They spent the rest of the night telling silly stories and laughing over memories of old times. But when Lula walked Carter to the door at eleven thirty, he didn’t try to kiss her goodnight. He only pulled her in for a hug and whispered against her hair, “I like going slow with you,” before stepping outside in the crisp night air.
It was true. For now, it was enough to hear her laugh, see her smile, and know she didn’t hate him. Baby steps, true, but he appreciated every one and was willing walk a thousand miles at a snail’s pace if that was the only way to get close to her again.
He just hoped twelve days would be enough to convince Lula that he belonged in Lonesome Point and, more importantly, by her side.
5
Lula
Lula woke Sunday—the one day she didn’t open the tea shop until noon—and rolled over in bed, feeling like she was six years old on Christmas morning. For a moment she couldn’t remember why she was so excited, then memories of last night with Carter came rushing back.
She jumped out of bed and dashed into the living room, peering through the curtains at the hotel across the street, wondering which room was his.
Watch it, crazy. It was just a night spent catching up with an old friend. His story is a tough one, true, but he brought most of it on himself. And he still spent six years gallivanting around the globe, not sparing you a second thought.
Lula wrinkled her nose. She had no intention of getting involved with Carter. She was too practical for romance anymore. But it was nice to have something different going on for a change. She’d fallen into such a rigid routine. There was no spontaneity in her life anymore. This was the first time in a long time she’d woken up excited to get out of bed.
And Carter was the reason why.
It made her heart soften toward him even before she went downstairs to get coffee and found a letter slipped under the front door:
Good morning, beautiful L.J.,
Thank you for the amazing night. I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon.
I know we said we’d meet after you close the shop for the day, but if you’re up early, come over to the hotel restaurant. I have a surprise I think you might find interesting.
Hoping to see you sooner rather than later,
Carter
For a moment Lula thought about going back upstairs, making her coffee, and continuing with her Sunday morning ritual of painting doll faces while listening to Prairie Home Companion. But then she dismissed that idea as No Fun with a capital N and F and ran back upstairs to get dressed.
Twenty minutes later she was practically skipping across the street, earning a hard look from her elderly neighbor, Birdie Blythe, who was out on the front stoop of her shop, sweeping dust into the street. Lula waved and wished Birdie a good morning, before forcing herself to continue sedately up the stairs and into the hotel. Giddy as a schoolgirl or not, she had to live in Lonesome Point after Carter was gone, and it wouldn’t do to make a fool out of herself.
The thought of Carter leaving sent a pang through her chest, but she pushed the feeling away. They’d agreed not to think about the big picture for twelve days and she intended to abide by the agreement. Not only did she put great stock in honoring her word, but thinking too much would only lead to emotions she wasn’t prepared for.
She wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure if she let herself dwell on how wonderful it had been to spend time with Carter last night, how perfect his lips had felt on her skin during that whisper of a kiss, or how much she wanted to believe his feelings for her were real and not a side effect of post-traumatic stress or a response to losing his father so recently.
It was safer, and saner, for her to live in the moment.
When she edged into the brightly lit dining room of the Blue Saloon’s newly opened restaurant, she was grateful that she’d made the low-stress decision. Otherwise, the sight of Carter sitting across the table from Bear Mason might have given her a heart attack.
Bear, Lula’s former rock-climbing teacher, was a gentle giant with shaggy blond hair, an almost cartoonishly firm jaw, and blue eyes that confessed all his tender-hearted secrets. He was as sweet as they came and wouldn’t crush a bug underfoot if he could help it, but Lula had called off their lessons shortly after Carter left town.
Bear had made it clear he was interested in filling Carter’s shoes, but Lula hadn’t been ready to let anyone into her heart. She’d stopped showing up for their evening climbs, refused to return Bear’s phone calls, and hadn’t darkened the door of the hardware store where he worked ever since. If she needed nails or brackets for new shelves, she ordered them online—even now, years after the afternoon he’d tried to kiss her.