Chapter 6: Oh, Cleocatra, what have I gotten myself into?

            Brutal didn’t even begin to describe the tip between Belgrove and Evie’s apartment in Knoxville, TN.  Somewhere along I-26, Cleo had decided once more to escape the poop and vomit-filled backseat and leapt onto the middle console.  Evie had tried to shove her back onto the floor, but Cleo staggered onto the passenger seat, placed her paws on the edge of the window, and cried mercilessly as her head darted right and left to the rhythm of the passing landscape.  Meeeeeooooooowwwww.

            When she made her escape to the passenger seat’s floorboards, Evie zipped onto the closest exit ramp and made a mad grab for the cardboard pet carrier in the back.  The thick stench of vomited, salty kitty food, and the remains of diarrhea almost made Evie gag.  She quickly pulled the carrier to the front seat, grabbed the crying cat who was now trying to scramble under the front seat, and drop her into the box.  Easier said than done.

            Cleocatra had no intention of returning to the box and spread her feet wildly, claws ready to cling to anything.  Evie had her by the scruff of the neck and she had heard that it was supposed to soothe an animal—apparently it had no effect of this monster.  Cleocatra’s back feet clung to the top flaps of the box like magnets.  Each time Evie got one foot in, the other would manage to grab the top and pull herself out again.  What’s that phrase about something being harder than herding cats?  Now, she was beginning to understand.

            After battling Cleocatra for what seemed like an eternity of déjà vu, Evie eventually managed to slam the top of the cardboard carrier closed.  The cat scratched wildly at the inside of the box and, finding the hole she had created earlier out of the breathing hole, poked her fluffy head through and cried.  Evie stretched the seatbelt around the box to stabilize it and once she was relatively sure the box and cat were contained, returned to the interstate.  The box did little to soothe Cleocatra, and it certainly hadn’t changed the odor of cat feces which permeated the interior of her car, but it at least kept the cat in a single spot.  Evie glanced over at her companion in the passenger seat—the box with a head hanging out the side and a flower-shaped pouf of long, flowing cat hair plastered against the edges of the created hole.  Sadly, it reminded Evie of one of those cones you have to put on a dog after they’ve had surgery and you don’t want them chewing their stitches.  Yup.  It’s for your own good.  You just don’t know it yet.

            “I’m really sorry, Cleo.  You’ll be much happier in there.  You just don’t know it yet.”  The cat’s yellow eyes glared up at her as they flew along the interstate.  She wasn’t sure, but she got the feeling that the animal was plotting her untimely death.

            They had bumped along their journey for what seemed like the longest trip she could remember.  Cleo had protested her imprisonment with subsequent diarrhea spells inside the box.  At least it’s that much less poop inside my car.

            Late that evening, she had pulled into her parking spot outside her apartment and under the cover of darkness had quietly carried the filthy box up the flight of stairs and into her cozy living room.  The smell wafting from the air holes in the box was sickening, and Evie couldn’t imagine turning the poop-stained kitty loose in her house to track that filth all over her furniture and carpet.

            She carried the boxed-up kitty to the bathroom off the hall and closed the door behind her.  She set the box on the floor, started water running in the bathtub, and debated on how she was going to manage keeping Cleo in the tub once she got her in there.

            A cup!  I need a cup to dump water on her.

            Retrieving a plastic cup from under the sink, she drew a deep breath and opened the top of the carrier.  Cleo wasted no time in leaping for her first glimpse of freedom.  She landed all four feet on the linoleum and desperately tried to make a run for it, her four feet sliding helplessly like a cartoon character.  Evie snatched the cat and whirled her into the tub, Cleo’s back legs twirling through the air like a child on a spinning tire swing.  The second Cleo’s feet touched the puddling water she leapt for the side of the tub.

            “Oh no you don’t!” Evie laughed as she forced the cat back into the water.  The underside of Cleo’s tail and hind legs were a solid mass of hair and feces, and as the water climbed higher, a brown cloud began appearing.

            What on earth have I gotten myself into!?

            Cleo repeatedly tried to climb the tub wall, but her claws scratched and slid harmlessly while Evie dumped cup after cup of water across her back until she was nothing but a bag of bones and dripping fur.

            “There’s really not much to you under all that fur, is there?”

            Cleo’s slitted yellow eyes slid up toward Evie’s face, but the cat had nothing to say to that.  Evie continued dousing the feline with water, lathered her up with a tiny amount of human shampoo (Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I needed cat shampoo), and drained the disgustingly brown water before refilling the tub with clean water to rinse with.

            “Can I let go of you for just a second?  Are you going to stay put?”

            Evie carefully lifted the hand she had been using to keep the cat pinned to the floor of the tub.  Cleo’s slitted eyes glided toward the wall, and off she went!  She leapt straight up, over, and onto the bathroom floor slinging soap and suds along behind her.  She landed in one big sloppy mess and darted behind the toilet before Evie even had time to react.

            “Cleo!” she screamed.  She spun on her knees, soaking her jeans, and whacked her head on the corner of the cabinet as she dropped to her hands.  She rubbed her forehead helplessly and winced at the sharp pain that was now throbbing in her skull.  Dang cat!

            “Come here, Cleo,” she coaxed gently.  I just HAD to get a cat.

            “Let’s get you rinsed and dried off.”  The bubbly cat inched backwards away from her grasp.  You’re soaking the wall and my landlord doesn’t know I have you in here.

            “I’m not going to hurt you.”  But I just might have a death wish before this is all said and done.  She made a quick grab for the scruff of her neck, but Cleo slithered out of her fingers and escaped around the other side of the toilet.  She skittered wildly along the opposite wall, slipping and sliding the whole way, until she reached the closed bathroom door.  She reached up and snagged the smooth wood with the claws of both front feet as she meowed mercilessly for help!  Her wild, yellow eyes spotted Evie lunging for her and she detached herself from the door and turned, using the doorframe as a launching board as she darted away.  Evie caught her mid-flight and pinned the scrambling, soapy cat to the floor.  Cleo grabbed at anything she could reach with her claws, including the skin of Evie’s arms.

            “Youch!” Evie cried as she once more lifted Cleo into the filling bathtub.  The cat’s back feet were splayed wide, every claw ready to grab onto anything that was unfortunate enough to be close, before she was plopped back into the water.  She slid around the tub like a spineless seal, splashing water everywhere, but Evie was determined to rinse her whether she wanted it to happen or not.

            Meeeeooooowwwww, Cleo moaned as the water that was repeatedly dumped over her head and slowly removed every trace of bubbles from her fur.

            “Finally, Cleo!” Evie sighed.  She used her free hand to squeegee the water from Cleo’s limp fur before lifting her and dropping her back onto the bathroom floor which resembled more of a kiddie wading pool at the moment.  She tugged on her towel hanging just above them on the towel bar, and it dropped onto Cleo’s head.  Evie scrubbed Cleo with it until her head popped out from underneath.  She shook her head wildly in protest and her long fur looked more like porcupine needles as the cat twisted out of Evie reach and crouched angrily in the corner.  Her yellow eyes narrowed to mere slits as if she was daring her to try and grab her again.

            “Okay, fine.  You be that way.  But, at least you don’t have to lick your own poop back off your fur now.  You should be thanking me.”

            Cleo glared at her from the corner.  Only the very tip of her tail flicked up and down.  Evie imagined that if she had fingers she would have been drumming them slowly across the floor.

            She used her foot to push the towel around on the floor to hopefully soak up some of the puddled soap and water before taking a second to inspect the scratches Cleo had left on her forearms.  Only one had a trickle of blood oozing out of it while the rest looked like perforation marks in her skin.

            “You’re staying in here while I get everything else out of the car and you dry off some more.”

            Cleo didn’t budge from the corner.  She lifted a white paw and began licking herself between bouts of shaking her head some more.  She only paused when Evie cracked the bathroom door to slide out.  Cleo gave her one final glare before rolling onto her side, skillfully lifting her back foot behind her head, and proceeding to lick the underside of her spikey mass.

            Her jeans were soaked from the knees down, her arms were scratched to smithereens, and she had a growing knot on her forehead from whacking it on the counter.  She must have looked like a hot mess when she staggered to her car to unload her luggage and miscellaneous cat accessories.  She dumped the litter into the box, filled the new food and water bowls, and tried to get her home ready to welcome its first pet.  Is there anything else I need? she wondered.  She snapped her fingers, remembering the feathered toys.  She unpackaged everything and set them on the coffee table before cracking the bathroom door to check on the freshly-bathed kitty.

            “How are you doing in here?” she asked as she carefully poked her head in.  Cleo paused her licking to glare at the intruder.  She was still crouched in the corner like an angry lion.  In fact, she even mildly resembled a lion by the way she had fluffed out her hair like a mane.  “I’ve got your food bowl and litter box set up.  How about we go check those out?” she asked.  She scooped Cleo up before she had a chance to make a run for it.  Evie carried her into the kitchen and dropped the damp cat into the litter box.  Cleo landed, took two sniffs, and silently leapt out, scattering little litter pebbles all over the floor.

            That wasn’t a brilliant move on my part.  Now I have litter everywhere.  But, at least Cleo knew where the box was now.  The cat slinked around the room, moving from the kitchen to the adjoining living room, sniffing everything and checking the place out.  Sometimes, she would freeze mid-step, give a couple of sniffs to a nearby piece of furniture, and then slowly slink to the next thing.  Cleo slowly moved around the entire room before wandering into the hall and eventually into the bedroom.  After a few minutes, she slowly came back to the living room, pausing once to sniff at the open bathroom door.

            Evie had plopped down on the couch to admire the redecorating she had done before leaving for the wedding.  She was still pleased with the new arrangements on the walls.  The room felt fresh and new, but still had the wonderful balance that put her at ease.  There were few things as peaceful as a quiet house, and she savored in it while Cleo explored her new surroundings.

            Cleo eventually bounded onto the loveseat catty-corner from where Evie was sitting, sniffed the cushions and pillows, and seeming to find everything to her liking, plopped down and began cleaning herself again.

            “Do you like your new home, Cleo?”  The cat didn’t even flick an ear in her direction.

            “Cleeeeooooo,” she cooed.  Still nothing.  “Well, I’m headed to bed.”  It was her getting up from the couch that finally grabbed Cleo’s attention.  Her head shot up and her wide yellow eyes locked onto Evie as if to say, ‘You touch me, you die.’

            “Fine,” she said, throwing her hands into the air in mock protest.  “I’ll leave you alone.”  Cleo stared her down the whole way from the couch to the hall’s doorway where Evie flicked off the lights.

            “Goodnight, Cleo.”  The only sound Evie heard was the *lick* *lick* of Cleo’s sandpaper tongue repeatedly grazing against her long fur echoing from the living room.

Chapter 5: It's the unexpected things that keep life interesting

            “I need a nap.”

            Evie’s father was stifling a yawn as he stretched back against the open doorway of the church.  The sanctuary looked almost empty without the decorative candles, ribbons, and flowers Callie had requested for the ceremony.  The rainbows had also faded as the sun rose higher in the sky over the course of the day.  Regina Nole had put together beautiful arrangements of the remaining flowers and handed them out to the bridesmaids who happily accepted them.  Free flower arrangements from the best florist in town was simply too appealing to turn down.  Evie was seated in the very last pew, closest to the doors that had pulled open to reveal her sister in all her beautiful glory just a handful of hours earlier.

            An opening door broke the peaceful silence in the sanctuary.  Donna Remington’s petite frame quickly floated through the opening beside the piano at the front of the room, the plush carpet muffling the sound of her pumps against the floor.  Her pencil skirt restricted her stride, but like always, she managed just fine.  Her speedy little steps reinforced the illusion of her floating effortlessly and elegantly regardless of where she happened to be.  She floated to the end of the aisle where Evie and her father were waiting patiently.  She clasped her hands together in front of her and smiled brilliantly.

            “I believe that’s everything.  Mr. Barry is locking up for us, so we are ready to leave.”

            Evie nodded her head and wordlessly rose.  She had been more than pleased about peeling her bridesmaid dress once the reception was over.  She was now in a comfortable pair of jeans and a floppy t-shirt—perfect for helping to undecorate the church.

            “What are your plans for the remainder of the day?” her mother asked as she placed a delicate hand on her daughter’s back.  “Are you coming back to the house?”

            “I really think I need to get back.  I would like to get back to Knoxville before it’s too late and sleep in tomorrow morning.”

            Her mother cut her eyes over questioningly.  “Do you have plans for church in the morning?”

            “Uh,” Evie groaned inwardly, “probably not tomorrow.  I’ve had a lot of excitement this weekend.”

            Donna hugged her daughter tenderly.  “Are you leaving from here?”

            “I figured I’d take a short stroll through town before heading out.  A few things have changed since my last trip.”

            “Yes, I suppose they have.  You really must stop in at the pet store.  They have some of the most adorable critters in there, and it’s refreshing having something new for the tourists.”

            “We have a pet store now?”  How many tourists could possibly buy live animals while on vacation?

            “Indeed!  It’s only been there a month or two.  It’s right on the main drag across from the park.  You can’t miss it.  It has a giant dog stature holding a sign out front.”

            “I’m pretty sure the dog is gone,” Bill interjected from his spot at the door.  He wiped his face with his hand and stretched his shoulders against the doorframe.  “Someone vandalized it last week.  Wrote all kinds of dirty things on the sign.”

            “What a shame!  Kids these days!” Donna shook her head sadly.

            “Who said anything about it being kids?”  Bill crossed his arms across his chest and cocked his head to the side as if he was with holding a secret.  A smirk began to appear under his mustache.  Now, he was just messing with her.

            Donna’s eyes narrowed at her husband.  She took a breath as she rolled her head toward Evie and grinned.  “I believe I need to take your father home now.  He’s quite grumpy.”  She stretched her arms around her daughter’s shoulders and hugged her tightly.  “Be safe.  Please let me know when you make it home all right.”

            “I will.”

            When her mother released her, her father came over and engulfed her in a bear hug.  His mustache poked her as he kissed her on her cheek.  “I love you, pumpkin.”

            “I love you too, Dad.”

            The three of them left the church and parted ways in the parking lot.  Evie slid into the driver’s seat, placed her hands on the wheel, and took a deep breath.  Where to now?  It wasn’t more than a jump down to Light Your Life where she could park behind the store.  That would probably be the most reasonable place.

            She pulled onto the street.  She couldn’t help but admire the picturesque houses with their green lawns and picket fences.  It was a street she had driven nearly every day of her life up until leaving for college, but she never actually saw it until after she had been gone for several years.  It truly looked like the entire street had been pulled from a Thomas Kincade painting.  The only thing missing would have been cars from the ‘50s.  Sunlight flickered across her windshield as she drove under the shade of the mature trees between the sidewalk and road.  In many places, the roots had lifted up sections of the concrete, but the residents weren’t about to let the city do anything to fix it.  It added character to the quaint little town.

            With it being a Saturday, the sidewalks became a great deal busier as she got closer to downtown.  Shoppers strolled lazily with their families, or in pairs.  When she emerged from the residential area, the trees cleared and the houses changed to storefronts.  Evie turned down the side street that led to the private parking lot for shop owners, pausing for tourists to dart in front of her car as they crossed the street.  Since her car probably wouldn’t be recognized, she pulled the hanging tag out of her glove compartment and slid it over her rearview mirror.  It would be a shame if she got towed.

            The day couldn’t have been a more beautiful spring afternoon.  She hopped out of the car, looking forward to the stroll.  It always tickled her when she walked among the tourists who doted over the quietness of the town and how they wished they could live in such a fantastic place.  When she had been younger, she overheard the conversations and had to stop herself from interjecting that it really wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.  However, now that she was older and could see the town with fresh eyes, she smiled at her happy childhood and could honestly say she was glad to have grown up in a place as simple as Belgrove.  The hills rolled the landscape and the buildings stood against a backdrop of the Smokey Mountains.  She laughed to herself as she strolled past her father’s store that she had never paid attention to them before.  This town really was beautiful.

            She hooked a thumb through the strap of her purse and fell into the casual pace of the tourists who strolled nonchalantly with their shopping bags and cameras.  Further down the sidewalk, she saw two familiar faces working their way through the people.  It was Kyle and Mathew Nole.  What are the odds?  They were talking about something as they walked closer.  Should I say hi?  Or, should I just walk by like I didn’t see them?  What’s the right thing to do about this?  Why am I even asking myself that?  Kyle Nole wouldn’t care who I am… Kyle laughed at something Mathew said and glanced up, locking eyes with Evie who had been unknowingly studying him.  It was funny how things like that happened.  You just happen to look up at the one person in the room who is staring you down.  I wonder if the brain is capable of telepathy and we just don’t realize it yet?

            “Well, hello, stranger,” Kyle smiled down at Evie as they approached.

            Guess that solves my dilemma.  “Hi guys.  Funny bumping into you down here.  I kinda figured everyone would be at home, resting.”

            “Mom and Dad are.  We just had some stuff to drop off at the shop.  You know, ribbons and such.”

            Evie’s eyebrows flew up as she nodded her head, “Ah.”

            “What brings you down?”

            “Oh, I hadn’t been on the actual strip in quite a while, and Mom said there were some new stores, so I’m just doing the touristy-thing.”

            There was a long pause as the two of them waited for the other to say something.  Mathew scuffed his shoe across the concrete.  Was he waiting patiently?  Evie couldn’t tell, but she figured he had better things to do than wait around while they acted awkward.  Evie wondered briefly what had become of her sister’s garter that he had been wearing around his head like a headband at the reception.

            “I’m, um, going to go.  Nice to see you guys again.”

            Mathew waved politely and continued walking on, but Kyle paused.

            “Would you like some company?  I make for great conversation.”

            It was one thing to connect at a wedding.  That’s what bridesmaids and groomsmen were supposed to do, right?  They stand together.  They dance together.  They have a good time together.  And when the party is over, they go their separate ways and return to their regular life as if nothing happened, right?  So, Evie found herself staring at Kyle in amazement, completely at a loss for words.  He had been the most popular guy in their graduating class back in high school, and she still kind of saw him that way.  How could Kyle Nole be asking for more time together?  She was flattered!  “I certainly can’t turn down great conversation, now can I?”

            Kyle smiled, revealing his perfect teeth.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of car keys and handed them to his younger brother.

            “How are you going to get home?” Mathew asked.

            Kyle shrugged as he backed away.  “I’ll figure something out.  Be nice to my baby!”

            “Yeah, yeah,” Mathew tossed back with a wave of his hand.

            Kyle joined Evie and smiled down at her dashingly.  “So, where to?”

            “I don’t really know.  Like I said, I haven’t been down here in a long time, so I just want to see what’s changed.”

            A resounding BANG echoed through the street.

            The tourists leaving Ms. Mildred’s store all jumped simultaneously and then laughed when the shop door slammed behind them.  The happy chatter floated across the crowd to Evie and Kyle.  Evie rolled her eyes to Kyle who returned her glance with a sheepish expression.

            “Boy, you really fixed that door good,” she teased.

            “I did the best I could with what I had to work with.  She needs a new spring, but the old bat won’t listen to reason.”

            “Now, that’s not nice to say about…”

            “Nole boy!  You need to fix what you said you would fix!”  Ms. Mildred had popped her head out the doorway of her store and was yelling at Kyle with a spindly arm raised up in the air.  She must have spotted them passing in front of her store and figured she would try public humiliation as a tactic for getting what she wanted.  “This dang-blasted door is a public nuisance!”

            A couple stepped under the awning and approached the door Mildred was yelling from.  Her face instantly lit up welcomingly as she greeted them and ushered them into her store and stepped out of the way.  She immediately turned her beady, blue eyes back onto Kyle and started her yelling once again as soon as the shoppers had passed.  “I told you to…” BANG!  Ms. Mildred jumped at the shockingly loud noise the door made behind her when her shoppers unknowingly released it.  The frail-looking woman batted her eyes in frustration before collecting herself and stomping over to Kyle on the sidewalk.  She was small even in comparison to Evie who was petite to begin with, but there was nothing timid about Ms. Mildred.  What she lacked in height she made up for in attitude.  She marched right up to Kyle, barely taller than his mid-section, and shook her finger up at his face.

            “You better finish what you started, Nole boy.”

            “I told you, you need a new spring.  It’s either wound too tight, or not wound at all.  It needs to be replaced.”

            “There’s not a thing wrong with that spring!  It’s worked great for forty years.  At least it did until you got your grubby hands on it.”

            Kyle laughed out loud.  “You asked me to work on it because it wasn’t working at all!  I did what I could.”

            “You fixed it wrong,” she squinted up at him.

            “Okay, well how about I come by and look at it again tomorrow.”

            “On the Sabbath?  Why, I would never!” she gasped.

            “Your shop will be open, right?  What does it matter if you’re going to be there or not?”

            “Someone needs to make sure you actually do what you say you’re going to do.  You’ll look at it tonight.”

            That was a demand if Evie had ever seen one.

            “Fine.  It’s a date,” Kyle conceded.

            Ms. Mildred glared up at him as her temper slowly receded.

            “You better not hang around this one,” she said to Evie.  “He’s got trouble written all over him.”  She turned fully toward her and reached a wrinkly hand out to rub Evie’s bare arm.  “Callie’s wedding was beautiful.  Prettiest one I’ve seen in a long time.”

            “Thank you, Ms. Mildred.”

            Mildred gave Kyle one more beady glare before turning and disappearing back into her store with a BANG of the door.

            That one was completely intentional.

            Kyle shrugged off the interaction and gestured to Evie that they start meandering away from Mildred’s store.

            Evie stifled a small chuckle.  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so worked up!”

            “Like I said, a bat.”

            “You just hope you’re that spritely when you’re her age.  You know, I caught her up on a ladder yesterday.  She still acts like she’s still fifty years old!”

            “I don’t know if I want to get to her age,” he laughed.

            For a few minutes they traveled the street in silence among the tourists.  They didn’t walk close enough that their hands would accidentally brush, but also not far enough apart that they didn’t appear to be together.

            The heavy scent of fudge floated across the street which told Evie they were approaching Kilwin’s.  Fond memories flooded back as she enjoyed the sweet smells emanating from the fudge shop.

            “I had forgotten how good that smells!”  Evie paused for a moment as she glanced in the window.  Unfamiliar workers poured out the liquid goodness for all the passers-by to see.  There had been a time when she knew every single worker by name, as well as their families, but now she didn’t recognize anyone she saw.

            “Would you like to get some?  My treat,” Kyle asked.  He reached out for the door and pulled it open for her.

            “How could I possibly say no to that!?”

            “You couldn’t.”  He grinned dashingly as he stood holding the door, waiting for her to step through.

            The interior was exactly how she had remembered it.  The wooden floor still creaked as they moved through.  Glass display cases housed all the wonderful arrays of fudge, candy apples, ice cream, and candies.  The walls were still maroon and was decorated in the 1950s style with the silver trim and old-fashioned brass cash register.  Kilwin’s was always a busy place, and today was no exception.  The line in front of the fudge stood nine people deep and wrapped around the shelves in the middle of the floor that held bags of mints, peanut brittle, and other attractive goodies.

            She and Kyle made small talk about their past and shared in fond memories of coming to the store as children.  Evie hadn’t forgotten that Kyle had worked in the store during high school, but she listened to his stories about scooping ice cream and having to resist the temptation to nibble while on the job.  She had made a special effort to visit Kilwin’s on the nights he worked.  She had always hoped that something would magically make him aware of her, but it hadn’t happened.  She had been nothing more than just another face in the sea of people that flocked to Kilwin’s each day.  It felt strangely odd to be standing in the store, ten years later, alongside the very guy she had hoped to get the attention of so long ago.

            Kyle was such a gentleman.  After she placed her order across the glass display case and received her slice of fudge, he gave the clerk his own order and then dutifully slid down to the register and paid for both their orders as promised.  It was a small gesture, but Evie couldn’t help but be impressed.  It would be less crowded on the street so they wove their way back toward the door and emerged from the warm cloud of sugary sweet air.

            “Thank you for the fudge.”

            “You’re very welcome.  You can’t wander through Belgrove without stopping at Kilwin’s.  That would have just been a tragedy!”

            “I couldn’t agree more.”  The fudge melted across her tongue as she bit into the block like liquid pleasure that made every fiber of her being tingle.  So many wonderful memories!  After only four bites she wrapped up the reminder of the fudge in the waxy paper, dropped it back into the tan, plastic bag, and slid it into her purse.

            “I think I might die of a sugar coma if I eat any more right now,” she laughed.  “Thank you, again.  There’s nothing else like it!”

            Kyle had already placed his fudge block back in the tan shopping bag labeled ‘Kilwin’s’ and was waiting patiently.

            “So, what else would you like to see?”

            Evie glanced around at the store fronts.  “Mom said something about there being a new pet store here somewhere.  We’re almost to the end of the main drag, so I can’t imagine it would be much further.”

            They found the store easily enough.  The shoulder-high dog statue was seated out front, just as her mother had said it probably would be, minus the sign.  Kyle quickly stepped ahead of her and pulled open the door without her even having to pause.  What a gentleman!

            There was nothing exceptionally extraordinary about the pet store’s interior, but Evie found it welcoming.  The modest tiled floor was a light grey with a few aisles of pet products arranged toward the back of the room.  In an area just to the right of the entrance was a low, clear acrylic box the width of the front window.  The box’s floor was covered in pelletted bedding where at least ten rabbits lounged quietly.  Evie awed as she reached into the box and stroked the brown, fuzzy body closest to her.  The triangular shaped nose bounced up and down relentlessly.  A few of the rabbits re-arranged themselves by slowly hopping across the box, though most appeared quite content with where they were.

            Two children squeezed in next to her and reached their hands into the box as well.  She took that as a cue to move on.  Birds chirped and squawked incessantly in cages at the center of the floor.  The parakeets looked so tiny compared to the cockatiels in the neighboring cage.

            “I absolutely love parakeets!  We had two when I was growing up named Mango and Paradise.”

            Kyle listened quietly by her side.  He leaned his face in closer to the cage and a little green parakeet made a screeching sound until he finally backed away.  “They’re rather noisy.”

            “They’re birds.  Singing is what they do.”

            “That was no love song that little guy was making just then.”

            Evie laughed.  “That’s what happens when you get in their faces!  Besides, I don’t think he liked you.”

            “Apparently, not,” Kyle responded as he began looking for something more interesting than the birds’ cages.

            A clerk in a blue apron approached them and welcomed them to the store.  She pointed out that a special adoption event was going on at the back of the store to help homeless animals from one of the local shelters.  “If there’s anything I can help you with, please let me know,” she said before moving on.

            Walking around the corner at the back of the store revealed how much larger the store was than what Evie had assumed it would be.  There was a short wall about waist high that surrounded an area with several chairs and the back wall was lined with dozens of metal cages, each with a swinging door on it.

            Kyle, always the perfect gentleman, opened the gate for her and the two of them stepped through.  They were greeted by shelter volunteers who explained the history of the shelter and introduced them to a few of the cats they had brought with them that day.  They also offered to show them any additional cats they liked.  Evie thanked them and wandered down the row, examining each feline in the compartments.

            “Are you in the market for a cat?” Kyle asked.

            “No.  I just like to look.  I’m actually more of a dog person, but I can’t pass up the chance to love on some animals.  I feel so sorry for them, you know?”

            One black kitty in particular was extremely persistent.  Evie spent a few minutes playing with him through the bars, but when she began to walk away he reached out his paw and latched onto her t-shirt with his claws.

            “Easy there, tiger,” Kyle exclaimed as he stepped in and rescued Evie from the cat’s grasp.  “I think he wants you to take him home!”

            “I think he does, too!”

            One of the volunteers opened the cage next to the black cat and replaced two kittens that had been pulled out to socialize with some shoppers.  The little girl who had apparently been holding one of the kittens was pleading with her mother to buy the little grey one.

            “Please?  I promise I’ll take good care of her!  I’ll even use my own money,” the girl begged.  With a big sigh, the mother finally gave in and the little grey kitten was pulled back out of the cage to be placed back into the arms of the girl who was grinning ear to ear.

            Evie stepped aside as she watched cats being pulled out of the cages, returned to the cages, and some who were being taken home.  She thought about her tiny little apartment back in Knoxville.  She knew it would require nothing more than a deposit to the landlord in order to bring a fuzzy companion home, but she only briefly entertained the idea.  The cats were all adorable, but what she really wanted was something she could take to the park with her, which certainly was not a cat.

            In the cage diagonally below the persistent black cat who still had his paws waving through the bars to grab her, was a fluffy tortoiseshell patterned kitty with a white face and paws reclined peacefully against the side of her cage.  Evie bent down with her face close to the cage door until she was eye level with the feline.

            “Hello, pretty girl.”  She looked at the tag on the front of the cage with the animal’s name and information on it.  “Her name’s Cleocatra,” she laughed to Kyle.  “How cute!”

            Cleocatra squinted her yellow eyes and reached one white paw through the bars out toward Evie.  She didn’t scratch at her like the black cat that was still clawing at the air wildly and rolling all different directions just to latch onto somebody.  Cleocatra left her foot hanging out between the bars until Evie gently stroked the paw.  The fur was just as soft as the bunnies in the front window of the store!  Incredible!

            “Hey, feel her fur!  I’ve never felt anything this soft on a cat before!”

            Kyle squatted down next to her for a better look at Cleocatra.  “She’s going to be quite fluffy.  Look how long her hair is already.”  He ran a finger down the white paw that was still hanging out of the cage.

            A volunteer stepped over and offered to pull Cleocatra out for her to hold.

            Evie shrugged.  “I’m not getting one, but she seems really sweet.  How can I say no?”

            Evie stood up and waited patiently while the volunteer clicked open the latch on the door, gingerly pulled Cleocatra out, and carried her over to where Evie was.  She passed Cleocatra over to her before turning to help another family that was interested in the remaining kitten.  Cleocatra hung in Evie’s arms silently.

            “A little bit of weight on you and you’ll be a force to be reckoned with!” Kyle said to the kitty.  He stroked her head and Cleocatra’s eyes rolled slowly up to Evie’s face.  The cat lifted up her chin while Evie lowered her own, and the two were nose to nose.  Cleocatra blew lightly two or three times, and seeming satisfied with whatever she found there, she settled back down and never offered to budge from Evie’s arms.

            “I can’t believe she’s not wanting to jump down.  Every cat I’ve ever known has not wanted to be held, but I’m pretty sure I could just carry her all over the store and she would be fine with it.”  She stroked Cleocatra’s tortoiseshell fur from her head all the way down to the tip of her tail, admiring the mix of colors all down her back.  There was no purring, no kneading of the claws, just simple contentment.

            “What do you think of her?” the spunky red-headed volunteer said when she returned from helping the other family with the kitten.

            “She’s so sweet!”

            “She seems very content there,” Kyle added.

            “Oh, she really is sweet.  My two-year-old played with her the other day.  She picked Cleo up by the back legs and Cleo just walked along with her front feet like she was in a wheel barrow race!  It was the sweetest thing ever!”

            “You really are a princess, aren’t you?” she asked the cat who lazily glanced up at her again before sliding her eyes closed once more.  “I especially love her tortoiseshell pattern.  It’s so unusual.”

            Technically, she’s a torti and white.  Cats with a true tortoiseshell pattern have no white on them.”

            “Well!  How interesting!  You learn something new every day.”

            “She’s already spayed, so you wouldn’t have to take care of that, and she’s up to date on all her shots.  She’s ready to walk out the door if you’d be interested in giving her a forever home,” the volunteer added.

            “Are you going to get her?” Kyle asked.

            Evie looked up into his handsome face and opened her mouth to say something, but forgot what it was going to be for a moment.  “I don’t know.  I wasn’t really wanting a cat.  I haven’t owned a pet since I left for college, and I really thought I wanted a dog.”

            “Oh she’s great with dogs,” the red-head chirped.

            Evie glanced at the volunteer out the corner of her eye before turning her attention back to the tortoiseshell—Wait.  That’s torti and white— kitty.

            Kyle smiled at the volunteer and laid a hand across her shoulders.  “You’ve been very helpful, but would you mind giving her a moment to think it over?”

            “No problem.  I’ll start pulling together some paperwork,” she offered.

            Evie found an open chair and sat down with the cat on her lap.  Kyle pulled up a chair next to her and he listened quietly as she weighed the pros and cons of taking the cat home with her.

            “Oh, I don’t know.  I just can’t believe I’m even considering this!  I never dreamed I would come home from my sister’s wedding with a cat!”

            “Well, how would you feel if you walked away from her right now?  What if another family adopted her?  Would you regret it tomorrow?” Kyle asked.

            Evie picked Cleocatra up under the front arms and held her up in front of her.  The cat let her weight stretch her hind legs down and out, but she didn’t struggle.  The toes of her hind legs splayed out, but she didn’t wriggle even once.  Evie set her back down in her lap and gave her another long stroke.

            “I would definitely regret not getting her,” she said finally.

            “Does that answer your questions?”

            She considered the cat carefully and slowly nodded, “Yes.”

            “Miss. Cleocatra, looks like you’re getting a new home today,” Kyle said to the cat as he jumped up and grabbed the eager volunteer again.

            The shelter provided a cardboard carrier for the ride home which Evie was grateful for.  It meant she wouldn’t have to purchase an actual carrier.  Who knew when she would be needing it again?  She purchased the basic necessities for a new kitty like litter, food, bowls, a box, and a few toys.  After paying for the adoption fee and supplies, the cashier bagged everything up and wished her well.  Kyle grabbed the bags before Evie could get to them.

            “I insist!  You have your new cat to worry about.”

            The cardboard carrier felt strangely awkward to carry.  She tried to walk smoothly, but occasionally Cleocatra would decide to adjust her position and the box would suddenly get heavier on one side and Evie would have to readjust.  She had her arms wrapped around the box with it pressed to her chest.  As they walked back toward her car she would lift up the box so she could peer into one of the little round holes.

            “You okay in there?”

            Cleocatra had nothing to say.

            By the time they had arrived back at the private lot behind Light Your Life it occurred to her that Kyle had given his car keys to his brother.

            “How do you plan on getting home?” she asked as she popped the trunk and Kyle dropped the bags in.  He popped around the side of the car and opened the door for her to set Cleocatra’s box on the seat.

            “Don’t worry about me.  I’m resourceful.”

            “If you need a ride, I can drop you wherever on my way out of town.”

            Kyle stood there for a moment, considering her offer.  His blond head was ever so slightly tipped to the side as he studied her.  Finally, his lips parted into a smile as he finally agreed.

            “I really appreciate this.  Do you know where my parents live?”

            “Not exactly.”

            “I’ll tell you how to get there.  It’s not far.”

            He jumped back to the passenger side and pulled open the door.  Evie was very aware of how his presence seemed to fill up her little compact car.  Everyone in her family was shorter than 5’7”, even her dad, so watching Kyle try to wrap up his 6 foot frame was quite humerous.

            “You can move the seat back if you need to.”

            “Thank you,” he said, reaching for the handle.  He let out a small sigh of relief when the seat scooted backwards and his legs were no longer pressed against the dash.

            “It’s easy to forget that there are actually tall people in this world,” she teased.

            “It’s all right.  I forget there are short people, too.”

            He was grinning at her playfully.  His crystal blue eyes were so beautiful!  And this close!  In my car!  Geez!  Snap out of it!  You’re a grown woman, act mature.

            She could smell his lingering cologne much stronger in the confined space.  Her heart was racing wildly as she cranked the car and began backing out.  They had no sooner gotten back to the main drag when a low, mournful meow emanated from the cardboard box on the back seat.

            In unison, both Kyle and Evie turned to look into the back seat where the cardboard carrier was strapped with the seatbelt so it wouldn’t shift.

            “Was that the cat?” Kyle asked.

            Evie’s eyes widened as she slowly cut her gaze back to him.  “I have no idea.”

            They waited a moment more before giving up on what they both thought they had heard.  The back seat was silent once more, so they continued on.

            Scratching sounds cut through the quiet car and they could hear shuffling as Cleocatra moved around.  The box vibrated with the movements of the cat inside and then would settle down.  Another mournful, deep meow escaped the box.  The sound almost bordered on a growl.

            “That one was definitely the cat,” Kyle said.  “I don’t think she’s very happy about being in that box.”

            “I’ll probably take her out once I drop you off.  How much further?”

            “Not far.”

            They had passed the residential section of town where Evie’s parents lived and were now winding through quiet streets that led out toward the rural sections of the foothills of the Smokey Mountains.

            The meows grew more persistent with the further they drove.

            “See the driveway on the left with the white mailbox?  That’s it.”

            Evie turned in the paved driveway and couldn’t help but notice the stunning gardens and landscaping around the house.  Of course, a florist and his wife would have gardens around their house.  It was only fitting!

            “I enjoyed spending time with you today, Evie.  And, thanks for the ride.”

            “I enjoyed it too.  You were a pleasant wedding date.”

            He didn’t reach for the handle quite as quickly as she had expected him to.  She had kind of assumed that now that they were going their separate ways again he would hop out with little more than a goodbye, but that wasn’t happening.  Her stomach warmed as she waited quietly.  What was he thinking?

            Kyle grinned again and let go of the door handle.  “I know we haven’t seen each other in years, and I don’t know anything about your life, but we both live in the same town and I would like to see you again.”

            He waited.

            “May I ask you for your number?”

            Evie was shocked!  So she hadn’t been reading too much into his asking her to dance at the wedding!  His attention hadn’t been fleeting or in-the-moment.  He actually wanted to spend time with her!

            She grabbed a piece of paper out of the console and jotted her number down on it.  Her hands were as hot as firecrackers when she handed it to him.  He took it respectfully and opened the door.

            “Thank you, Ms. Remington.  You’ll be hearing from me.”  He started to close the door but quickly caught it and poked his head back in, “Goodbye Cleocatra,” he added.  He smiled at her once more and let the door close.

            Shocked, Evie turned the car around in the driveway and re-traced her path back into town.  Did I just get asked out?  She replayed the brief interaction a thousand times.  His smile.  His careful thought before asking the question.  Was he nervous?  He didn’t seem nervous in the least.

            Another mournful meow drifted to her ears followed by incessant scratching inside the box that made her skin crawl just like needles on a chalkboard.  The scratching and clawing had gone from annoyed, to persistent, to utterly desperate.  Cleocatra let out a shrill “Meeeoooowwwrrr!” and Evie heard a distinct tearing noise as the cat’s claws began shredding the side of the air holes in the box.

            “Alright, alright!  I’ll let you out.  Just give me a second to pull over.”

            Cleocatra wasn’t at all interested in giving her one more moment of time.  In the time it took Evie to pull onto the side of the road and turn around in her seat, Cleocatra had successfully expanded an air hole until it was just wide enough to squeeze her head through.  And there she was in all her fluffy glory when Evie reached into the back seat to open the top of the box, the cat’s yellow eyes flung wide in fear and her mouth repeatedly opening with each desperate cry.

            “Boy, you sure are a sight to behold.”  She unhooked the tabs on the top of the box, put a finger on the cat’s face to encourage her to pull her head back through the hole, and finally breathed a sigh of relief as Cleocatra’s head disappeared back into the box with a floop and she came bounding over the top and landed on the car’s backseat.

            “There.  Maybe now you’ll finally relax.”

            The cat slinked to the closest window as Evie pulled back onto the road and again resumed her long trek back to Knoxville.  Cleocatra stepped up onto the armrest, her shoulders moving side to side to compensate for the car’s motion, and let out another long, sad cry.  Her yellow eyes darted back and forth as she tried to track each passing tree as it whizzed by.  Unsatisfied, she gave up at the window and jumped down onto the floor where she explored for a few minutes before jumping up onto the console between the two front seats.

            “Hello, pretty girl,” Evie said, stroking the cat’s long, multicolored fur, trying to offer her some comfort about being in a new situation.  The cat looked directly into her face and pulled her lips back in a deep, muffled, “Mew,” that almost conveyed a sense of gratitude for being released from her cardboard prison.  Evie briefly tore her eyes from the road to steal a glance at her new companion.  While somewhat settled for the moment, it was obvious that the feline was less than thrilled about traveling.  She daintily stepped across Evie’s lap to peer out the driver-side window, her head bobbing back and forth with each passing landmark.  Evie ran a hand down the length of the cat’s body and tried to encourage her to lay down, which she did, but only for a second.  She leapt up, spun around, retraced her steps back to the console, and vanished into the floor of the backseat once more.

            Maybe she’ll calm down once she finds a quiet place to curl up.

            Evie enjoyed the landscape around her as they rolled on down the road.  Belgrove really was nestled in a beautiful part of the country.  She couldn’t help remembering the day she had driven her car, loaded down with everything she would need for college, down this very same road.  She could still remember that sense of freedom at being rid of the tiny town that everyone seemed to love so much.  She hadn’t belonged there.  She was destined for bigger and better things than what was offered in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains.  She longed for buildings, and traffic, and opportunities that simply didn’t exist in her hometown.  Evie laughed to herself as she approached the turn to the interstate.  Ten years ago she had itched with every fiber of her being to pull onto that highway and never look back, but today she was traveling the same road yet longing to take a little piece of her past with her.  Invisible strings were somehow connecting her to Belgrove and they tugged at her heart as she sped along the ramp and merged onto I-26.

            She shrugged off the homesick feelings and nestled into her seat for the long drive.  When she reached for the knob on the radio she heard something odd coming from the backseat that reminded her of the sound milk makes when you’ve just opened a new gallon and you’re trying to pour it for the first time.  Gulp, gulp, gulp.  What IS that?  The sound was followed by something splashing onto the floor and the salty scent of cat food began drifting through the car.

            “Are you kidding me!?  Did you just throw up?” she yelled.  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cleocatra backing away from her spot on the floor behind the driver’s seat to the passenger side of the car where she proceeded to make the sloshing sound again.  Gulp, gulp, gulp.  There it was again… another pile of vomit.  “Well, this is just lovely.”  Evie desperately wondered what to do.  Should she pull over?  What the heck is that going to accomplish?  She had nothing to clean the messes up with.  My thought exactly.  She needed to keep moving.  Foolishly, she hoped that Cleocatra would settle, but less than a mile later she heard the gulping milk again.  And, again.  And, AGAIN.

            You just have to hold out until I can get to an exit that has some sort of life.  It was highly unlikely that they would both survive until they reached Asheville without someone wearing bodily fluids, so she had to hope for napkins at a restaurant’s drive-thru or gas station.

            Cleocatra suddenly appeared on the console.  She stared wildly out the windshield and meowed mercilessly as they sped down the road.  “Oh no you don’t!” Evie cried, “You keep that mess back there!” and used her arm to push the cat backwards off the console and into the backseat.  Cleocatra slid easily enough until she gripped the textured console with her claws and clung for dear life  Evie imagined that the cat was screaming, “Pleeeeaaaaassssseeee!  You have no idea how bad it is back here!  Saaavvvveee meeeee!!!”

            This was a bad idea.  This was a VERY bad idea!  Surely, the cat had nothing left to throw up by this point and they would be left with nothing more than harmless dry heaves.  She quickly stretched her neck around to glance into the floor behind her.  Orange piles covered the carpet from one side to the other.  The one thing she didn’t see was Cleocatra.  The fluffy monster had somehow managed to vanish.  One turn to the left and she spotted a dark clump of fur through the crack between the seat and the door.  There she is.  “Are you feeling any better, Cleo?”  No answer.

            A passing sign indicated a fast food restaurant was at the next exit, so Evie took the ramp and slowed as she approached the stop sign.  There still wasn’t a lick of movement or noise from the backseat.

            “Are you okay back there?” and that’s when she smelled it.  The cat was now purging her system from both sides.

            This was going to be a VERY long drive home.

Chapter 4: Rainbows

            There could have been no wedding more perfect, more beautiful, more emotionally charged than Callie and Nathan’s.  Rainbows had danced over the faces of all the smiling guests as they waited patiently for the bride’s triumphant entrance.  The rustic wooden floor had creaked under the feet of the bridesmaids and their groomsmen as they had quietly made their way down the aisle to the romantic music.  Nathan couldn’t have looked more handsome in his expertly fitted tux as he anxiously awaited, hands clasped in front of him, for the vestibule doors to open and reveal his bride.  When the doors had finally swung wide open and Callie had caught her first glimpse of the love of her life, she had smiled brilliantly and tears had begun twinkling in her eyes.  The guests had all stood to honor the bride, but Callie had seen none of it.  Her eyes were locked on her future husband and she had only been semi-conscious of her father’s arm around her own as he had slowly guided them down the aisle.

            There had been a glow on Callie’s face that surely was unequaled by anyone in history and the moment her father raised their mother’s veil to kiss the bride on the cheek, Evie had been forced to fight back tears of her own.  Nathan had accepted Callie’s hand from Bill Remington and grinned with pride down at her.  He was tall, thin, blond, and easily the most handsome man in the room and beside him was his beautiful bride: petite, dark headed, and utterly perfect.

            There had been words from the pastor about the love between a man and woman and how the bond could never be broken once God joined them together.  There had been a prayer.  Then, the bride and groom had turned toward each other for their vows.  The sun shining through the windows had intensified casting even more delicate rainbows through the entire sanctuary as if the Lord were blessing the words that were being spoken between the couple.  Nathan had spoken his vows with a certainty and authority that made every woman’s heart flutter.  When it was Callie’s turn, her eyes had glistened with tears as she looked up into her groom’s face and repeated the vows.  The pastor blessed their marriage, they exchanged rings, and once Nathan had lifted the veil that separated them, he had engulfed Callie with his arms, scooped her up, and kissed her with an intensity that made everyone in the room cheer.  Evie had never seen a smile as bright as the one Callie had smeared across her flushed face once Nathan set her back down and the couple turned to face the guests.

            There could have been no wedding more perfect.

            Evie sat in the metal chair sipping on her plastic fluted glass of bubbly orange juice with the other bridesmaids.  Callie and Nathan were out on the dance floor lost in a world all their own while standing in a sea of people.  Some of the guests had already made their exits and left to finish out their Saturday, but many still remained.  Evie’s mother and father were dancing as well.  Evie smiled to herself to see her parents still so much in love after all the years they had been together.  That was a rare things to see nowadays.  Her mother, so petite and impeccably put together, spun around the floor with Bill leading the way.  Her father’s laugh could be heard across the room periodically.  Evie figured it was his happy nature that had made their marriage work so well.  Who wouldn’t want to be married to someone with a great sense of humor and made you laugh all the time?

            Her thoughts were interrupted by a chair being pulled out beside her.  She tore her eyes from the dance floor and glanced over the opposite shoulder where she came face to face with Kyle Nole.

            “It seems a shame for the sister of the bride to be sitting on the sidelines.”

            The bridesmaids’ chatter at the table had momentarily paused as they all pretended not to wait for Evie’s response.  Stunned, she double checked to make sure he was actually addressing her and glanced around the table.  Duh!  You’re the only sister of the bride.  Of course he was talking to you!

            “It happens, I guess, but you’re the brother of the groom.  Isn’t it also a shame for you to be sitting on the sidelines as well?”

            Kyle’s blue eyes locked on her own as he laughed heartily.  “Touché, Ms. Remington!  It is a shame.  Seems like someone should do something about that.”

            “It certainly does.  Well, here is a table full of girls who aren’t being danced with.  It seems the polite thing to do would be for the guys to come over and snatch them up.”

            “Just like that?”

            “Just like that.”  Evie raised her glass and took a sip of the bubbly, orange goodness.

            Kyle scooted his metal chair closer to her own and set an elbow on the table as he lightly cleared his throat.  “Well, what if, theoretically speaking of course, that someone was to come over and ask you to dance.  What would your answer be?”

            Her heart leapt into her throat.  Is he asking me to dance?  “Who is asking?”

            “Does it matter?  This is all hypothetical.”

            “Of course it matters!  What if it is a snively, scrawny guy with gapped teeth and really bad breath?  Or, what if it is a mass murderer?”

            “Do you know enough mass murderers for that one to really be an issue?”

            “This is hypothetical, remember?”  She shrugged, “It could happen.”

            “Okay, well no mass murderers, and no snively guys with bad breath,” he laughed.  “It’s a relatively good looking guy with impeccable hygiene and a great sense of humor.  What would your answer be?”

            Evie smiled into Kyle’s shockingly intense blue eyes.  This man in front of her had been the football king in high school.  He had been incredibly popular and here he was, showing an interest in her!  A million thoughts raced through her head and she could feel her cheeks beginning to burn.  How was it possible that she was having this type of a reaction to a guy she had waved off as just another boy she grew up with up until this moment?  “If a relatively good looking guy with impeccable hygiene and a great sense of humor should happen to come over and ask me to dance, I would have to say yes.  Hypothetically speaking, of course.”

            Kyle drummed his fingers on the table a single time and took a deep breath.  “Excellent answer, Ms. Remington,” and he stood up from the chair and began backing away.

            The bridesmaids were now staring at their exchange with eyes wide and entertaining smiles smeared across their faces.

            “Wait a minute!” Evie yelled over the music and flipped around in her chair toward him.  “Is that it?”  Surely not!  He came all the way over here to talk to me—specifically—and he’s really just going to leave me hanging like that?

            Kyle was stoically standing in front of her now looking as handsome as ever and his eyes locked on her.  “No, that’s not it, but my mother taught me to be a gentleman and I would never dream of asking a girl to dance while sitting down.”  He reached a hand down to her and Evie heard all the bridesmaids giggle quietly at the table.  “Would you like to dance?”

            Taken back by the chivalry of it all, Evie laughed.  Her mouth fell open in shock as she took in the sight of Kyle standing there with his hand outstretched, asking her to dance of all people!  She knew her cheeks must have been flaming ten different shades of red.  She slid her delicate fingers into his palm and his hand closed around hers as he gently lifted her out of the chair and guided her toward the dance floor.  She followed him silently as they wove between the couples until her stopped and turned toward her.  He placed his hand firmly around her waist and pulled her close to him.

            His body was warm and she could feel his heat even though nothing touched but their hands.  He was a good head taller than she was, so as they spun around the floor she stared at the buttons on his shirt.  He smelled so good!  How long had it been since she been this close to someone?  Her body literally ached at the memory of having someone’s arm around her.  Oh, how she had missed this!  Though her heart was fluttering and her palms sweating at the excitement of it all, her mind was filled with an intense sense of calm.  She felt peaceful like this.  She was oblivious to the music playing, to the couples dancing around them, even to the chatter of the wedding guests.  All she heard was her heartbeat thumping wildly in her ears.  She focused on not accidentally sliding her foot under his as she tried to match his sweeping dance steps.  Step left.  Step right.  Stare at his shirt.  Look at the stitch pattern they sewed the buttons on with.  They sewed left to right multiple times and then switched to up and down, but you can’t see where the stitch direction changed.  Man, he smells good!

            Evie was shocked back to reality when they were bumped by another dancing couple.  She glanced to her left to see who it was and met Callie’s humorously surprised face.

            Nathan let go of his new bride for just long enough to slap his older brother on the back.  “It’s about time you got back in the game!” he laughed.

            “Some of us are in less of a rush,” Kyle tossed back.

            Evie and Callie didn’t say anything in that moment when the groom and his brother were dancing with the bride and her sister, but their comments were easily shared wordlessly.  Callie’s single raised eyebrow was asking if this might possibly be the beginning of a spark.  Evie’s smile through tightly rolled lips and a light shrug told Callie not to read too much into things.  Nathan spun Callie under his arm and she laughed as he pulled her back and bent her down into a dipped kiss.  Both her hands flew to either side of his face as she kissed him back.  The surrounding couples all halted their dancing to watch the bride a groom and the hall echoed with applause when Nathan finally pulled a laughing, breathless, teary-eyed Callie back up.  Evie’s cheeks burned from smiling at her sister’s happiness.  She clapped as Nathan bent down and the two of them rubbed noses before quickly kissing again.

            The music changed to a much faster paced song and Kyle guided Evie back toward the table with Callie’s bridesmaids.  Their googley-eyed faces all turned toward Kyle’s leanly muscular form as he ushered Evie back to her chair.  He pulled out the metal chair next to hers and calmly sat down as well.  Evie’s body still burned from the excitement of the dance as she reached for a sip of her sparkling orange juice.

            “Does it feel as weird for you as it does for me that your younger sibling is now married?”

            “Absolutely,” Evie responded.  It was the strangest thing she could have possibly imagined.  Wasn’t there supposed to be a natural order to these things?  She was supposed to get married first, and then her little sister was supposed to follow suit.  Things hadn’t happened that way, though.  “Once you’re over twenty-five, people start assuming something’s wrong with you if you haven’t already found your soul mate.  So what’s your flaw?”

            “I have to be flawed?” Kyle asked, cocking his head to the side.

            “We generally are.  So, what’s yours?”

            Kyle grinned revealing those perfectly aligned teeth.  He stretched back in his chair and sucked in a deep breath.  “I’m the nice guy.”

            “That’s a statement, not a flaw.”

            “No, I mean that I’m the nice guy.  The friend.  I’m the living example of nice guys finishing last.”

            “That’s really sad,” Evie laughed.  “You sound like a lost puppy dog who wants to find his forever home.”

            “It’s the truth!  Anyhow, that’s my story.  What’s yours?”

            What can I say to that?  Can I honestly say that I had the right guy, that he stole my heart, but that he left me wondering how it had all gone wrong?  She quickly gathered the explosion of emotions and buried them back in the recesses of her heart.  That was ancient history and had no place in her life anymore.  She wrapped the memories of Josh back into a tiny little package and willed him to disappear just as he had done so long ago.  She sucked in a breath and bravely smiled at the handsome man who was sitting beside her and certainly seemed interested in what she had to say.  She shrugged, half to herself, “I just haven’t found the right guy yet.”

            “Not for a lack of interested guys, I’m sure.”

            She felt her cheeks flush again as she giggled girlishly.  “There have been a few.”  She reached for her plastic glass and drained the remaining orange juice.  There was an awkward silence at the table even though the room was filled with music and the rumble of voices.  One of the bridesmaids excused herself to the bathroom and all the other girls decided to join her, leaving Evie and Kyle alone at the table.

            The DJ’s voice came over the speakers announcing that the bouquet and garter toss would be happening out on the dance floor momentarily.  Callie was already seated in a chair in the center of the floor.  The talking in the room lowered to almost a hush when Nathan kneeled and gingerly reached under the skirt of her dress for the garter.  The crowd all laughed when Callie threw her hands to her scarlet red face to hide her embarrassment.  Nathan slipped the garter from her thigh and delicately slid it down her leg before removing it around her foot.  He flipped his head back and kissed Callie as she fanned her face with her hands to cool her burning cheeks.  He pulled her to her feet and held the garter triumphantly in the air.  The men in the room all cheered noisily.

            Callie was the first to toss her bouquet.  The bridesmaids dove wildly for the flying bunch of flowers, but Evie stood patiently at the back of the group.  She had no belief in the silliness of superstition, but she wanted to humor her sister nonetheless.  Callie flipped around after hearing the commotion behind her and laughed along with everyone else as the girls scrambled for the flowers.  She stepped toward her sister and grabbed her in a hug as one of the girls sprung up from the cluster of women waving the bouquet in the air.  “I tried to toss it toward you,” she said in Evie’s ear.

            The garter toss was no less impressive.  Nathan’s throw had been so strong that the lacey garter flew right over the heads of all the men and landed at the feet of his mother, Regina Nole.  Mr. Nole leaned down and grabbed it up off the floor and tossed it back into the sea of single men who tried to rip it out of the air.  Mathew, the youngest of the Nole boys and barely nineteen years old, wound up with the garter.  He stretched the garter around his head like a headband and wore it proudly as he strutted around the room.

            Evie and Kyle were pulled away by Donna Remington and arranged along with the rest of the bridal party along the path the bride and groom would walk down to their car.  She was handed a small bottle of bubbles and waited for all the other guests to exit the hall as well.  The sun shone warmly on her shoulders.  Could this weather have been any more perfect!?

            She glanced across the path to where Kyle was laughing with one of Callie’s bridesmaids and best friends.  He locked eyes with Evie and gave her a brilliant smile.  The pit of her stomach warmed and gave a little flip.  How much of a cliché was this?  Groomsmen and bridesmaids were supposed to be attracted to each other, weren’t they?  Wasn’t it some unwritten rule that romances always struck up at weddings?  There was so much love radiating off Callie and Nathan, it was difficult to not feel infected by it.  She tried to busy herself with opening her bubbles, but the lid popped off instantly and there was nothing left to do but glance around her, wishing there was something to attract everyone’s attention.  She could feel those piercingly blue eyes studying her, and when she dared look up momentarily from her hands, there was Kyle, his eyes still burning into her own.  He grinned.  Is he amused by my sudden awkwardness?

            The doors suddenly sprung open and Callie and Nathan joyfully walked through the cloud of raining bubbles, down the path, and to their car.  Donna Remington reached an arm around her youngest daughter and hugged her dearly.  When she finally released her, she said something to Callie who was tearing up again.  Evie couldn’t make out the words over the cheers of the crowd, but Callie nodded and hugged their mother again.  Their dad was next to hug Callie.  Evie slid in to hug her sister as well before she left for her new life with Nathan who was shaking hands with his own father on the other side of the car.

            “I love you so much,” Evie whispered in her sister’s ear.  “You made such a beautiful bride.”

            Callie pulled back and nodded in response.  “I love you too.  Are you going to visit after we are moved into the house?”

            “Of course.  Next time I’m in town, I promise.”

            The bride and groom slipped into their car, waved good-bye, and drove off.  There was a strange sense of quiet once they were gone.  That was it.  Callie’s new life had started and Evie was left behind.

            Bill came over and placed an arm around Evie’s shoulders.  He kissed his oldest daughter on the cheek before wrapping her in a hug.  She hugged her father back, grateful for his silent support.  It felt so strange knowing that her little sister was venturing into an area of her life that Evie couldn’t follow, at least not right now.  She was unbelievably happy for her sister.  She would never wish her anything but the best.  She just needed some time to herself to sort out her feelings.  This had been a very confusing day.