Someone to Trust Page 8

  Lee and the waitress were waiting for her response. “Uh…no, go right ahead.”

  “You’re sure?” He hesitated and Megan nodded her consent.

  Lee gave the order of Fried Chicken Caesar Salad to be followed with homemade Potato Leek Soup and fresh hot yeast bread with cinnamon butter and iced tea to drink. “Plus, I believe some blackberry cobbler a la mode for dessert would really hit the spot.”

  “Wow!” Megan exclaimed over the amount of food as the waitress went to get their tea.

  “You did say you were famished,” he reminded.

  “Yes, well with all that you ordered, I better be. That’s enough to feed a small country.” She smiled.

  “I like your sense of humor,” he complimented. “It was one of the first things I noticed about you.”

  “You mean the day you weren’t watching where you were walking?” she teased.

  He laughed. “That’s what I’m talking about. You’re quick-witted.”

  “Some people would call it sarcasm,” she admitted.

  “Well I’m not everybody,” he firmly stated.

  I think I’m beginning to see that and it scares me a little.

  For a few moments, after their tea was brought, they sat sipping it in comfortable silence. It was a picturesque day. The strong winds from earlier had subsided into a gentle afternoon breeze that tugged playfully at Megan’s locks and stirred the petals and leaves. In this atmosphere, she could feel herself relaxing. The tension she felt earlier fled and the reserve, that she usually wore as a cloak, began to slowly drift away, as if carried by the wind.

  “Thank you, again, for bringing me here. This place really is incredible.”

  “It’s truly my pleasure. I’m just happy you like it,” Lee assured her.

  “Who wouldn’t like it?”

  “Well, you’d be surprised how many overlook the simple beauty of life.”

  Trevor would have never come to this place. This wasn’t his cup of tea at all.

  What was it about this man sitting across from her that caused her to draw comparisons between Trevor and him?

  Megan was given no further chance to ponder that question as their food arrived. The same waitress carried it out and a petite woman in her mid-to-late fifties with dark hair was following her.

  Upon seeing the older woman, Lee immediately rose to his feet, pushing back his chair. He cleared the distance between them in two steps, calling out with delight, “Aunt Vera.” He wrapped the small woman in his muscular arms, lifting her off the ground.

  She laughed merrily, “Lee, my boy, I was wondering how long it would take you to find your way over here. Your mother told me you were staying in Laurel Ridge.”

  Megan was astonished. The owner and proprietor of this beautiful establishment was Lee’s aunt. Now that she was aware, the family resemblance was obvious.

  “This has been my first opportunity,” Lee assured his aunt and then turned toward Megan. “Megan, I’d like for you to meet my Aunt Vera.”

  Megan stood, reaching out her hand.

  “Aunt Vera, this is my friend Megan McCormick.” Lee completed the introductions as Vera took Megan’s hand in her own and squeezed warmly. Her gray eyes, eyes that were almost identical to her nephew’s, crinkled at the corners as she gave Megan a smile that was as sincerely warm as her handshake. Megan liked her instantly.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my dear,” Vera voiced.

  “Thank you. It’s good to meet you as well.”

  “The two of you sit down and enjoy your meal,” she ordered softly before turning to Lee, “I’ll be seeing more of you, now that you’re in the area, right?”

  “You bet you will. I couldn’t possibly stay away from my favorite aunt for long,” Lee declared.

  “I’m your only aunt, sweetie,” Vera reminded, with a teasing twinkle in her eye.

  “Yeah,” Lee admitted with a boyish grin. “But you’re still my favorite.”

  “You’re incorrigible, but I love you nonetheless,” she assured him as she turned back to Megan. “It was nice meeting you, dear, and I hope to see you around here again.”

  “It was great meeting you and I truly love your garden…your entire home here to be honest.”

  “Thank you. Please enjoy lunch, and if either of you need anything, just let us know.” Vera departed for the house leaving the two of them to their meal.

  Megan enjoyed the playful banter exchanged between Lee and his aunt. Their fondness for one another was apparent, both in their tone and in their action. Megan had never known the joy of extended family as both of her parents were only children and their parents had passed away prior to Megan being born.

  As she got her mind back on the meal, she sampled the fare set before her; the soup and salad were delicious. In fact, Megan considered them some of the best she’d ever eaten. She realized she sighed out loud after her second bite when Lee commented, “Good huh?”

  Her mouth was full so she could only enthusiastically nod her agreement.

  “Here. You have to try this.” He removed the towel from over the bread and sliced a large chunk of it. Then, smiling, he slathered it with cinnamon butter, which promptly melted. He handed the delectable morsel to her and watched as she put it in her mouth. Immediately, she rolled her eyes in delight, savoring the piping hot piece of heaven.

  Lee laughed. “I know.”

  “This is dangerous,” Megan said, taking another bite.

  “That’s why I can’t eat my aunt’s cooking too often.” He patted his taught belly as he took another bite of the bread.

  It didn’t look as if he had too much to worry about in that department. He looked extremely fit and toned.

  Megan nearly choked on the turn her thoughts had taken. She quickly recovered with a quick sip of tea.

  In between bites of food, Lee began to share a little about himself with her.

  He seemed to have nothing to hide and revealed himself with an ease and confidence that intrigued her. Getting information from Trevor had been like pulling teeth. He gave nothing away voluntarily and what he had shared hadn’t been entirely true. If only she had been more persistent in her pursuit of knowledge about him, perhaps things wouldn’t have ended so badly. I have to stop thinking about Trevor. That part of my life is over.

  Megan abandoned thoughts of Trevor and honed in on what Lee was saying.

  “I grew up in Atlanta.”

  “That’s amazing,” Megan intervened. “So did I.”

  “It’s a small world,” Lee said, with a smile. “Anyway, my dad’s a lawyer and my mother’s a socialite who comes from old money.” He made the last statement without either conceit or judgment.

  “Vera is my dad’s sister and the inn was her dream. She and my Uncle Tom found this place on vacation one year when I was just a small kid. My uncle dotes on her and knew it was her dream to own a Victorian house and turn it into a bed and breakfast. So, he bought it for her as a surprise. They moved their business up here and renovated this place.”

  “Wow. What does your uncle do for a living? I mean that was such a huge step, unless they’re independently wealthy.”

  “Oh no. My dad’s side of the family didn’t come from wealth. The only money my uncle had was through his business as a contractor. It was a huge risk to buy this old house because it was on the verge of demolition when they found it. After hours and hours of sweat and effort, the Lord blessed their endeavors and this place became a huge success, as did Uncle Tom’s contracting business. They’ve been here ever since.”

  “Amazing!” It was unfathomable to her that a man would love a woman so much he would risk everything to help her obtain her dream.

  “I would spend every summer here that I was allowed, missing only the ones when I traveled abroad with my parents. This is still my favorite place.”

  Megan could hear the love he felt for the people and the place. His eyes told the story of the fond memories he carried.

  “I can
understand why. I’ve only been here a little while and I love it.”

  “The summers here are wonderful. When you’re an eleven-year-old boy and there are all these hills, mountains, streams and woods to explore for hours on end…well, it’s almost heaven on earth.”

  Megan got the mental picture of a young Lee traipsing through the woods and hiking the mountains, fishing pole in hand, as he searched for the perfect hole to cast his line in. “Is this where you got your love for animals, as well?”

  “I’ve loved animals for as long as I can remember, but yes, this is where the dream to work with them was developed—much to my mother’s displeasure.”

  “She doesn’t like animals?”

  He chuckled at her question. “She tolerates them at best. My mother wanted me to follow in my father’s footsteps and go to work for her father in the family law firm.”

  “But being a veterinarian is an honorable profession,” Megan defended.

  Lee smiled. “Yes, but somehow Animal Doctor Extraordinaire is somehow not in keeping with the image of the old family money and the Collins/Grainger standing in Atlanta society.”

  “It must have been a difficult decision for you.” She reflected on the changes she’d made in her own life, the risks she had taken.

  “Yes, somewhat. My mother can be a bit of a snob,” he admitted. “But she has accepted the fact, at last, that I am not going to be an attorney. However, I’m afraid she may have a problem should I choose to become Alan’s partner and move up here.”

  “Do you think you will?” she questioned, buttering yet another piece of the delicious yeast bread.

  “I am leaning in that direction,” he admitted.

  “Cindy explained you met Alan in vet school.”

  “Yeah. We hit it off right away and it didn’t hurt anything when I discovered he grew up only miles from where I spent my summers.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  “It was all in God’s plan,” Lee said assuredly and humbly shared, “Alan led me to accepting Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior, and for that, I will be eternally grateful.”

  She could read the sincerity in his eyes.

  “What about you? What brought you here?” He changed the subject for her.

  “These mountains and Cindy, of course. I came up here to visit her and fell in love with the valley.”

  “You’ve known Cindy for a long time?”

  “I attended private school most of my life, that is up until high school. In my freshman year, my mother transferred me to a public school. I was terribly shy and…and clumsy.” She broke into a self-conscious grin. “Anyway, Cindy was so sweet and befriended me. We’ve been friends ever since.”

  Megan moved quickly from her time in college through the years to her job, which was also in Atlanta, and then to her more recent move to Laurel Ridge.

  “What about your family?”

  “I’m an only child; my father died when I was a child.” Megan hoped Lee did not notice how her voice hardened at the mention of her father. If he did, he was polite enough not to comment and she continued. “My mother still lives in Atlanta.”

  “I bet she misses you,” Lee surmised accurately.

  “And I miss her—immensely.” Her voice softened at the mention of her mother. “She is the most incredible woman I know.”

  “You sound very close.” Another correct assumption.

  Megan nodded. She loved and respected her mother. “We are. The decision to move away from her was difficult, but she understands and we talk often. I just couldn’t take the city any longer.” She hoped she didn’t sound lame.

  “Well, it would seem we have something in common,” Lee offered.

  “Our dislike of city life?” At Lee’s nod, she surprised herself by opening up to him. “I just never really felt like I fit into it.”

  Although when she was with Trevor, she had tried very hard to fit in, tried to please him. “I couldn’t take the hectic, fast paced lifestyle…”

  “The traffic…” Lee chimed in.

  “The parties and pretenses…” Megan smiled.

  “Not to mention, the pressure and stress,” Lee finished

  “But here…” She waved her hand expansively indicating the garden. “In these beautiful mountains—”

  “You feel as though you belong.”

  “Maybe not completely, but certainly more than I did in the city with my upscale apartment and important job in a well established firm.”

  “You’re still searching,” Lee surmised.

  “Yes, I believe I am.” Megan surprised them both by admitting these words.

  Lee reached across the table and covered her hand with his. Megan did not snatch it away. Instead, she drew comfort from the warm friendship she found in his touch and his intense gaze.

  Lee cleared his throat and changed the subject. “So tell me, what exactly does a copywriter do?”

  “It’s advertising except lengthier. I write mail-outs, newsletters, and brochures for small businesses as well as some major corporations.”

  “Do you enjoy it?”

  “Very much. It’s been lucrative, but one day, I may just try my hand at writing something a bit different. I’d really like to write a novel.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be successful at whatever you try.”

  “How could you know that?” She tilted her head to the side, waiting for an answer, as Lee pinned her to the chair with the fervency of his gaze. Megan felt as if her soul had been stripped bare for his inspection.

  “It’s just a feeling I have,” he said, with conviction.

  “Oh,” was all she managed to say, unable to break away from his eyes; thankfully, the waitress helped her out by bringing their dessert order.

  Megan and Lee topped off their lunch with a sumptuous cobbler heaped with homemade vanilla ice cream and whipped topping. When Megan finished her final bite, she sighed contentedly.

  “You look like the cat that just ate the canary,” Lee teased.

  “I feel like that cat.” Megan laughed, patting her full tummy.

  “Yes, well, you have a feather hanging out of your mouth.”

  “A what?” she asked in confusion.

  “It’s more like an ice cream moustache,” he explained. Before she could respond, he took his napkin and gently wiped her upper lip. The warmth radiating through the napkin caused her lips to tingle. Lee had meant it to be a kind gesture but it hinted at intimacy. Their eyes locked yet again, and for just a moment, Megan thought Lee might kiss her.

  But he didn’t.

  She was relieved.

  Wasn’t she?

  Theirs was a friendship, a new one at that. Nothing more.

  Chapter Nine

  The next morning, as Megan set her laptop back on the table and arranged the latest project’s paperwork next to it, she reflected on the phone conversation with her mother the day before.

  After several unsuccessful attempts, Megan was finally able to reach her. Helen seemed very different—not in a bad way, just not herself. She seemed almost giddy, like a teenager. She seemed excited about something.

  Helen asked about Megan’s well being. They had discussed Sir’s accident, Megan’s work, and Helen’s work, the usual things that kept them caught up on one another’s lives. But, something was different and Megan could not put her finger on it, arousing her curiosity. She was determined to find out, if not before, then certainly during their visit on Mother’s Day.

  “What are you up to, Mom? Oh well, I can’t put off this project any longer.” She pushed all other thoughts out of her mind and began work.

  Megan worked right through lunch. Since she was on a roll and had no desire to interrupt the creativity, she did not take a break until the phone rang. Her stomach chimed in simultaneously with a growl of hunger.

  Megan picked up the receiver to discover Cindy on the other end, inviting her over for dinner that night.

  “I’d like to invite Lee as well, if that�
�s okay with you?”

  Megan could hear the hesitancy in Cindy’s question and was quick to reassure her friend. “It’s not a problem, Cindy; we had a wonderful lunch Sunday after church and have actually become friends.”

  She could hear the tension leave Cindy’s voice. “That’s great. Other than me, Lee could be one of the best friends you ever have.” No questions asked, no insinuations intended.