Chapter 21
Maven
Penny and I scooped the innards of a pumpkin into a bowl, giggling as we showed each other our slimy, orange hands. After church, we had gone and rescued the pumpkins Penny had bought for me and Ben. I’d told her I thought they’d be happier here on an actual front porch with their pumpkin friends.
“Has Ben texted?” she asked for the fifth time since we’d started.
“My phone is right there, Pen. When he texts, we’ll hear it.”
She gave a small pout. So much for her being a neutral party when it came to Ben.
Since last night, with how Ben had spun and flipped Penny around the dance floor, he’d handily unseated me in Penny’s hierarchy of favorite people.
Though with the no-show on his record today, maybe the change wasn’t permanent.
He was supposed to have met us at church this morning, but he’d called to let me know something had come up and he wouldn’t be able to make it until later. It was now a few hours past later, and despite two texts saying he’d be here as soon as he could, we were still waiting.
Maybe he had come to the same conclusions as Carson last night—there was no point in allowing old feelings to dampen the progress we’d made toward being friends. Or if not friends, at least we were no longer in the ex-lovers-who-no-longer-spoke category. Which was improvement.
The sound of an approaching car had Penny and me searching the lane in both directions before I spotted a white sedan coming from the direction of town.
I smiled when I realized who it was. Emma Harper.
We’d been in the same grade in school, and though we’d never been close, we’d frequently gravitated to each other for things like group projects and team quizzes.
I’d probably been a bit much for her on the mischievous scale being that she was a rule-follower, but we had plenty of common interests—good books and period dramas being among the top.
A few years back, when I’d heard she’d bought the old farmhouse across the street from my mom’s, I was thrilled.
It was a comfort to know Mom had a sweet, helpful neighbor she could rely on.
“Hey, you two,” Emma said, waving once she’d gotten out of her car. She totally rocked the librarian vibe with her darling outfits, glasses, and short red hair. “What are you up to?”
Penny lifted some of the pumpkin guts. “Carving pumpkins.”
“If you have any good ideas of what we could carve,” I called, “we’re taking suggestions.”
She smiled and crossed the lane, making her way up the front lawn to come speak with us. “What suggestions have you had so far?”
“A vampire.” Penny said hers first. “Because it’s Halloween, so we’re supposed to carve something scary.”
“My mom suggested carving the word BOO,” I added, “which didn’t fit the credentials, and Carson said we should do the face of a pig—because he couldn’t think of anything more terrifying at the moment?” I gave a small shrug, not sure exactly what he’d meant by that.
Emma’s cheeks turned a bright red at the mention.
Interesting.
When we were younger, I had the sense that Emma had a crush on Carson—along with every other girl—but I suddenly wondered if that crush was still alive and well.
Too bad Carson had self-determined he was in no position to date.
Otherwise, Emma would be a top candidate on my list. Maybe the top candidate.
She was all the things both he and Penny needed, not to mention that with her auburn hair, I might have red-headed nieces and nephews.
“Have you seen the pumpkin where they make it look like it’s eating another pumpkin?” Emma asked. “They carve a big, open mouth and place one of those miniature ones inside. And if you add sharp teeth, it looks pretty scary.”
Penny and I shared an enthusiastic glance when my phone dinged with an incoming text and stole our attention. In unison, our gazes shot toward the phone, then down at our slimy hands, and finally back at Emma.
“Want me to grab that for you?” she asked with a laugh.
I gave her a grateful smile. “That would be amazing. Thank you.”
She retrieved the phone off the front step, holding it out to me so it could scan my face and then opening the text to let me read it.
“Is it Ben?” Penny asked.
I nodded, trying not to show my disappointment as I read. “He says he’ll be another hour or two.” And that we’d have to reschedule dinner with his family. Maybe he really was having second thoughts about our current trajectory.
“But we’ll have both pumpkins finished by then.” Penny’s shoulders fell. “And we don’t even know what he wants on his.”
Emma carefully returned my phone to the step.
I made my smile brighter than it wanted to be. “I think we should do a fish on Ben’s.”
“A fish?” Penny wrinkled her nose up. “What’s that have to do with Halloween?”
“Nothing. But Ben loves fish.”
Penny considered me. “Fine. Let’s do a fish on one and the pumpkin eating another pumpkin on the other.”
I sent Emma a grateful smile. “Perfect. We’ll just need to head into town and buy a miniature pumpkin when we’re done.”
Emma gestured with a thumb over her shoulder. “I have a few on my porch. I bet one of those could work.”
Penny smiled. “Can I pick it out?”
“Sure,” she said, waiting for Penny—orange hands and all—to join her before the two of them headed toward Emma’s.
The door opened, and Carson, careful to avoid stepping on my phone, came outside. “Where are they headed?” he asked, taking a seat on one of the porch chairs. His timing at coming outside seemed more than coincidental.
“Emma had a great idea for what to carve on one of our pumpkins. But we need a miniature one for it, and since she has a few, Penny is picking one out.”
His gaze was locked on the two of them, chatting happily as they crossed the lane and made their way up to her front porch.
“Emma’s pretty amazing,” I said, forcing his gaze back to me.
“Dating is the last thing I should be worrying about right now.”
I emptied more seeds from the pumpkin into the bowl. “Do you think it’s a family curse? Mom. You. Me. The three of us destined to be single for life?”
“I hope not. Though speaking of Mom, has she said anything to you about Mayor Monroe?”
I glanced over at him. “No. Why?”
He shook his head. “Apparently, he’s secretly dating someone in Autumn Ridge. The library has an ongoing vote of who it could be, and Mom’s on the list.”
I smiled. Only in a small town. But there was no way Mom was secretly dating the mayor.
With working full time, her graduate school course load, and helping with Penny, she had no room in her schedule for anything else.
Let alone romance. Besides, she would tell us if she was dating someone. Wouldn’t she?
Suddenly, I wasn’t sure. I knew she’d dated occasionally throughout the years, but being in New York, it was difficult keeping tabs on her love life.
And she had been sitting by Mayor Monroe at the homecoming game.
Huh. Were the two of them secretly dating?
I had to admit, they’d make a charming couple. “Who else is on the list?”
“Genevieve Hazelton and Lisa Ellis.”
“There’s only three of them?”
He nodded.
“Well, my vote goes to Lisa Ellis, then. As his secretary, she has the proximity thing going for her.” Apparently, I was not ready to admit my mom might be dating anyone yet, though I’d definitely be looking for more evidence now.
“You’ll have to let Emma know so you can get one of her ‘I Voted’ stickers. They’re pink.”
“Stop it!” I couldn’t help laughing. “That is hilarious!”
His gaze returned to the farmhouse across the road—or, more specifically, to the stunning librarian across the road—and he nodded.
“Maybe you should reconsider that no-dating policy of yours,” I said, knowing exactly where his thoughts were again.
He didn’t look at me but drew in a slow breath, shaking his head. “If only it were that simple.”
I couldn’t argue with that. I was still trying to figure out how to approach the last few weeks of still being married to my almost-ex-husband of six years, who I was very much still in love with. I was clearly in no position to give Carson advice on dating.
My old violin case sat open on the floor in Penny’s room.
“The movement will come from the elbow,” I explained, mimicking her position and showing her what I meant.
“Open. Closed. Open. Closed. And while you do that, your wrist will push and fold. Push and fold.” I turned back toward her.
“Why don’t you try it on the A string? Start the bow high and bring it downward.
” I pointed to the space between the bridge and the fingerboard. “Keeping it right here.”
She gave an eager nod and slid the bow downward along the A string, causing a pitchy screech. She stopped, her eyes wide.
I smiled. “Your form is wonderful, and that’s what matters for now. Just keep doing what we talked about, and the rest will come.”
She nodded, moving her bow downward again.
Once she seemed to have that, I had her do an up bow, then we put the two together.
Up, then down. Each attempt sounded better and better, though after a while, I could tell her arms were getting tired.
Holding the violin in proper position took some getting used to.
“Should we stop there for now?”
She gave a little pout. “Will you keep teaching me, though?”
I beamed, unable to think of anything I’d enjoy more than teaching Penny the violin. To share something I loved so much with her. “Absolutely.”
“Are you two ready for dinner?” Mom asked, poking her head in the room.
Penny carefully placed the violin in its case. “Did you hear me playing, Nana?”
My mom reached out a hand for Penny. “I did.”
Penny scrunched up her face. “It doesn’t sound very good yet.”
“You should have heard Maven when she first started playing.” Mom sent me a teasing smile. “Those first few months, I bought myself some ear plugs for when she’d practice.”
Penny giggled.
“And now, I intentionally play her recordings because I can’t get enough.” I hadn’t recorded anything individually, but my string quartet had done a handful of songs, and there were several orchestral recordings from when I’d been in a community orchestra.
I smiled, wrapping an arm around my mom as we made our way to the table. Right as we sat down, a heavy knock sounded on the door.
“I’ll get it.” Penny jumped to her feet, racing into the front room.
“If it’s Ben,” Mom said as I stood up, “tell him we’d love for him to join us.”
When I rounded the corner into the family room, Penny had the door opened. “Are those for Maven?” she asked.
“Someone told me it was a good idea to bring flowers for a date,” Ben said.
He’d brought me flowers?
Her nose wrinkled. “It’s not a date, though.”
Ben chuckled at Penny’s correction. “Well, I had hoped to give them to her this morning, but it’s been a bit of a crazy day.”
Before Penny could question Ben, I sidled up next to her. Sure enough, Ben was standing on the front porch with a stunning arrangement of flowers—big white lilies and orange dahlias with white tips, surrounded by an array of smaller flowers in deep magentas, whites, and rusts. My heart stilled.
“Being that this is apparently not a date, I’ve also heard flowers go well with apologies.” His gaze met mine. “I’m sorry I’m so late.”
The slight weight I’d carried around all day dissipated instantly.
It seemed there really had been some sort of situation he’d needed to help with.
I wanted to ask him about it, but since he wasn’t being forthcoming with the information, I’d wait until we were alone.
“No apology required.” I accepted the bouquet and took a moment to fully appreciate it.
“But thank you for these. They’re beautiful. ”
“Did you see your pumpkin?” Penny poked her head around the door and pointed. “Maven said you’d want a fish on it.”
Ben took a backward step, examined his pumpkin, then gave a little shake of his head as a smile lifted the corners of his lips. “That’s a pretty small fish for such a big pumpkin.”
Penny nodded. “That’s what I said, but Aunt Maven said it was more fitting that way.”
Ben sent me an accusatory look.
I bit back my smile. “I just wanted it to be realistic.”
He chuckled, then pointed to the other one we’d done. “That one’s terrifying.” He leaned closer. “Is it eating that little pumpkin?”
Penny beamed. “It is!”
A gust of cool air blew in through the open door. “Do you want to come in? We’re about to eat, and my mom said she’d love it if you’d join us.”
“Yeah, come eat with us!” Penny gestured him inside.
Ben stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “Dinner sounds amazing.”
“We also have dessert,” Penny said as we started toward the kitchen. “Maven and I made an apple crisp. We peeled the apples and sliced them ourselves.”
He sent me a sideways glance.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I didn’t know you were going to be eating with us. It’s safe. Though possibly a touch overcooked.”