Summers' Love, A Cute and Funny Cinderella Love Story (LPC Romantic Comedy Series) (10 page)

“Was he in an accident?” Hank’s muffled voice asked.

“No, he wasn’t in an accident.”

“Then why’s he calling so late?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out. Now roll over and go back to sleep.”

“Man calls in the middle of the night, he must be hurt bad. I’ll get my phone and call Doc Parsons.”

“You’ll do no such a thing. Now get back in bed.”

Stu heard grunting. “Hattie?” Stu asked. A door slammed. “Hattie, you still there?”

“I’m sorry, dear, you were saying?”

“What’s all the banging I hear?”

“Hank. He wants to have the doctor run by and check on you. At least that’s what he
says
. I know for a fact the only reason he wants to call her is because he thinks she has a sexy voice.”

Hank’s muffled voice continued speaking, followed by Hattie shouting, “
You do, too! You think I don’t hear you when you phone in to get your prescription refilled?
”

“Hattie?”

“Now, what was it you called about?”

“To thank you. I decided to take your advice.”

“My advice?”

“About pretending to be First Lieutenant Reiker. Tonight I fixed her dinner. We ate on the porch by candlelight. She talked; I listened. It worked like a charm.”

“
For the love of God, would you please stop? I am not giving you your phone back. Now go. To. Bed.
”

“I gave up my room,” Stu said, soldiering on. “Sacrifice, right? You always told me that was a key character trait for any hero.”

The banging and shouting stopped from the other end. “Praise Jesus,” Hattie said in a tired voice. “I’m sorry, tell me again what you wanted?”

“To ask if I could email you the rough draft of my first chapter. I need you to look at what I wrote and add those pretty little boxes.”

“Pretty boxes?”

“You know, with your comments for how to make my story better?” Stu explained.

“Wait a minute. Are you telling me you wrote a whole chapter in one evening?”

“Hattie, it was so easy. I came back to my room. Well, not my room. Like I said, I’m staying in the boathouse so she can have the cottage to herself. She insisted we not sleep in the same house. I think she was afraid I might sneak into her room and crawl into bed with her. Anyhow, when I got settled in the boathouse I fired up my laptop and wrote everything that happened tonight. Me finding her on the dock when I got home. Dinner, the two of us fixing dinner, the two of us eating dinner. All of it. Would you mind taking a look? I just need to know I’m going in the right direction with this.”

“Everything that happened with who?”

“The woman from the bookstore, the one who bought fourteen of my books.” Was Hattie even listening? “I wowed her just like you told me to. Acted all caring and interested. Even got her to open up about her troubled past. I have so much material I could write a book. Wait, I
am
writing a book.”

“Stuart?”

“I don’t know why I didn’t try this sooner. Who needs to pay someone to make stuff up when there are so many good stories right in front of you? Plus, she’s not bad to look at.”

“Stuart, hon?”

“Thing is,” said Stu, zeroing in on the purpose of his call. “I need help with, whaddycallit, my plot.”

“Slow down, dear. This woman is not some character in a novel. She’s a real person. You can’t just
pretend
to care, you have to mean it.”

Stu waved his hand in the air as though a pesky mosquito had suddenly invaded his space. “You should have seen how she reacted when our hands touched. I swear I thought she was going to faint, I really did. I remembered
that
trick from Diver Dan. Forget which book he was in.
Puppy Love
, maybe.”

“Diver Dan is in
That Dog Won’t Hunt
,” said Hattie, her voice sounding oddly terse.

“Anyway, is it okay if I send you my first chapter?”

“Sure. I’ll take a look in the morning. But you have to promise me something.”

“What?”

“Promise me you won’t break this girl’s heart. There is enough pain in the world already.”

Stu hit the SEND key on his laptop. “Done. It’s on the way. Oh, one last question. Were you serious about me coming to that Bible study in the morning?”

“Absolutely. Begins at 8am sharp. Given what you just told me I think you could definitely use a positive spiritual influence in your life.”

“Well, then save me a seat. No, make that two seats. If I’m going to learn how to love I may as well practice with a partner.”

* * *

“Good advice, Roger. You’re a genius.”

“Kate?”

“I’m sorry. I should have asked if you’re still up.”

Kate reclined on the plush king-size bed with her back against the headboard. Thunder boomed in the distance; overhead, rain pelted the tin roof of the cottage. Kate stared out the rain-streaked windows of the upstairs master bedroom and saw lightning splinter the black night.

“What advice?” asked Roger. “Who’s a genius?”

“You are for suggesting I come down here. At first it looked like it was a bust, a huge waste of time. Turns out the bookmark he gave me was a marketing tool. He rents the cottage by the week. And I’m not even going to tell you for how much. I thought I was going to have to sleep in the car. Then, like Prince Charming, he shows up out of nowhere, riding in on a white horse.” She grinned. “Or a red horse, if you take into account his red Jaguar.”

“
What
? I mean,
who
are you talking about?”

“The author, Stu Summers, that’s who. I’m on the dock bawling my eyeballs out, feeling all sorry for myself, when I turn around and there he is standing with the sun on his face like Adonis coming to rescue me.”

“Like
who
?”

“Adonis. From Greek mythology? Stu mentioned him in his book.” She paused and felt a twinge of guilty pleasure. “In fact, I think I just quoted the passage verbatim. The point is, he just showed up out of the blue, like a miracle. Turns out he hardly ever comes down here. Invited me to dinner. And get this; I’m staying in his cottage.”

“Did you get the books signed yet?”

“Not yet but I will. By the time I’m done, I’ll have this guy wrapped around my finger so tight he’ll be begging
me
to autograph copies of his novels. I know I left a message that I was going to buy more copies and get them signed, but I’m pretty sure if I ask nicely he’ll give me all I want for free.”

“Careful, Sis. You’re the one who is always saying that women who flirt get hurt.”

“Who’s flirting? I’m finagling, Rog. And it’s working like a charm.”

Chapter Twelve

"If I give all I possess to the poor but do not have love, I gain nothing." The leader—Hattie May Rawls, according to her nametag—paused from her Bible reading to allow those in the group time to consider the verse’s meaning.

Kate watched the way the leader studied the classroom of “students,” and noticed how the elderly woman eyed Stu as though he were a problem child. But, Kate noted, she need not have; so far, author Stu Summers had been the perfect gentleman.

Earlier that morning a soft knock on Kate’s bedroom door had alerted her to breakfast. She had slipped on a thick white bathrobe (courtesy of her host) and peeked out. On the serving tray by her door she found a fruit smoothie, French toast, two slices of bacon, and a long stem rose next to a glass of orange juice. A handwritten note resting against a steaming cup of dark-roasted coffee invited her to dress casual, that they would be going out within the hour.

And to an 8am Bible study, no less. She’d been more than a little impressed, though his current fidgeting suggested he was not totally comfortable.

Fold-up chairs had been assembled in a small circle within the paneled room of the pastor’s study. Kate counted ten in the group. Eleven if you included the leader. Watching her watch the others, Kate appraised Hattie May’s outfit—blue dress with a gold brooch, stockings and black flats, which was definitely more practical than Kate’s white sleeveless shirt, pink shorts and sandals.

She was somewhere close to freezing.

Kate shuddered as the A/C kicked on again. Cold air blasted onto her bare shoulders from the overhead vent just behind her. She leaned ever so slightly toward Stu. As expected, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, which left her with a sense of deep satisfaction. Men, she thought. A little touch of flesh and you can lead them anywhere.

Hattie May looked back to the opened Bible in her lap. “Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”

The leader paused again. Kate casually rested her hand on Stu’s knee. As she did, she noticed his breathing change.

“It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” The group leader looked up and asked. “What does it mean to always protect, trust, hope, persevere?”

The young couple sitting directly beside Kate shared a quick look but said nothing. Kate peeked at Stu. He, in turn, was staring at the goose bumps on her thighs—and not in a way that suggested he wanted her to cover up.

“Stuart?” Hattie asked. “What do
you
think it means?”

Without lifting his head he answered, “I guess it means we are to never give up, get down, or back down.” His eyes finally found Hattie’s. “My date is cold, is anybody else cold?”

“I am,” the young woman sitting next to Kate said.

“Me, too.”

Date?

“Any chance there is a blanket she can borrow?” Stu asked. “Or a beach towel.”

“The thermostat is stuck on sixty-five,” Hattie said, her tone disapproving. Then she brightened. “If you want, we can go outside.”

“Too buggy,” said a young man wearing a brown ferry attendant uniform. “And windy.”

“I’m your date?” Kate whispered to Stu.

“What about trust?” the group leader asked Stu. “You skipped that part.”

“Here, you can borrow my jacket,” said the ferry attendant.

Stu helped Kate spread the jacket over her thighs and knees.

“I suppose when the writer says ‘love always protects,’” Stu said, making eye contact with Kate, ‘“always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres,’ he is affirming our need for an intimate, safe relationship.” He looked at the rest of the group. “I know for myself, if I were about to make a tough decision, I would want to know what my partner was feeling and thinking.” He paused, took her hand, gave it a squeeze and brought his eyes back to hers. “And if something were bothering me, I would share it with her so she would know her opinion is valued.”

Kate nearly fell out of her chair. That was exactly what the guys she dated
never
did. She blinked rapidly, then forced herself to look at Hattie, knowing good and well she had to stick to her plan and not let Stu Summers get to her like he already had.

“Anybody else?” asked Hattie. “Anybody at all?”

“Hang on, I’m not finished,” said Stu. “I believe this passage also means that love is slow to believe vicious rumors concerning another person. That we are to give our mate the benefit of the doubt, to trust her word above all others, and take her side, regardless of the consequences. Even if your partner has a questionable past, we are to look beyond their mistakes and believe the best about them.”

“Wow, that’s deep,” said one of the women. “You got all that from that one verse?”

“I’m sure he had help,” Hattie said dryly. “Probably Barclay’s or one of the other commentaries.”

“Help or not, that’s profound,” Kate remarked honestly. “Do you really believe two people can have that kind of love?”

Stu’s eyes locked with hers, penetrating them in such a way that she felt he could read all of her most intimate thoughts. “With all my heart.”

Whap!

Hattie May Rawls slammed her Bible shut. “Stuart, may I have a word with you in the hall?”

The group leader shot to her feet and glared at Stu.

“Now?” he asked.

“Yes, now. Let’s go.”

* * *

Stu knew what was coming: a tongue-lashing. He could tell by the way Hattie pulled on his ear as she walked him out of the pastor’s study. Now they stood across the hall in the doorway of the church library.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Hattie nearly spit the words.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” said Stu, raising his hands in a manner that suggested he had no clue what she was talking about. “What did
I
do?”