Stella frowned. “I don’t recall you saying all this when your name was being tossed around town last Christmas.”
“Well maybe I was taking myself a little too seriously,” Lucy said sheepishly. “After all, Dante and I did have a happy ending.”
“Well, these rumors aren’t true, so there’s that. I barely know the man.” She didn’t want to tell Lucy about how Luke had rescued her from the awkward situation at Rosie’s salon. If Stella told her about her near run-in with Rafe at the shop, Lucy would be filled with guilt about taking off right after the fitting. Stella didn’t want to say or do anything to take away from her sister’s prewedding bliss.
“But it’s progress from being talked about due to the…situation with your ex. At least this gossip isn’t like having a knife driven through your heart. It isn’t talking about you when you’ve been knocked to your knees. Am I right?” Lucy locked gazes with Stella. They both knew how deeply Stella had suffered after being dumped by her fiancé.
Lucy made a good point. This wasn’t her first time at the gossip rodeo. After Rafe called off their wedding, the whispers, fake stories, and stares had been brutal. She’d been the object of pity in her hometown and she’d hated every second of it.Poor Stella. Can you believe that he married someone else? I wonder what really happened to make him call off the wedding.Stella hadn’t been able to avoid the wagging tongues, and bit by bit, the unrelenting gossip had worn her down. She’d even momentarily toyed with the idea of moving away from Mistletoe. In the end, she’d stayed, and the gossip eventually died down.
“What’s taking you guys so long with the tacos? I’m a growing girl and I need to nourish my body.” Tess stood in the kitchen entryway with her hands folded across her chest. She was tapping her foot on the hardwood floor.
“Take it easy, Tess,” Lucy warned. “Dinner is almost ready.” She made a shooing motion with her hands.
“Why don’t you go back in the living room and keep Mom company?” Stella suggested. Tess was the last person who should overhear their private conversation. Despite her tender years, Tess had a natural inclination to gossip. The Marshall family had learned the hard way not to tell her anything they didn’t want to be repeated.
Tess walked into the kitchen and sat down at the butcher block–style table. She propped her elbows up and leaned her body forward. “So what are you guys talking about? You look really intense.”
“Grown folks’ business,” Stella said, trying not to smile. Tess was too mature for her own good, and Stella knew that her family, including herself, let her get away with bloody murder. She was the very definition of ten years old going on thirty.
“Oh, is this about you and the military dude?” Tess asked with an angelic expression. Her eyes darted back and forth between Stella and Lucy. “Mama and I were just discussing it. She’s really pleased you’re dating again.”
Stella’s jaw dropped. She was too stunned to even reply to her sister. How in the world had Tess heard rumors about her and Luke? And her mother knew about it as well? “W-what did you hear?”
“Where did you hear that?” Lucy asked at the same time.
Tess laughed and rubbed her hands together. “It was at summer camp in archery class. I heard two of the counselors talking about the new guy in town and how it’s a shame he’s already taken. Then I heard your name being mentioned. And then there was some discussion about Luke being hotter than a summer’s day. Georgia said she’d seen him running and he has buns of steel. Cinnamon buns.” Tess giggled.
“Okay. That’s enough,” Stella said, holding up her hands to ward off any further commentary from her little sister. She couldn’t believe camp counselors had nothing better to do than talk about her nonexistent relationship with Luke. However, it wasn’t surprising that Luke had left an impression on the camp counselors. It seemed to be happening all over town.
Stella saw a huge grin breaking out on Lucy’s face right before she busied herself in the cupboard with her face hidden. Stella wished she could find the situation as amusing as Lucy did. It would be nice if she could lighten up and laugh it off. But she wasn’t built that way. She was too worried about what people thought about her. Perhaps her goal this summer should be to let loose a little and walk on the wild side. Images of Luke grinning at her in a flirtatious manner flashed into her mind, startling her. She felt a little bit flustered that she was fantasizing about Luke. Getting involved with him would be thrilling and very un-Stella-like.
“Tess, go tell Mom that dinner is ready,” Stella said after gathering her thoughts. As soon as Tess left the kitchen, Stella turned toward Lucy. “I guess there’s no point in telling Tess and Mom the rumors aren’t true, is there?”
“Not really,” Lucy said, making a face as she spooned the food from its pot on the stove to a serving dish. “A silver lining is that if Mom thinks you’re dating Luke she won’t try to set you up on any awkward blind dates.”
“Now that is a definite bonus to this bogus rumor,” Stella said with a grin. Just having that pressure off her back for a short bit of time would be wonderful. It was honestly the only upside of Patsy’s loose lips.
Stella busied herself with setting the table and helping Lucy lay the food out. Why was it bothering her so much that the rumor mill was dishing about her and Luke? Like Lucy had tried to tell her, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world to be linked up to a gorgeous guy like Luke. Once upon a time she would have been over the moon to have her name said in the same breath as his. But that had been back in the day of high school crushes. Now, after being at the mercy of town gossip over the wedding that wasn’t, Stella felt a bit salty about Mistletoe’s rumor mill. It always seemed to be at her expense and could turn cruel in an instant. She didn’t want to be on the receiving end of it ever again.
“Take deep breaths, Stella,” Lucy advised. “This too shall pass. Next week Patsy will be spreading dirt about someone else.” She placed her arm around Stella’s waist and pulled her close to her side. “And if I happen to hear any other library patrons gossiping about you, it’s going to be on.” She held up her fists and made a swinging motion. Stella burst out laughing at the idea of her younger sister getting into a fight. Lucy was a gentle soul with a heart as wide and deep as the ocean.
“What would I do without you?” Stella asked, blinking back tears. No matter what was going on in their lives, Lucy was always there holding her up. A sister and a best friend all wrapped up in one.
“You’ll never have to find out,” Lucy whispered. “Not ever.” Stella didn’t know what she’d ever done in this world to deserve having Lucy as a sister, but she was grateful for her love and loyalty.
“Ditto,” Stella said. They held up their pinkies and joined them together as they’d done a million times before, ever since they were kids.
Within minutes they were all seated at the dining room table and holding hands as Leslie led them in the grace and offered up thanks for the meal set out before them.
As soon as their mother finished, Tess piped up. “May I add something?”
Stella nodded a bit reluctantly. “Go ahead, Tess.” Her baby sister was notorious for adding special prayer requests for outlandish things such as Appalachian owls, solar eclipses, or the freckle-faced object of her ten-year-old affection.
Tess began speaking. “And thanks for bringing a new man into Stella’s life, someone who is ten times hotter than Rafe and who has abs you can bounce a quarter off of. May their romance be filled with roses and moonlight. And lots of kissing. Amen.” Tess, looking very pleased with herself, began digging into her food with gusto.
Stella tried her hardest not to laugh at her sister’s outrageous prayer. She felt her lips twitching and she bit down on her lip to stop it from bubbling up inside her. One look at Lucy’s mirth-filled expression and Stella broke. It started as a giggle, then morphed into a full-out cackle. Lucy joined in, along with their mother. Laughter rang out in the dining room, serving as a reminder to Stella that even when it felt like she was standing on shaky ground, family was everything.
***
