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Nikolai Prater waited inside the Creekside Gospel Church entrance but tried to not be obvious about staking out the doors. He’d arrived extra early so he could wash up in the restrooms and change into a clean outfit. The tourist campgrounds had changed the monthly password, and he’d need to check with his friend to get the code before he could use the showers again.
Thankfully, he now had a job, of sorts, that paid him somewhat regularly. Soon as the Bed and Breakfast started serving dinners on the weekends, he’d receive a more consistent paycheck, though the owner, Haley Madison, couldn’t tell him exactly how much he’d earn. She’d pay on commission. Better than nothing, which was what he had at the moment.
“Nicky.” Moi Tamsyn waved as she entered behind her parents. She closed her umbrella and left it next to the entrance. Her long, sleek black hair hung loosely over a dressy leather jacket. She hurried over to him, purple stiletto boots clicking on the tiled floors. “Are you waiting for Sage? Or is she here already?”
“Morning Moi-Toy.” He leaned over as she greeted him with a feathery kiss against his cheek.
He, Moi and Sage had been friends since high-school when his step-father, Jim, moved them to Madison Creek and back into his family’s old home. Unfortunately, their combined children had to squeeze into the smaller accommodations. As soon as one of the kids turned nineteen, Jim booted them out to make it on their own or join the service. Nick had been on his own for three years. Three very long years.
He was doing fine until the burger joint he worked at in the next town over fired him when he’d asked for a raise. Rent had gone up, his pay needed to increase too. Sage and Moi wouldn’t let him drop out of college. The Three Musketeers stuck together. They had helped him get through his classes and oftentimes offered him a couch to sleep on. He really hated imposing on the girls’ families, though, and only went to them when he was in dire straits.
“Haven’t seen her.” He gave her a sidelong glance then refocused his attention on the bulletin board. Sometimes people posted when they needed help. Spring was just around the corner and he hoped to pick up a few lawn jobs once the last remains of snow cleared.
Moi studied him for a long moment, her full, purple lips set in a pout. “How’s the boarding house working out for you?”
“Fine,” he fibbed.
“Then you have a place to stay now?”
He gave a non-committal nod-shrug. His car worked fine so long as the temperatures didn’t dip too low. He was fine. He just had to hold out a few more weeks before paying gigs picked up again. Once he graduated, he’d be free to work full time.
She opened her mouth to probe more when a rainy breeze blew in consisting of red hair, wet shoes and an out of breath Sage Dolan. “Moi-Joy! Nikolai!” She brushed a kiss on both of their cheeks. Sage was the only one he tolerated calling him by his given name. Generally, she called him Nick like everyone else did, but when she did call him by his full name, it sent his heart reeling.
“Oh, Sweet Sage,” Moi cooed, “What’s wrong?” Their perceptive friend looked her over, head to foot. “Did you oversleep again, hon?”
Sage rolled her bright green eyes as she hooked her arms around his and Moi’s. “No, but I envy Lana so much. She’ll soon be married and able to move into a house of her very own. Away from the craziness. And those rotten twins. I swear I almost killed them both dead this morning.”
“Aw,” Moi giggled. “They’re sweeties. You’d not kill them completely dead, hon, and you know it. You adore them.” They made their way over to the coffee station.
Nick followed. “What did they do this time?”
Sage filled a cup with hot water and added a tea bag and some sweetener. “April Fool’s Day, need I say more?”
Nick snorted a laugh. He loved those two. He’d probably taught them every prank they knew. But the glaring expression on Sage’s face kept his admission quiet.
“Then...” She blew on her tea. “Well, never mind.”
Both Nick and Moi urged her to go on. With another roll of her eyes, she stomped her wet sneaker and exclaimed, “They sent me a... a.... Oh, it’s so stupid. A secret admirer letter. They tricked Carol into writing it. She copied it from some book of Meghan’s.”
Moi pressed her hand to her chest. She’d painted her fingernails purple, too. Nick bit his upper lip to keep in his laughter. Girls. More than likely, once Moi, the fashion Barbie of the group, took off her jacket, she’d probably have on a new dress to match her accessories.
“Oh, Sweet Sage, did your heart break to find out the note wasn’t real?”
The laugh burst from Nick before he could stop it. He couldn’t help himself.
“What?” Sage gasped. “No. Well, deep down I had a feeling it was a joke.”
Moi draped her slender arm over her friend’s shoulder. “But you hoped it wasn’t, right? For just a bit, you hoped... maybe?”
“What?” Sage’s cheeks went tomato red. “As if.” She sipped her tea, cringing when the hot water hit her lips. “Well, maybe. It was awful nice, for a moment.”
Nick chuckled. “Who writes love notes anymore anyway?”
Blowing on her drink, Sage’s shoulder’s sagged. “Lana said Drake has written her a couple. I think it’s sweet.”
“Oh, I love getting little notes from an admirer. Or a text. Either way.” Moi batted her dark eyes. In high school, the boys were lining up to go out with her. But since starting college, she’d decided to put her nose to her studies and only went out on the occasional date. Moi-Toy never had trouble finding a plus one to any party they were invited to.
Even he would say Moi was stunningly beautiful, yet it was Sage’s simple beauty that stole his heart. For the past year, since he’d returned from the summer mission trip with the church youth, he realized that he’d fallen completely in love with his best friend. But, she was his best friend first, and he’d been too scared to ruin that by telling her how he really felt. Besides, he’d made a promise to stay within certain boundaries with his girls. They’d adopted him when his own over-sized family no longer had room for him. He couldn’t break his pact.
“I wouldn’t know.” Sage’s blush deepened until it covered her forehead and neck. He even loved her freckles, something she considered the bane of her existence. “If I get them, they’re a big joke.” She took a careful sip. “That was just one annoyance. Lana has to find a new place to hold her reception. We only have a week! Ma suggested the house, but please. The yard is overgrown and way too small for all the people we invited. We didn’t set money aside for that expense and here I am without a job. This is such a disaster.” She blinked a few times and he couldn’t help but think her lashes shined in the overhead lights. “Ah, I’m sorry guys. I don’t mean to dump on you.” She grabbed a plastic lid and slammed it down on her tea. “We should probably get inside and find our seats.”
Nick offered them both of his arms when he caught sight of his new bosses. “Hey, Sage, will you wait here a moment? I have someone I’d like to introduce you to, but I need to go speak to them first. Will you wait here?”
Moi offered to go on inside and save their seats. Sage remained by the coffee station as Nick headed toward the couple who stood in a corner, heads bent close together in a discussion. Miss Haley’s blond hair was pulled into a bun that rested on the back of her neck. Mr. Ethan’s dark bangs fell in his face, as usual. Nick hated to interrupt, but they were a good-natured couple. They’d certainly been kind to him. Best of all, they honestly seemed glad to help people.
Clearing his throat, he caught Ethan Winters attention first. He had his violin case with him which meant he’d be playing on the worship team today.
“Good morning, young Prater,” Mr. Ethan greeted extending his free hand to him. Nick always laughed when he called him young Prater, considering he was only a few years younger. “I was hoping to catch you this morning. Care to earn an extra bit of cash helping me plaster the walls in the barn?”
“You bet. I’ve never done that before, but—”
“How hard can it be?” Mr. Ethan finished with a wink. “We’ll figure it out together. I found some videos online that should help. Come by after your classes this week.”
The extra cash might get him a few nights at the boarding house. “Sure thing.” He turned to the blond who moved to kiss his cheek.
“How are you, sugar?” She asked in her Texas drawl. He loved listening to her talk. She was a crack-up. “Don’t forget you’re my servant boy this weekend.” She patted his chest, smoothing some of the wrinkles in his shirt. At least, it was clean. “I’ve already started getting reservations for Friday and Saturday night, so I’m hoping it’ll be busy. Might need to find us some extra help.”
Nick dove in with his request, “I have someone, Miss Haley. Someone who needs part-time work.” He glanced over his shoulder, hoping Sage had waited for him as she’d promised. Sometimes she was easily distracted. “And, she’s in need of somewhere to have a wedding reception.”
Miss Haley’s brows rose. “Really? When?”
“Well?” He swallowed hard. “Don’t freak. Next Sunday.” He held up his hands. “They have everything, they just need a new place to hold the reception.”
Her bright blue eyes rounded. “Good Lord Almighty! You’re joshing, right?”
He quickly explained Sage’s situation. Ethan also glanced over Nick’s shoulder toward where she waited. “Is she the one?” He grinned knowingly.
Nick had talked about her a time or two. Or more. Actually, he talked about her a lot lately, but Mr. Ethan didn’t seem to mind listening.
“Her family is in a bit of a pinch,” Nick explained. “The place they were going to use isn’t available anymore. And the thing is... she... well, they’re on a tight budget.”
Miss Haley pursed her lips for a long moment. Mr. Ethan nudged her. “We can help them out. It’s not like the yard is really set up for a reception yet. But it’ll give us an idea of what all would be involved. Call it a trial run.”
“I hear ya.” She gave a quick nod. “But I have a catering job next Sunday, and we’ll be having the grand opening.” She fanned her face with the church bulletin. “Good night. The catering was for a wedding. What’s the family’s name?” She peered around him but didn’t seem to recognize Sage. “If they’re one and the same, there might be hope.”
“Dolan. Can I bring her over?”
Mr. Ethan’s grin widened. “Absolutely. I’d love to meet your friend, Sage. I’ve heard so much about her.”
“You have?” Miss Haley questioned, narrowing her gaze on her fiancé.
He sent her one of his winks. “Young Prater speaks of her often.”
“Ohh really?” Miss Haley asked in a sing-song voice that made Nick nervous. Didn’t take much for her to catch on. “Yes, bring her over. Please. I’d love to meet your friend.”
“Please, both of you, don’t call her friend in that tone? We really are just buddies.”
Miss Haley waved Sage over. “Sure thing, sugar.”
When Sage reached his side, Miss Haley held out her hand. “Pleased to meet you, Sage Dolan. Is it your sister’s wedding I’ll be catering? I have a Dolan/Wilson reception dinner down on my books. I thought for sure your name rang a bell the moment I heard it.”
Nick quickly introduced his bosses and told her how he’d been able to pick up extra work helping around the Bed and Breakfast.
“Tell you what, sweetie-pie,” Miss Haley patted Sage’s hand. “You come out tomorrow. Have Nick here bring you.” She pinched his cheek which he was sure had turned a bright red. “Take a look around and we’ll see what we can work out. He said you might be interested in a part-time job, as well?”
“Yes.” She nodded excitedly. “I am.”
“Perfect. You come on out. I’ll be home all day, working in the yard if the sun peeps out as promised. If you come in the evening, plan to join us for dinner. I always cook more than any of us can eat. Comes from living near all my life on Texas ranches.”
From inside the auditorium, music began playing.
“Oh, I better get in there.” Mr. Ethan gasped. “Pleasure meeting you, Sage. Hope to see you again soon.” He gave his fiancée a quick kiss on the cheek, then raced toward the doors leading toward the back of the stage area. But not before shooting Nick a quick thumbs-up as he passed behind Sage.
Nick agreed, but feared he’d never have the guts to tell Sage just how wonderful he thought she was.