It was hot. Spring was saying goodbye and letting summer in the door, much to Kendall's chagrin. Today, she was planted on a bench under a tree in the town square, the busiest spot in Coser with its spread of shops, boarding houses and restaurants. Visitors did their shopping here, strolling by with their umbrellas and peeping in at windows. Merchants greeted the women and brought out their wares, friends ran into each other and struck up conversations ... and Kendall sat here on a bench, with a suitcase of trinkets no one wanted to buy.
She should have been over at Miss Lumley's, balancing a book on her head or getting her fingers rapped again for bad piano-playing. Instead, she was here on her father's orders, trying to help sell some of his wares, but more importantly to create a buzz so people would know where to find his shop. Except that people didn't want to go to his shop. People didn't want to look at a mishmash of outdated ornaments and accessories.
She took in a breath, getting to her feet as a woman walked past. "Miss, would you be interested in - "
The woman veered away from her as if she had the plague.
"Well, fine then," Kendall muttered.
She tried approaching the next woman, and heard her blurt out, "Oh no."
"Miss, spare a minute, would you to - "
"Sorry, I don't have a minute," she said curtly, picking up her pace and moving away with impressive speed.
Kendall drooped on the sidewalk, returning to the comfort of the shady bench. So far today, she had only sold a hairpin for three coppers and that had been to Lindsay. She groaned, looking forlornly at each and every person out that afternoon. So many people. So many people were in town because of the Harpers' dance the other night, and not one wanted to give her the time of day. She thought about how her father had spoken to the family the day after the dance, saying that they needed to start tightening their belts. She was glad that he was finally taking their finances seriously, but this?
I have to win this bet and get it over with, before Father comes up with more wild ideas. I don't think I can take much more of this.
Unfortunately, things were about to get worse. By the time she realized that Lilith Harper and Olivia Black were headed her way, it was too late to latch up her suitcase and beat a hasty retreat.
"Well, well," Lilith gushed, pausing in front of Kendall and balancing her umbrella against her shoulder. She seemed cool and comfortable, not a trace of sweat on her flawless skin. "I'd heard you were hawking your father's wares, but I didn't believe it."
"Move along, Lilith."
"Why, Kendall. Aren't you going to try and make a sale?" She motioned to Olivia. "We are two potential customers who stopped for a look. What kind of merchant are you?"
"You don't want to buy anything."
"I don't? Well, alert the papers for you must be a psychic for being able to read my mind."
"Be glad you can't read my mind. You wouldn't like what I'm thinking about you."
"You're not going to make any money with such an attitude, I assure you."
"Keep your money. Go spend it on useless things."
"Thank you, I do plan to spend my money elsewhere, first and foremost on a new dress. One of mine was ruined the other night, as you may have seen."
Kendall folded her arms and shrugged. "You need to be more careful then. Clumsiness is unbecoming."
"So is cheating."
"Who's cheating?" she asked through a smile.
Lilith didn't answer, nodding at Olivia. "We'd better be on our way. Excuse us, Kendall," she said, sauntering off.
Olivia however, lingered a moment, her gaze on Kendall. She fixed her with a long stare, one that made her uncomfortable. "Yes?" Kendall asked, trying to keep the edge off her voice.
Olivia drew in her breath, preparing to speak. She was actually about to use her voice, this girl who never opened her mouth. "Stay away from my brother, hmm?" she said softly and quietly, yet the words were like a slap.
Speechless, Kendall watched as Olivia walked off after Lilith. Stay away from my brother, the words echoed in her head. She must be trying to help Lilith win. Or maybe she shared Lilith's disdain for her. Or both – it was entirely possible.
Kendall shut her eyes briefly, thinking back to the other night when she had finally caved and met up with Grace and Rae for a secret drink, bringing Tyler Black with her. He had been a lot of fun, sharing dirty jokes, teasing each of them, making cracks about people like uptight Richard Harper. He was wealthy but he had no airs about him. She'd never met anyone like him. Kendall wished they could have had some time alone to get to know each other. Before leaving to return to his family, he'd said they would see each other again. But how? When? She didn't have time to waste with this bet.
Tyler was perfect, exactly what she needed right now. She needed to wrangle a proposal out of him before he had a chance to change his mind.
She lifted her eyes, seeing that the sky was taking on a faded glow and that the crowd was thinning out. It would be dark soon so she might as well call it a day. She got to her feet, shutting the suitcase and treading home. She was not looking forward to doing this again tomorrow. She was tired and sweaty, and her feet ached. She slipped into the house, leaving the suitcase by the door.
She was about to head down the hall when someone appeared out of the living room. To her surprise, it was not someone from her family. "Logan," the name popped out of her mouth. "What are you doing here?"
"Now, Kendall, is that any way to talk to a guest?" her mother piped up, coming up behind him.
"I came to collect my clothes, and return Brandon's."
"He'll be staying for dinner," her mother added, grinning behind his back.
Kendall squinted at her. Was her mother trying to do the very thing she had told her not to do? She blinked at Logan, who looked perfectly handsome and dapper, then remembered what a mess she must look. "I'm just going to go wash up," she got out, scurrying off and hoping she wasn't filling the hall with a sweaty odor.
A few minutes later, having put on a pretty dress and some color on her face, she strode confidently into the dining room. Logan was being monopolized by her father on one side, while Brandon sat on his other side, seeming bored. Her brother looked up at her entrance, his brows doing a bit of a dance. "You look a little pretty for dinner," he commented.
Logan paused to glance at her, and she felt herself reddening. She hadn't done it for him, she told herself. It was just ... well, he was a guest, so it was important to look presentable. Her mother, as always, got the wrong impression, looking pleased. Her mother pulled out a chair, waving for her to sit.
" ... with a bit of capital," her father was saying to their guest.
Kendall's ears pricked up, but before her father could continue, her mother said, "Come now. No business at the table, you know the rule."
"Alright, alright."
"Logan, do help yourself," her mother said graciously. "No need to be shy. We've plenty of food."
"Thank you, Mrs. Moore."
"I would have loved to have your family over. I haven't seen your parents in the longest time. I don't think I saw them at the Harpers' dance. Did they attend?"
"No. My parents prefer to keep to the house these days."
"Ah. They must be happy to have you back, just as I was happy to have my boy back." She reached over, looping an arm around Brandon's neck, and he sighed exaggeratedly.
"Mama's boy," Logan muttered in Brandon's ear, and Brandon sat up straight, punching him on the arm.
"Ow!" Logan cried. "What is it with you Moores and the need to physically assault me?"
"What's that?" Mrs. Moore questioned.
Logan stole a glance at Kendall, trying not to smile. "Nothing. Speaking of the Harper dance, I happened to be there that night."
"Really?"
Kendall's eyes widened. She hadn't known that Logan had been at the dance. He had actually gone to the Harpers? Had he been invited? His whole family? She took a look at her brother, his worried expression mirroring her own. It didn't seem as if Logan had forgotten about Lilith after all. He had just gotten into Coser and he had already gone over to the Harper manor. Could he have spoken to Lilith that night? But that was impossible. Her brother had assured her that he had kept a close eye on her all evening. Still, this was not good.
"It was quite a grand affair, wasn't it?" her mother was saying.
"It was," Logan agreed. "Nothing but the best for the Harpers."
There was a silence then, with the Moores suspecting there was more to that comment. Eventually, Logan spared them from coming up with something to say, continuing, "It's a shame I didn't get to see any of you that night."
Both Brandon and Kendall felt compelled to explain then, their sentences falling over each other. Brandon said something along the lines of, "Oh, really? That's strange." while Kendall repeated what Miss Lumley had taught her, "I was engaged." It was an excellent excuse, vague enough to cover just about anything when really, she had been getting giggly and tipsy with Tyler and her friends. She got an idea then and asked, "Did you get a chance to meet the Blacks?"
Logan blinked at her. "Who?"
"The Blacks. They're friends of the Harpers from out of town. I believe they're staying with them. Regina Black, her daughter Olivia and her son Tyler."
As she'd expected, her mother jumped in. "Yes, Tyler Black. Very eligible."
"He might even pose serious competition to my brother here," she said brightly, and Brandon made a dour face, which was uncharacteristic of him.
"He's staying with the Harpers?" Logan asked, taking the bait.
Kendall nodded. "The two families seem to have become very close."
"Hmm." He stared down at his plate. "Interesting."
Kendall smirked to herself. Good. With any luck, Logan would back down before even starting down the road of chasing Lilith Harper all over again. He had to know that in terms of wealth and status, he could be no match for someone like Tyler Black.
But isn't it the same for yourself? Tyler Black is not in your league, and you know it. Kendall pushed the thought away. Those Harper snobs might care about such things, but Tyler Black didn't. She knew he treated her as an equal and that was all that mattered. His mother would probably be a different story, but she didn't want to worry about that for now. She needed to focus on winning Tyler over first.
She studied Logan's face, thinking that it might be a good idea to change the subject to something less upsetting. "Did you know that someone's taken a lease at the Hurtmore place?"
"I haven't been able to find out who it is," her mother mentioned. "But it seems like they're rushing to prepare for his arrival."
"Probably another wealthy, arrogant type, the kind who'd get along perfectly with the Harpers."
"You seem very interested in this piece of news," Logan noted, eyeing Kendall.
"She loves that house," Brandon said airily, and she felt like smacking him for butting into the conversation.
"Is that right?" Logan asked her.
"It's a beautiful house."
"It is, isn't it?"
"I always thought Sky would like it too. Have you seen the grounds? She'd have so much space to run around."
"You and that horse," her mother sighed.
"Mother, don't start."
"It's not proper for a woman to ride. At least not the amount you do."
"I don't care."
"And it's dangerous."
"Mother, come now," Brandon tried to help her. "Kendall's an excellent rider, probably even almost as good as me. I taught her myself."
"It's the one thing that makes me happy," she said through gritted teeth.
"I know your father and I don't say much about it but - "
"You say plenty!"
Her mother went on, " - but once you're married, it has got to stop. Your husband won't want you gallivanting off into the woods on your own, and you certainly can't keep it up once you have children."
I'll prove you wrong. But Kendall said nothing of the sort, only peering down at her food.
"Don't you agree, Logan?" her mother posed to their guest, just when she'd thought it couldn't get any worse.
Wonderful. Drag him into our personal family problems, why don't you?
He wisely chose not to answer straight away, biding his time by taking a drink first. Licking his lips, he said, "I've seen Kendall on a horse. I don't think I've ever seen a better seat."
"But you would not want your wife to go riding off according to her whims and fancies, would you?"
"That would be between my wife and I," he said, with a polite smile.
Kendall felt herself relax as her mother decided to stop pressing him. It was ridiculous how dinner with her brother's best friend could turn out to be such hell on her nerves.
Later, as Logan and her brother were about to go out for an evening walk, she was headed for her room when Logan called out to her, "You're welcome to join us if you like."
"That's alright. I wouldn't want to intrude. I'm sure you two have much to talk about."
She glanced down the hall, noticing that her brother was busy chatting with their mother. It seemed as good an opportunity as any, so she leaned in to ask Logan, "How's your father doing?"
"No better, I'm afraid."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Logan."
"Thank you for not saying anything. I really ... don't want that kind of attention right now."
"I understand."
Brandon appeared, nodding at his friend. "Let's go. Talk to you later, baby sister," he said, messing up her hair on the way out.
Amused, Logan waved at her, and she waved back, smoothing down her hair. The pair trotted out the front door, and she could still hear the echo of their voices outside - Brandon's light-hearted tone against Logan's quieter baritone. She thought about the bet, wondering if Brandon would end up revealing the whole plan to Logan. She didn't think he would. It was hard to know how Logan would react to something like that. Even though Lilith had hurt him, something told her he wouldn't approve.
Kendall shook her head as if to clear away such thoughts. So what if Logan didn't approve? Why should she care?