Chapter Four
"Thor?" Molly asked then laughed. "Seriously? Thor?"
"I swear," Reese replied and set her glass of iced tea on the table. "And he wouldn't say anything except their paths had crossed."
"Interesting. So, tell me about this class she might teach."
"Look, I'll show you." Reese pulled out her phone and searched YouTube for a video. When she found one she handed the phone to Molly.
"Oh my god, that's incredible. She can do that?"
"Yeah, on a dang rope."
"Wonder where she learned?"
"I don't know. Maybe we should Google her."
"Oh, let's do. Would you grab my iPad? It's on the island."
Reese got up to fetch the tablet and handed it to Molly. "So, her name is Lula Sumpter?"
"Yeah."
Molly started the search. After a few moments she looked up. "Could it be Tallulah Christmas Sumpter?"
"I don't know. Is there a photo?"
Molly turned the tablet around and Reese stared in shock. "That's her. Younger but her. Holy shit. She's an Olympic medal winner in gymnastics. She said she used to be a gymnast."
"Silver. Twice. That's pretty impressive."
"It is. Anything else about her?"
Molly turned her attention back to the tablet. "Nothing after the second Olympics. Wow, that's something, huh? Wonder how she ended up in Cotton Creek?"
"I don't know, she didn't say."
"Well, I guess you can ask. You did say she's going to teach you to make jam, right?"
"She is." Reese grinned. "I've never done anything like that before. Have you?"
"Are you kidding? Do you forget who my grandmother is? Ouch!" Molly's hand went to her belly. "This kid is either going to be a soccer player or a track star because he never stops kicking and running.
"He?"
"Shh, don't tell. Wiley swears he doesn't want to know."
"My lips are zipped. Say, while I'm thinking about it, is it against rules or whatever to use Christmas poinsettias as wedding flowers?"
"I don't think so. Besides, it's your wedding so you can do whatever the heck you want. I'm not really sure about the time, though. The stroke of midnight on December 31st?"
"Yes, Mathias and I both want that. We spent the last moments of one year moving toward the first moments of togetherness in the new year."
"It is kind of romantic and what the heck. People love a wedding and New Year's Eve so it's a great time."
"I can't believe it's real."
"It's real, honey." Molly put her hand on top of Reese's. "And we're all so happy about it. You know as far as we're concerned, your family."
"I feel the same and thank you. This is the first time I've ever felt like I belonged somewhere and had family and I really like it. Oh, did Wiley tell you? Russell Walker agreed to six apiaries and butterfly breeding programs in six states and his brother has rounded up support from other big cooperatives for a dozen more."
"Yes, he did, and I think it's fantastic. We're going to heal the world and prevent hunger. God, it feels unreal to say that, but we really are going to do it, aren't we?"
"Yes, we are. I talked to Naomie last night and she's really enjoying staying with Mercy."
"I think they're both enjoying it. Naomie makes Mercy laugh. Heck she makes us all laugh. That girl is wide open, isn't she?"
"That's one way of putting it. I think she's planning on moving to Heritage in about a month. Mr. Walker's been pushing her to make the move sooner, but she said she wanted to get the SynthBee production facility up and running before she makes the move because once she gets there she wants to immerse herself in the breeding program."
"And not Mr. Walker?"
"She swears not and Naomie's pretty strong on sticking to her guns."
"From what you and Mathias say, there's some pretty strong chemistry between the two of them."
"It seemed so, and may be, but I know she has a pretty firm rule about not getting involved with co-workers or bosses, so I'm betting she'll hold fast no matter how appealing she thinks he is.
"And she did say there was a whole family of hot men there so I'm guessing she can keep herself entertained."
"No doubt."
"Okay, well, I better get in gear. Tell Mercy I said hi okay and ask if she's up for a morning walk tomorrow?"
"I'll have her call you. Have a good day, Reese."
"You too, Molly." Reese rose and started for the door but stopped at Molly's voice.
"Hey, when you see your new friend, how about inviting her over for lunch here. I'll ask Elisi and Naomie. You ask Charli, and I'll ask Mica and Trina, maybe Cody and Hannah and we can introduce her to people."
"That'd be great. I will. Talk to you soon."
"Okay. Bye."
As Reese headed for the office building of Venture, she thought about Lula. What would a two-time Olympic champion be doing in Cotton Creek? And what, exactly, was she doing there?
God you're turning into a busy body. Reese mentally scolded herself and finished up with a reminder that people reveal who they are in their own time and when they feel comfortable. Moreover, everyone had secrets.
Chances were, Lula's probably weren't near as big as the ones Reese continued to hide from all but the people she considered family. So, she'd be the last to cast stones.
*****
Lula had just brought in the last of the grocery bags and put them on the table when her phone rang. She fished it from her purse and looked at the caller ID. There was no name displayed so she hit ignore, put the phone on the table and started unloading groceries.
A Bing sound alerted her there was a voicemail. She pressed the speaker button then hit play. "Ms. Sumpter? Adam McCall here, Principal of Cotton Creek High School. I've gone over your application and am quite impressed. I wanted to see about setting up a time to talk about the possibility of you becoming a member of our faculty. Please give me a call at your earliest convenience."
Lula screamed through his recitation of his phone number. She'd almost given up hope that anyone would acknowledge her application. Now, with luck, she'd be able to give up dancing at the strip club and do something meaningful.
Of course, she could always work Friday and Saturday nights at the club. Heck she made more in two nights than she'd make all week working at the school and she'd depleted almost all her savings. It would be nice to be able to start saving again.
She danced around the kitchen as she put away the groceries. The move to Texas might end up being positive after all. If she got the job. Please, please let me get it. She sent up a wish and a prayer.
Her phone rang again, and she snatched it up. "Hello?"
"Hi, Lula."
"Thor? Is that you?"
Lincoln chuckled. "I can see I'm going to have to come up with a name for you?"
"Are you serious? How can you beat Tallulah Christmas?"
He chuckled again. "You have a point. Are you working tonight?"
"I work every night except Sunday."
"What time do you go in?"
"Nine to close."
"Want to have dinner before your shift?"
"I'd love to, but I normally sleep, work and then eat. Pole dancing and fully bellies don't mix well."
"Got it. So, after?"
"Not much open after one in the morning."
"I'll cook."
"Can you?"
"Not really. Can you?"
"Are you wrangling for more of my home cooking?"
"Is it working?"
This time she chuckled. "Okay, meet me at my place at two and I'll feed you."
"See you then."
"Okey dokey. Bye."
She put the phone down on the counter and leaned against it for a few moments. Maybe she'd get something put together before she went to sleep and then she could just pop it in the oven when she got home.
As she headed for the refrigerator, it dawned on her that tomorrow was the day she was supposed to teach Charli and Reese to make jam. She mentally kicked herself. Maybe she should call Lincoln and cancel their dinner date. She'd be toast if she stayed up all night and then did the jam thing.
Or not. She'd gone without sleep before and survived and she really didn't want to cancel the date. She might not be planning on sleeping with Lincoln, but she sure didn't want to miss out on spending time with him. Something told her there was a lot more to him than just good looks and a hot body.
And she just purely loved the process of discovery.