Perfect Timing (Cutter's Creek Book 17) Page 5

  “Delicious, as always,” their father announced. “You outdid yourself on this one.”

  But he always said this. And then their mother would squeeze his hand and beam, which happened every time. All of this happened every time. The script was set and everyone played their part perfectly. Every time!

  When would something new happen? Nothing was surprising and nothing new had come into her life in forever. Oh yes, except for Zeke Miller. For a minute, she had forgotten him. Perking up, Mary smiled to herself and played with a piece of cornbread. Only then was she hearing what the rest of her family was talking about.

  “Why are we bringing this back up?” June asked she dabbed at the corners of her mouth with her napkin. “I told you already what happened. I don’t see this as a problem or concern, and neither should either of you.”

  Their father shifted uneasily in his chair. “Yes, yes, but just think of it, June. You could have your own home with a husband. Your own fireplace, kitchen, and even a garden if you so desired. You don’t want to stay in this blasted house, cooped up with us forever, do you?” He finished with a grin, showing he wasn’t too serious. But she knew that look in his eye.

  “We just want you to find happiness,” their mother explained carefully. “And joy comes from the family and, of course, from a good marriage. Now, there must be several men in Cutter’s Creek of marriageable age who want a wife. Let’s see, what about Leroy?”

  June sighed. “No, mother, he’s already courting someone else. And besides—”

  Before she could air more concerns about that suggestions, Mildred Pershing butted in and continued. “Well, aren’t some of the Carlson boys a little older than you girls?”

  Mary laughed. “No, Mother. They’re all younger.”

  Then she paused for effect and shrugged. “There is Zeke Miller, but I think I’m going to have better luck with him. We’ve already met and there were definitely sparks between us. I’d say that he’s off the list for dear June, here.”

  No one noticed how June paused and stared at her plate. Mary was too busy dancing with her shoulders and patting her hair down. First Mother clapped her hands cheerfully. “Lovely! And how old is he? What is he like, dear?”

  Sighing, Mary pictured him again. “Oh, he’s tall and handsome. Very smart, of course. You can see it in his eyes. He just returned from college. In business.”

  “Does he know you’re the mayor’s daughter?” Aaron picked up his knife. “I’m sure that would impress the young man. College-bred, you say? Where did he go?”

  She had no idea which school, so she waved her hand. “Oh, somewhere in the east, like Boston.”

  June frowned and shook her head. “No, Zeke attended college in Chicago.”

  Mary gave her sister a look. “No, he didn’t.”

  “Yes, he did,” June said with a nod. “Where did you hear otherwise?”

  Thinking back, Mary wasn’t sure. Could she have been wrong? Word of mouth wasn’t always reliable. But what did it matter? She shooed her sister off. “The important thing is, the young man is quite eligible. I talked to him for an entire five minutes on Sunday. I believe he is quite taken with me.”

  “You’ll have to introduce us this Sunday,” Mildred said.

  “Of course, Mother. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next time he sees me, he’ll ask me to the spring dance. Though we didn’t talk long, well, we talked very deeply.”

  “You said on Sunday you had only talked for a few minutes,” June murmured and rolled her eyes. “I think you’re getting ahead of yourself. Don’t presume to know what’s in another’s heart, Mary. Especially not Zeke.”

  The girl was certainly silly. Mary wrinkled her nose and straightened up. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She gave her sister a good look up and down. “What is going on in that head of yours? You’ve been extremely quiet lately.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” June gave her a strange look. “All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t talk about things unless you know them to be true. People are apt to believe one another, and morality rests on the concept that mankind can rely upon—”

  Their father interrupted, thank goodness. Mary thought she’d fall asleep in the middle of that sentence. “Hear, hear, what’s that? What have you been reading this time, June?”

  Everyone in the family had such a difficult time focusing on one topic. Clearing her throat, the elder daughter pointedly looked at everyone to gather their attention. All she wanted to do was remind them that she was there, and she had so much hope for the days to come. Why didn’t they understand how exciting this was for her? Potentially for all of them.

  “Mr. Zeke Miller remembered me, didn’t I tell you? We used to know each other in school, and he knew me personally. I’m certain that when we meet again, we’ll pick up where we left off, and then there will be a summer wedding. As I said before,” she added sternly while giving her sister a look.

  “Please remember,” June went on as though she hadn’t noticed the firm gaze Mary leveled at her. After being quiet for over a week, she decided to speak now? It made no sense. “Zeke is his own person and you shouldn’t make promises you cannot keep. Besides, you still have a lot to learn about him.”

  At least she wouldn’t look Mary in the eye. The older sister smirked and dabbed her lips with the napkin. “And what, pray tell, do you know that I don’t?”

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” June stammered.

  Ha! So she didn’t even know what she was talking about. Their mother was about to open her mouth when Mary chuckled. “Exactly. I don’t know what is in your little head, June, but you should just let good things happen for others when destiny steps in.”

  “He doesn’t even have a job,” June said and then, almost like she wanted the words back, she put her hand over her mouth.

  Silverware clattered down, and Mary frowned. She hadn’t thought of this. Opening her mouth, she tried to think of something to counteract that bit of news. Of course, he had to have a job, hadn’t he? Every man needed one, especially an educated one.

  “How could you know that?” she protested, now avoiding her parents’ gazes instead of meeting them proudly.

  “I met him in town today. He said he’s helping paint his mother’s house, but he didn’t mention anything else about a job.”

  June sat quietly after she shared her information about Zeke’s employment status. They watched her for a moment as she played with her food, pushing it with her fork around in circles.

  Mary held back a groan as their father cleared his throat, obviously preparing for an announcement. The mayor and their father were one and the same, a man who loved talking and who enjoyed being in charge. He was a good man, but he liked his announcements.

  “If he’s the kind of man without a job, then he’s not the kind of man I want to be involved with either of my daughters. Mary, I don’t want you getting any wild ideas about this Zeke Miller. He might have been to college, but that’s nothing if he can’t support a family.”

  She tried to find a loophole. “But what if—”

  “Your father is correct,” their mother interrupted, shaking her head firmly. “You’d best focus on something else for now, I’m afraid. He certainly isn’t ready for marriage into the Pershing family and your father has a valid point. Now, it’s time to clean up.”

  The plan had derailed so cleanly, Mary had no idea what to do but pick up the pieces. Shaking her head, she wondered what she could do better next time. After all, she was the elder daughter, and this was her right. For the rest of the evening, she fell silent, trying to find some strategy that would show them all that she had been right.

  The one thing she knew for certain was that things were not over for her and Zeke. Not by a country mile.

  Chapter 11

  He couldn’t get her out of his mind. When he walked, he thought of her. When he ate, he considered her. And when he painted, he remembered her smile. Zeke knew
he was being foolish, but there was so much time on his hands now and what else could he think about? Cutter’s Creek was like that, changing your priorities and opening up your eyes to something real.

  And June Pershing was very real.

  “What are you doing, Zeke?” The soft voice pulled him back and he stopped, offering his mother a sheepish smile. Mrs. Adele Miller paused on the sidewalk, dressed well and hair pulled tightly back, to study her son.

  She was doing that a lot, he noted, and wondered self-consciously what she was seeing. Did his mother see the little boy who had played in the yard and swam in the nearby river? Or the studious young man that had his college diploma? Sometimes Zeke didn’t even know who he was. He was sure his mother couldn’t know before he did.

  He’d liked that about college. There had been no time to sit and dawdle. For the last several years Zeke had poured over his studies, held down a job, and worked hard in everything he did. Now here in Cutter’s Creek again, Zeke was realizing how much time he really had.

  He had fixed the crooked and weak porch his first week back. Then the second week he had spent on her window shutters, sanding them down and repainting them. Now, this was only the third week, and he was going to help her prepare a spring garden.

  Right—flower pots. That’s why they were in town.

  “Just looking,” Zeke said suddenly, realizing he hadn’t answered his mother yet. “Sorry,” he added and returned to her side and took her arm. “It’s still strange being back here, you know. Everything is still the same, and yet so different.”

  The woman nodded soberly. “It really grew. And so did you.” She touched his cheek lightly and led them towards the shop. From there, she knew what she was doing so Zeke wandered around, slowly collecting items in his arms to carry around until she was ready to purchase at the counter.

  “I think it would be a great idea to put two apple trees in the front since we’ve started to get some seeds for them. Then you could line the other side of the fences with sugar plum berry bushes. What about…” Zeke trailed off as they walked, catching sight of a blonde head of hair on the other side of the street. Instinctively, the young man slowed down and his heart thumped loudly.

  “What about what?” his mother asked, but he didn’t hear her.

  Zeke was considering walking across the street until he heard the laughter and his shoulders drooped. One of the pots loosened from his grasp and he bit his lip as he caught it just before it crashed on the ground. He shook his head. It wasn’t her.

  And as she turned, he realized it was Mary, not June. For some reason, he turned slightly, hoping not to get noticed. The young woman was lovely, that was certain, but he had a hard enough time speaking with the one he liked. He definitely didn’t want to get caught up with the one that he didn’t like.

  “Here, I’ll take that,” Mrs. Miller grabbed the pot that had nearly fallen. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you carry everything. Are you certain you can handle the rest?”

  He struggled to not roll his eyes. “Yes, yes, I’m good. I just thought I saw someone I knew, that’s all.”

  That made her turn back and look at him curiously. It gave him a moment to see her as well. She had aged, he noted, in the time he had been away. The idea had at first appeared unfathomable, but she had bags under her eyes and a few wrinkles here and there. Yet he could see she was still beautiful. After all this time, after everything she had endured, she was perfectly lovely and he was proud that she was his mother.

  “Whom did you think it was?” She raised her eyes past him, wondering.

  Zeke didn’t see any reason not to confess. “June Pershing. I spoke with her the other week, and I thought she was nice. That’s all. She’s quite bright, actually.” When he met his mother’s gaze, he was surprised to see a frown there. “Is something wrong?”

  She sighed and motioned for them to begin walking again. Adjusting her hold on a pot, the woman began to explain her expression. “I’m not sure you want to get involved with the Pershings, dear. Mary is beautiful, but from I understand her priorities are not always centered where they should be, in the home and family.”

  Crossing the street, Zeke glanced behind them. “Mary isn’t the one I’m talking about, though, and her sister is different. She’s quite interesting and very nice. So, how well do you know them?”

  That question gave her pause and she considered it on their stroll home. “The Pershings have been here for as long as I have been, if not longer. Their father, Aaron, helped establish the law office here with his father and brother. Now, Mr. Pershing was elected mayor three years ago and will most likely be re-elected because the town knows he will do what is best for them. It’s hard, however, to sometimes see this.”

  Zeke could hardly believe it, but he was rather certain his mother was struggling to hold back some gossip. “Oh really?”

  The widowed mother hesitated and nodded. “He doesn’t always use his title in the best manner, if I may put it delicately. And his wife is the same, just a little too frivolous and they are both certainly outspoken. I don’t mean to speak rudely, but these days they are rather focused on how they present themselves to people, rather than to the Lord.”

  He bit his tongue and considered this, not sure how people in this small town could act so privileged, but he had seen a lot in college and conceded. After all, it wasn’t like he hadn’t grown up here and the stories were cycled around often enough. The Pershings were known to be a proud family, he remembered. It just wasn’t the word he would have ever used to describe the youngest one.

  “And the girls?”

  “Mary hasn’t always been kind to others. She loves attention.”

  “And June?” He prompted his mother.

  But she wasn’t speaking right away. They were at the door by the time she finally started. She stopped and turned back to look at him. “June is sweet, I suppose, but follows after her gossiping sister. I was speaking to John the other day, and he said he’s seen her wandering around the mercantile without direction. He said she’ll just walk around hardly touching a thing. It sounds like she is quite absentminded.”

  “Hmm,” he thought about this for a moment and stepped behind his mother into the house. “But everyone else in town says they’re lovely, and they are really beautiful.”

  But his mother shook her head carefully as they began putting everything away. “Lovely and beautiful are flowery words without substance, Zeke. Remember that. You take one woman and you get the entire family. One of them might not be too bad by herself, but if you take them all in, I don’t think a match would be too appealing.” When he didn’t respond, she turned back to him. “Zeke?”

  Taking a breath, he shrugged and glanced through the window to avoid her eye. “You mean well, Mother. I appreciate your honesty.”

  She took a deep breath and patted his arm. “I didn’t mean to disappoint you, dear.”

  Zeke hurriedly shook his head and wrapped her in a tight hug. “You don’t, Mother, you could never disappoint me. I’ll take your words into consideration, all right? And it’s not like I’m looking to court anyone right now, it’s nothing like that,” he hurriedly added upon seeing her concerned expression. “I was just curious.”

  This pacified her and he stood there as she moved around the kitchen, preparing for the next meal. He heard his mother’s words over and over in his mind, knowing that some of it would be true. Adele Miller tried hard to be kind and honest. But he refused to believe this about June just yet and decided she couldn’t guarantee all her information was completely correct.

  June was far from absentminded, after all, since she wanted that law book. Surely she hadn’t been pretending. Zeke leaned back and closed his eyes, remembering their school days. Though Mary had been in their class, he had often watched for the other class. Because June Pershing had been there, and he spent three years gathering the courage to say hello.

  Every time he saw her out playing games with her friends, or walkin
g home with her sister, he thought about her. He planned how he would say hello, and then she would say it in return. After that, he would introduce himself. But Zeke had never figured out what he’d say after that, and he’d never had the courage to address the pretty young blonde with the brightest eyes he’d ever seen.

  Bumping into her had been a true blessing as it gave him the strength to talk to her. Why, he’d even escorted her into town and they’d had a complete conversation. Granted, it was about books and little else, but Zeke could still picture her face lighting up, and he wished he had been able to do this when they had been in school. Yes, he knew the young woman, and now he actually knew how to talk to her.

  Chapter 12

  “Hello? Is anyone awake in there?” Someone tapped on her head.

  Wrinkling her nose, June turned and frowned at her sister. “What is it?”

  Mary dropped her hand and shrugged, motioning to a bolt of fabric draped it over her shoulder. “I can’t decide. Mother says I shouldn’t wear pink, but I think it’s just lovely. Besides, there’s no guarantee of finding anything else before the dance,” Mary added with a pout. June supposed the expression was meant to tell her that it wasn’t her fault she might have to make do with old fabric instead of new. “What do you think of this? Does it look good against my skin?”

  There were so many questions, but June was never certain that there were real answers. Once upon a time, she had been thrilled at every opportunity to have a brand-new dress. But since she and her sister were fortunate to have new dresses for special occasions, the enthusiasm faded after a while.

  Blinking, she squinted at the fabric and tried to understand the pattern. Flowers and curly lines, but not much else. June shrugged. “It’s nice, I suppose. A bit more red than pink, though.”