Noel shook his head. “Everyone needs a hobby. It’s good for the soul, and marriage. Suzanne loves to garden, and in the winter she paints. Our hobbies give us time to pursue our own interests, but they also help us to connect by sharing what we’ve done.”
“I’ve never thought about hobbies in those terms.”
“Take my advice. You’ll be grateful in the long run.” Maegan’s dad took the magazine from his hands and added it back to the shelf. “How long have you and my daughter been seeing each other? Pardon my frankness, but we didn’t realize she was dating anyone, though it was a pleasant surprise.”
“I, um, we, um….” He stumbled on his words, doubtful how to answer. “We’re not officially seeing each other. In fact, we only met Thursday through one of Nancy Lundgren’s matchmaking attempts, but we immediately hit it off and decided to see where it goes.”
There, he’d given an explanation without lying.
“Very interesting.” Noel stroked his jaw. “My Mae is a special girl, and that’s not just me being a biased dad. Her heart is pure gold, and she can light up a room with her smile. You seem to be an all-right guy. I consider myself a good judge of character, and I like you. All I ask is that you treat her well and be honest with her.”
“I would never dream of treating her any other way,” he replied honestly. Despite only knowing her for three days, he already cared for her as a good friend, and he’d never do anything to jeopardize that. She deserved nothing less.
“Good. Now that we have that out of the way, would you like to see the trains do a few rolls around the track while my wife and Mae finish their conversation?”
Judah realized then that the trains had been a pretense for a fatherly talk, though Noel truly was proud of his collection and wanted to show them off. “Can I run the switch?”
He’d said the right thing because Noel’s face lit up. “Of course. It can be confusing at first, but we’ll keep it simple. I’ll give you a quick tutorial on how they work.”
Twenty minutes later, Suzanne called from the top of the basement’s steps, “Anyone have room for dessert? I have an Italian cream cake waiting to be eaten.”
“Be right there, honey,” Noel answered, then leaned to Judah with a bold tone of pride. “She makes the best Italian cream cake, and it’s entirely made from scratch.”
He’d indulged in two servings of lasagna and several slices of cheesy garlic bread, but he’d find a way to try a slice of cake. They went upstairs and saw Suzanne had set the table with dessert plates and a carafe of coffee along with sugar and creamer.
Maegan came to his side. “What do you think of Dad’s trains?”
“Impressive. I got to run them around the track a few times. I had no idea what I was doing but your dad is a good teacher.”
“He did a fine job,” Noel added. “A natural learner.”
Noel’s praise pleased Judah. He liked Maegan’s dad, and so Noel’s opinion mattered to him. “Thank you.”
Suzanne held up a cake knife. “Who wants a big piece and who wants a small piece.”
He’d intended to only have a small slice, but when everyone else requested a larger piece, he joined in.
“Maegan tells me you know Nancy Lundgren well,” Suzanne said after pouring a cup of coffee and offering one to him.
He accepted and added a teaspoon of sugar. “Yes, ma’am. Her youngest son and I were college roommates and have stayed close friends through the years. Nancy took me under her wing all those years ago and has been an important part of my life since.”
“We love Nancy. She is such a blessing to our community. Thomas was also, bless his soul. He was our insurance man for years until he passed. Did you have a chance to know him aswell?” Noel’s voice softened when he mentioned Nancy’s late husband.
Judah didn’t have to ask to know Thomas and Noel had been close friends. “I spent more time with Nancy but I did get to know Thomas as well. He was a great man who loved God and his family deeply.”
“That’s the best eulogy a man could receive, and very fitting for Thomas.” The momentary glimpse of grief in Noel’s eyes dissipated. “You’ve outdone yourself with the cake, Suze. This is your best one yet.”
Suzanne’s cheeks blushed with pleasure.
What would it be like to still be that in love after thirty-eight years of marriage? To still blush at an innocent compliment? His parents had been the same way. Some men balked at finding a love like that, but after everything that happened with Alyssa, Judah wanted the real deal even more. He wanted what his parents had and what Maegan’s parents still lived.
A love that didn’t quit or grow cold. Or if the love did grow cold, both parties would hunker down and fight to find the warmth once again. A love that communicated and worked through problems instead of running away at the hint of trouble. Was that possible to find in this age of discarding relationships like yesterday’s bath water?
He caught Maegan’s gaze. She nodded, as though she was able to read his mind and confirm it was possible.
With her?
But they were only pretending.
