Page 40 of When Cardinals Appear

“What’s up?” I asked as I shrugged out of my coat and set it on the bench beside me.

“I know Steven has asked you to read a poem at our wedding, and initially, we weren’t planning on having a bridal party, but I was wondering…” Rose’s voice faltered.

I searched her face, frowning at her nervousness. “Yes?” I prompted, my curiosity getting the better of me.

“Would you be my maid of honor?”

“Oh my gosh, Rose! Of course, I would love to,” I gushed. Rose’s shoulders visibly relaxed as I grabbed her hand. “I’m even more excited for your wedding now!” I cocked my head. “But why were you so afraid to ask me?”

Rose blew out a breath. “It’s just… with everything you have going on, I didn’t want to add to your plate.”

“But this is a fun thing, and I could use more of those.”

The server came, and we ordered our drinks: a cosmopolitan for Rose and a Long Island iced tea for me. I needed something strong, especially if Rose had any plans to participate in karaoke.

While we waited for our drinks, we chatted about Rose’s job and what I had missed while I was in Seattle. Through it all, I shamelessly snuck glances at Nate when Rose wasn’t looking and was rewarded many times with another heart-stopping smile. The women at the table with him kept trying to engage him in conversation, but from what I could tell, he didn’t pay them any attention. I hated how much that pleased me.

“That boy has got it bad,” Rose said, catching me off guard.

“What? Who?”

“Don’t look now, but Nate Sanders hasn’t taken his eyes off you since we walked in.”

Blood rushed to my cheeks as I dropped my gaze to the table. I was saved from a response when the server appeared with our drinks. I gulped down mine, hoping Rose would drop that line of conversation. Nobody knew about the dinner Nate and I had shared, but I knew that in such a small town, nothing stayed secret for long.

“Is something going on between you?” Rose pressed.

Oh boy. There’s not enough alcohol in the world for this conversation. “N-No. Why would you think that?”

“Because you turned about five shades of red when I told you he was staring at you,” Rose replied with an arched brow.

I sighed. If we kept making eyes at each other across the bar like that, it wouldn’t be long before the whole town shared Rose’s suspicions. The best thing to do would be to come clean and avoid any nefarious rumors.

“He, uh, I mean, we had dinner together the other night.”

“Um, okay, and why am I just now hearing about this?” Rose demanded as she leaned forward, her sleek black hair curtaining her face.

“I haven’t told anyone,” I protested. “It was an impromptu thing. We ran into each other at the store, and I invited him over.” Lifting my shoulders in what I hoped was a nonchalant shrug, I forced a smile. “No big deal.”

“The way his eyes are burning holes into that dress of yours suggests otherwise.”

That was no exaggeration because I could feel the heat of Nate’s gaze from across the room. It took all my willpower not to sneak another glance in his direction. With a deep breath, I focused on Rose.

“If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone? Not even Steven?” I pleaded.

Rose nodded, her brown eyes wide. How do I approach this? Was this even the right thing to do? Probably not, but I needed an outlet, a sounding board. Keeping my feelings bottled up wasn’t helping anything. I racked my brain on how to broach the subject. Perhaps I should start where all the trouble began, with that darn bird.

“Do you believe in legends?” I blurted out.

Rose’s brows knitted together, and I imagined that was the last thing my future sister-in-law had expected me to say.

“Legends? What do you mean? And what does this have to do with your ex?”

“Just”—I held up a hand—“answer the question. Do you think there’s any truth to myths or legends? Folklore?”

Rose rested her pointed chin on her hand as she appeared to seriously contemplate my question. “I guess there’s some truth to every legend, isn’t there? It had to have started somewhere, right? So it’s likely it began with a real story that took on mythical proportions over time.” She fixed me in her steely gaze. “Please explain what the heck this has to do with Nate.”

“I know this is going to sound crazy.” I hesitated. “But I’ve been seeing this bird, a cardinal, often over the past several weeks. I went to see Mrs. Winters. You know, my mom’s neighbor?”

---