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Mrs. K quickly added, “Really? Are you seeing anyone?”
Not able to control herself, Sam whispered, “Mrs. Koeppel! What are you doing?”
She heard the two handsome men chuckle and Mrs. K tried unsuccessfully to look embarrassed. Grayson replied, “No, I’m not seeing anyone. Did you want to ask me out?”
Sam was shocked to hear the humor in his voice, and her face reflected just that when she looked up at him. It only made everyone laugh.
Mrs. Koeppel was in prime form this morning. The gleam in her eye and the smile on her face said it all.
“Well, I can’t wait to tell Alfred I was just asked out on a date; he’s going to love that one. Well, maybe I wasn’t asked out, but the innuendo was there,” she giggled, giving Sam a wink. Grayson frowned, feigning disappointment.
“Alfred! Are you telling me you’re already taken, Mrs. Koeppel?”
Oh, so handsome. Sam allowed herself to glance his way. His teasing smile and dark brown eyes held her gaze. He appeared to be having a good time with the charade. He glanced at Mrs. Koeppel and then at Sam. Jackson chuckled. He had the same half-grin as his dad as he watched the show playing out before him.
Mrs. Koeppel grinned. “Oh, thank you so much for making me feel so young and flirty today, Mr. Kinkaide. That feels good. Alfred is my husband, for about fifteen years now. I was asking you because just about an hour ago, Sam here, told me that if God wanted her to meet someone, he would have to walk right through that door, and here you are!”
Oh, no! She didnotjust say that. There wasn’t a place close enough to crawl and hide from her embarrassment. Sam’s face grew redder than it had ever been before if that was even possible; the heat caused dampness to form between her breasts and under her arms.
Horrified, Sam snapped her head up and looked at Mrs. Koeppel.
“What on earth are you doing? Please, Mrs. Koeppel, don’t …”
Mrs. K put her hand under Sam’s chin, ensuring she was looking right at her, and said, “My dear girl, I’ve watched you this past year deal with your husband’s death. You’ve grown, you’ve started making a different life for yourself, and you’ve continued through all the pain and sorrow. Now, it’s time for you to have some fun, enjoy life again, and meet new people. I had the feeling you wouldn’t have spoken a word to Mr. Kinkaide, and he would have walked out, not knowing you’re available. I’m just trying to, at the very least, make an introduction. The rest is up to you and him.”
Sam dropped her head onto Mrs. Koeppel’s knees, mortified and afraid to look at anyone.
The front door opened again and Alfred walked in. He chuckled and said, “It looks like maybe I’m too late to keep Marjorie from embarrassing you. Sorry, Sam.”
At least she had someone here to help change the subject—sort of. Jessie giggled and began relating the whole embarrassing event to Alfred. Sam continued with Mrs. Koeppel’s shoe—the faster, the better—to get her out of there. She had teased Sam in the past, and everyone always laughed about it later, but this was just too much.
Alfred chuckled and shuffled closer to the two men and extended his hand. They both smiled and stood up for the handshake. Alfred glanced quickly to Mrs. Koeppel and back to Grayson.
“You know, she just thinks everyone should be happy and have someone to share their life with. We had both been widowed and alone for so long when we met that neither of us realized how lonely we had been. Now, she’s determined to make sure that others living that same way are enlightened. When she can, she tries to do something about it. Besides, we both like Sam; she’s a special person.”
He said the last with a wink at Sam, to which she sweetly smirked. It was very nice to hear that they both liked her. Sam looked at Alfred and mouthed, “Thank you.”
Grayson and Jackson returned to their seats. Alfred shuffled over to Mrs. Koeppel and Sam. Still feeling self-conscious, she glanced at Grayson who still watched her. She saw Jackson lean over and whisper something to his dad, and Gray furrowed his brow and sat back quickly. His expression was thoughtful, but he continued watching Sam intently.
She cleared her throat. “Mrs. Koeppel, did you wear a jacket this morning?”
“Yes, dear, I did.”
Mrs. K smiled and winked at Sam. Over time, Mrs. Koeppel and Sam had many conversations about her desire to see Sam happy and about how happy she was when she’d met Alfred.
With a sigh, Sam said, “I’ll go get your jacket.”
Thinking that maybe a little humor would keep her body from spontaneously combusting, Sam turned to the group but looked at Mrs. Koeppel and said, “While I’m out of the room, try as hard as you can to not marry me off to the next person who walks through the door. Some decisions should be left to me.”
The whole room laughed, and Sam felt a little better about having to return to that room with everyone staring at her.
The conversation started up again as Sam rounded the corner to the coat closet to retrieve Mrs. Koeppel’s jacket. Grayson’s voice was beautiful—deep and smooth—like fine silk winding its way around her. When she returned, the mood in the room seemed a bit lighter. Mrs. Koeppel struggled to stand up, and Sam leaned down to help her steady herself.
Sam held out her right arm, bent at a 45-degree angle so Mrs. K could use it as an anchor. Grayson jumped up. “May I help?”
Her heart beat faster and she blushed, but she smiled up at him and heard him suck in a breath.
“Thank you, but we have a routine here.”
