by Davis, Mary
“I think I’d like to try that Bible one.”
“Great choice.” His smile broadened. “Service is at ten; Sunday school starts at eight thirty. I’ll pick you up at eight.”
She didn’t know what to say. “You?”
“I attend Calvary every Sunday and Wednesday nights. You’ll like Pastor Rick.”
He’s a Christian? Realizing she was staring at him, her mouth open, she turned back to her vegetables and started stirring them. He’s a Christian! The thought delighted her more than she imagined, and before she knew it she said, “Would you like to stay for dinner? I mean, it’s the least I could do after all your help on such short notice.”
His smile warmed a bit more. “I would have to be crazy to turn down those heavenly smells and the company of a beautiful lady.”
She felt her cheeks warm.
“I’ll button up the water heater for now. If it’s okay, I’ll come by at the same time tomorrow to fix it.”
After they sat down and prayed, Lori gazed out at the glimmering water. “I have been curious about something for ten years.” She turned back to him and thought she caught a glimpse of something akin to panic in his eyes before he covered it, but she wasn’t sure. “Starvation Lake is a strange name. Who would name a lake that? I would think it would turn people away.”
Garth spooned vegetables onto his plate. “Most names have historical significance.”
“Historical significance?” She passed him the chicken. “Did someone starve here?”
“A whole group of people.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. The first settlers. They mostly ate rabbit all winter.”
She looked at him. “If they were eating, how did they starve?” Was this another one of his fairy stories?
“Rabbit, like celery, has negative calories. It takes more to digest it than your body gets out of it.”
“Sounds like a good diet food.”
He turned toward her. “You do not need to diet.”
His quick, stern response caught her off guard, and she could feel her cheeks grow warm again.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken so harshly. I get tired of seeing these rail-thin girls starving themselves. You look great just the way you are.”
They talked easily throughout the rest of the meal. She felt comfortable with him. Only one piece of chicken remained, along with a serving of rice and a couple of biscuits. She had eaten more than usual, not because of his comment about dieting but because it was so good. Or was it the company? And how long had it been since he’d had a home-cooked meal?
“Thank you for dinner. It was delicious.” He took his plate and glass over to the sink. “But I think I’ve taken up enough of your time. Besides, I have lesson plans to prepare. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m sorry you’ll be without hot water for another day.”
“That’s okay. I appreciate your fixing it.”
“It’s not fixed yet, m’lady.”
She knew it soon would be and looked forward to seeing him again.
Four
Garth sat back in his chair. His last-period students were using the remaining eleven minutes of class to get a head start on the questions he’d assigned. His mind wandered to a particular redhead. He would get to see her again today. She would appreciate his help and probably smile at him.
He drew in a deep breath and could almost smell her soft, flowery perfume, nothing heavy or pungent, rather light and sweet, like the woman who wore it. And green eyes, rich—like an exotic wild orchid he had once seen in a picture. He could wander in their green depths forever. They had left him speechless ten years ago.
He looked forward to hearing her voice also, to hear her say his name. It never sounded so good as it did coming from her lips, soft with a slight lilt.
“Mr. Kessel.”
“Call me Garth.” He sat up straight, immediately realizing one of his students had addressed him. “Uh—I mean, what?”
“On this part are we supposed to list any three we want?” the short blond girl asked. She reminded him of a pixie.
He read the question three times before he successfully managed to get his brain back in biology class. “List the three main groups.”
He glanced up at the clock. Ten minutes! Just like a kid anticipating the end of school.
“Class dismissed.”
Looks of bewilderment crossed the faces of his students as they glanced at the clock and back at him.
“Just go quietly.”
❧
Lori turned at the knock on the door. Garth arrived as he’d promised, dressed in much the same way he had been yesterday, with his toolbox in hand and faded blue jeans; but instead of a white T-shirt, today’s was a soft blue.
“I think these parts will do the trick for that water heater.” He held up a bag then set his toolbox on the floor and the bag on the counter.
Lori closed the door. “Parts? Is there more than one thing wrong?”
“It’s an old heater. If one part is worn out, others will soon follow. It’s just a precaution. Did you find the Laundromat all right?” He didn’t seem eager to work.
“I haven’t gone yet.”
“If you have any trouble finding it, let me know. It’s easy to find, so I don’t think you’ll have a problem. But if there’s anything else you need, don’t hesitate to call. There isn’t anything, is there?”
He was a little overeager to help. She wasn’t completely helpless; after all, she’d gone to the school of hard knocks, graduated near the bottom, but she was learning to take care of herself. “No, Mr.—I mean, Garth—I’m fine.”
“You’re sure?” He eyed her.
“The only problem I have is the lack of hot water.” And my racing heart.
“That’s my cue. I’ll get to work on it.” He picked up his toolbox and the bag of parts and headed for the bathroom.
He was finished in less than fifteen minutes. “That should do it.”
“Already? That was quick.”
Disappointment welled up in her at his imminent departure. She had planned to invite him for dinner again to thank him for his work, but it wouldn’t be ready for another thirty minutes. Would it seem awkward to him to wait so long after her invitation for dinner to be served? It couldn’t hurt to try.
“Would you like to have dinner? I mean, I have lasagna in the oven—if you’re hungry, that is. It won’t be ready for a while yet, but there’s plenty. You’ve been so nice to give up your time to do this for me. I thought the least I could do is offer you dinner.” She was going to start babbling any minute now. Just be quiet and let the man answer.
“I love lasagna.” He set his toolbox by the door. “In fact, I was wondering how I could finagle my way into staying long enough to make sure the water heater was working properly.” He stepped toward the kitchen. “How can I help?”
She tossed the kitchen towel to him. “Wash up, and you can fix the French bread.”
Garth washed his hands and took to his assignment with a smile. “Tell me about Lorelei Hayes.”
“Pardon?” She put the veggies for the tossed salad in the colander in the sink.
“What you were like in high school? Where you went to college? What you do for a living? How you spend your spare time? Stuff like that.”
“There isn’t much to tell.”
“There has to be something.”
Lori took a deep breath and released it. What there was to tell she didn’t like. “I missed out on most of high school. I didn’t attend college. I do nothing for a living.” She hadn’t felt like living in a very long time. “And lately I spend a lot of time trying not to feel sorry for myself.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I feel as if everyone has done so much more living, and I was left behind. I’ve done nothing. I figure I’m at least seven years behind.”
He leaned back on the counter to contemplate her. “How so?”
She wished she had kept her mouth shut, but since she
hadn’t she might as well go on. “For starters I only got my GED two years ago.” She felt a need to explain. “I was in a car accident during my sophomore year of high school. I went through a lot of physical and emotional therapy and more than a dozen operations. It seemed I would recover from one operation, and the doctors were talking about the next one. I wasn’t able to go back to school.”
“Sounds as if you had a good reason for not finishing, then. It must’ve been tough.”
“Tough’s an understatement.” She dropped the lettuce she had been cutting up into the bowl one handful at a time. “People always pushing me to do things I didn’t want to do, for my own good, of course, but mostly things that caused a tremendous amount of pain.” Why did she find it so easy to confide in him?
“What about your friends and family?”
She didn’t want to talk about her family or lack of it. “You’re slacking off on your duties.”
He picked up the butter knife. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“That’s okay.” She mangled another mushroom. “Friends?” she said thoughtfully. “Let’s see—there were Chloe and Rachel, Derek, Justine, oh, and what’s her name?”
“You can’t remember your friend’s name?”
“Monica. They weren’t my friends. They were my PTs. The closest thing I had to friends.”
“PT?”
“Physical therapist. Lyell ended up being my favorite. He did the most for me, or maybe I should say the least.”
“It sounds like this Lyell might have worked on your heart as well as your injuries.”
“If you’re thinking I had a crush on him, no way.” She cut through the air with her knife. “I hated him at first, like all the others. He’s a retired Marine drill sergeant.” She deepened her voice. “ ‘Quitting is not an option. Can’t is no longer in your vocabulary.’ ” She began to clean up the small work area as she spoke. “The really difficult cases were given to him. He said that I was his most challenging patient to date.”
“I can’t picture you butting heads with a Marine drill sergeant.” Garth wrapped the prepared French bread in foil and put it into the oven next to the lasagna.
“I gave him a run for his money. He earned every dollar he made and then some. He wouldn’t give up on me even when I had.”
The lasagna went as fast as the chicken had the night before. After dinner Garth checked on the hot water and found it steaming. Lori turned down his offer for Wednesday evening church, so he left soon after, probably scared off by all her talk of hospitals and operations. If she had wanted to appall him, she could have become quite graphic and gory. He had seemed genuinely interested, though.
❧
Garth surprised Lori by stopping by the following day, but it also pleased her to see him again, if only for a few minutes. She could tell he had come straight from school because he looked very much the teacher in his dress slacks, shirt, and tie. He made a handsome picture standing in her doorway.
“I just stopped by to see if the water heater was working okay for you.”
“Works great,” she said.
“Oh.”
Was that disappointment in his voice?
“It’s not too hot?”
“No.”
“I could make it hotter if you like.”
We certainly don’t need any more heat in here. Every time he was around, the cottage suddenly seemed warm. “It’s fine just the way it is. Perfect.” She wanted to assure him he had done a great job.
“Well, okay. If you have any problems with it, you’ll be sure to give me a call,” he said, hesitant to leave.
“I promise to call you first thing if I have any problems at all.”
“Well, then, I guess I’ll see you Sunday.” Reluctantly he left.
Reluctantly she let him.
❧
On Saturday Lori had a hankering for home-baked cookies, chocolate chip, to be exact. She drove to town to get the ingredients and do a little shopping. She hadn’t been in the mood to shop yesterday when she was at the Laundromat. Garth’s directions were excellent; even she couldn’t get lost. On her way home, though, her left turn came up too quickly, and she had to make a U-turn to get back to it.
Now she smelled the first batch of cookies ready to be taken out. She slid them out of the oven, relishing the aroma. When the last one was on the paper towel to cool, she picked up the first one, broke off a piece, and popped it into her mouth. Mmm. That hit the spot.
I bet Garth would like some of these. She quickly put the remaining eleven cookies on a plate and covered them with plastic wrap, then walked over by way of the beach.
Garth was outside unloading split wood from the back of a pickup truck she hadn’t seen before. He had on a pair of denim shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt. The muscles in his back and arms rippled as he took the wood from the truck and stacked it.
It was warmer out here than she thought.
He took a swig of water from his bottle and saw her approaching. He met her at the side of the truck.
“Howdy, neighbor. What brings you over my way?”
“I wanted to thank you for fixing the hot water for me.” She held out the cookies.
He smiled. “I thought that’s what dinner was for two nights in a row.”
“I would hardly call that ample payment. But if you don’t want the cookies—” She pulled them back.
“I didn’t say that.” He plucked the plate from her hands before they were out of reach. He lifted the plastic wrap and took one. “They smell good.”
“They taste good, too.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll judge for myself.” His smile told her he had no doubt they were good, and in less than five minutes half of the cookies were gone.
“You’re going to spoil your appetite.”
“I doubt that.” He turned over his wrist to look at his watch. “But it is almost time for dinner. I need to return Lou’s truck. Would you like to come with me to get my SUV? I’ll buy you a hamburger in town and an ice cream cone for dessert.”
Their gazes locked, and something passed between them. It scared her, but she didn’t know why. She had seen him five of the eight days she had been up here, and this was the first awkward moment between them. Was it loneliness or something stronger pulling at her?
“No. I can’t.” She backed away. “I’m right in the middle of making cookies. I have to go.” She turned before he could respond and trotted down the slope across the sand and up the incline to the cottage. She didn’t stop until she was safely inside with the door shut behind her.
Why was she running like a scared rabbit being chased by a hunter? He’d only asked her to go for a burger. She had gone over to his place on a whim and realized she shouldn’t have gone at all.
❧
Lori wasn’t sure if Garth would still pick her up for church after her abrupt departure. But to her delight his dark blue SUV rolled down her steep drive as the clock on the small microwave flipped to eight o’clock. Dressed in a gray suit, he looked dashing. She hoped he wouldn’t say anything about yesterday.
“Ready to go?” A smile pulled at his perfect mouth.
She returned his smile. For over a half hour. “Ready.”
The church was wonderful, just what she was looking for: the people friendly, the music uplifting, and the sermon straight from God’s Word. She’d thought she would have to go church hopping for weeks before she found one she liked. But thanks to the living phone book who took her, she was able to make a good choice.
She tried to memorize the route home so she could find her way back, but when Garth took an unfamiliar turn she began to question if she knew how to get home at all. This was her first trip into Kalkaska in ten years. “I thought we came from that way.” She hadn’t meant to speak out loud.
“We did, but I usually grab lunch in town. You don’t mind, do you?” He made another turn into a restaurant parking lot.
Once inside, a friendly hostess, Doris, greete
d them and immediately chatted familiarly with Garth. Was there anyone he didn’t know?
“All she can talk about is Mr. Kessel and her biology class.” The hostess guided them to their table.
“I try to make it interesting for the students. If they enjoy it, they’ll learn more.”
“I don’t know how much learning she’ll get, but she sure does enjoy your class, along with all her girlfriends.” The lady winked at Lori. Lori bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling. She remembered having a crush on her eighth-grade math teacher.
“Girls can do just as well in the sciences as boys,” Garth said.
He didn’t get it.
Doris laughed. “I don’t know about the other sciences, but the girls sure do like your biology class.” She winked at Lori again and walked away with a huge grin on her face.
Garth furrowed his brows. “What did she mean by that?”
Lori couldn’t restrain her smile any longer, and a giggle escaped. “Tell me something, Garth. Do you have a lot of girls in your classes?”
He thought for a moment. “I guess so. But I don’t think girls should be discouraged from the maths and sciences just because of their gender. We’ve had some great female scientists—Madame Curie, Emily Noether, and Ada Lovelace; and Florence Nightingale was more than just a nurse. I’m glad the girls in this area are so interested in science.”
“Science?”
“Yes, science.” He narrowed his eyes. “What else?”
“Hmm.” She raised her menu. “What’s good here?”
He put his finger on the top of her menu and lowered it. “If they don’t come to class to learn science, then why are they in my classes?”
Was she the one to enlighten him? She wanted to pull back like yesterday, but at the same time she wanted to move forward.
“If they aren’t there for science, what else is there to your biology class?” She wanted him to draw the conclusion for himself.
He thought for a moment. “Just me.”
At first he appeared clueless. Suddenly, understanding crept into his eyes and spread across his face. “You don’t think they’re interested in me. I’m at least ten years older than they are, or more.”
He was so cute! She wanted to laugh. He thought all those girls were there to learn about science. Chemistry maybe. “You think that will stop a high school crush? Those girls are dreaming about their ruggedly handsome, blond-haired, blue-eyed hunk of a biology teacher.”