The Debra Dilemma (The Lone Stars Book 4) (30 page)

Debra eyed the list on her computer. “I can’t believe that Patty changed everything so I could be there, but,” she nodded to the computer, “we’re more than full up. I don’t think I’m going home tonight or possibly tomorrow night either.”

As bad as she might think her life was, it was nothing compared to the people who came to her for help.

Sweet Louise rolled up her sleeves. “Looks like we’re in for a long night.”

“Oh no, I can’t ask you to stay—”

“I don’t remember hearing you ask. We’re here, we’re not leaving, so put us to work.” Grace rolled up her sleeves too.

“Point me in Ben’s direction. I’ll triage patients for him.” Laney waited for directions.

“Take a right and then down the hall on the left.” Debra motioned with her hands.

Laney took a right out of the room.

“What’s for dinner?” Summer laid her purse on Debra’s desk.

“Dinner?” Debra’s eyes went to the clock on her computer. It was almost five. Holy crap, she had no idea that it was that late. “The lady who cooks, Artemesia, called in sick this morning. How about we order pizza?”

Sweet Louise flinched like she’d been slapped. “You will not. These people need comfort food and not some cardboard with pepperoni on top.”

“I’ll text my neighbors, Chuck and Stan, and have them raid my freezer. I have at least three pans of brownies, two coffee cakes, and enough cookie dough for five or six dozen cookies.” Summer sifted through her purse. “Where the hell is my phone?”

She felt around her pockets and found it in her back pocket.

Sweet Louise pulled out her phone. “I’ll text Devon and have him bring my emergency chicken noodle soup and the leftover smoked chicken from last night. I have a couple of pans of cornbread I made this morning so he can bring those.”

“Tell him to stop off at my house and pick up the ten bags of frozen green beans in the garage freezer and all of the pasta and green salads in the fridge.” Grace put an index finger to her lips thinking. “Oh, and have him grab all of the canned tomatoes and the frozen okra. Nothing is more comforting than okra and tomatoes.”

“Are y’all preparing for the zombie invasion or what? Who has ten bags of anything in their freezer?” Debra couldn’t believe that these women were here to save the day. “You’re culinary superheroes.”

She stood and gave them a group hug. “Thank you doesn’t seem strong enough.”

“No thanks necessary. We only want to help.” Summer grinned. “Plus, the men and kiddos are wrapping our Christmas presents and we’re not allowed to return until they call us.”

“They’re loss is my gain.” Debra dropped her arms. “Now to figure out where everyone sleeps tonight.”

It would be a long night, but she wasn’t alone, she had help and that made everything better.

In the last week, Debra had been home exactly one other night between Christmas and New Years. She’d missed the house give-away and the Christmas Eve celebration. Every bone in her body and the surrounding muscle and tissue hurt. It was two-twenty-three in the morning on New Year’s Day and Debra had missed yet another celebration. She slipped off her shoes and dropped her jeans, T-shirt, and undergarments on the floor next to the bed. She slid between the sheets.

Warren’s warm arm wrapped around her and gathered her in close. Even in sleep he liked to have her close. Things at Safe Place were finally slowing down. She didn’t have to be there for two whole days and nights.

As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out.

Something rhythmic like knocking against a door lulled her from a deep sleep. The knocking turned to pounding. “Can you see who’s at the door?”

She snaked an arm out to Warren’s side of the bed. He was gone and the sheets were cold. She pulled the comforter over her head and tried to snuggle back into the pillow.

The pounding stopped as the door was thrown open and bounced off the wall. “Get up.”

She cracked an eye open.

Sweet Louise, dressed in a royal blue track suit with curlers in her hair, stepped into the room. Daylight streamed down through the slats of the plantation shutters.

“Why?” Debra yawned and closed her eyes.

“Warren said she sleeps like the dead and he wasn’t kidding.” Sweet Louise said to someone in the room, or maybe it was Debra. She was too tired to care.

The covers were pulled off of her and cold air settled in around her. She sat up. “Why am I getting up?”

She was too tired to care that she was naked.

“Get up before the men show up.” Summer pulled at her arm. “I know that my husband has seen you naked, but I’d prefer he not get an eyeful this morning especially after seeing me naked an hour ago. You look so much better nude than I do.” She yanked harder. “I hate you for that…sort of.”

“You have better boobs.” Grace closed and locked the door after her.

“Don’t forget the mouth. Physiologically speaking, your lips are too big, but man, would I ever kill to have your mouth.” Laney dug her fingernail into a pressure point on Debra’s ear.

“Ouch.” Debra tried to jerk away, but Laney was stronger than she looked. “Did I do something to piss you off?”

“You need to get up.” Laney pulled at her ear until she stood. Finally, she let go of Debra’s ear.

“I’m up.” She rubbed her ear.

Sweet Louise grabbed Debra by the shoulders and walked her to the bathroom. “Shower now.”

“Okay, but I don’t know what the big deal is.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Did we have plans today because I don’t remember us making plans.”

Debra racked her brain. “I don’t think we had plans today.”

“Honey, hit that shower and make sure to brush your teeth.” Sweet Louise pointed to the bathroom. “You’ve got morning breath that would kill a bear.”

Debra blew into her cupped hand and almost went cross-eyed at the result. “Wow.” She put her hand over her mouth. “Sorry.”

Fifteen minutes later after she’d showered, washed her hair, and brushed her teeth twice, Debra made sure the belt to her fluffy robe was tight as she opened the bathroom door. All movement stopped and everyone—Sweet Louise, Summer, Laney, Grace, and some blonde woman with a curling iron all gawked at her. Debra glanced over her left shoulder to make sure that an ax murderer wasn’t sneaking up behind her.

“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” She looked at each woman in turn and that’s when she saw it. Hanging on the back of the bathroom door was the most beautiful dress she’d ever seen. It was cream-colored silk with a V-neck line that ended in a seed pearl, gold, and crystal applique. Crystals surrounded the gathered straps of the sleeveless dress. It was nineteen twenties glam Hollywood, both elegant and sexy in its simplicity.

Debra glanced around. Laney, Grace, and Summer were wearing ornately beaded flapper dresses in jewel tones, each one the perfect complement to the woman’s coloring.

“Are we going to a costume party?” Debra’s eyes fixed on Sweet Louise, who was wearing a gold silk pantsuit. She really hoped that someone would explain. She was much too tired to figure this all out. “Do I have a flapper dress too? I could wear my great, great aunt’s opera length necklace.”

There was a knock on the door.

“I think there’s someone here who’d like to have a word with you.” Summer opened the bedroom door.

A blindfolded Warren with Clint on one side and Devon on the other was lead into the room. All three men were wearing black tuxedoes complete with tails and white gloves. She was missing something here. Had they kidnapped Warren?

Maybe she was still asleep. She pinched the back of her hand really hard. Yep, it hurt. She was awake.

“Can someone please tell me what ‘s going on?” Debra wasn’t starting to panic so much as getting pissed off. She’d been working almost nonstop for close to two weeks. All she wanted was a warm bed and maybe some food.

“It’s okay.” Warren nodded. “Give us a minute.”

Clint put his arm around his wife and led her from the room, and the others followed single file. Sweet Louise pulled the door closed behind her.

There was lots of shushing out in the hall and Debra was pretty sure they were all listening at the door.

“Have you guessed what today is?” Warren waved his arms out in front of him making sure that he wasn’t about to run into anything.

“What’s with the tails? I feel like I’m in a Charlie Chaplin movie.” She reached up and pulled the blindfold down.

“No.” He jerked back. “It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.” He tried to put the blindfold back into place, but it got caught on his left ear.

“I don’t understand.” She glanced back at the cream-colored dress and her hand went over her mouth. “Is today…am I…are we…getting married today?”

He finally gave up on the blindfold and pulled it down so it fell limply around his neck. “Don’t worry, I’m keeping my eyes closed.”

He waved his arms around in front of him and then got down on one knee. “I really should have thought this whole proposal down on one knee while blindfolded thing out a little more. It’s a bad idea.”

“Proposal?” Debra got down on her knees and grabbed his waving hands. “Open your eyes.”

“No, I don’t think we can risk any bad luck.” He squeezed his eyes even tighter.

“Open your eyes. I want you to ask me properly.” She held onto his hands.

Slowly his eyes blinked open, and the love shining there would have brought her to her knees if she weren’t already there.

“Marry me today in front of all of our friends, make me the happiest man alive and finally be mine forever. I bought this ten years ago and I’ve kept it with me always.” He reached into his left breast pocket and pulled out a thin platinum filigree wedding band that clearly went with an engagement ring. He reached into his pocket again and pulled out the sapphire ring that had once belonged to her Aunt Henrietta. He put the two rings together…a perfect fit. He’d found the wedding band that went with her ring…her favorite ring.

“Just like these rings, we’re a perfect fit. It might have taken a while for us to come together, but clearly we were made for each other.” He slipped the engagement ring on her left ring finger and slid it all of the way down. Either her fingers were swollen or he’d had the rings sized down.

“Please tell me that you had the rings sized…otherwise, I’m pretty sure I won’t fit into that dress you picked out for me.” She sniffled as Warren’s face turned hazy. Warm tears rolled down her cheeks. “I love you and yes, a thousand times yes. I’ll marry you.”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly like a man who’d just gotten some unexpected good news.

“What? I told you I was going to say yes.” She kissed him lightly on the mouth.

“I know, but it’s good to actually hear it.” He sounded so relieved.

He reached into his other pocket and pulled out a smaller version of the wedding ring set. It had a little loop at the bottom of the joined rings. It was a charm for her ankle charm bracelet.

“I figured I needed to buy you some sort of engagement ring.” He glanced down at the anklet that she always wore. He brought her ringed finger up to his lips and kissed the ring. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Was he really thanking her for saying yes? Could he be any sweeter?

“For not having enormous sausage fingers like your aunt. Holy cow that woman had giant man hands.” He grinned. “And thanks for saying yes.”

“Wait, I don’t have a ring for you.” She racked her brain. Out of all of that jewelry, she couldn’t think of one man’s ring that she wanted to give him.

“Yes, you do.” Sweet Louise opened the door and popped her head in. “Remember that orchid platinum brooch thingy that looked like a vajayjay? I had it made into a nice, traditional wedding band. I’m taken to calling it the vajayjay ring.”

She opened the door all of the way and everyone was clumped around the doorway. “Now, you,” she pointed to Warren, “need to scoot because we have work to do and less than an hour in which to do it.”

She turned around and nodded to Clint. “Take him away.”

An hour later, Debra stood behind the closed double doors that led to her backyard. She was alone with Julia because the flower girl had refused to walk down the aisle ahead of anyone but Debra. HW and Cart had gotten down the aisle with almost no fighting, which Debra was told was a miracle.

Grace, Laney, Summer and CoCo had all taken their turns down the aisle, and then the doors had been closed to give Debra a grand entrance. She took a deep breath to calm her nervous stomach. This was it. This was the moment she’d spent so much time wishing for.

Julia looked at the space by Debra’s right hand. She shifted her basket to her other hand and then finally looked up at Debra.

“AJ’s here to walk with you.” Julia nodded to Debra’s right hand.

Debra felt a whisper of a touch like someone lacing his small fingers through hers.

“He says to tell you that he loves you, but he has to go away.” Julia nodded her head and then waited like she was listening to some very detailed instructions. “He can stay today, but then he has to go bye, bye.” Julia grinned. “But he’ll be back real soon. He’s finally ready.”

Julia knocked on the doors and the opened. Julia walked down the aisle with all of the pump and circumstance a three-year-old drama queen could muster. Occasionally she threw out a handful of red rose petals, but since she loved the petals and didn’t want to throw them on the ground, she only tossed out the wilted ones.

The wedding marched started up and every one stood.

Debra Covington walked down the aisle holding the hand of her little boy. As she reached Warren she felt the fingers laced with hers fade away. AJ was gone, but he’d be back real soon because he was finally ready to be born.

Warren took her hand and laced his fingers through hers.

This was the beginning of the life she was meant to have.

Katie Graykowski is an award–winning author who likes sassy heroines, Mexican food, movies where lots of stuff gets blown up, and glitter nail polish. She lives on a hilltop outside of Austin, Texas where her home office has an excellent view of the Texas Hill Country. When she’s not writing, she’s scuba diving. Drop by her website
www.katiegraykowski.com
or send her an email at
[email protected]
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