Love Finds You in Camelot, Tennessee (24 page)

“Right.” She gave him another quick glance, trying to figure out why he looked like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Strange. But just another in a long line of odd happenings of late.

She made the drive into town, for the first time noticing the flowers blooming along the highway. Had she really been so busy that she’d overlooked the transition from spring to summer? Crazy. She wanted things to slow down, for life to go back to normal. Somehow she had the feeling “normal” was a thing of the past. Just a setting on the dryer, as her mother used to say.

After arriving at City Hall, Amy made her way to Eula Mae’s desk. She found her on the phone, whispering what sounded like sweet nothings. Well, if you could call it whispering. Woody must surely be on the other end of the line, because her words of love were actually shouted.

“Sorry, Woody,” Eula Mae hollered into the phone. “I have to go. Amy’s here now.” After a lengthy pause she repeated,
“Amy,
not gravy. And stop talking about food. You’ll get your breakfast soon enough, and in the meantime I’ll make a couple of calls to see if they can locate your missing teeth.”

Eula Mae ended the call and looked at Amy with a smile. “Poor old guy. I guess they took his teeth away while he’s on the morphine. I’m thinking that’s why he doesn’t want me down there. He’s embarrassed.”

“Aw, can’t say as I blame him,” Amy said. “But if you really care about him…” She gave Eula Mae a pensive look. “And I’m assuming from your reaction to his accident that you do…then why would he care if you see him without his teeth?”

“Personally, I would never let the woman I love see me without my teeth.” Steve’s happy-go-lucky voice chimed in.

Amy turned to face him, doing her best not to laugh. “Oh?”

“Mm-hmm.” He pulled her close, pretending to be toothless, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “See how awkward that is?”

Amy laughed. “Very. But I’ll still love you even when you are old and toothless.”
Whoa. Did I really just say that out loud?

Steve’s eyes widened. “I’m taking that to the bank,” he whispered in her ear.

As he loosened his hold on her, Amy stepped back, her face hot with embarrassment. Her words had been presumptuous, considering that Steve had never really opened up and shared his feelings with her. Not really. Had she blown it by using the
L
word so soon?

Off in the distance Eula Mae cleared her throat.

“I hate to break up this little lovefest, but we’re on government property. Don’t think we’re supposed to be smooching in here. It’s probably against the law or something.”

“Guess that kiss you and Woody shared last Friday afternoon in the storage room will have to stay a secret, then.” Steve gave Eula Mae a peck on the cheek. “And don’t tell anyone I just did that, either. I don’t want to be ticketed for impulsive kissing.”

Her wrinkled cheeks flushed. “Heavens. I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“I thought so.” Steve laughed. “But speaking of Woody, how’s he doing today? When I left the hospital last night he was sleeping like a baby. Talking in his sleep too.”

“About the Mustang or me?” Eula Mae asked.

“Neither. Something about the play, actually. He was giving stage directions.”

“Figures.” A hint of a smile creased the edges of Eula Mae’s lips. “I’ve already talked to him four times this morning. He’s as ornery as ever.” A giggle framed her next words. “He is a mess under the best of circumstances, but he sounds so funny when he’s on medication. You wouldn’t believe some of the nutty stories he told me on the phone just now. Sounded more like Sarge than Woody.”

“How long is it going to be before he’s up and around?” Amy asked. She held her breath, hoping for a positive answer…not just for the sake of the show, but for Woody’s sake as well.

“He can’t drive until the cast is off,” Eula Mae said. “So I’m his designated driver till then.” She grinned. “I’ve been dying to get my hands on that Mustang for years.”

“Well, while we’ve got it, let’s get that old car fixed up so it passes inspection,” Steve said. “And try to locate those traffic tickets he got from O’Reilly. I’ve heard all about them. Three times, no less.”

“Me too.” Amy shook her head. “I guess this is as good a time as any to help out a brother in need. Might ease my conscience a little too.”

“Ease your conscience?” Eula Mae gave her a funny look. “You feeling guilty about something?”

“About everything. If I hadn’t come up with this idea—”

“Stop right there.” Steve put his hand up. “You do this guilt trip thing a lot, and this time I’m not going along for the ride. Sorry.”

“Excuse me?”

“Not going there,” he repeated. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But…” She bit back the words.

“No buts. Woody was at that rehearsal because he wanted to be.”

“Heavens, yes.” Eula Mae practically beamed. “Why, this musical is the highlight of his life. I’ve heard all about it.” She giggled. “And besides—not that I’m saying his accident was a good thing, mind you—but with Woody in the passenger seat, I’ll have a captive audience for the first time in years.”

“Mm-hmm.” Amy narrowed her gaze. “So that’s how it is.”

“That’s how it is.” A girlish giggle erupted. “I can’t believe I’m saying this out loud. Our relationship has been years in the making. Years. And for the longest time I couldn’t admit it to anyone but myself.”

“So what made you open up?” Amy asked. “How did you both finally decide to confess your feelings?”

A shimmer of tears filled Eula Mae’s eyes. “I think we’ve both known for ages…but we’re both so stubborn and set in our ways. When you’ve been alone for years, it’s hard to admit that you have a need for someone else. You’d rather have folks think you’re self-sufficient.” Her gaze shifted to the floor. “But I’m not self-sufficient. Not even close. It’s all an act. The reality is, I want to experience love again before I die. Firsthand, no holds barred. So I’m putting it all out there with Woody.”

Amy grabbed Eula Mae’s hand. “Well, I’m glad you are. And it couldn’t happen to two nicer people.” She followed her words with a warm embrace.

From across the room Steve gave her a little wink, causing her heart to flutter.

See? He might not say it, but he shows it.

“Thanks, honey.” Eula Mae returned her squeeze. “And just for the record, I’m glad to see you two have finally come to your senses. I would’ve hated to see you waste as many years as Woody and I did.” After a pause she reached down and picked up a couple of pink sticky notes from her desk. “I hate to change the subject, but we’ve got some serious wrangling to do before tonight’s meeting.”

“What’s happened?” Amy asked.

“Well, everything was so chaotic yesterday, we decided not to bother you with it.”

“We?” Amy looked at Steve, her heart rate quickening. “This is something you know about too?”

“Yeah.” His expression shifted, and she could read the concern in his eyes. “Some guys came through town yesterday afternoon just before the rehearsal, asking several of our residents about their property. They want to build in the area.”

“Build what?”

Steve sighed. “One of them said he wants to build an outlet mall. He already talked to Grady about that vacant lot next to the hardware store. That property’s been in Grady’s family for years and they’ve never wanted to build on it because of the view. Now he’s thinking about selling. Or so he said.”

“Ugh.” A shiver ran down Amy’s spine. “Can you even imagine all of those beautiful trees being cut down?”

“No. But that’s only half the story,” Eula Mae said. “The other fellow wants to build a movie theater in town near the diner.” Her eyes lit up. “Not that I’m totally opposed to that idea. Sure would beat having to drive to Knoxville to see a show.”

“Still…” Amy shook her head, her thoughts tumbling. “I don’t know how I feel about all of this. An RV park is one thing, but malls? Movie theaters? What’s next, a sports stadium?”

Steve shrugged. “We have to be realistic. The more people we draw in, the more we’ll need to accommodate them. We’re talking about a huge change to our little town here. Far more than just a theater.”

Amy groaned. “I’ve created a monster.”

“Don’t look at it that way,” Steve said. “It’s a happy monster, at least for now. It hasn’t gobbled us up just yet. And the way I see it, what those investors want to build is nothing compared to what God is building
in
us, so we have to keep that in mind.”

“What do you mean?” Amy asked.

“Don’t you see? He’s put all of this together. And he’s built our little community into a real family—one we can be proud of.”

“I know.” Amy paused to think about his words. “You’re right, and I’m really not complaining, trust me. It’s just that so much is happening so fast. Sometimes I feel like I got the cart before the horse, as my grandpa used to say. And I don’t mind admitting I’m a little worried about the final outcome here. If all these newcomers sweep in and buy up our land, it’s just a matter of time before—”

“I’m with Amy,” Eula Mae interrupted. “I’d rather err on the side of caution. We need to bring this up at the meeting tonight and ask everyone not to do anything rash. I, for one, don’t want the town sold off inch by inch. Could be we all wake up one morning to find out it’s owned by strangers.”

“Maybe,” Steve said. “But it’s not our place to tell folks what to do with their own land. You know? We have no control over that, no matter how strongly we feel about it.”

“It’s going to be tempting for those who could use the money,” Amy said. “And can you even imagine how those people from the county are going to react if we’re in a continual state of building? It’s going to be a mess.”

“Not necessarily,” Steve said. “It’s like your dad told me weeks ago. We’ve just got to continue to befriend the people from the county—let them know we’re all on the same team. Like Arthur did with the knights. Everyone respected everyone….”

“And in the end he lost everything.” Eula Mae clamped her hand over her mouth. “Oops. Guess I didn’t need to point out that part.”

“I was going to say—and maybe I’m just being idealistic—that I think there’s room for all of us to get along.” Steve leaned against the desk. “We’ve prayed and asked God for a solution to save our town. Now along come these businessmen. Maybe they’re an answer to prayer. So I don’t want to jump the gun and assume they’re all bad. And I’m doing my best to befriend Fred Platt, the county commissioner.”

“Okay.” Amy nodded. “I’ll do the same. And I’ll try to keep a positive outlook too. It’s not like we don’t have other things to focus on right now.” She couldn’t help but feel happy as she thought about the production. “We’re making progress on the show. I feel it. Things are really moving along.”

“Four more weeks,” Steve said with a grin. “That Fourth of July debut should be quite a party.”

“Whoa. Four weeks.” As she spoke the words, her confidence slipped away…until Steve pulled her into his arms.

“God created the world in six days. Surely we can pull off a show in four weeks.”

“So you think putting on a show is like creating the world, eh?” Eula Mae chuckled.

“Sure,” Steve responded. “I see a lot of similarities. We’re building a set. Creating characters. Learning how to live together, work together.” He paused. “Reminds me a lot of creation, in fact.”

“I guess that would make Camelot the Garden of Eden,” Amy said. “Well, at least until the outlet mall and movie theater go in. Then there’s no telling what it’ll become.”

Eula Mae turned and moved toward the hallway. Turning back, she gave a little wave. “Well, look on the bright side, you two. At least we don’t have to name the animals.”

“Name them, no,” Amy said, doing her best not to laugh. “Live with them…yes.”

Steve watched as Eula Mae disappeared down the hallway. “She’s quite a character, isn’t she?”

“They all are. But they’re
our
characters, and I’m thankful for that. I don’t know what I would’ve done without them these past few weeks. Seriously.”

“Me either. They’ve been great. Seems like we’re all closer than ever, and that’s a good thing.” He paused, his thoughts shifting. “Speaking of the people we care about…I know the timing might not be the best, but there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

Amy looked at him with alarm in her eyes. “What?”

“This is totally off the subject. At least, I think it is.” He lowered his voice, just in case Eula Mae decided to make an unannounced entrance. “I’m worried about Caroline.” He swallowed back the fear that rose as he spoke the words.

“Oh?” Amy leaned against the desk and gave him an inquisitive look.

“Yes. She’s been acting odd lately. I don’t think she’s feeling well.” He shook his head. “I wish things would slow down long enough for me to keep a better eye on things. I know my mom’s worried about her. She called again last night, asking all sorts of questions.”

“What kind of care do you think Caroline needs? Is she sick? I’ve noticed she hasn’t been herself lately.”

“I don’t know.” Steve raked his fingers through his hair, wishing he could push back the fears that rose up every time he thought about Caroline’s illness. “That last lupus flare lasted for months. I don’t ever want her to go through anything like that again.” He wanted to add, “It nearly killed me to see her so weak”—but didn’t.