Longing in Louisiana (At the Altar Book 8) Read online

  "I told you he's pig-headed. He's decided you're meeting and nothing is going to stop it from happening."

  Seth looked at Brenda, raising one eyebrow. "You told my wife I'm pig-headed?"

  "Sure. Someone has to list your flaws. Sometimes you seem a bit too perfect."

  Seth shook his head. "I'm not sure I want you two hanging around together after all."

  "That's too bad," Michelle told him, "because we're going to shop tomorrow, and she's taking me to Plymouth. I get to see the rock!"

  "It's smaller than you think it is," Seth told her.

  "I don't have any expectations at all, so I'm sure it will be just fine."

  "Don't buy too much garbage."

  "I need new school clothes for this year," she told him. "It's either shop here with a friend, or drive into New Orleans to get something decent when I get home."

  "Why do you need new?"

  Michelle shrugged. "I've been wearing the clothes I made for myself when I graduated from college for years. I have a savings account for this type of thing, and the clothes are getting threadbare. It's time for new."

  "I didn't know you could sew," he said with surprise.

  "You've only known me for a week. There are lots of things you don't know yet."

  "There are things you don't know about me as well."

  "I know you're pig-headed. What else is there?"

  Seth looked over at Daniel, whose face was lit up with amusement. "Do you see what I put up with? If she's like this after a week, how's she going to be acting in a year?"

  "Quit bragging. I see you found the right girl for you. No need to rub it in. I found the perfect girl for me, too. And I found mine first!"

  Seth laughed, looking down at Michelle. "If only she weren't so tiny. I feel like she'd fit in my pocket."

  "Imagine if you'd really gotten a girl just like Brenda. You'd never be able to find her in a crowd, because she's so darn short."

  Brenda folded her arms over her chest. "Let's not bring Brenda into this. I'm the perfect size for a Brenda, and that's what really matters."

  "Whatever you say," Daniel said, obviously placating her.

  "Don't you start with me, Daniel Axford! I'm not afraid to kick you!"

  Daniel looked over at Seth. "Someday she'll realize that being kicked with teeny tiny little feet really doesn't hurt. Until then, I'll act like it's a real threat."

  Seth laughed, shaking his head. "You two are a mess. How do you manage to get along without me here to run interference?"

  "We get along just fine, thank you very much!" Daniel put his arm around Brenda's shoulders, not moving an inch, even when she pushed him with all her strength.

  "I think I'm going to have to be mad at you for a while," Brenda told her husband.

  "You do that. Let me know when you're done being mad, so I know when it's safe." Daniel rolled his eyes as he said it.

  Brenda looked at her husband. "And you know it's not safe, because I'm tiny but fierce, right? And don’t you dare call me a hobbit, or I will kick you!”

  "Sure. That's exactly what I meant."

  Brenda glared at him, but she didn't say anything else, leading Michelle to believe that Daniel had a fight coming later.

  Michelle yawned, resting her head sleepily on Seth's shoulder. "All this travel really is getting to me. I'm not a night person anyway."

  Seth wrapped his arm around her, holding her against him. "Maybe we should head to bed."

  Michelle shook her head. "I'm not going to be a party pooper. You stay down here. I'll go on up."

  "Not a chance. I have to be up early, and I'm not much of a morning person. I need to hit the hay or the boss-man will yell at me tomorrow."

  Michelle looked at Daniel. "Do you yell?" He didn’t seem like the type to have to raise his voice. He was just a natural leader.

  "Rarely. I don't have to. I keep my voice quiet, and they all know it's time to run for cover."

  Brenda nodded emphatically. "He has the meanest whisper you've ever heard!"

  Daniel didn't respond to his wife's comment. He obviously found her ridiculous.

  Michelle stood up from the water, patting herself dry with the towel Brenda had given her before coming outside. Seth got out as well. "I'll see you in the morning. I assume you're going in with me at seven."

  Daniel nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't let you take my car. I've seen you drive."

  "You have four cars. You could loan me one of the others."

  "I repeat. I've seen you drive."

  Seth looked at Michelle. "I don't know why we've been friends for so long. You'd think I'd have buried his body at sea by now, wouldn't you?"

  Michelle refused to get into that. "G'night," she called to Brenda and Daniel as she headed for the house.

  "You could have defended me there," Seth said as he opened the back door for her.

  "I could have..."

  "You're as bad as they are!" he complained. "I thought you were on my side. You are my wife, you know."

  "I'm fully aware."

  Seth sighed. "Why is it that I feel abused by everyone around me?"

  "You must have a victim complex," Michelle informed him, refusing to play his games.

  When they got up to the room, she showered, not wanting to sleep with chlorine on her skin, because often it made her break out when it wasn't washed off immediately. When she was dressed for bed, she walked back into the room to find Seth reading a book in a chair beside the bed. She’d never really been able to read sitting up, preferring to plop down on a bed on her stomach to read. "Your mystery?"

  He nodded. "I think I know who dunnit."

  "I'm sure you do."

  "Is that meant to be sarcastic? I think Daniel's rubbing off on you."

  "No, it's not meant to be sarcastic, and Daniel hasn’t rubbed me even once." She slipped between the sheets, yawning widely. "Are you going to shower before bed?"

  He nodded. "Yeah. I need to." He put his book down and disappeared into the bathroom. When he came back out ten minutes later, she was curled on her side with one hand tucked under her cheek, sound asleep. He sighed. She really was exhausted.

  *****

  Brenda and Michelle had a long leisurely breakfast after the men had gone off to work the following morning. "Why didn't the men eat with us?" Michelle asked.

  "They were in a hurry. They're always in a hurry." Brenda rolled her eyes. "They do this thing called working for a living. I don't know why..."

  Michelle grinned. "I guess I'm the same way during the school year." She'd slept 'til six that morning and was quite proud of herself until she remembered she was on East Coast Time. It was the same as getting up at five at home.

  "The stores open up at ten, but if we want to do the ocean walk in Plymouth, I think we should do that first. I don't want it to get hot and crowded before we get there."

  "You know better than I do. I'll do whatever."

  "Okay, well, wear something comfortable. Shorts and a tank top are fine. We'll hit the ocean walk, and then go back into Boston for shopping. What kind of clothes do you want to get for school? That'll give me some idea of where to take you."

  Michelle thought about it for a moment. She'd always worn business suits to work, but she really didn't need to. None of the other principals in the district did. It's just what she had. She liked the idea of dressing a bit more femininely. "I guess business casual is fine. Maybe some slacks and some nice tops. A couple of skirts." She'd worn high heels to work every day for the past four years. It would be so nice to be able to wear flats.

  "Works for me. I have a couple of places in mind. We'll have fun picking stuff out for you."

  Thirty minutes later, they were on their way out the door. Brenda had a small car, which was great for navigating the busy Boston traffic. They chatted while they drove. Brenda told some silly stories about her two sisters who both had names similar to hers. "No one could ever remember our names at all. The teachers at school were forever call
ing me by my older sister's name. Don't name your kids cutesy names like Brenda, Brianna and Brooke. They won't love you for it!"

  Michelle laughed. "I don't plan on it. I don't have names picked out yet, of course, but I promise not to play the cutesy game."

  Plymouth was fun for Michelle. She'd grown up close to the ocean, and close to New Orleans, a place of historical significance, but it had nothing on the town where the Mayflower touched down. They strolled through the shops, trying on silly hats, and looking at little mementos of the Pilgrims.

  "I think I need to get a lobster hat," Michelle announced.

  "How could you come to Massachusetts and not buy a lobster hat?" Brenda asked, her face perfectly serious.

  "I really don't know. I couldn't even try. It would be sacrilegious, wouldn't it?"

  "Definitely. That one looks great on you." Brenda dug through a bin of silly hats. "I think you should get this turkey hat for Seth. He'd thank you for it."

  "Wouldn't it be fun for us to wear these to some of the games my school plays in? Then the kids could search for the hats, and not our faces. They get so excited when they see me there."

  “That could really be fun.” Brenda grinned at Michelle.

  “Oh, for the first game he goes to with me, we’ll have to wear our bride and groom mouse ears from Disney.”

  “Seth didn’t really wear those, did he?”

  “He did! He looked so adorable.” Michelle fished her phone out of her purse and quickly flipped through the pictures. “Here, look. We took a selfie with them on.” She handed Brenda her camera so she could see the picture they’d taken in front of Cinderella’s Castle with the mouse ears on.

  Brenda laughed. “You have got to text that to me. Daniel would get a huge kick out of it.”

  “Sure. What’s your number?”

  Brenda rattled off her number, and Michelle sent the text. “Now we have each other’s numbers. I can text you when I get home.”

  “Sounds good. I really don’t want to lose touch.”

  “We won’t. I promise.” Michelle linked her arm through Brenda’s after paying for the silly hats. It was the last shop in Plymouth they wanted to see. “Now what?”

  “Now on to the serious shopping. Let’s go get you some clothes for school this year.” Brenda grinned. “I bet all the boys in your school have a crush on the principal.”

  Michelle looked at her with shock. “No they don’t! You’re joking, right?”

  Brenda gaped at her friend. “Do you not have any inkling what you look like? They do have mirrors in Louisiana, right?”

  “Of course, but I’m just me.”

  “I had a friend when I was in college that was overweight in high school, and she lost weight the summer before we started college. For the first three years of college, she never had a date, because when guys asked her out she either thought they were making fun of her or pitying her, because she still thought of herself as the overweight teenager she’d been. We finally convinced her that she was pretty, and boys were asking her out because they liked what they saw, but it took forever.”

  “That’s not what’s happening with me,” Michelle protested. “I dated the same man for nine years!”

  “But did you think he just dated you because he felt sorry for you?”

  “I—of course not. I don’t know why he dated me. It’s not like he was faithful anyway.”

  “Michelle, you’re a beautiful woman. Seth is lucky to have you in his life. I hope you know that.”

  Michelle just shrugged, hoping Brenda would drop the subject. She got into the car and put her bag in the back. “How long will it take us to get to the shops in Boston?”

  Brenda looked at her skeptically for a moment, but then she shrugged. “Not long. There’s this great little Italian place I want to go to for lunch. Are you game?”

  Chapter Eight

  Michelle had a wonderful day with Brenda, the two of them trying on outfits together and having lunch at the Italian place Brenda had suggested. The Italian food made Michelle’s taste buds stand up and do flips, and she knew she’d want to go there every time she was in town, which she now hoped would be quite often. It seemed that every time she made a wonderful new friend, it was someone who lived too far for regular lunches and fun shopping days.

  After they arrived back at the house, Michelle lugged her bags up the stairs, having a hard time believing she’d purchased seven bags of new clothing for school. Her students were never going to recognize her. She wasn’t sure yet if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but she was sure Seth would approve of the new clothes. She’d been a lot more daring with colors and hadn’t stuck to the grey and black suits she usually wore to school.

  She met up with Brenda a short while later, walking through the garden together. “I can’t believe how sore shopping all day made me,” Michelle complained. “As much as I run, it’s not fair that I could get sore from walking through stores.”

  Brenda laughed. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? I do better swimming all day than I do shopping.”

  “Very crazy.” Michelle shook her head. “Are we eating later tonight? Because of the men working late?”

  “Yeah. Mrs. Brinkley is going to serve supper at seven-thirty instead of six-thirty. She would never dream of inconveniencing Daniel.”

  Michelle grinned at that. “She does seem rather devoted to him.”

  “That’s putting it very mildly. She thinks he walks on water.” Brenda shook her head. “Makes me crazy sometimes. I always wonder if she likes me at all or just puts up with me because we’re married. Of course, now that I’m pregnant, she’s catering to my cravings a bit. I’m sure that’s because I’m carrying the prince of her universe.”

  “Pregnant? Really?”

  Brenda laughed, patting her stomach which was still perfectly flat. “Really. I found out the day after we got back from your wedding. I’m still having a hard time believing it myself.”

  “Do you want a boy or a girl?”

  Brenda shrugged. “I’m not terribly picky, but Daniel really wants a boy first. He’s determined that he’ll need help to protect a daughter’s honor.”

  “Men are really strange. You know that, don’t you?”

  “They are. I think our two are a little stranger than most.” Brenda sighed.

  “Well, they’re both nerds. I think that makes them a little weirder automatically. Sweeter, but weirder too.” Michelle looked at her friend. “I’m happy for you.”

  “Do you and Seth want kids?” Brenda asked.

  Michelle nodded. “And I’m thirty-two. I want them right off, because I know I want more than one. I know it’s harder to get pregnant as you get older.”

  “I’m sure that will make Seth very happy.”

  “Yeah, I think so. He keeps telling me he’s happy to help me make them.”

  Brenda laughed. “Sounds like something Daniel would say. I can see why those two are such good friends.”

  “I’m surprised Seth doesn’t just work for Daniel full time. Seth said he was Daniel’s first employee.”

  “Yeah, Daniel wants Seth to work for him full time, but Seth won’t go for it. He likes having his freedom.”

  “I guess I can’t complain, because he wouldn’t have been as willing to move to Louisiana if he hadn’t had his own business.” Michelle couldn’t imagine living anywhere but Louisiana. She enjoyed visiting other places, but Malloy was her home.

  “Very true. Have you given any thought to moving here? I’m sure there’s a school you could work for.”

  Michelle shook her head. “I couldn’t leave the kids. I love Malloy, and I’ve lived there my whole life. No, that was one of my stipulations when I went to Dr. Lachele. I needed a man who was willing to move to Louisiana to be near me.”

  “I guess you’ll just have to visit. Often.”

  “And you two are welcome to visit us anytime. I have a spare room. It’s nothing like the Rose Room, of course…”

  “We
ll, nothing is…”

  Both dissolved into peals of laughter. “I’m so glad you haven’t had time to get all rich and snobbish and are willing to talk to the little people like me,” Michelle said with a grin.

  Brenda wrinkled her nose. “Can you see me doing that? I’d gouge out my own eyes first. I don’t have that kind of personality at all.”

  “I know. And that’s the reason I can tease you about it.” Michelle smiled. “So will you raise your baby yourself, or will you have a nanny do it?”

  Brenda laughed out loud at that, a tinkling laughter that filled the garden. “I’m sure I’ll do most of the work myself. I may hire someone to help on occasion so I can leave and do things I want to do.”

  “Like your volunteer work?”

  “Oh, for starters. I don’t see myself leaving the baby often though. I’m planning to breast feed, and babies tend to eat pretty often.”

  “I’ve heard that…”

  Brenda grinned. “I’m glad we’re friends. I was kind of worried when I saw you at the church on your wedding day that you’d be snooty. Most pretty girls are.”

  “And that’s why I’m not.” Michelle couldn’t figure out why Brenda kept referring to her as pretty. She understood why Seth did, and knew for him it must be motivated by a desire for sex. Brenda got nothing out of it though.

  “You really need to look in a mirror, girl! You’re gorgeous. Everyone thinks so.”

  “How do you know what everyone thinks?”

  “Well, Daniel, Seth, and I think so. Who else matters?”

  Michelle laughed. “No one, apparently. You three make up the entire world.”

  “Of course we do!” Brenda stopped at a wooden swing in the very back of the garden and sat down, patting the spot beside her.

  Michelle tried to keep a straight face as she realized Brenda’s legs didn’t reach all the way to the ground, so she sat down and started the swing in motion with one foot. “The gardens are beautiful.”

  “I think so. It’s a wonderful place to live.”

  “I can see that. The only thing missing is a body of water back here.”

  “The pool is good enough for me,” Brenda responded, a far-away grin on her face. “And we’re sure not far from the nearest ocean. Daniel and I go to the beach often.”