sp; “There’s nothing to explain,” Jocelyn said when Sara caught up with her. “The town matched me up with Ramsey, and his married cousin Luke kept me occupied while Ramsey was busy drumming up law business. It worked perfectly. I’ve never seen a better plan. Did you guys choose my wedding dress for me?”
“Jocelyn, please,” Sara called, but Joce didn’t stop walking.
It took Jocelyn about ten minutes to get home. When she was inside, she locked the door, then went to the back and the side and locked those doors too. She even checked the windows to make sure they were all closed and latched. She didn’t want anyone coming inside without her permission.
Her impulse was to pack a suitcase and leave, but she knew she had to remain calm and think about what she was going to do from now on. It was one thing to have a beloved friend leave her a letter saying that she knew of the perfect man for her, but it was another to find out that a town full of strangers had been planning her future.
Jocelyn hadn’t been in the house for more than twenty minutes before there was a polite knock on the door. She glanced out the side window and wasn’t surprised to see Ramsey and Luke standing there.
Her first thought was to tell them to go away and never return, but instead, she unlocked the door and opened it.
“We’d like to explain,” Ramsey said.
“There’s nothing to explain,” Jocelyn said.
“Could we come in?”
“Of course,” she said, standing to one side and letting them into the living room.
They sat side by side on Miss Edi’s yellow couch while Jocelyn took the chair across from them. Ramsey was in his perfect party clothes, meant to show that he was an up-and-coming young businessman, while Luke was in jeans and a T-shirt.
“How is your wife?” Jocelyn asked Luke.
“Quite well,” he said, smiling. “She loved your purple cookies.”
“Did she eat an entire half of one?”
“More like a quarter.”
“Would you two stop it!” Ramsey said. “Jocelyn, my cousin and I came here to explain some things that I think may have been misunderstood by you.”
“Oh? And what would that be?”
“About our intentions.”
“Intentions?” Jocelyn asked. “I have no idea what you mean.”
“I told you she’d be mad,” Luke said as he leaned back against the sofa.
“Because my cousin misrepresented himself,” Ramsey said, and it was the voice of a lawyer, “doesn’t mean that I have. I have never been anything but honest and clear about my intentions toward you.”
“And they would be?”
“Would be…?” Ramsey asked, not understanding her question.
“She wants to know what you intend to do with her,” Luke said. “Marry her or set her up in a shop, as Sara’s new boyfriend wants to do with her.”
Ramsey turned to glare at Luke. “This whole thing is your fault. Why didn’t you tell her you were married?”
“Never came up,” Luke said, then looked at Joce. “You have any beer?”
“Not for you, I don’t,” Jocelyn said sweetly. “Why don’t you ask your wife? Or does she just send you checks so you can live well but take on menial jobs?”
Luke’s face turned red with anger, but Ramsey grinned. “She’s got your number. Why don’t you wait for us outside? Better yet, why don’t you go home and leave us alone?”
Luke didn’t say a word as he started to get up.
“Tell me, Ramsey,” Jocelyn said, “was it me or my house you wanted so much?”