“Ah, Mattie. Look at that. You’ve got a good-sized bruise on your hand.”
She pushed up her sleeve to show him another quarter-sized mark on the inside of her elbow, where they took so many blood samples. “I’m a regular pincushion these days, I’m afraid. I look ugly.”
“Never that.”
Graham’s words were softly said, but there seemed to be a hint of something new, too. A deeper emotion, right under the surface.
As she sat by his side, sensing his warmth, that old, familiar feeling of fascination for Graham came rolling back. Years ago, back when they were barely thirteen or fourteen, she’d had a terrible crush on him. He’d been so cute, and a favorite with all the girls.
She, on the other hand, had been going through an awkward stage, all arms and legs. That, combined with her moony gaze, had worked against any hope of the two of them being together.
In what had felt like no time at all, Graham had looked beyond his gangly next-door neighbor. Instead, he’d spent all his energy flirting with just about every other girl in their circle of friends.
After a time, she’d shaken off her infatuation and had moved on. Content to only be friends, thankful to have a good friend in him.
But now, as he stared at her, she wondered what would happen if things changed between them. Would their relationship turn awkward? Hesitant? Or would it finally feel right . . . the way it was supposed to?
Graham blinked, then smoothed a wrinkle on his shirt. “What, Mattie? Do I have a spider on me or somethin’?”
“Definitely not! You know if you had a spider on you, I’d be squealing.”
He laughed. “That’s true. I’ve never met a woman so afraid of bugs. So . . . you okay?”
“Jah. My mind just drifted, I suppose. Thank you again for the flowers.”
“Anytime.” But there was still a new wariness about him.
“Tell me about your brothers,” she murmured. “What’s new with them?”
Relaxing against the cushion of the couch, Graham propped one foot over his opposite knee. “Quite a bit, actually. As you know, Calvin and Katie had a gut time on his trip to Indianapolis.”
“I did hear that. And they brought home your uncle?”
“They did, indeed. John stayed with us for a bit, and now is living in town.” He winked at Lucy, who was back at her post by the door. “Every day we hear new stories about that train ride.” Her cousin squirmed.
“It was definitely an unusual day,” she mumbled.
That surprised a chuckle from Mattie. “I can’t believe you and Calvin were on the same train.”
“It was certainly a twist of fate,” Lucy agreed. “And, of course, Katie was with us.”
Graham smiled at that. “Katie has a way of getting into the middle of every major event.”
“She is a busy girl, that is for sure,” Mattie mused. Darting another quick glance Lucy’s way, she said, “I do hope Calvin will come over soon.”
Sure enough, at the mention of Calvin’s name, Lucy’s cheeks pinkened.
Leaning forward, Graham reached for Mattie’s hand and tucked it between his own work-roughened palms. “Calvin will stop by soon,” he promised. “He’s just been giving you some space.”
“I’ve had plenty of that.”
“Then I’ll tell him it is all right to stop by. I know he wants to see you, Mattie. Every time I come home after seeing you, he asks how you are doing.” Encompassing Lucy into his gaze, he added, “As a matter of fact, he asks how both of you are.”
“Now, isn’t that kind of him?” Mattie glanced Lucy’s way again. Although her cousin looked to be studiously examining a cut on her finger, Mattie knew she was hanging on every word about Calvin. Looking back at Graham, she said, “I know Calvin and I are gut friends . . . but perhaps he wants to see someone else, too?”
His eyes lighting up, Graham nodded. “I would wager he does.”
Lucy bit her lip. “I don’t know about that. We didn’t part on the best of terms.”
“That’s easy enough to fix, don’tcha think?” Mattie asked. Thinking of her cancer, and of the way it had snuck up on her and then taken over her life, she said, “I’m coming to learn that there’s some things that are out of our hands. And some things that aren’t too difficult to take charge of.”
“And you think this is one of those things?” Lucy asked, her tone tinged with sarcasm.
“Absolutely,” Mattie said.
Actually, she knew for a fact that patching things up with Calvin