The shelf must not have been completely secure on its pegs. When Elizabeth put the stack of books there, the weight became too much for it and it fell, spilling its contents down onto the floor.
Startled, Elizabeth let out a loud "Oh!" and Nathan came running.
"What happened?"
"The bookshelf..." And they both found themselves bending down, their hands picking up the same book. They looked at each other, and instantly the déjà vu made them both laugh.
This time, rather than simply touching fingers, Nathan enclosed her hand in his when he looked into her eyes.
Elizabeth gave him a tender smile and said, "Somehow I feel like I've been here before."
Nathan raised his eyebrow. "Me, too. But much as I wanted it to, it didn't end this way before..." he said softly as he leaned over and kissed her.
"Good thing. I might have slapped you," Elizabeth said, trying to look stern. "We hardly knew each other."
Nathan kissed her again. "But we knew... didn't we?" he said, giving her a crooked smile.
Elizabeth put her arms around his neck. "We did..." Then, suddenly, she let go of him and quickly took his hand and placed it on her stomach.
Nathan's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open. "What..." he said, looking down at his hand. His face showed all the wonder he was feeling as he looked back up at Elizabeth. "What are they doing in there? Wrestling?" he said, laughing. "And how are you just sitting there so calmly?"
She laughed, looking back at him. "Finally! It's happened before, but you've never been nearby to feel it," she said.
"You've told me you were feeling them kick, but I couldn't imagine..." He put his other hand up to her face. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?"
Putting her hand over his on her cheek, she smiled and said, "You're so sweet. No, it doesn't hurt at all. It's just surprising sometimes. I actually love it."
The wrestling match stopped and Nathan pulled his hand away reluctantly. "What are they doing now?" he said, helping her to her feet.
Elizabeth smiled at him. "Resting, sleeping, growing..."
They walked over to the sofa and sat next to each other. Nathan was still reeling a little. He'd heard about babies kicking, but he never imagined it would be so... strong. And on the heels of that astonishment came the knowledge that these were his children that were doing the kicking.
Nathan exhaled. It was almost more than he could process sometimes. And he'd never been happier. Nathan placed his hand gently on Elizabeth's stomach just in case they started up again.
"We need to think about getting ready pretty soon," Elizabeth sighed.
He turned to her, frowning. "What for?"
Elizabeth tilted her head. "Julie's opening night party for Le Bistro?"
The light went on in Nathan's head. "Ah. Right." Then he turned to Elizabeth and said, "I remembered."
She smiled at him with love in her eyes. "No, you didn't."
Kissing her on the cheek, Nathan said, "No, I didn't. I used to be very good at keeping a calendar, but I've gotten lazy because you're so good at it."
Elizabeth laughed. "Flattery. Always a good way to go." She sighed and leaned against him. "We have some time. I just want to sit here and enjoy this for a moment."
They both turned and looked with satisfaction at the bookshelves that Nathan had just finished installing. They lined most of one wall of the sunroom, and they were exactly what Elizabeth had envisioned. She could imagine many happy hours in here, reading by the stove.
The best part was that there was still room for more books. They had donated some of their volumes to the library in town so that others could enjoy them, and now there were empty spaces on the shelves just waiting to be filled.
As a true reader and writer, Elizabeth just enjoyed being around books. The feel and the smell of them, the sound of the pages as she thumbed through them, the buttery softness of the leather that covered them. They were windows into other worlds, places she couldn't imagine, and a way to travel to faraway lands without leaving Hope Valley.
She turned and looked at Nathan, and everything she was feeling was reflected in his face as he gazed at the shelves he'd built, now filled with their combined collections. He looked at her and she nearly fell into his blue eyes. She sighed in happiness and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"We still haven't decided how we're going to sort the books," she said, looking at the volumes that they'd placed on the shelves in no particular order directly from the boxes.
Nathan kissed her head and murmured, "A discussion for another day, angel."
It was the middle of November, and Elizabeth's pregnancy was at four and a half months. They still had no absolute confirmation that she was carrying twins, but Carson was keeping a close eye on her, and he thought he might have heard two separate heartbeats just a couple of days ago.
Elizabeth didn't need confirmation, and since Nathan trusted that she knew her own body, he didn't question it either. Now when Nathan talked about little Ty Cobb, he was adding in Bernie Boland.
"So now I have an outfielder and a pitcher in there?" she had said, laughing, the first time he'd called them Bernie and Ty.
Nathan had shrugged. "They can play catch..."
"Yes," Elizabeth said, "but please keep in mind that I'm the baseball field!"
The piece of information that had finally convinced them had come from Elizabeth's mother. In a letter, Grace had casually said that her own great-grandmother had been a fraternal twin.
When she had next spoken to her, Elizabeth said, "How could I not have known that, Mother?"
Grace had simply said, "I don't know, dear, I suppose it never came up."
It was still a little more than four months away, but Elizabeth and Nathan had already talked about traveling to the hospital in Hamilton to have the babies.
Julie would travel with them, and Lucas had even hinted that he might join them. Elizabeth suspected his suggestion had less to do with his excitement about the twins, and was more that he and Julie felt it would be a perfect time for Lucas to meet her parents.
As far as Elizabeth was concerned, the more friendly faces to buffer Nathan from the Thatchers, the better. Elizabeth would be at the hospital, of course, and she had assumed he would stay with her parents at the big house at night.
Nathan had frowned at that suggestion. "I'm not leaving you. I'll stay at the hospital. Before, with you. And after, with all three of you."
They both knew that twins added a complication and they'd talked it through with Carson and Faith at length, but Elizabeth's unrelenting positivity had crept into everyone's vision of the ending. Two Grants would travel to Hamilton, and four would come home. Elizabeth would allow for nothing less.
She listened patiently to statistics and warnings, and then she would simply smile beatifically with her arms around her growing babies. Nathan, to his great surprise, found himself sharing her vision. Realistically, but without unwarranted fear. He was beginning to understand that everything about this situation was as different from Sarah's as night and day.
So, March of 1918 was turning into a significant month for many reasons. Right about the time Elizabeth gave birth, Lee and Rosemary would be in the thick of their court case for their custody of Violet. And Allie's fourteenth birthday was the nineteenth. It was actually conceivable that all three things could happen on the same day.
Nathan's hand twitched on her stomach and his eyebrows went up. He looked at Elizabeth and leaned down so that his head rested gently near her, putting no weight on her stomach. He started whispering and once she understood what he was saying, her laughter was adding to the mayhem of movement going on under his head.
"And... it's a line drive to Cobb. He reaches back and throws to Boland... oh, no, he's missed it!..."
Just then, Allie came to the door of the sunroom. A grin started as she caught Elizabeth's infectious laughter. And it sounded like her dad was announcing a baseball game, though his own laughter was starting to affect his ability to speak.
Allie had no idea why they were laughing so hard, but she assumed it was another of her dad's attempts at humor. Allie shook her head, feeling nothing but gratitude that he'd finally found someone who really truly thought he was funny.
Julie was in Le Bistro, making the final adjustments for the restaurant's opening party. Looking around, she could almost imagine herself on the Rue de Marseille in one of the cafes she had loved so much in Paris. She, Lucas and Landon had spent many hours creating a look that had achieved its aim of appearing unstudied and effortless.
They had painted the inside walls white to get rid of the dark wood, and then had put a wash of yellow over it. With the lights just right it looked almost as if there was warm sunlight inside the large room.
Julie had no misconceptions about the people in Hope Valley, and she had no desire to bring too much of the big city into this lovely small town. This was not only from her own feelings about the goodness and simplicity of the people here, but also from a desire to be successful. If Le Bistro was at all intimidating or felt too chic to be comfortable, it would never make a penny.
The eating establishment she looked at now was a more romantic and elegant place than the saloon or Abigail's, and that had been entirely Julie's aim. But she also could imagine almost anyone from town or beyond choosing to eat here. She had purposely kept her prices exactly in line with both of the other restaurants in town.
In other words, there would be champagne on the menu, but it wouldn't be Dom Perignon.
"How's my favorite magician doing?" Julie heard behind her. Lucas was coming through the door from the kitchen, which was now shared with the saloon.
Julie turned and smiled beguilingly. "You're the magician, not me," she said, watching him walk slowly toward her.
Lucas encircled her waist with his arms. "I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with you," he said softly. He looked around him at the tiny lights that dotted the ficus trees which were strategically placed to create separate eating areas for each of the tables. "Do you remember what this place looked like when we had our first dinner here?" he asked.
Smiling up at him, Julie said, "All I remember is that I had the most charming dinner companion I could ask for."
"As did I." Lucas leaned down and kissed her. He sighed, "And this is dangerous," he said, holding her close. "I might just spirit you away and leave Gustav to greet our guests."
Julie laughed softly and pushed him gently away. "I won't let you, tempting as that sounds." She straightened her apron and said proudly, "Tonight, I am a business woman, and I will not be easily swept off my feet. Even by someone as charming as you, Mr. Bouchard."
His eyes twinkling, Lucas said, "Are you excited?"
"Utterly," Julie said.
"We've heard from most of the people in town that they're coming," Lucas said.
Julie raised her eyebrows. "Never underestimate the power of free food," she said with a smile.
Lucas took her hand and began to walk through the space with her. "Oh, it's much more than that. You were right to cover the windows until tonight. I've seen people peeking in for weeks. The mystery you've created is something I hadn't considered. It's real showmanship, Julie."
She threaded her arm through his as they walked. "You only get one chance to make a first impression," she said. "I mean to make it a good one."
"I love the prints," Lucas said, looking at the framed Monets, Lautrecs and Gauguins that dotted the walls between trees. "It does have a feel of walking through a garden somehow." He pulled her closer. "As I said, magic."
Julie exhaled. "So, the ambiance is complete. What about the food?"
"Gustav has outdone himself," Lucas said. "The kitchen smells amazing. Filled with all the different canapes and creative appetizers we imagined." He laughed. "The saloon is back to serving pork and beans." Lucas raised his eyebrow. "My establishment is getting no love from Gustav tonight."
Lucas pulled a chair out for Julie so they could sit. He sighed. "I'm hoping Bill is in a better mood than he was this afternoon. He's still convinced that Le Bistro will take everyone away from Abigail's."
"And what did you tell him?" Julie asked.
"That's he's underestimating the love people have for the warmth and the familiar atmosphere of Abigail's. That there is a history in Hope Valley that was started by Abigail and continues today. It symbolizes home to so many," Lucas said.
Julie nodded. "And those sweet rolls and coffee in the morning? We can never compete with that." She adjusted the flower centerpiece on the table absentmindedly. "Nor do we want to. He'll come around," she said.
"I just hope he comes tonight," Lucas said.
"Did he say he was coming?" Julie asked.
Lucas smiled and did a fairly good imitation of gruff Bill. "Unless a better offer comes along."
Julie laughed. "Oh, he'll be here. He's too curious to stay away." She stood and untied her apron, slipping it over her shoulders. She could hear the sounds of voices out on the boardwalk.
"Showtime!" Julie said excitedly. She turned to Lucas and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him tenderly. For a moment they held there, and then Julie said, "Thank you. Not only for this opportunity, but for being here every step of the way. For having faith in me." She smiled and ran her fingers lightly through his hair. "For being such a good friend."
Lucas sighed, thinking that in this light she was the loveliest woman he'd ever seen. "I hope we're something more than friends, Julie."
"Of course we are. But we are also such good friends. And that makes the something more even better."
Lucas kissed her again. "Good luck, Julia," he said softly. He had taken to calling her by her formal name at times, and Julie knew it was when his heart was full of feeling for her.
"Thank you," she said. "Ready?"
"Ready."
They started at either end of the windows that looked out on the boardwalk. The shades had been down since just after Lucas acquired the building, and now they walked toward each other, opening blinds and then meeting in the middle. Lucas motioned to Landon at the kitchen door and trays of food and drink began appearing in the hands of the extra help they'd hired for the occasion. Music played softly in the background.
Julie opened the front door and stepped back. "Welcome to Le Bistro!" she said brightly. "A little bit of Paris right here in Hope Valley!"
Bill Avery was first in line. He narrowed his eyes at her and smiled pleasantly, saying, "I'll be the judge of that," as he walked toward Lucas to shake his hand.