Time to Laugh Romance Collection Read online

  “When you want to make her talk, you need to pull sharply down on this.” He gave the small metal handle a few tugs. “The right lever makes the eyes move from side to side.”

  When Tabby nodded, Seth stepped away, allowing her access to the inside of the figure’s body. “Okay, now you try it.”

  The control stick felt stiff and foreign beneath Tabby’s trembling fingers, and it took a few tries before she got the hang of it. “Hi, my name’s Rosie,” she made the dummy say in a high-pitched, little-girl voice. “Will you take me home with you?”

  Tabby pretended to whisper something into the figure’s ear.

  “She wants to know how much I cost,” Rosie said to Seth.

  His sudden frown made Tabby wonder if the girl dummy cost a lot more than the value of her gift certificate.

  “This little game has been fun,” Seth said kindly, “but if we’re gonna do business, I think Tabby should speak for herself.”

  Seth’s words hadn’t been spoken harshly, but they still had an impact, causing Tabby to flinch, as though she’d been slapped.

  “I’m sorry, but I get in enough dummy talk of my own,” he apologized. “I’d really like to speak to you one-on-one.”

  Tabby lifted her gaze to finally meet his, and their eyes met and held. “I—I h–have a ph–phobia about sp–speaking in p–public or to p–people I–I’m uncomfortable w–w–with.”

  Seth grinned, but his eyes remained serious. “I know all about phobias.”

  “Y–you do?”

  “Yep. I studied them in one of my college psychology classes.” He pointed at Tabby. “Your phobia is called phonophobia—fear of speaking aloud. I think everyone has at least one phobia, so it’s really not such a big deal.”

  “W–we do? I m–mean, other p–people have ph–phobias, too?”

  “Oh, sure. In fact, I believe I’m plagued with one of the worst phobias of all.”

  Tabby shot him a quizzical look. “R–really? W–what’s your ph–ph–phobia?”

  “It’s arachibutyrophobia—peanut butter, sticking to the roof of my mouth.”

  She giggled, in spite of her self-consciousness. “Y–you’re m–making that up.”

  He shook his head. “No, that’s the correct terminology for my phobia.”

  Tabby eyed him suspiciously.

  He raised his hand. “I’m completely serious. I really do freak out every time I try to eat peanut butter. If it gets stuck to the roof of my mouth, which it usually does, I panic.”

  If Seth was trying to put her at ease, it was working, because Tabby felt more relaxed than she had all day. She tipped her head toward Rosie. “So, h–how much does she cost?” she asked, stuttering over only one word this time.

  “Three hundred dollars. Your gift certificate should pretty well cover it.”

  “W–what about tax?”

  He rewarded her with a quick wink. “My treat.”

  “Oh, no, I c–couldn’t let you do th–that.”

  Seth shrugged. “Okay. You treat me to a cup of coffee and a piece of pie, and we’ll call it even.”

  “I—I have to get b–back to w–w–work,” she hedged, beginning to feel less relaxed and fully aware that she was stuttering heavily again.

  “You can give me your address and phone number, which I’ll need for my customer records anyway,” Seth said with a grin. “I’ll come by your house tonight and pick you up.”

  Tabby’s heartbeat picked up considerably. “P–p–pick me u–up?” Her knees felt like they could buckle at any moment, and she leaned heavily against the counter for support.

  Seth’s grin widened. “How’s seven o’clock sound?”

  She was keenly aware of his probing gaze, and it made her feel even more uneasy. All she could do was nod mutely.

  “Great! It’s a date!”

  “How’d it go? Did you get a dummy? Where is it, and how come you don’t look overjoyed?”

  “You’d better go take your lunch break,” Tabby said as she hung her wet raincoat over the back of a chair. “We can talk later.”

  Donna shook her head. “I ate with the kids, and now they’re resting. We have plenty of time to talk.”

  With a sigh of resignation, Tabby dropped into one of the little chairs.

  Donna pulled out the chair next to her and took a seat, too. “Don’t keep me in suspense a moment longer. Where’s the dummy?”

  “Right here,” Tabby said, pointing to herself. “I’m the biggest dummy of all.”

  Donna’s forehead wrinkled. “I don’t get it.”

  “I’m supposed to take Seth Beyers out for pie and coffee tonight.” Tabby’s lower lip began to tremble, and her eyes filled with unwanted tears.

  “You’ve got a date with Seth Beyers, and you’re crying about it? I sure hope those are tears of joy.”

  Tabby dropped her head into her hands and began to sob.

  “Please don’t cry,” Donna said softly. “I would think you’d be thrilled to have a date with someone as good looking and talented as Seth.”

  Tabby sniffed deeply. “It’s not really a date.”

  “It’s not? What is it, then?”

  “He covered the tax for Rosie, so I owe him pie and coffee.”

  Donna shook her head. “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. Who’s Rosie?”

  Tabby sat up straight, dashing away the tears with the back of her hand. “Rosie’s my new dummy. She’s out in the car.”

  “Okay, I get that much. What I don’t get is why you would owe Seth pie and coffee.”

  “I just told you. He covered the tax. My gift certificate was the right amount for the dummy, but not enough for the tax. Seth said if I treated him to pie and coffee, he’d call it even.”

  Donna smiled smugly. “Sounds like a date to me.”

  Seth had spent the better part of his day thinking about the pie and coffee date he’d made with Tabby. He wasn’t sure why the thought of seeing the shy young woman again made his heart pound like a jackhammer. His mouth felt as though he’d just come from the dentist’s office after a root canal. Maybe his interest in Tabby went deeper than a simple desire to help her climb out of the internal cell that obviously held her prisoner. If Seth were being completely honest, he’d have to admit that he was strangely attracted to Tabby. She might not be a beauty queen, but she was a long way from being ugly. In fact, he thought she was kind of cute. Even so, it wasn’t her looks that held him captive. What is it then? he wondered.

  Seth shrugged into a lightweight jacket and started out the door. “Guess I’ll try to figure it all out tonight, over a piece of apple pie and a cup of coffee.”

  Tabby passed in front of her full-length bedroom mirror and stopped short. For a fleeting moment she thought she saw a smiling, beautiful woman staring back at her. No, that wasn’t possible, because she was ugly. Well, maybe not actually ugly, she supposed. Just ordinary. Shy and ordinary. How could timid, stuttering Tabitha Johnson with mousy-colored brown hair and doe eyes ever look beautiful? Tabby’s navy blue cotton dress slacks with matching blue flats weren’t anything spectacular. Neither was the red-and-white pin-striped blouse she wore. She’d curled her hair for a change, and it fell in loose waves across her shoulders. It was nothing compared to her sister’s soft, golden locks, though. What then, had caused her to think she looked beautiful?

  Tabby studied her reflection more closely. A hint of pink lipstick was all the makeup she wore. However, her cheeks glowed, and her eyes sparkled with … what? Excitement? Anticipation? What was she feeling as she prepared for this outing with Seth Beyers?

  “Nervous, that’s what I’m feeling!” Tabby exclaimed, pushing that elusive lock of hair away from her face. She reached for the doorknob. “Guess there’s no turning back now. A promise is a promise,” she muttered as she stepped into the living room. She began to pace, wondering if the butterflies, so insistent on attacking her insides, would ever settle down.

  “Would you please
stop pacing and sit down? You’re making me nervous!” Donna patted the sofa cushion beside her. “Have a seat.”

  Tabby flopped onto the couch with a groan. “I hate waiting.”

  When the doorbell rang, Tabby jumped up like someone who’d been stung by a wasp. “Do you think I look okay?”

  “You’re fine. Now go answer that door.”

  As soon as Tabby opened the front door, her mouth went dry. Seth stood there, wearing a beige jacket, an off-white shirt, and a pair of brown slacks. His auburn hair looked freshly washed, and his green eyes sparkled with the kind of happiness she so often wished for. “Hope I’m not late,” he said in a jovial tone.

  “I—I th–think you’re r–right on time.”

  “Are you ready to go?”

  Tabby hesitated. “I—uh—let me g–get my d–dummy first.”

  Seth’s eyebrows shot up. “I thought this was a pie and coffee thing.” Without waiting for an invitation, he pushed past Tabby and sauntered into the living room. His gaze went to Donna, sitting on the couch. “You’re Tabby’s friend, right?”

  She nodded. “Last time I checked.”

  “Can’t you talk some sense into her?”

  Donna shrugged and gave him a half smile. “She’s your date.”

  “Quit talking about me like I’m not even in the room!” Tabby shouted. “I need the dummy so I don’t stutter.”

  Seth and Donna were both grinning at her. “What? What’s so funny?” she hollered.

  “You’re not stuttering now,” Seth said, taking a seat in the overstuffed chair nearest the door.

  “I—I was angry,” Tabby shot back. “I usually d–don’t stutter when I’m mad.”

  Seth chuckled and gave Donna a quick wink. “Guess maybe we should keep her mad at us.”

  Donna wiggled her eyebrows. “You think that might be the answer?”

  Tabby dropped to the couch. “Would you please stop? This is no l–laughing m–matter.”

  Donna looked at Seth and smiled, and then she glanced back at Tabby. “Can’t you see yourself sitting at the pastry shop, holding your dummy and talking for two?” She grabbed a throw pillow and held it against her chest, making a feeble attempt at holding back the waves of laughter that were shaking her entire body.

  “You never know,” Seth said with a chuckle. “We might draw quite a crowd, and Tabby could become famous overnight. I’d probably drum up some ventriloquist business in the process, too.”

  Tabby didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She sat there several seconds, watching her best friend and so-called date, howling at her expense. When she’d had all she could take, Tabby jumped up and stormed out of the living room. Jerking open her bedroom door, she stalked across the carpet and flung herself on the bed. “I may never speak to Donna again,” she wailed. “Forget about the dumb old tax. Seth Beyers can buy his own pie and coffee!”

  Chapter 7

  A stream of tears ran down Tabby’s face, trickling toward her ears. She jumped off the bed, fully intending to go back into the living room and give Seth and Donna a piece of her mind, but she stopped short just after she opened the door.

  “Tabby has real potential,” she heard Donna say. “She’s just afraid to use her talents.”

  “She needs lots of encouragement,” Seth responded. “I can see how shy she is, but I didn’t think taking the dummy along on our date would help her any. In fact, if someone were to laugh at Tabby, it might make things even worse. I really do want to help her be all she can be, but I’m not sure how to go about it.”

  “I think you’re right,” Donna said. “Taking the dummy along would be a bad idea.”

  Tabby peered around the corner. She could only see the back of Seth’s head, but Donna was in plain view. She ducked inside her room. Now probably wasn’t a good time to reappear. Not with the two of them talking about her.

  Tabby crawled onto her bed again and stared at the ceiling. When she heard a knock at the door, she chose to ignore it. The door opened anyway, but she turned her face to the wall.

  “Tabby, I’m sorry.” The bed moved under Donna’s weight, and Tabby felt a gentle hand touch her trembling shoulder. “Seth and I were wrong to laugh at you. It was all in fun, and we didn’t expect you to get so upset.”

  Tabby released a sob and hiccupped. “Seth must think I’m a real dummy.”

  “I’m sure he doesn’t. He only wants to help you.”

  Tabby rolled over, jerking into an upright position. “Help me? You mean he thinks I’m some kind of neurotic nut who needs counseling?” She swiped the back of her hand across her face. “Is he still here, or has he split by now?”

  “He’s still here.”

  Tabby bit her lip and closed her eyes with the strain of trying to get her emotions under control. “Just tell him the pie and coffee date is off.”

  Donna hopped off the bed and started for the door. “He’s your date, not mine, so you can tell him yourself.”

  Tabby grabbed one of her pillows and let it sail across the room, just as the door clicked shut.

  Seth paced back and forth across the living room—waiting, hoping, praying Tabby would come out of her room. He needed to apologize for his rude behavior. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Tabby’s feelings.

  “Maybe I should have kept my big mouth shut and let her drag the dumb dummy along on our date. The worse thing that could have happened is we’d be the laughingstock of the pastry shop,” he mumbled. “It sure wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been laughed at. Probably not the last, either.”

  When Tabby’s bedroom door opened, Seth snapped to attention. His expectancy turned to disappointment when Donna stepped from the room without Tabby. Seth began to knead the back of his neck. “She’s really hoppin’ mad, huh?”

  Donna nodded. “Afraid so. She wouldn’t even listen to me.”

  “Will she talk to me?”

  Donna shrugged and took a seat on the couch. “I doubt it, Seth. She wanted me to tell you that the date is off, but I told her she’d have to tell you herself.”

  Seth chewed on his lower lip. “And?”

  “She threw a pillow at me, but it hit the door instead.”

  Seth groaned. “She may be shy, but she’s obviously got quite a temper.”

  Donna shook her head. “Not really. In fact, I’ve never seen her this angry before. She usually holds in her feelings. She must have it pretty bad.”

  Seth lowered himself into a chair. “Have what pretty bad?”

  Donna opened her mouth to reply but was stopped short when Tabby stepped into the room.

  Seth could see she’d been crying. Her eyes were red, and her face looked kind of swollen. It made him feel like such a heel. He jumped up from his chair and moved swiftly toward her. “Tabby, I—”

  She raised her hand, and he noticed she was holding a checkbook. He fell silent. It was obvious that a simple apology was not going to be enough.

  Tabby shifted from one leg to the other, wondering what to say. She was keenly aware of Seth’s probing gaze, and it made her feel uneasy. She was sure he already thought she was an idiot, so it shouldn’t really matter what she said at this point. After tonight, Seth would probably never want to see her again anyway.

  Tabby continued to stand there, shoulders hunched, arms crossed over her chest. She felt totally defeated. “Y–you h–hurt me,” she squeaked. “You h–hurt me b–bad.”

  Seth nodded. “I know, and I’m sorry for laughing at you. It’s just that—”

  “You d–don’t have to—to explain,” Tabby said with a wave of her hand. “I know it w–would embarrass you if I t–took my d–dummy, but I can’t t–talk right w–without her.”

  Seth took a few steps toward Tabby, which brought his face mere inches from hers. “Your stuttering doesn’t bother me, but if you’d be more comfortable bringing Rosie, then I’m okay with it.”

  Tabby gulped and drew in a deep breath. She was sure Seth was only trying to humor her. Taking th
e dummy into the pastry shop would be even dumber than taking her puppet to Seth’s place of business earlier that day. She held out her checkbook. “Let’s forget about pie and coffee, okay? I’ll write you a check to cover the tax due on Rosie.”

  Running a hand through his hair, Seth frowned. “You don’t want to go out with me?”

  She glanced at him anxiously then dipped her head, afraid of the rejection she might see on his face. “I d–don’t w–want to embarrass y–you.”

  “Look, if it would make you feel more at ease, we can get our pie and coffee to go. We could take it to the park and eat it in the car.”

  Tabby shifted uneasily. She really did want to go, but—

  Donna, who’d been sitting silently on the couch, spoke up. “Would you just go already? You two are driving me nuts!”

  “I th–think she w–wants to get rid of me,” Tabby said, giving Seth a sidelong glance.

  He wiggled his eyebrows playfully. “Her loss is my gain.”

  Tabby’s heartbeat quickened at his sincere tone. He did seem to be genuinely sorry. “Okay, l–let’s go. Without R–Rosie, though. One d–dummy is enough for y–you to h–handle.”

  “I hope you’re not referring to yourself,” he said with a puckered brow.

  “She is,” Donna said, before Tabby had a chance to answer. “She’s always putting herself down.”

  Tabby shot her friend a look of irritation before retrieving her raincoat from the hall closet. “We’ll talk about this later.”

  Donna shrugged. “You two have fun!”

  “We will,” Seth called over his shoulder.

  “I was impressed with your ventriloquism abilities when you were in my shop today,” Seth said. He and Tabby were sitting in his black Jeep, at a viewpoint along the five-mile drive in Point Defiance Park.

  Tabby took a sip of her mocha latte. “I’m just a beginner, and I know I still have lots to learn.”

  “But you’re a quick learner. I saw no lip movement at all.”