“What do you mean?”
She shrugged. “He used to be real thin and scruffy looking. And his hair was blond.”
Weird. “I suppose this is a good time to tell him I can’t go out with him next we—”
“You’re not? Why?” Mona’s eyebrows were high again.
He had started across the street toward me.
Lonnie backed toward her front door. “I’ll see you later, girls.” She slipped inside.
Brandon ambled to a stop in front of me. His tight jeans and even tighter t-shirt showed off his muscular build—intentionally, I was sure. And he smelled like he had used an entire bottle of aftershave.
“I thought that was you, Callie. Looking gorgeous as usual,” he said. “Hey, Mona. It’s been a long time.”
She stared him down. “Yes, it has.”
I fidgeted at the obvious tension between them. There must be a good deal more to this story than I knew. “So…do you live out here, Brandon?”
“Nah. I’m doing some side work for my uncle. Scholl’s Landscaping.”
“Oh, okay.” I pushed my glasses up. “Um, it was nice seeing you again. Mona and I were just leaving.”
He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm. “I’ll let you go. We’re still on for next week, right?”
“Uh, sure. Give me a call to remind me, okay?” Good grief. Why couldn’t I tell the guy I didn’t want to go out with him? I was making it worse by dragging it on.
Mona snickered. “She might be too busy, though. She is involved in a murder investigation, after all.”
“Yeah, I heard. I’m sure she needs a break from that.” Brandon smiled at me. “Right, Callie?” Why did I suddenly feel like a pawn in the middle of someone else’s fight? I had always hated it when my parents subtly vied for my allegiance. I glanced at Mona, who had her lips tightly pressed together as if to stem the flow of lava boiling inside. Even her rhinestone-studded, cross-shaped earrings were quivering. “Mona—”
“Ewwraaaaah!” Fluffers erupted from under the boxwood hedge, her orangey tail bristling like I’d never seen. She made a beeline for Brandon, and I watched, fascinated, as he broke into a run.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he yelled over his shoulder.
“Well, that’s one way to get rid of someone,” I said, watching him disappear down the street. Was the man afraid of cats?
Whatever.
I wheeled to face Mona. “What was that about? With you and Brandon?”
She tossed her head, setting her earrings jingling. “I’m too angry to talk about it right now, Callie. Let’s say that there’s an awful lot of water over the bridge when it comes to Brandon and me.”
Under the bridge. I grinned at her. “Well, I’ll take you and Fluffers as my bodyguards any day.”
“You’ll need one with someone like that jerk,” she muttered. “Please tell me you’re not going to date him.”
I shook my head as I slid into the passenger seat of her car. “What I am going to do is finish Jenna’s table arrangements today. Want to help?”
She backed out of Lonnie’s circular driveway with more vigor than necessary. “Girlfriend, you know I would love to help you glue moss any day. But Rob is coming home tomorrow night and—”
“Say no more.” When Rob was home, Mona put everything else in her life on hold. “How long is he home for?”
“Only four days this time,” she said. “But Rob loves him some chili, and the chili cook-off is this weekend. Last year he got second place.”
Ah, yes. I had quickly learned about the annual “world-famous” fish fry and chili cook-off put on by our very own Short Creek Catfish Association. It still kind of tickled me a little, since that kind of thing was unheard of in suburban Ohio. What does one do in a catfish association anyway? I had never wondered enough to find out. But the cook-off was definitely something not to be missed.
“Is Rob making his world-famous recipe?”
Mona slanted me a sideways glance. “My honey’s got a secret ingredient this year. He’ll win this time for sure.”
“Who won last year?”
“Sister Erma.” Her face darkened. “She’s won it three times in the last fifteen years. And she puts beans in it! Texas chili is not supposed to have beans.”
I nodded in sympathy. Personally, I liked beans in my chili. But then again, I was from the Midwest. I also liked my cornbread sweet and my tea unsweet. I stood out like a sore thumb at every church potluck.
Todd’s truck was already parked in front of C. Willikers when Mona and I pulled up.
Mona waved at him. “I love that man. If I wasn’t already taken—”
“And twenty years younger…”
She laughed. “I hope you get your table decorations done. Though with that handsome hunk hanging around—”
“’Bye, Mona.” I climbed out of the car, then stuck my head back in the door. “Give Rob a hug from me and tell him I’ll vote for his chili any day.”
She gave me a thumbs-up and floored her little car, narrowly missing Todd’s truck door as he climbed out.
“Whoa! Never a dull moment around you.” He grinned at me. “Here, I brought you something.”
He handed me a bright blue gift bag.
I studied his face for a moment but couldn’t read anything in his expression. Why was he giving me a gift? I pushed the glittery tissue paper aside and pulled out an enormous mug. It was tall and delicate, covered in a colorful floral design. “Looks like my cup of tea,” I quipped. “Thank you.”
He smiled at me, but his gaze was anxious. “I thought with everything going on, you might need a bigger tea mug than usual. I wish I could figure out who…or what—”
“I know.” I could only put everything aside for so long, and then I started trying to piece it all together again. But it never made sense. “I could use a cup of tea right now, actually.”
He followed behind me as I unlocked the door to the shop. I hadn’t brought the pugs with me today with all of the ruckus over Sherm, Nicole, and the baby.
I sighed as I flicked on the lights and flipped my closed sign to open. “I don’t even want to think about all of this right now.”
He sprawled on the couch in the book nook while I filled my electric tea kettle. “There must be some details we’re not connecting.”
I watered the philodendron while I waited for the kettle to boil, then moved on to Aunt Dot’s Christmas cactus. She had bequeathed it to me when I moved here, reminding me that it was older than she was and that since I had the green thumb in the family, I was now in charge of keeping it alive. It was looking happier now that I had moved it to the east window.
I poured the boiling water over my tea bag in my new mug. I hadn’t noticed the Scripture written on it when I first unwrapped it, but now I read it out loud. “Be still and know that I am God.”
“Good advice, huh?” Todd grinned at me across the room.
I joined him in the book nook, mug in hand. I intended to sit in the wingback chair, but he scooted over and patted the couch next to him.
“Yes,” I said, concentrating on settling myself without spilling my tea. “But why is it so hard to practice sometimes?”
He leaned back and laced his hands behind his head. “Because we’re human.”
“Because we think we’re in control.”
He nodded. “Because we are impatient.”
“Because we’re afraid?”
He shifted to look at me. “Are you?”
Am I? I hadn’t identified it as fear up until now. “In a way, I guess.” I’d have to examine it a little more. If so, what was the specific fear?
“You are a very independent woman, Callie.”
I cocked my head to the side. That was true, but it had taken me a long time to recognize it in myself. “Is that a bad thing?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“But?”
“But sometimes people who are independent have a harder
time asking for or accepting help. Or letting others in.”
“Have you been talking to Mona?”
He laughed. “No. My own observation. I don’t think you realize how self-sufficient you are compared with other people.”
True, again. In fact, this was something the Holy Spirit had been dealing with me about for months now. “I know. It’s something I have to fight against, now that I see it.”
“How so?”
I shrugged. “It’s not only in my relationship with God. Sometimes I find myself feeling impatient with others who are timid or overly self-conscious.” I took a sip of my tea. As long as we were having confession time, I might as well lay it out there. “It’s pride, Todd. I never wanted to see it as that, but once you see yourself for who you really are in the mirror of God’s Word…”
“Ain’t that the truth.” He took my hand, threading his fingers through mine. “But I didn’t mean it in that way. I simply meant that you don’t have to deal with all of this yourself. Don’t apologize any more for calling me, okay?”
I liked the feel of his big rough hand holding mine. “If you’re sure—”
“I’m sure, Callie. I wouldn’t have offered if I weren’t.”
“Thank you.” I cleared my throat, feeling like things had gotten a little heavier than I had expected. But, I might as well go with the flow. “I was reading in Daniel the other day. You know the part where the king asked Daniel to interpret his dream for him?”
He nodded.
“The king was saying to Daniel, ‘I’ve heard all kinds of wonderful things about you and how you know how to interpret dreams and how you do this and do that.’ Then Daniel basically said to him, ‘It’s not me. I serve the God who is the Revealer of mysteries.’” I leaned forward to set my mug on the coffee table. “I need the Revealer of mysteries to intervene.”
“I’ll agree with you.” He clasped my hand tighter and bowed his head.
We sat in holy silence for a couple of minutes. I envisioned myself bowing before the throne of God. “Father God, Your Word says that You alone are the Revealer of mysteries and the Untier of difficult knots. You see all from beginning to end. As your daughter, I ask in the name of Jesus that You give Todd and me divine wisdom and insight. I pray that You will reveal what is hidden, and open our eyes to the truth. Your Word says that You are the defender of the fatherless, so we ask You to please protect Nicole’s baby. Watch over Sherm. Convict Earl’s heart of any wrongdoing. We ask for Your will to be done in every aspect of this situation.”
Todd cleared his throat. “And Lord, I pray a hedge of protection around Callie. She is your child. Please give her clarity of mind and the peace that passes understanding as she waits on You.”
I raised my head. “Thank you,” I whispered.
The man sitting next to me had no idea what I was thanking him for, I was sure of it. It was much more than the prayer that he had prayed. It was the spiritual kinship I sensed between us. That bond that had been so sorely lacking in my relationship with Kev.
Todd took a swig of my lukewarm tea and made a face. “You are an extraordinary woman, Callie Erickson. Have I already told you that?”
I wasn’t quite ready for what I thought I saw in his gaze. “It’s probably because I’ve had my head knocked one too many times lately.”
He laughed. “By the way, why did you cut your hair? I liked it better when it was longer.”
That was diplomatic. Mona had taken one look at me and said, “Well, at least it will grow out.”
Sheesh. “I went to a different hairstylist. And worse, I broke my own rule.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“I have this rule that I won’t ever get my hair cut by someone I know. Like someone at church. Because then if I don’t like it, I don’t have to feel awkward about never going back to that person.”
I watched him struggle against a smile, his eyes scrunching a little in a way I was beginning to recognize.
“Sounds wise,” he said.
Smart man.
“Yes, but I needed to get it cut that day and my usual person was busy. So, I went to Boranda’s.” Really, the poor guy. I’m sure this was way more information than he needed.
“Boranda Stigler? She cuts hair?”
I nodded glumly. “And she only charges ten dollars. But now it will feel awkward whenever I see her at church if I don’t ever go back to her again.”
“I’m glad I’m not a woman.” He grinned at me. “Can’t you just not get it cut and let it keep growing? Then you wouldn’t have to worry about it at all.”
“Sure, if I wanted to look like Rapunzel.” I rolled my eyes.
He did laugh then. “I think you’d be a very beautiful Rapunzel. I’d climb up to the top of the tower to visit you.”
Seriously. The man was flirting with me and I couldn’t think of anything to say.
After Todd left, I tried to get to work on the dumb table decorations, but my mind could not stay focused on moss. I ambled over to the bookshelf near the African violet display where I kept my very favorite books ever. I pulled out my vintage copy of The White Witch by Elizabeth Goudge, thumbing through the pages until I found the passage that had been running around in my head for the last hour:
“…she had long accepted the fact
that happiness is like swallows in
spring. It may come and nest under
your eaves or it may not. You cannot
command it. When you expect to be
happy you are not, when you don't
expect to be happy there's suddenly
Easter in your soul, though it be
midwinter.”
Unexpected Easter in my soul. That’s what it felt like—this gradual awakening to Todd. To love?
Chapter Twelve
I awoke in the night and couldn’t go back to sleep. Something was bothering me about Brandon. I ran back through the scene in front of Lonnie’s house. We handed the baby to Lonnie. We stood and chatted a few minutes with her. Mona noticed Brandon and said he was “watching” us.
There. That’s what was bothering me. For one thing, he said he was there because he was working for his uncle’s landscaping business. But he sure hadn’t been digging and planting in those clothes. Of course, I guess he could have been handing out flyers or something. But the other thing was that I knew I had seen him somewhere before I had actually met him that day in Aunt Dot’s room at Willowbough.
But where? Short Creek was a small town, so it wouldn’t be far-fetched to have seen him at the dollar store or the gas station. But I had a feeling I had seen him in a different place than somewhere here in town. And why had Lonnie and Mona both had such a strong negative reaction to him? And Lonnie said he used to have blond hair?
Wait a minute. I felt the jolt of adrenaline hit my system. I lay rigid on my bed, my heart pounding, my breath coming in short gasps. Could this be the same Brandon? The one that used to be friends with my brother Jason?
Oh, God. Please no.
But if it was him, then why on earth was Aunt Dot encouraging me to go out with him. It didn’t make sense. Nothing made sense.
I felt around for my phone in the dark. 2:00 AM. I couldn’t call Aunt Dot on her new smartphone until morning without giving her a heart attack.
I texted Todd on the chance he might be awake. “Are you awake?”
“Yes, what’s up?”
I resisted the urge to apologize for texting him in the middle of the night. “What do you know about Brandon?”
“Too much to text. Want to talk?”
“If you’re up for it. I know it’s late—”
My phone rang while I was still texting.
“Hey.”
“Is he messing with you?”
I shrugged. “Not exactly. But I think I know him from before.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did he grow up here? I mean, here in Short Creek?”
“Yeah. I know he left for a co
uple of years, though. Moved to the Midwest somewhere, I heard.”
I sucked in my breath. “That’s what I was afraid you were going to tell me.”
“Why?”
“Well, I guess God is answering our prayer for help in unravelling this mystery.” I sighed. “You know I’ve told you that my brother Jason and I would sometimes come and spend summers down here with Aunt Dot? Well, one summer Jason met Brandon. Only he went by Brandon Winters then.”
“Yes, that would be right. I think his mom had been married and divorced like six times while he was growing up. Brandon hated all of them and stuck with his real dad’s name. But how is he connected to your brother? And why didn’t I ever meet you and Jason if you were down here for months at a time? I grew up here, too.”
I had wondered that, too. What would my life have been like if I had met Todd as a teenager? Before either of us were saddled with all the baggage we carried around now? Would we have been attracted to each other then? Or was it only because of the individuals we had each become as a product of our life choices that we were drawn to each other now?
“Callie?”
“Sorry, I was just thinking.” My arm was falling asleep, so I sat up and switched on the bedside lamp, then gathered the covers around my neck. “I wish I would have met you then.”
“Me, too.”
I also wished we were sitting together on my couch, not talking on the phone. I could use a good hug right about now. “Unfortunately, Jason met Brandon one summer when we were down here. I think they were both about ten or eleven.”
“I can probably guess, can’t I?”
“I’m sure. Jason was apparently attracted to the life Brandon lived, though why, I’ve never figured out. Our family wasn’t perfect, but we were raised in a loving Christian home. Jason never lacked for anything.” The bitterness welling up in my heart as I spoke took me off guard. I’d thought I’d made peace with the situation a long time ago.
“And so?”
The anger of man does not work the righteousness of God. I know, I know. I shook off my angst until I could deal with it later in private. “None of us realized at first what was going on, and besides, the boys only saw each other in the summer. What we didn’t find out until later is that after a few summers, they had worked out a plan for Brandon to move to Ohio.”
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