Page 14 of Starting Our Chance

7 Loretta

Duke had been avoidingme all morning. I just needed one damn minute with him. But it had been like trying to catch a fish with my bare hands while standing ankle deep in the creek.

It wasn’t until after church that I had a chance to speak to him. People were milling about, sipping weak lemonade and munching on the goodies prepared by fine women like my mama. One group of such people partaking of these offerings included my old friend Sammy, her husband, my new boss, and of course, the man I needed to talk to: Duke.

I kept a safe distance, carrying on a dull conversation with old Mrs. Karheart about sweet potatoes, but I couldn’t help glancing over to my beaten-up hero. I caught snippets of their conversation. Thankfully, it wasn’t about me. Not that I was self-involved, but after having one’s name spray-painted on the side of a building, and the fact that there were few Lorettas under the age of sixty-five, I had received a lot of attention all morning—too much.

Deciding to try and lure Duke away from the group, I apologized to Mrs. Karheart, pulled out my phone and tapped out a quick text. Mrs Karheart, who hadn’t even noticed I had pulled the phone out, just kept right on talking about the blight on her crops.

Me: Can I talk to you for a moment? I just want to explain about last night.

I saw him look down at his phone, casually chatting away about some weekend getaway. Without pausing his conversation, Duke shot me a glance. I was ready for it—or so I thought. Having known that boy all my life, I knew that the man was mad and hurting. But the look he gave me; it was as if I had literally been punched in the gut. The air left my lungs, and I could only draw the shallowest of breaths.

It was all the more reason for needing to clear the air with him, but I couldn’t if he wouldn’t come to me. He pocketed his phone and crossed his arms over his chest. By looking back at Logan, Duke had given me his silent answer.

I wasn’t done. I gently pushed Mrs. Karheart away with a good luck and squared my shoulders. My stomach was in knots, and my palms were sweaty as I took first one and then a second step in the direction of that group of people. I was going to do this, the fact that I didn’t want an audience be damned.

At the last second, I chickened out and addressed Nikki instead of Duke. “Can I speak to you about something?”

Silence fell upon the group, but the smirk on Logan’s face told me that he at least was happy I had brought some excitement their way. Nikki raised a brow but nodded. I plunged right on in with, “Look, there is an image of me and how I used to be. Don’t let it fool you. I am not the same girl that left this town. Give me a chance and don’t listen to the gossip of others.” I pointedly looked at Sammy before continuing, “I’m a new Loretta Jane, and I had nothing to do with the vandalism. I might have been flighty and petulant in the past, but I’ve had a few hard knocks to bring me back to earth. I hope the events of this weekend won’t change your perception of me and that I can still come to work on Monday. Because I’m not going anywhere, and I want this to work.”

“Oh, I’m so glad to hear this!” Nikki grabbed both my hands. Her bright dress was a reflection of the sun, not some nasty mustard color. It brought out the brilliant hues of her curly hair and mirrored her cheerful disposition. “Of course, I’ll see you Monday. And I don’t listen to gossip; I make my own decisions, and your actions speak louder than your words.”

“Glad I got that off my chest, then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

But as I left, I locked eyes with Duke. Maybe Mama was right. There just didn’t seem to be any way this boy was interested in me like I was in him.

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