More Than Convenient (Immeasurably More #1)

1. Lucy

one

Lucy

My stomach rumbles so loudly that the Lawsons’ dog jumps up and watches from their backyard as I walk by.

I shouldn’t be this hungry. I ate lunch and even snuck a snack from my classroom stash during recess.

Still, it feels like my stomach is trying to eat itself.

I shake my head, trying to push away the unease creeping in around my strangely insatiable appetite as I walk through my quiet neighborhood toward the center of town.

Willow Bend, Tennessee, is the kind of place that people don’t leave, not permanently, at least. I love this little town. I don’t mean a visit-during-the-holidays kind of love. It’s an I-moved-here-on-purpose kind of love.

This town is different. It’s the kind of place where everyone greets you with a smile and a wave, where people know who you are, and where neighbors look out for one another.

Don’t even get me started on the church.

I’ve never met another group of people as Christ-like as the church at Willow Bend.

They’re the kind of people who show up—in times of tragedy or celebration—with casseroles, prayers, and enough love to cover the whole town.

Why would I ever want to live anywhere else?

As I walk down the sidewalk toward downtown Willow Bend, admiring the beautiful spring blooms in front of the little houses on either side of the street, my stomach releases another embarrassing roar, and I’m afraid Mrs. Whitaker will offer me a snack from her rocking chair as I pass her front porch.

This level of starvation—and the mystery surrounding it—is starting to affect my mood.

Now that I think about it, I’ve been hungrier than usual for the last couple of weeks, but somehow, even though I’m eating more, I’m losing weight.

Not much, but I’ve had to stop wearing my dress pants to work because they’re so loose, I spend all day pulling them back up—not exactly practical with seventeen four-year-olds.

If my students had caught on to my pants problem, they might have called me Miss Loose Pants instead of Miss Lucy.

My stomach twists again, and I press a hand over it to muffle the sound, smiling and waving at Mrs. Whitaker with the other hand.

I can’t wait to get to the coffeehouse and devour a banana nut muffin.

Every Thursday evening, I meet a group of friends at Willow people will think it’s actually her name.”

Nate chuckles, bouncing the fussy baby. “What would you prefer? Quinnie the Pooh? Quinn Stefani? Maybe Quinndolyn?”

Violet rolls her eyes and tries—unsuccessfully—to get the baby to take a pacifier. “How about Quinn? That is her name, after all.”

He sighs as Quinn settles down. “That’s boring.”

Violet shoves his arm playfully as he tickles the most adorable baby I’ve ever met, and she giggles.

“Where’s Landon?” Nate asks as Violet sets her diaper bag on the couch across from Emerson and waves at my friends.

“He’s parking the car.”

“Lucy?”

I jump and spin toward the voice from the counter, blinking as I realize it’s finally my turn to place an order. I step forward and clear my throat. “Sorry.”

Naomi, the owner of Willow & Bean, smiles and shakes her head. Her eyes roam to the cluster of furniture my friends—and Nate—are occupying in the corner. “Don’t apologize, honey. I’d be distracted too if I were you.”

I raise my brows and glance at the corner of the coffeehouse, double-checking that no one is juggling muffins or doing anything extraordinary that she would think might distract me.

She laughs as I turn back to her with confusion plain on my face. “Come on, Lucy. I might be a few years older than your friends, but I’m not blind. Nate Walker is a handsome man, and I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

My features fall into a scowl. My face feels warm, but I’m not sure if the heat is lingering irritation from dealing with Nate or embarrassment at being called out for my distraction.

“I don’t want to talk about Nate Walker and his supposed handsomeness.

Can I please get a banana nut muffin, an iced sweet cream latte, and a large ice water? ”

Her eyes scan my face as she fights a smile, but she’s putting my order into her register, so I won’t complain. “Are the two of you still fighting like cats and dogs?”

I think my impatient expression is enough to answer her question as I hand her my debit card. My hand trembles as I pull it away, and I roll it into a fist to control the tremor. I’ve got to eat something sooner rather than later.

She shakes her head as she taps a few more buttons and swipes my card. “Remind me, why don’t the two of you get along?”

I sigh, realizing that she’ll hold my card hostage until I give her the answers she’s asking for. “I honestly don’t know. We tolerate each other, I guess. We’ve always bickered, even when we were kids. He just… bothers me.”

Her eyes narrow as they roam my face. She holds out my card, then pulls it back as I reach for it. “Do you ever think the two of you will bury the hatchet?”

I clench my jaw, then release it with an exhale. “I doubt it.”

She chuckles and shakes her head. But before she can respond, I set my hands on the counter and meet her gaze, letting desperation fill my eyes.

“Listen, Naomi, I’ve been looking forward to that banana nut muffin all day, and quite frankly, I don’t want to talk about this anymore.

Can I please have my muffin and drinks?”

She purses her lips to the side and blows a long, resigned breath through her nose as she holds out my card. “Fine. I’ll get your things.”

I take it from her and nod. “Thank you.”

As I tuck my card back into my wallet, slipping it into the pocket of my dress, I turn and come face to face with the bright blue eyes and soft, pudgy cheeks that belong to baby Quinn. Her sweet grin instantly lifts my mood and brings a smile to my lips.

I can’t resist gently squishing the rolls above her elbow and raising the pitch of my voice. “Hi, sweet girl. Are you all better now? What had you so upset?”

As I talk to Quinn, my gaze falls to the callused hand on her belly, and my smile drops.

Why does the sweetest baby on earth have to have the most irritating uncle?

Nate clears his throat. “She screams like that when she’s been in the car for a while, and Vi said they came straight here from Nashville. ”