ravioli was downright delicious. Throughout the meal, Ellie chattered in a pleasant way, talking about the “quality woodwork” in the house, the beautiful views outside, and the kinds of clients she was currently working with at the store. Thankfully, she didn’t go back to the topic of Great-Aunt Loretta’s money or his dance partner—Calvin didn’t know if he could continue to lie directly to Ellie. A funny anecdote about an old man who insisted that she order in a dishwasher that had twist knobs instead of “those funky newfangled electric buttons” had Calvin still laughing as he asked their teenaged waiter for the check.
He still hadn’t thought of a way to get Ellie to introduce him to single women, but he figured meeting women would follow naturally as he spent time out and around in town. In fact, his idea was proved right as they stood to leave, because two women who were having lunch a few tables over waved brightly, and Ellie led Calvin over to say hi.
“Jane, Mal, haven’t seen you in a bit!”
Both women smiled politely. Calvin noticed a wedding ring on the finger of the brunette who sat closer to them, but the woman next to her had unembellished hands.
The presumably single one sat up and grinned in a direct way at both Calvin and Ellie. “Hey, honey!” she said, brushing tight black curls away from her plump-but-pretty face. “Who is this?”
Calvin saw Ellie’s round cheeks go a little bit pink at the openly curious tone, but her voice didn’t waver at all. “Mallory, this is Calvin—I’m working with him to remodel Miss Loretta Meyer’s old house.”
“Pleasure,” purred Mallory, leaning across the table to shake his hand. She had a limp grip, but Calvin smiled at her anyway.
“And this is Jane,” Ellie said, with a nod to the married woman. “We all three went to high school together.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jane said in a sweet, high-pitched voice. She didn’t bother shaking his hand.
“Carterville natives, eh?” said Calvin, trying to be pleasant.
“Oh, su-ure,” said Mallory, still batting her eyelashes at him. His first impulse was to quickly back away and disengage, but then he remembered that this was exactly the kind of girl he was looking for—quick and easy marriage, no guilt over near-instant divorce. In contrast, Jane had stopped listening in favor of some game on her cellphone. But he was certain neither woman would ever be suspicious about what his great-aunt had left him or his intentions with women, unlike Ellie.
“Well, anyway,” said Ellie, “we ought to get back to work. Nice seeing you two!”
Put Mallory on the list of potentials, Calvin noted to himself as he followed Ellie out of the restaurant.
“So, good friends of yours?” he asked his companion. He wanted a little bit of information, like whether or not Mallory was actually single.
Ellie snorted loudly, before clearly remembering whom she was with and trying to regain her composure. “Ah, not exactly,” she murmured.
Calvin raised his eyebrows. “What exactly, then?”
“Well…” Ellie seemed to ponder the question for a minute as she led the way back to the car. “My high school class was small enough that we’re all kind of friends, because we’re all neighbors. But back in the day those two weren’t exactly my favorite people.”
“Back in the day?” He snorted. “You act as though you’re an ancient old woman.”
Ellie smiled at this as she climbed into the car and started it up. “It feels like it sometimes. I’ve changed so much since then.” There was an oddly serious note to her voice, and Calvin wondered briefly what she had experienced to make her sound so sad.
But before he could find a way to politely ask, the pretty brunette had shaken off whatever hung on her mind and was acting cheerful again. “Okay, now if you want the real Carterville experience, we have to get ice
He still hadn’t thought of a way to get Ellie to introduce him to single women, but he figured meeting women would follow naturally as he spent time out and around in town. In fact, his idea was proved right as they stood to leave, because two women who were having lunch a few tables over waved brightly, and Ellie led Calvin over to say hi.
“Jane, Mal, haven’t seen you in a bit!”
Both women smiled politely. Calvin noticed a wedding ring on the finger of the brunette who sat closer to them, but the woman next to her had unembellished hands.
The presumably single one sat up and grinned in a direct way at both Calvin and Ellie. “Hey, honey!” she said, brushing tight black curls away from her plump-but-pretty face. “Who is this?”
Calvin saw Ellie’s round cheeks go a little bit pink at the openly curious tone, but her voice didn’t waver at all. “Mallory, this is Calvin—I’m working with him to remodel Miss Loretta Meyer’s old house.”
“Pleasure,” purred Mallory, leaning across the table to shake his hand. She had a limp grip, but Calvin smiled at her anyway.
“And this is Jane,” Ellie said, with a nod to the married woman. “We all three went to high school together.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jane said in a sweet, high-pitched voice. She didn’t bother shaking his hand.
“Carterville natives, eh?” said Calvin, trying to be pleasant.
“Oh, su-ure,” said Mallory, still batting her eyelashes at him. His first impulse was to quickly back away and disengage, but then he remembered that this was exactly the kind of girl he was looking for—quick and easy marriage, no guilt over near-instant divorce. In contrast, Jane had stopped listening in favor of some game on her cellphone. But he was certain neither woman would ever be suspicious about what his great-aunt had left him or his intentions with women, unlike Ellie.
“Well, anyway,” said Ellie, “we ought to get back to work. Nice seeing you two!”
Put Mallory on the list of potentials, Calvin noted to himself as he followed Ellie out of the restaurant.
“So, good friends of yours?” he asked his companion. He wanted a little bit of information, like whether or not Mallory was actually single.
Ellie snorted loudly, before clearly remembering whom she was with and trying to regain her composure. “Ah, not exactly,” she murmured.
Calvin raised his eyebrows. “What exactly, then?”
“Well…” Ellie seemed to ponder the question for a minute as she led the way back to the car. “My high school class was small enough that we’re all kind of friends, because we’re all neighbors. But back in the day those two weren’t exactly my favorite people.”
“Back in the day?” He snorted. “You act as though you’re an ancient old woman.”
Ellie smiled at this as she climbed into the car and started it up. “It feels like it sometimes. I’ve changed so much since then.” There was an oddly serious note to her voice, and Calvin wondered briefly what she had experienced to make her sound so sad.
But before he could find a way to politely ask, the pretty brunette had shaken off whatever hung on her mind and was acting cheerful again. “Okay, now if you want the real Carterville experience, we have to get ice
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