Those two were having lunch together! Now that wasn't fair. She agreed to be friends with Cilla and have lunch with her, but she didn't want to come into Graceland and have dinner? They were even going to ride horses together!
I huffed through my nose in annoyance as I watched the two young women out there near the roses, and I was looking through the little window in the den that faced the backyard. I could almost feel the seconds tick away. Maybe that was a part of the spell. It was like a tingling sensation at every tick whenever I thought about it. I had never been so hyper-focused on time passing before. It was a feeling down in my bones now that this all was actually happening.
Maybe Sam being friends with Cilla was meant to happen. I wasn't thrilled about her talking with very many other people, but maybe this was a way for Sam to get closer to me.
Did I want her to get closer to me? If I wanted to keep my fame, she had to be. Plus, she seemed like a pretty swell person. She loved horses, she loved beautiful plants, and she wasn't a fan of me. I had no idea what music she liked to listen to. Maybe I would casually ask her sometime. If she was meant to be in my life, we had to have a least some musical things in common.
I left the window and went into the kitchen that was void of any people. Lunch wouldn't be made until one, and it was only noon. But maybe a snack. I opened the pantry and got out a loaf of bread and peanut butter. One could only guess what I wanted to make.
My heart jumped when I heard footsteps come into the kitchen, and I saw Cilla come in, and her hair was back in a long ponytail, and she was wearing a purple blouse with black slacks. "Oh, hey," she greeted me with a smile, and I smiled in return.
"Hey, baby. You havin' a nice lunch out there with the hired help?"
"We are, and her name is Sam, Elvis," she said with a tone. "And I like her. She's very down-to-earth and pretty smart. I'm just in here to grab some of those leftover chocolate chip cookies that Gertrude made last night. Thought we'd have them for dessert."
"They're over by the sink in a brown paper bag."
She looked over and instantly saw it. She went over to it and opened it. I asked casually as I was making my sandwich, and I was cutting up a banana, "So... what have you two been talkin' about? Girl stuff?"
"The only girl things we talked about was fashion. She doesn't like to dress up all that much, but I do, and she would like to learn how to dress up while I would like a good reminder on how to dress down. That's what we talked about."
My brows creased, and I looked over at her as she came and stood near me. She smelled of her perfume and the outside. "You wanna dress down? You look fine."
"We've had this talk before, Elvis," she droned. "You know how I feel about what I have to wear. Plus, I'm not saying I'll do it, I'm saying I need to be reminded to do so. Sam said to just not put in effort. She said to not wear makeup and just throw on a blouse and pants. And not do my hair, just wash it and that's it."
It irked me that Sam didn't like dressing up. Well, no one said she had to be my lover. Cilla on the other hand... "I say you don't do any of that."
"I already said I wasn't. I like doing my hair and makeup, and I like dressing up. It's just... a lot sometimes. Never mind. Well, I'm heading back out."
She about left, but I stopped her by saying her name. "So... you two talk about music at all?"
Her thin brows creased a little. "No, why?"
"Nothin'. Have fun. And... I'm glad you see Sam as a friend. You two couldn't be more different."
"I think we're rather similar in some ways. See you later."
She was gone before I got to ask more on that. But dinner tonight... I left the kitchen and caught Cilla's arm right near the back door. She looked back at me. "Hey, I wanna ask ya a favor."
"Okay."
"Could you try and convince Sam to have dinner in the house with us tonight? I know she's not thrilled about bein' in the house, but I just wanna make 'er feel welcome, that's all."
"She feels welcome, she just doesn't want to be inside the house."
I huffed through my nose. "She really doesn't like me, does she?"
Cilla studied me for a moment, worry in her pretty green eyes. "Elvis... you don't have feelings for her, do you? Is that why you're so curious about her?"
My heart started beating faster. What should I say? Cilla was my girlfriend, and I told her everything. I had a feeling she would believe me if I told her about the spell. But I didn't want to dump that on her now. And... I didn't know how to answer her question. I never had feelings for a girl who wasn't all that attractive, at least in the face.
"She's one of my employees. That's why I'm curious about her," I defended. "It's kinda disheartening that my newest employee doesn't like me."
"She... well, frankly, no. She doesn't. She thinks you're a nice person, but she just..."
"Never mind. Go out and have a good time."
Cilla definitely heart my irritation. "Elvis, I'm sorry. Maybe over time, she'll warm up to you."
"Hopefully not too much time," I muttered.
"What?"
"Nothin'. Go and enjoy those cookies."
"Okay. Love you."
"Love you, too, baby."
She gave me a pretty smile and left me. I watched out the window her going back to Sam, who was sitting there looking at the roses. From here, I could see that she was smiling, and the sun was making a gold shine in her dark-blonde hair. I smirked.
Maybe Cilla was right in her assumption—I had feelings for Sam. But unwanted ones, ones that I felt were forced upon me thanks to Ignis. Well, what's done is done. No going back. That spell was drawing me towards that girl with two different-colored eyes that were wide apart, and a girl who didn't want much to do with me.
This was annoying.
~ ~ ~
"I think it would make me feel more comfortable, Sam. I'm always the only female at the table, aside from when Elvis's cousin Patsy is here, and she's not going to be here for a while. And Gertrude eats separately from us. Please?"
Air flew out my nose in a huff as I sat there in the grass with Cilla, and we had just finished with the cookies. She was jutting out her lower lip, and she was giving me green puppy-dog eyes. "I would do it for you, but I don't want to be in the house."
"Is it really because you dislike Elvis that much? You already know that he's a good person, and he's funny and makes everyone feel special."
"Well, he doesn't need to make me feel special by inviting me to dinner. I appreciate the intention."
Cilla studied me for a moment, and I knew she wasn't staring at me because of my looks. We had got passed that. Surprisingly, I was enjoying spending time with her, a beautiful person, both inside and outside. We both had the commonality of feeling trapped in our problems, mine being my self-esteem, and hers... the control her famous boyfriend has over her.
"He's far too controlling over you, which isn't a good trait he has, and he's..."
"He's what?"
She might as well know. "I don't really like people who are... attractive. You're an exception. It makes me feel horrible about myself. Elvis is one of the most handsome men I've ever since in in person or anywhere else, and... I just hate being forced to compare myself to him."
"Then don't."
"Easier said than done. I feel like I'm always comparing myself to people since most people are more attractive than me. I told you a few minutes ago that people had called me 'beast' before."
"Which is horrid!" she almost shouted. "I really can't believe people would say that about another person, and to their face! I'm so appalled at that."
She genuinely was fuming about this. "Thanks, but it's just how it is. And no doubt Elvis thinks that way. No doubt everyone does... thinking that I'm ugly. They're all just too nice to say so."
Cilla shook her head. "I think you need to have a bracing reality check. People don't think like that. At least most people. Most people would see you as unique, not ugly. Stop saying that you are. You know what? I think while you're here, I'm going to help you see yourself in a better light. And this doesn't just have to do with how you look. We're going to work on the inside, too."
I laughed, but in a scoffing manner. "You don't have to be my therapist. I had a couple of them in the past, and they didn't work."
"They weren't your friend like me."
It was almost unreal how nice she was. "I really appreciate you wanting to help me, but I think it's futile. Let's just clean this all up. I have to get back to work."
She huffed. "Really, you need to work on it." I said nothing. "Okay, fine. Just come to dinner tonight. It'll help. People will talk to you, but they're just going to get to know you, and people will stare, but they're only staring because it's polite to look at someone while talking to them, and... you're unique. I'm telling you... they're not going to be focusing on your nose or the space between your eyes or your dark-blonde hair... they're going to be looking at your enchanting eyes. They're a wonderment."
I gulped hard. I had been told this same thing by both my parents when I was questioning people's stares and what I thought of those stares and why people were staring. I dismissed it, but now... How come when Cilla said it, it was starting to sink in?
"Thanks, um... Let's just clean up, and I'll meet you later when we ride horses."
"Alright, alright. I won't talk anymore, at least in confidence. Let's go."
We got everything up, and we headed back to the house. Well, Cilla went into it after saying "see you later," and then I headed back to get my gardening gear.
My mind was whirling. Should I just go to dinner inside the house?
~ ~ ~
I watched from the fence the girls going to the stables. Once they were inside, I made my way over and stood at the doorway leading into the stables. My ears were open and my mind curious. What would come of this activity? What would they talk about? Was it the spell that made me intensely curious about everything that had to do with Sam?
"I don't think Elvis would mind you riding Flaming Star. He mainly rides him, but others do as well."
That was Priscilla. Sam said, "Elvis rides him?"
"He rides all of them, but Flaming Star is his favorite. He named him after the film he was in a few years ago."
"I recognized the name, but I've never seen the film. I've never seen any of his films. I don't really want to."
That made me grimace. Priscilla said, "It's a good one. It's a western. Elvis plays a guy who's half Indian, and the locals hate it since they're prejudice against Indians. Elvis said he loved playing in that since he got to be on a horse a lot of the time. He loves horses. It became an obsession of sorts for him, aside from music."
"I see. Well, that's a good thing about him—loving horses. They're magnificent creatures. Flaming Star is a beauty."
"He is. Go on and get on him."
"I'll pass."
"Elvis has been in on all of these horses, you know. You need to get passed things associated with him. You're working on his property."
"I told you why I don't like the guy. He's a beauty just like this horse. I'm a beast compared to both of them."
"Hey! What did I say about calling yourself that, huh?"
"I didn't call me it, other people did. I'll ride this one."
They got to talking about my other horses, but I walked off and leaned on the side of the stables, looking back at the house, my heart plummeting. Sam was really called a beast by people before? That was horrible! Sure, she had unique features, but she sure wasn't a beast. People were probably jealous of her unique appearance. I felt the desire to tell Sam this, but Cilla was taking care of that.
I remained by the stables, and I heard the girls prepare the horses. Sam was actually instructing Cilla on how to properly saddle a horse and prepare it for riding. She was more knowledgeable than anyone around here. Well, after taking a class on horse riding in high school, she would have to be knowledgeable.
Some minutes later, the girls came out of the stable, both on horses. Cilla was riding hers that I gifted her, and Sam was riding Traveler, my black horse that Jerry liked to ride. I stood and watched as the girls rode the horses around. My brows rose when Sam was galloping with Traveler, and then she brought him into a full run. There was a hurdle that Jerry and the guys set up over near the far fence, and she had Traveler jump over it with ease.
"She really knows what she's doin', doesn't she?" I said to myself, my gaze on the blonde. Oddly, I couldn't look away from her, even though my girlfriend was with her. And... my heart was beating faster as I was watching Sam.
The girls rode around for another hour, and they started to head back into the stables. Once in, I stood near the entrance again and heard the girls talking.
"So, are you just going to head home?" asked Cilla. "Or have you decided to join us for dinner?"
There was silence for moment, and my heart started to beat faster. I found myself really wanting Sam to accept the invitation.
"You're going to be there, right?" asked Sam as the horses whinnied. Cilla said that she was. "Could I sit next to you?"
I grinned. Yes! She accepted!
"Yay!" Cilla cheered, knowing that Sam accepted as well. "Yeah, sit by me if that makes you the most comfortable. And you'll love it inside the house. It's so pretty, how the place is decorated. I love the dining room especially. C'mon, let's head in and wash up. We can go into my room. Maybe you can borrow something of mine."
My eyes widened at that, and Sam's probably did as well. "Oh, no, no, you don't have to do that. Plus, I'm not your size."
"I think you are, maybe. One of my dresses could fit you."
"I haven't worn a dress since my dad's wedding five years ago."
"Well, you wanted pointers and to learn how to dress up a little. Now's your chance."
There was silence for a bit, then, "Cilla, I really appreciate it, and your kindness, but..."
"But nothing. You already agreed to go inside. Now, C'mon. Plus, Elvis will be thrilled. He wanted you to come to the dinner as to make you feel more welcome. Plus, Gertrude is a divine cook."
"Well..." Sam started apprehensively. "Boy, this is different. I didn't expect all this when I decided to work here."
"Everyone at Graceland is like family, and that includes Elvis. Give him a chance, okay? Maybe someday you'll find yourself falling for him like every other girl out there."
"That's not possible," she said quickly, and that stung somehow, and my heart started going faster at the thought of Sam falling for me, more so than when I thought about it with other women. "Why would you say something like that, anyway? You're his girlfriend."
"No girl is immune to Elvis's charms. If you fall for him, I won't fault you. In fact, I'll see it as a complement. I wanted to strangle the other girls he was involved with and had feelings for him, but if it happens to you, I would take it personally in a positive way. A girl who dislikes him then comes to like him.... that's something."
"I already said that it won't happen. I don't have luck with guys, anyway. I already told you that I've never had a boyfriend. Guys don't like me."
"You don't know that. There are more guys out there than the ones who called you names."
She was silent on that, and I listened in some more, interested in Sam's love life, or the lack thereof. She said, "That's most guys. They can't see passed my odd appearance."
"Then they're not worth your time. You'll find someone who will see you for the swell person you are."
My heart jumped. I told Cilla nothing of the spell, yet she went out and said that. I inwardly hoped that Sam would find that guy, and I doubted it would be me. If she was the one to break the spell, it was because we became good friends, nothing more. Somehow, that irked me.
"Thanks, Cilla. So... let's just go on inside and get this dinner over with. Actually, I'm going to find my dad and tell him. He stays until six."
"Okay. I'll meet you at the back door."
I hid myself again as the girls exited the stables and headed for the house. I watched both of them, and again, oddly... I was staring at the girl who wasn't my girlfriend. My gaze stayed on her until both she and Cilla went into the house. I followed suit a couple minutes later, and when I came into the house, the girls were nowhere to be seen. I went on into the kitchen and saw Gertrude in there, and the place smelled of the pot roast she was making.
"Smells heavenly," I commented, and the middle-aged gal looked over at me.
"Thank you, Elvis. So, are we setting out an extra plate?"
I tried to hide my smile, but it came out anyway. "Yeah, you will. Cilla talked 'er into it. Those two became very fast friends. It kinda hurts a little that Cilla was achin' that much for a female companion in Patsy's absence. She's always around guys."
"Women need other women, Elvis. I'm glad that Sam found a friend right off. I can't wait to meet her."
"She's pretty neat, and she's a sight. And I think in a good and bad way. Poor girl... It's not her fault."
"I'm looking forward to the different colored eyes. I had a cat once with that trait. She had one blue eye and one brown eye."
"That's the same for Sam. She and Cilla are in Cilla's room freshenin' up. I don't know what I think about Cilla allowin' Sam to wear her clothes, though. This ought to be interestin'. Hopefully it's nothin' I bought for 'er."
Gertrude gave me a sly look as she was stirring around some beef gravy to go over the mashed potatoes, and I was leaning against the counter, my arms folded over my blue dress shirt. "What, you don't want to see another girl in your girlfriend's clothing? Afraid that your heart will beat a little faster because of it?"
My heart was already beating faster because of Sam, and she had only arrived this morning. "It's just gonna be odd, that's all. Sam's thinner than Cilla by a bit. Maybe nothin' will fit."
"Maybe."
"You need help with settin' the table?"
"Sure thing. Thank you, Elvis."
I went to it, and the guys started to help as well when they saw me start to set out plates. I informed them and Daddy that Sam was joining us, and I warned them not to comment on her appearance or stare long at her since she was very self-conscious. None of these guys would call her anything like the guys she was talking about, so I didn't need to instruct them on that. They were all great guys with good hearts in them.
About a half-hour passed, and dinner was ready. We helped Gertrude get the food on the table, and my stomach was rumbling from the aroma. I couldn't wait to dig in.
"Oh, you must be Sam!" I heard Charley said. "Charley Hodge. It's a pleasure to meet you."
This got my attention. I looked behind me to the living room and entryway and saw the guys standing around with friendly smiles on their faces. I looked over and saw Sam, and she was wearing a pair of Cilla's purple pants as well as a green top, one that I told her I didn't like her wearing on account of the color, and I surmised that Sam chose to wear it since Cilla probably told her I didn't like it. It was a turtleneck-type shirt with short sleeves. I also noticed that her hair was waved a little, and she had some makeup on. Not a lot, but some to bring out those eyes.
"It's a pleasure, too," said Sam, a bit shy. I came and stood with them and watched her greet all the guys and my father, who she already met.
"I'm sorry, but those eyes!" Sonny exclaimed. "Wow! I've seen nothing like them! How spectacular!"
To that, Sam's face flushed pink. "Um... thank you."
She was probably not used to a guy complementing her. Now that it was said, the others commented as well, using spectacular, wonderful, amazing and even pretty. Poor Sam didn't know what to say.
"I think you made her speechless," I said, and Sam looked over at me with those incredible eyes that Cilla probably put some makeup around. Oh, incredible was used, too. "I'm glad that you decided to join us."
Her face with still blushed, and I found that a little cute. "Yes, well... I changed my mind. Actually, Cilla convinced me."
"Well done," Jerry told Cilla, and she smiled pridefully. I gave her a wink when she looked at me, telling her thank you. "Now, let's eat!"
We all sat around the table, and folding chairs had to be brought out since this was quite the bunch. The moment the prayer to bless the food was given, the guys started hammering Sam with questions, like the basic "get to know you" questions, and she did her best to answer as she sat there next to Cilla, who was kitty corner on my right as I sat at the head.
"Okay, leave the poor girl alone now, guys," Charley said, then to her, "Sorry. They're just very curious. Not just anyone joins the Graceland community, so you have to be something special."
To that, her cheeks gained pink again. "Um... thanks. And I just got in because of my dad."
"There's more to it, I'm sure," said Red, my cousin. He couldn't be more correct.
Sam happened to glance at me. She had been trying not to look at me the whole dinner thus far, but she mistakenly did so. I gave her a smile, and she quickly looked away and ate her beef. I continued to stare at her, something that I told the guys not to do. It was those eyes... one dark, one light. It was so alluring.
I had to look away before she noticed me staring. The guys went on chatting about this and that, and I got in a conversation with Daddy as he was sitting on my left. Sam was just eating her food, occasionally saying a few things to Cilla who was smiling at her as often as she could, probably to make her new friend feel more at ease.
Once the main meal was through, Gerturde came out with a fresh pan of apple cobbler, and several of the guys cheered because of it. It was a favorite dessert in the house. As Sam ate hers, I noticed a few of the guys staring at her. It couldn't be helped. Her eyes nose, little mouth and face shape really made her a spectacle. She shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable. I cleared my throat loudly, and the guys instantly knew why I did it. Their gazes went elsewhere.
"Excuse me," I said. "Something caught in my throat. This is wonderful as always, Gertrude."
"Thank you," she said, smiling. "There's a second dish."
"Yes!" a few of the guys cheered, and I laughed, creating my signature smile. This time, I caught Sam staring at me, but I didn't look over at her and catch her eye. Like other females, she probably thought me handsome.
Dinner ended, and we all helped clear the table, including Sam. That made me smile. As I was walking out into the entryway after everything was cleared, and the guys were heading to the living room to chill and digest, I heard my name behind me. I turned and found Sam standing there.
"Hey," I said with a smile. "You liked the dinner?"
"It was delicious. I thanked Gertrude twice. She's a fine cook."
"Indeed, she is."
I stood there and waited since I sensed that Sam wanted to tell me something. And I couldn't help but like how tall she was compared to me—she went up just passed my shoulders. She finally said, "So... thank you for inviting me into your home. That was very kind."
Even though she was uncomfortable and didn't like me much, she was still polite. "You're very welcome. Glad you decided to come in."
"Cilla is very convincing. She's a kind person."
"She is. She's a beautiful soul. And... I'm sorry if you're uncomfortable."
She shrugged. "Well, we all have to do things in life that we don't want to do. But all the same. Thank you for your hospitality. And you have a beautiful home."
"You're welcome and thank you."
She cleared her throat. "Well, I'm going to find Cilla and give her back her clothes. Excuse me."
She promptly left me and went to Cilla in the dining room. The two left back to Cilla's room, and I remained standing there, loving that this dinner wasn't a total disaster for our newest member of the Graceland family. My mouth stretched into a smile.
"EP, let's play Yahtzee!" someone hollered, and I turned around.
"Sure, but I'll cream all of ya."
We all sat around the dining room table after it was cleared, and Cilla came and sat next to me about twenty minutes later. "Hey, Sam went home."
"She didn't wanna join us for a game of Yahtzee?"
"We had no idea you guys were playing it. Um, Elvis..."
That was her worried tone. I leaned in close to her face, interested in what she wanted to say. "What is it? Was Sam okay?"
My heart dropped when she shook her head. "She loved the dinner, but she was terribly uncomfortable with all those questions and the stares people gave her."
"But she was complemented. That should've made 'er feel happy, right?"
"She didn't know how to take it. Overall, she doesn't want to be a part of another dinner here. Yeah, everyone was nice, but she was just so uncomfortable. I think she doesn't like being around a lot of people. Or she just wasn't used to it all."
I nodded. "Maybe. Well, it's a step in the right direction. And... did you really have to let 'er wear some of your clothes?"
"Would you have liked her to wear her dirty clothes from working in the dirt all day and riding a horse?" She rose a brow. She had a point.
"Okay, okay. She wore the shirt on purpose, didn't she?"
Cilla didn't say anything, and a second later, the guys prodded us to join the game again. We did so, stopping our conversation. During the whole game that lasted a couple of hours, I thought about Sam and her first day here. My mind was encumbered with her, actually, on to when I was getting ready for bed.
It was the fact that she was wearing my girlfriend's clothes. That was it. Or it was the spell. Whatever it was, it was making me think about that girl more. I would have to ask Ignis about it later, whenever she chooses to show up next. I needed to ask her if the spell did anything other than what she told me, like giving me feelings that weren't there before, feelings that I thought wouldn't even emerge.
(Note: Elvis got obsessed with horses the year after this, I think. I'm just adding it early.)