True believer - Nicholas Sparks [37]
Of course, she’d always imagined that she would have a family of her own by now, maybe even children, but it hadn’t worked out. Two relationships had come close: there was the long relationship with Avery, which had begun in college, and after that, another involving a young man from Chicago who was visiting his cousin in Boone Creek one summer. He was the classic Renaissance man: he spoke four languages, spent a year studying at the London School of Economics, and had paid his way through school with a baseball scholarship. Mr. Renaissance was charming and exotic, and she’d fallen for him quickly. She thought he’d stay here, thought he’d grow to love the place as much as she did, but she woke up one Saturday morning to learn that he was on his way back to Chicago. He never even bothered to say good-bye.
And after that? Not much, really. There were a couple of other flings that lasted six months or so, neither of which she thought about much anymore. One had been with a local physician, the other a lawyer; both had proposed to her, but again, she hadn’t felt the magic or thrill or whatever it was you were supposed to feel to let you know that you didn’t need to look any further. In the last couple of years, the dates had been fewer and further apart, unless you counted Rodney Hopper, a deputy sheriff in town. They’d gone on a dozen or so dates, one every other month or so, whenever there was a local benefit that she was encouraged to attend. Like her, Rodney had been born and raised here, and when they were kids, they used to share the teeter-totter behind the Episcopal Church. Ever since, he’d been pining away for her and had asked her a couple of times to accompany him for drinks at the Lookilu Tavern. Sometimes she wondered whether she should just take him up on his offers to date her regularly, but Rodney . . . well, he was a little too interested in fishing and hunting and lifting weights and not quite interested enough in books or anything going on in the rest of the world. He was a nice guy, though, and she figured he’d make a fine husband. But not for her.
So where did that leave her?
Here at Doris’s, three times a week, she thought, waiting for the inevitable questions about her love life.
“So what did you think of him?” Doris asked, right on cue.
Lexie couldn’t help smiling. “Who?” she asked, playing innocent.
“Jeremy Marsh. Who did you think I was talking about?”
“I have no idea. That’s why I asked the question.”
“Quit avoiding the subject. I heard he spent a couple of hours at the library.”
Lexie shrugged. “He seemed nice enough. I helped him find a few books to get him started, and that was about it.”
“You didn’t talk to him?”
“Of course, we talked. Like you said, he was there for a while.”
Doris waited for Lexie to add more, but when she didn’t, Doris sighed. “Well, I liked him,” Doris volunteered. “He seemed like a perfect gentleman.”
“Oh, he was,” Lexie agreed. “Just perfect.”
“You don’t sound like you mean that.”
“What else do you want me to say?”
“Well, was he charmed by your sparkling personality?”
“Why on earth would that matter? He’s only in town for a few days.”
“Did I ever tell you about the way I met your grandfather?”
“Many times,” Lexie said, remembering the story well. They’d met on a train that was heading to Baltimore; he was from Grifton and on his way to interview for a job, one that he would never take, choosing to be with her instead.
“Then you know that you’re most likely to meet someone when you least expect it.”
“You always say that.”
Doris winked. “That’s only because I think you need to keep hearing it.”
Lexie brought the salad bowl to the table. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m happy. I love my job, I have good friends, I have time to read and jog and do the things I love.”
“And don’t forget you’re blessed with me, too.”
“Of course,” Lexie affirmed. “How