Holly's Heart Collection Two

by Beverly Lewis

  I could tell she was desperate. She wanted a firm commitment from me—something she could count on to make her feel more comfortable.

  “I’ll take good care of Andie,” I volunteered, meaning it.

  “I can take care of myself,” Andie spouted.

  Mrs. Martinez rolled her eyes exactly the way Andie always did. “Now, Andrea,” she whispered.

  Mom leaned forward at that moment. “Holly’s made some nice friends at her father’s house. I don’t think we have to worry. The main thing is for the two of you to stick together. Don’t go pairing off with boys”—and here she looked directly at me. “Holly can’t car-date yet, either. You girls are on your honor.”

  “We’ll be just fine,” I assured both mothers. And I had no doubt that we would.

  When the door jingled, I looked up. Jared Wilkins and Billy Hill strolled inside. They waved when they spotted us in the corner booth—the same one Jared and I had shared over a year ago when I’d first had a crush on him.

  Jared was the last person I wanted to see today. He and I were still decent friends, sort of, but I didn’t want to be tied down to hanging out with one boy anymore. The boy-girl thing had gotten too complicated last school year, and I just wanted to cool it. Not only with Jared—with all guys.

  “Hey,” he said, coming over. Billy waved, looking a little shy when he realized we were with our moms. Jared wasn’t bashful, though. “Looks like you’ve got a cozy mother-daughter event going here. Nice to see you again, Mrs. Meredith…er, Patterson.”

  “Same to you, Jared,” Mom said politely, ignoring the mistake with her new married name.

  “How are your little boys?” he asked Andie’s mom. “Chris and Jon, right?”

  Mrs. Martinez nodded. “Lively as ever.”

  I smiled. Andie didn’t. She was still ticked, I think, at what had happened at youth camp last month. It was a very long story, but as far as I was concerned, all was forgiven.

  “So, what’s the occasion?” Jared asked.

  “It’s our farewell lunch,” I said. “Andie’s going with me to California on Monday.”

  Billy piped up. “Really?”

  “That’s the plan,” Andie said, grinning.

  Jared flashed his dimples at me. “Well, have fun.”

  “We sure will.” I wanted to reinforce my stand, in case he thought I’d softened on my decision.

  “See ya,” Jared said, and he and Billy headed to the counter to order.

  Later that evening, Andie and I sat on my front-porch swing talking between slurps of root beer floats.

  Ryan had come by to pick up Stan about thirty minutes before. They were going to see some show downtown.

  Andie looked like she was going to pop. But I knew there was no way she’d hold her breath for an apology from either Ryan or Stan. If Stan had any smarts, he’d certainly have offered a humble one. And Ryan? He was as rude as they come.

  After the guys left, Andie spewed out her feelings.

  “I guess my mom was right. I have been sheltered.” She sat cross-legged on the porch swing next to me. “At least I’ve never had to deal with any sort of prejudice before. Never.” She continued to rant about Ryan’s slurs, rehashing the scene at the Y a few days ago. “Just where do you think Stan was during all that?” She huffed. “It was like he was totally out to lunch instead of standing right there beside me.”

  “I know,” I said, touching her shoulder. “I know.”

  “Just when you think you’ve found a guy you can really be friends with, something like this has to happen.”

  “Mom says there’s lots of good fish in the sea,” I said, trying to comfort her.

  “Yeah, right. The problem is finding the fish.”

  “Don’t worry about that. We’ll pray ’em in.”

  She turned to look at me. “You honestly pray about everything, don’t you?”

  “Close.” It was true. For some reason I talked to God about most everything.

  Andie played with the chain on the porch swing, deep in thought. “Sometimes God answers with ‘no,’ sometimes a ‘maybe’…not always a ‘yes.’ At least, that’s what Pastor Rob says.”

  I nodded. “Bottom line, though, He knows what’s best for us. I guess, for some people, trusting is the hardest part.”

  Silently, we contemplated the fact. Andie seemed restless about something, though, and when I mentioned it, she asked, “What are my chances of actually making that flight, really?”

  “Don’t worry,” I said casually. “I’ve seen zillions of passengers get on with standby status.”

  “Honest?” Her eyes lit up.

  I nodded. But deep down, where my greatest fears always simmered before surfacing, I knew this standby thing was very tricky.

  Andie had to get on my flight. Or else we were right back where we started.

  LITTLE WHITE LIES

  Chapter 7

  Denver International Airport was wildly congested. Vacation season was in full swing, and crowds of people flocked to the enormous airport east of the big city. Andie and I waited near one of the many automatic doors, juggling luggage, while Uncle Jack drove the van to the short-term parking area. At the last minute, he’d decided to drive us instead of Mom because he had some business to tend to at his Denver office. The car trip from Dressel Hills to Denver zoomed by surprisingly fast, and all because of Uncle Jack’s continuous flow of airplane jokes.

  “Bet you’re going to miss your stepdad, huh?” Andie said as we waited.

  “There’s no one quite like Uncle Jack, that’s for sure.”

  She squeezed her gym bag. “I can’t wait to see your dad again…your real dad. It’ll be so great to see what he’s like now.”

  I spied Uncle Jack outside, hurrying across the street. “Oh, you’ll like Daddy. He’s very articulate—handsome, too—but he doesn’t joke around a lot.” He doesn’t have time to; he works too much, I thought.

  My uncle helped us lug our bags into the long line where I’d be checking mine. The plan was that Andie would carry her single bag onto the plane—that is, if she even got on.

  At last we were past security, where Uncle Jack was given a pass, allowing him to escort us to the gate. Then we headed for the underground tram and on toward the correct concourse, keeping our eyes peeled for gate eleven. Uncle Jack helped navigate while Andie chattered like a chipmunk. This was her first flight anywhere. She was acting like a kid about to eat her first ice-cream cone.

  “Oh, Holly, this is going to be so amazing.” She grabbed my arm as we walked.

  I agreed. “Maybe you’ll get hooked on flying and want to fly all over the place.”

  When we located gate eleven, the waiting area was crammed with people. Andie and I searched for three seats together, with no luck. Uncle Jack saved the day and discovered two vacant seats close to the window. “Here you go,” he said. “Window seats for the ladies.” He waited till we got situated before excusing himself to make a phone call.

  Andie and I whispered and giggled nonstop—a preview of what was surely ahead for us in California. “Just think, we’ve got two whole weeks away from our mundane, boring Dressel Hills lives,” she said. “When we’re old and crotchety, we’ll be telling our grandkids about this trip.”

  “Oh, did I tell you? My dad has passes to Universal Studios,” I said, suddenly remembering.

  Andie’s eyebrows leaped up. “Really? When did this happen? Before I could answer, she said, “What else haven’t you told me?”

  “Absolutely nothing.” I scratched my head and put on a frown. “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you about my wicked stepmother. I figured you wouldn’t want to come along if I said anything. But now that you’re committed to going—”

  “Holly, you never call her that,” she interrupted, glancing around to see if anyone was listening.

  I lowered my voice and leaned closer to Andie. “You’ll be calling her wicked, too, when you find out what she makes you do.”

  She gigg
led. “Don’t be silly.”

  “Okay.” I folded my arms across my chest. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  She cocked her head at me, trying to decide if what I’d said was to be taken sincerely.

  I shook my head, keeping a straight face. “Yep, Saundra will have you cleaning out cupboards and closets all week long. Oh, and she likes the pantry alphabetized according to brand names.”

  “You’re kidding,” she said, a tiny smirk waiting in the wings.

  “You just better hope you make this flight so you can see for yourself.”

  “I don’t believe you.” She was about to toss her gym bag at me when the announcement came for first-class passengers to board the airplane. I felt my stomach lurch. This was it. We’d know in a few minutes whether Andie was coming or not.

  I grabbed her hand. “Have you prayed about this?”

  “Me? I thought you were the one doing all the praying.”

  “But this was your idea, right?” I stared at her. “Well, don’t you think you ought to?”

  “Okay, I’ll pray,” she said, bowing her head right there in front of everyone. Her lips started moving, and I could see that she was squeezing her folded hands like crazy. Andie wanted this trip bad. I remembered lots of times when I couldn’t get her to pray over her food in public, but this…

  She was really going at it. I sent a powerful silent prayer heavenward as I got up and headed over to the check-in counter. “Excuse me,” I said to the man dressed in a navy blue uniform. “Could you please tell me if there are any no-shows for the coach section?” I explained that Andie was flying standby and wondered what her chances were.

  “Just one moment, miss.” He pulled up the information on the computer. His eyes darted back and forth, scanning the screen. “Looks like there are three no-shows so far.” He smiled a comforting smile. “But your friend will have to wait until all passengers have boarded before we can give her the go-ahead.”

  “Thank you very much.” I was more hopeful than ever and hurried over to Andie, who was still squeezing her eyes shut in earnest prayer. I touched her hand. “I think God heard and answered already.”

  “Oh, Holly, this is so cool.” She hugged the living daylights out of me.

  I pulled back, filling her in on the details. “Let’s wait to celebrate until you’re on the plane, okay?”

  She turned around and stared out the window overlooking the runways. The plane—our plane—was a DC-10. We watched as the luggage carriers glided along the ground loading the luggage.

  “Hey, look.” I pointed. “There’s my suitcase.”

  Andie leaned forward. “You’re right.”

  The large piece of pink yarn tied to the suitcase handle would make it easy to spot in L.A. I’d gotten the idea from one of Marty Leigh’s mystery books. One of her characters obsessed over identifying her own luggage. She decorated it with brightly colored ribbons and yarn. Every piece, every time.

  That’s when I heard the announcement for standby passengers. I felt tense, jittery—tried to picture Andie walking down the long, narrow Jetway to board the plane with me.

  I glanced around, checking on the short line of standby passengers filing down the enclosed walkway connecting the terminal to the plane. “Shouldn’t be long now,” I whispered, half to myself, half to Andie.

  The names of a Rudy and Jayne Kish were called over the intercom. I watched the young couple hurry to the podium and show their IDs. Promptly, they were given a boarding pass and returned to their seats.

  Andie’s eyes filled with worry. “How much longer…before my name is called?”

  “And it will be, you know,” I assured her.

  Uncle Jack strolled to the window, his hands in his pants pockets. I wondered if he was as concerned as I was. Actually, I’d never seen my uncle freak out over anything. He was calm and cool, the way I wished I could be. Especially now.

  Soon, another standby passenger was called to the podium.

  My pulse raced. I could scarcely breathe. And just when I thought I’d burst, another name was announced. A tall, good-looking man hurried to the check-in counter.

  Andie grabbed my arm and clung to it. “Oh, Holly,” she moaned. “I can’t stand the suspense.”

  “We’re both getting on this flight. I can feel it.” I let Andie hang on to me as the beady-eyed man in uniform offered a boarding pass to the tall man.

  About that time, Uncle Jack wandered over to us, checking his watch. “The flight’s scheduled for departure at 12:15. That’s twenty-five minutes from now.”

  “So…I’ll know soon if I’m going or not,” Andie said softly.

  First-class passengers were invited to board. Then coach passengers, beginning with rows twenty-five to thirty-three. A bunch of people lined up in response to the announcement. Parents with small children, older folk, men in business suits.

  Still, I wanted to hold out for a miracle.

  “I can’t believe this,” Andie was saying, tears in her eyes. “I guess this is good-bye.”

  We were both in tears, and Uncle Jack came over and put his arm around Andie as he leaned over to kiss my cheek. “Don’t let this ruin your time, sweetie,” he said. Then, turning to Andie, he winked at her. “Hey, kiddo, you and me—let’s paint the town, okay?”

  Uncle Jack was so cool. He would see to it that Andie had a fabulous day. She’d probably end up having more fun than I’d have the whole two weeks.

  “Better get in line now, Holly,” Uncle Jack said. “They won’t hold your plane forever.”

  “Bye. Love you.” I hugged my stepdad and then Andie again. “You too!”

  “Send me lots of emails, okay?” Andie said.

  “I’ll write at least twice a day.”

  After showing my boarding pass and ID, I hurried down the walkway. I wiped my cheeks, too upset to look back.

  Andie wasn’t coming with me to California. God had said no this time. But why?

  Down the long ramp, I headed toward the plane. Maybe God had something else planned for Andie. I could only hope it was something wonderful.

  Just as I was about to enter the plane, the tall, handsome man—the last standby passenger called—was being escorted out of the plane by a male flight attendant. Evidently there was a problem. The name on his boarding pass didn’t match the name on his checked lugguge, so he had to get off the plane. His luggage would have to be removed, as well.

  “Excuse me,” I said to the flight attendant. “Does this mean there’s room for one more standby passenger on this flight?”

  The uniformed attendant nodded. “Only one.” He headed up the ramp with the ousted passenger.

  Wow. This was so fabulous. I didn’t know what to do first. But I knew I had to run back up the Jetway and let Andie know this good news.

  “Miss,” the flight attendant said as I passed him, “if you haven’t boarded by the time the door is closed on the plane, you will miss your flight.”

  So I hurried to the waiting area and looked around. Andie and Uncle Jack were nowhere in sight!

  Rushing to the podium, I was out of breath. “Can you please page someone for me?” Quickly, I filled him in about Andie and how she’d already left with my stepdad to head for the terminal. “She thinks the plane is full, but it’s not.”

  “One moment, please.” He checked the monitor, then nodded with a smile.

  I heard Andie’s name over the entire airport intercom. Darting out into the wide concourse, I searched frantically. People crowded my vision, making it impossible to spot Andie. Or Uncle Jack.

  My heart pounded uncontrollably. This was worse than any nightmare I’d ever had!

  LITTLE WHITE LIES

  Chapter 8

  The attendant frowned. “Now, young lady, if you don’t go this instant, you will miss your plane.”

  I had no choice. Daddy and Saundra would be waiting for me at the L.A. airport. If I didn’t show up they’d be very worried. So, with great reluctance, I obeye
d.

  The flight attendant brightened when he saw me coming. “Oh, good, you’re back.”

  “Uh, they’re paging my friend right now. Is there any way you can hold the plane for her?”

  “Is your friend the Queen of England?”

  I caught the joke, but it wasn’t funny. I tried to explain my problem, but he couldn’t give me any reason to hope that Andie would catch this plane.

  He asked to see my ticket. “You’re in row seventeen, seat C.”

  My heart sank as I made my way through first class—all those comfortable, spacious seats were filled. In fact, the entire plane was filled to capacity. Except for one aisle seat five rows into the coach section. I nearly cried as I passed it. It could’ve been Andie’s seat. If only…

  I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Even if she and Uncle Jack had heard the page, it was unlikely that she could make it in time. Not with the crowded concourses or the way the flight attendant glowered when I asked if they could please hold the plane.

  I found my seat. It was also on the aisle, and every few seconds I leaned around the seat in front of me, hoping to spot Andie.

  A flight attendant came down the aisle, offering magazines. Who could read at a time like this? Instead, I prayed under my breath, begging God to please change His mind about things.

  I remembered how Andie had bowed her head in prayer inside the concourse. It was one of the few times she’d ever done such a thing—closing her eyes like that in public—and I asked God to reward Andie for her courage. For her faith. To give her this trip she longed for.

  I said “amen” audibly, not caring what the lady beside me thought. When I opened my eyes, I couldn’t believe it. There was Andie Martinez in the flesh. Trooping down the aisle as though she owned the place.

  “Yes,” I said, leaping up. “Andie!”

  Her face burst into an enormous grin. She waved triumphantly and sat down just as the second officer’s voice came over the intercom. “Flight attendants, prepare for cross-check.”