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Chapter 1
December
Lucy stopped her little beat-up sedan in a cloud of dust and grabbed her garment bag and her backpack. She rushed up the steps of the white church in Crimson Creek, continuing to the left hall and ignoring the crowd in the sanctuary. A shut door had deep voices on the other side, so she strode past. Instead, she made a beeline for the last door and pushed it open.
"Lucy, thank God! I thought you weren't going to make it," Nana Helen said as she smiled and held out her hands.
Lucy grabbed them, pulling her into a hug. "I know, I'm so sorry. My professor was late, and I had to take the final today to pass the class. I got here as fast as I could."
Helen turned back to the mirror where Katie continued putting the finishing touches to her makeup. She'd met her at the planning meeting Helen had arranged last month right after Ray had proposed. Lucy came by her organization honestly.
She smiled at Nana's best friends, Vonda and Margarita. They wore the same peach colored gown and glowed as they chatted about their grandkids.
Lucy hung her garment bag on the back of the door and dropped her backpack. She unzipped it as Vonda said, "You've got half an hour, Lucy. Think you can make it?"
Lucy nodded. "Yeah, I did my hair early this morning, so I just need to pin the curls back."
"Does your dress need to be steamed?" Margarita asked.
Lucy shook her head as she pulled it out of the bag. "I don't think so. I think it's fine."
The next few minutes flew by in a flurry of activity. Lucy chatted with Katie about the town. They'd run into each other a few times over the years. Although Lucy had moved to Denton in middle school with her parents, she'd spent all her summers here.
"I can't believe you're finally done. That's so exciting," Katie said.
Helen beamed. "I'm so proud of you, sweet pea. This has been a long time coming. And your mother, bless her heart... she'd be so proud of you too."
Lucy turned and waved to the back of her dress, her throat threatening to close. Katie zipped her up but didn't say anything. Some topics didn't need words.
Lucy pulled her heels out of her backpack and slipped them on. She grabbed some pins from the small table littered with hair accessories and makeup.
"Lucy, I know this isn't the right time to ask, but now that you're graduating—"
"Assuming I pass these finals," Lucy said wryly.
Helen raised her brows. "Of course you will. You're my clever little sweet pea. You've always been an excellent student."
Katie grabbed a pin and batted Lucy's hands away. "Once you graduate, what are your plans? I know you were doing nails in Denton to help pay for tuition. Are you going to stay there or move on home?"
Lucy met Helen's gaze in the mirror. "Did you put her up to this?"
Helen lifted her hands in an overly innocent gesture. "Me? Never."
Katie grinned. "So she put a bug in my ear. No big deal. I'm just saying, we need a nail tech at the salon. Our last girl moved away this summer with her new husband. You'd be the only one in town, so the demand is there."
Katie stepped back and glanced from woman to woman. Then Helen began to wring her hands.
"Is that it? It's time?"
Lucy smiled and took her hands so she wouldn't mess up the nail job she'd done last weekend. "You sure you want to go through with this? I can still sneak you out the back, Nana."
Helen's far away gaze cleared as she smiled. "What? No, it's just... the last time I was in this position was so long ago. It makes me think of your grandpa, that's all."
Lucy's eyes misted. "He's looking down with Mama right now. He's probably excited to see you finally so happy again, Nana."
"You don't think it's too soon?" she asked softly.
Lucy hugged her, the familiar scent of vanilla enveloping her. "You've been dating half a year, Nana. Sure, it's not that long. But you've known him your whole life, right?"
