“You’ve only got paint on you because my daughter bothered you for help,” Georgia insisted, “and believe me, I know my daughter. She is ruthless when it comes to this play going perfectly, so you’ve earned a glass of wine, I’m sure.”
She wasn’t wrong. Though Tasha wasn’t actually a tyrant, the energy at the theater was one of eagerly seeking approval. Every person there wanted Tasha to be happy with what they’d done, so they each gave it their all. Including Stella. Even though she didn’t know Willow Beach existed before yesterday, she wanted their local production of Meet Me in St. Louis to go off without a hitch. She didn’t want her set designs to bring the entire play down.
Alma poured Stella a glass, making it difficult to refuse, so she tentatively joined the group of women assembled on the porch. She anticipated a questionnaire—a small investigation into her life and her background—but the women acted as though Stella had always been there. As though she wasn’t intruding at all but was a beloved member of their crew.
“I wonder when Melanie and Colin are going to finally get engaged,” Georgia pondered, staring at the cloud of dust left in the wake of Melanie’s car.
“They’ve only been dating a few months,” Gwen said.
Alma flapped her wrist and shook her head. “It’s love. Everyone can see it.”
“Melanie has always been my romantic. Drew and Tasha were wild—Richard called them incorrigible—but Melanie is stable.”
“Wouldn’t that mean she’s unlikely to get married so fast?” Stella asked.
“It means she is due for a little spontaneity,” Georgia corrected, smiling at the thought. “She deserves a good man. She spends her life taking care of everyone else—”
“—and their pets,” Alma added.
“And their pets,” Georgia agreed. “So, it’s high time she started taking care of herself.”
Wasn’t that what Brenda had said to Stella just the day before? She’d devoted eighteen years of her life to raising Jace, and it was time she focused on herself. The only problem was, Stella didn’t know what that looked like yet. She’d spent the day painting sets and had enjoyed it, but did that count as taking care of herself and focusing on her hobbies? Or had she been doing it just because Tasha asked? Helping other people and devoting her talents to their needs came so second nature to Stella that she didn’t always realize she was doing it. It felt like an impulse. A trained habit. What would it feel like to have someone like that in her life? Someone who jumped into action at every need and whim? Someone who did their best to make her life easier?
Someone like Sam?
His name came unbidden into her mind, and Stella silently chastised herself. She hardly knew Sam, and based on how visibly uncomfortable he was over lunch, he probably wouldn’t make any more efforts to get to know her, either.
The reminder of her flirting made her feel itchy. Was it even flirting? Stella didn’t know. It had been a friendly lunch, and she’d thought she was paying him a friendly compliment, but maybe she went too far.
“Melanie should snatch Colin up before another girl does,” Alma said, pulling Stella from her thoughts. “There is a shortage of quality men around here, and she shouldn’t let him go.”
The women all began talking at once, agreeing that Colin seemed as in love with Melanie as she was with him.
“He doesn’t have eyes for anyone else,” Gwen said.
“A love match!” Georgia exclaimed.
When they settled down, Stella quietly interjected. “From my vantage point, Willow Beach has more than its fair share of quality men. I’ve met nothing but perfect gentlemen—Drew, Eddie, and Sam.”
She said Sam’s name with some hesitation but decided it would be stranger to not mention him. The women would wonder why she’d left him off—if he had done something to offend her.
No, Stella thought, but I may have offended him.
“They’re all taken,” Gwen explained.
“Drew is with a sweet, darling woman named Ashley. She’s actually been interning down at the clinic with Melanie before she goes off to veterinary school, and we just adore her. And Eddie is with Tasha.” Georgia pressed a hand to her heart and sighed. “Both Eddie and Ashley have done so much for my kiddos. The last year or so has been hard on them, but they’ve found love and inspiration and motivation, and I couldn’t be happier for them.”
Stella admired Georgia’s obvious love and devotion for her children, but her mind was still caught on what Gwen said. “And Sam? Is he taken, too?”
If he was, Stella thought she might melt and drip between the wooden slats of the porch. She’d danced with Sam at the Duke Saloon, and she had had a picnic lunch with him. Yes, nothing had happened, but if he was seeing someone, then he should have mentioned it. She was almost ready to get offended in preparation when Georgia’s face lit up like a Fourth of July fireworks display.
“Oh no!” Georgia said, almost shouting it. “Sam is single. Always has been. He is great, but he’s never settled down with anyone.”
Stella tried to tell if Georgia sounded wistful, but Alma grabbed her attention before she could look too closely. “Sam is the other one who ought to get snatched up quickly. It’s a shame for a man like that to be wasted.”
“I don’t think Sam is wasted,” Gwen said. “He has a lot going for him.”
“Of course, he does. But his charms are wasted. No one down at the auto shop appreciates his careful concern as much as a woman would.”
“You don’t think Sam hasn’t heard this his whole life?” Georgia asked. “People have been pressuring him to find a woman for years. Let the
