Grace to take a seat by Cindy before settling on the end of the pew nearest the wall.
When Micah winked at Grace, she knew her big brother approved of her choice of a boyfriend. In fact, other than the boys she’d dated in school, whom her family all knew, Levi was the first boyfriend she’d invited home to meet them.
Still taken aback by his unexpected appearance, she leaned closer to him. “I thought you couldn’t make it.”
He shrugged and slipped his right arm around her shoulders. “I decided here with you was where I needed to be. I hope it’s okay that I came.”
“Better than okay,” she whispered, looking up at him, wishing they were alone so he’d kiss her instead of in a church surrounded by people she’d known her whole life who would not only observe but discuss, at length, her every move since she’d brought a stranger into their midst.
