A Gift of Family (Love Inspired)

by Ross, Mia

  He just wished there was something he could do for her in return. When an idea flashed into his mind, it actually made him smile.

  Chapter Seven

  When she got back from the church site late Saturday afternoon, Lisa looked around her apartment and groaned. The dust had gotten way out of hand, but she really hated cleaning. Marianne was ruthlessly neat, and when they were sharing a room growing up, Lisa had gone the other way out of spite. She knew where everything was. Everything important, anyway. It wasn’t hard to keep track of stuff in a studio apartment.

  Right now, the most important thing was Cleo’s laser pointer. One of the coolest cat toys ever invented, it shined a pinpoint red dot on whatever you aimed it at. Cleo went bonkers chasing it, and it was great exercise for her, but Lisa couldn’t find the silly thing.

  Looking peeved, the Maine coon was sitting regally in the middle of the living-room floor with her bushy tail curled around her paws. Her expression clearly said, “What’s wrong with you?”

  “I know, I know,” Lisa muttered as she lay down on the floor to look under the furniture. “I’ll find it.”

  When someone knocked on the door, she was so annoyed she just yelled, “Come in!”

  From behind, she heard a now-familiar voice. “Lose something?”

  Rolling onto her side, she looked up at Seth. “My mind. Cleo’s favorite toy is missing.”

  “Aww, that’s too bad.” Hunkering down, he held a hand out toward the cat. She promptly abandoned Lisa and went to give Seth her version of a hug. Rubbing her cheek on his jeans, she purred sweetly at him.

  “Traitor,” Lisa scolded with a laugh. “It looks like she’s got a new favorite toy.”

  “I’m honored, your highness.” Grinning, he stood and offered Lisa a hand up. “I’m actually here to see you, though.”

  Hearing that made her foolish heart skip like a little girl with a jump rope. They were just friends, she reminded herself as she stood to face him. “Really? What for?”

  He nodded at the pile of language books still sitting—unopened—on the counter. “You’re not gonna learn anything from them.” Then he motioned to the framed print of the Eiffel Tower hanging on her living-room wall. “It occurred to me you’re a visual person. If you had pictures, it’d be easier to learn the words.”

  “Like a kid’s picture book of Europe or something?”

  “I’ve got something even better than that.”

  Sliding his phone from the front pocket of his frayed jeans, he scrolled to something and handed it to her. It was a beautiful shot of the famous tower, only it was lit from behind by the rising sun. The rays glinted off the steel, making it look as if it were made of gold.

  “That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” she breathed in amazement. Staring up at him, she asked, “Did you take this picture?”

  “Well, no. I didn’t have much time for sightseeing, but a buddy of mine visited all the places you’re interested in. I had him send me some of his best shots for you to look at. I thought if we went through them, you could describe them to me. Then I could tell you how to say the same thing in French or Italian or whatever.”

  Impressed by his creativity, she nodded eagerly. “That’s a fabulous idea. When can we start?”

  “How ’bout now?”

  If she’d learned anything about Seth, it was that he was the least impulsive person on the planet. He thought things through carefully, weighing his options before deciding what to do. In his eyes, she saw a shadow of his characteristic hesitation, and she realized he wasn’t sure she’d like his suggestion.

  To chase off any lingering doubts, she gave him her brightest smile. “Now is perfect. Would you like a snack or something?”

  He cracked an irresistible little boy’s grin. “On my way up I thought I smelled gingerbread.”

  “Would you like milk with that?”

  “Sure. Thanks.”

  She stacked some of Marianne’s yummy gingerbread men on a plate and poured two glasses of milk to go with them. After joining him on the sofa, she picked up a cookie and pointed to the caption on her poster. “La Tour Eiffel. I know that much, anyway.”

  “Très bien.”

  “That means ‘very good,’ right?”

  “Oui. See? You’re doing great.”

  “That’s movie French,” she scoffed. “Anybody can do that.”

  “You’ve got a nice accent, though. The worst thing you can do is speak French like an American. They’ll peg you as a tourist in a heartbeat.” He handed over his phone. “Allons-y.”

  “What?”

  “It means ‘let’s go.’”

  She laughed. “Got it.”

  While they munched their cookies, she scrolled through the “France” album on his phone. As she stopped at each picture, he told her what it was and had her describe it in English. After he translated what she’d said into French, he broke down each phrase so she could repeat it. Once they’d gone through ten of them, he took her back to the beginning to see what she remembered.

  To her astonishment, she recalled most of the descriptions with only a slight nudge from him here and there.

  “Great job,” he approved with a grin. “You learn fast. Must be all that practice keeping people’s favorite orders straight.”

  His praise made her squirm a little. School wasn’t her thing, and she’d barely gotten through some of her classes. Marianne was the brain, and Lisa was—what? The pretty one? No, her big sister was absolutely beautiful. The friendly one? No, that was John. Matt defied classification, so she guessed that made him the mysterious one.

  Where did that leave her? She’d never really thought about it, and now that she had, it was more than a little sobering. She was just Lisa, the baby. Maybe that was why everyone treated her like one. Everyone but Seth, that was. He made her feel like a grown-up, admiring her artwork, making friends with her cat. It was a new experience for her, and she liked it.

  “You’re a really great teacher.” Finishing off her milk, she asked, “How did you learn all this?”

  When he looked down, she backpedaled like a left fielder. “I’m sorry, Seth. I guess I’m curious by nature. Kind of like Cleo.” She smiled, hoping to ease the sudden awkwardness her innocent question had caused.

  “That’s okay. I know I’m not like most folks you’ve met.”

  Thank God for that, she thought. To him, she said, “No, but being like everyone else is so overrated.”

  He angled a doubtful glance at her, but she didn’t let that derail her. Instead, she smiled back and took their dishes into the kitchen. “Want some more?”

  “Sure.”

  “I have to confess, these are my sister’s cookies. She and the kids made too many, so I lucked out.” As she returned with his refill, she added, “I didn’t want you thinking I’m domestic or anything.”

  A slow grin spread across his chiseled features, and the ice in his eyes warmed to a pale blue. “Good to know.” Glancing toward the easel, he squinted and got up for a closer look.

  “You’re making great progress on this. The background looks so real, it’s like I could just step right in and grab a piece of chicken out of the picnic basket.”

  “Thank you.”

  That he even remembered how the painting had looked earlier in the week simply floored her. For him to notice the changes she’d made, he must have a real eye for detail.

  Turning to her, he asked, “Was this picnic at the church? Under the tree you said you were going to miss?”

  “Yes, it was.”

  “The one the landscaper shredded and chipped down to the ground today.” Looking back at the painting, he shook his head. “That’s a real shame. It was a beautiful tree.”

  The honest emotion in his voice touched h
er in a surprising way. There was definitely more to this carpenter than met the eye. Normally, she went for sweet, simple guys who adored her but didn’t have much in the way of depth.

  Seth was another animal altogether. Even though she usually shied away from dark and mysterious, she couldn’t help being fascinated by the past he couldn’t share with her. What had happened to make him the way he was now? He hadn’t told her much about himself, but she’d pieced together a sketchy history on her own. Given enough time, she could probably figure him out enough to truly appreciate him.

  Not that she wanted to, she cautioned herself. The woman who took him on with all his shadowy baggage would have to be endlessly patient with him. While she believed in her heart that he was worth the effort, Lisa recognized that she was better off being his friend. Since they’d be working together on the church in addition to him tutoring her, they’d be spending a lot of time together. Keeping this baffling man at a respectable distance was the smart thing to do.

  So why did she suddenly feel sad?

  * * *

  Sunday morning, Seth added two more folding chairs to the rows set out in the empty diner. After stacking and shoving all the tables against the walls, he’d been helping his aunt set out row after row of chairs borrowed from the Harland Rotary Club.

  “That’s the last of them,” he finally said.

  “Hmm.” Tapping her finger in the air, she counted. “We need a couple right here for the Simmons family. Their son and daughter-in-law are in town this weekend, and they’ll want to sit together during the service.”

  Seth could see where this was going, and he tried to nip her rearranging in the bud. “You’re kidding. Can’t they sit behind them?”

  She looked at him as if he’d suggested making them plunk down out on the sidewalk, and he sighed. “Fine. I’ll move ’em.”

  “Thank you. And thank you for bringing the lectern over from the church,” she added while he shifted the chairs. “It makes things look a little more normal.”

  Glancing at the hand-carved oak stand, then around the diner all decked out for Christmas, he chuckled and shook his head. “Normal for Harland, anyway. This place is something else.”

  “Isn’t it, though? The people here are so interesting, I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

  He couldn’t miss the nudge in her voice, and he frowned at her. “Will you stop already? I know what you’re doing, and you’re wasting your time. Nothing’s gonna happen between me and Lisa Sawyer.”

  “Really?” Her eyes narrowed in a you-can’t-fool-me stare. “You’ve only been here a week, and you’ve been at her place more than your own.”

  “Helping out, is all.”

  “Helping how?”

  He wasn’t used to people nosing into his business, and it didn’t thrill him now. As he considered how to answer, he reminded himself that she meant well, misplaced as her interest was. “Last night I started teaching her some French.”

  Arching a brow, Aunt Ruth grinned at him as if he’d said he’d gotten down on one knee and asked the lady to marry him. “Teaching her French is helping?”

  “Someone has to make sure she doesn’t get in trouble over there. She asked me to tutor her, and I agreed.”

  “After a fight, no doubt.”

  Unable to help himself, Seth grinned at the memory. “There was a little scuffle at first. In the end, I did it to make her happy.”

  His aunt laughed. “She gets a lot of things that way.”

  “Doesn’t surprise me in the least,” he grumbled.

  “So stubborn.” Aunt Ruth came forward, stopping just short of where he stood. “So is she whenever I casually mention you. I wonder why.”

  Seth hated to think how often his aunt “casually” worked him into conversations with her goddaughter. Then again, it was nice to hear Lisa didn’t appreciate it, either. “Maybe ’cause we don’t like being shoved together by a meddling woman who doesn’t know when to back off.”

  “Or maybe,” she suggested without blinking, “you like each other and are just too mule headed to admit it.”

  He laughed at that. “Lisa doesn’t strike me as the type to keep her opinions to herself. If she liked me, I don’t think she’d have a problem telling you about it.”

  “And if you liked her, you’d be fine admitting it?”

  Seth shrugged. “Sure.”

  “So you don’t like her.”

  She pinned him with a stern look, and he started squirming like a ten-year-old. “Well, I didn’t say that. She’s real nice.”

  “And pretty, too.”

  “I guess.”

  “You guess?” she teased with a smug look. “She’s gorgeous, and you know it. Of course, that’s nothing compared to everything else she’s got going for her. Being talented and funny and all,” she added as if he needed a map.

  Resting his hands on the back of a chair, Seth picked at the remnant of a price tag so she couldn’t see just how interested he was in Lisa. “Girls like her don’t go for guys like me.”

  When Aunt Ruth hummed, he glanced up to find her smiling at him. “Seth, do you remember when you were eight, and you wanted that new bike?”

  “Sure.”

  “But you didn’t tell your parents because your father was out of work and money was so tight?”

  “Yeah. You showed up Christmas morning with it in the back of your van.”

  Stepping closer, she put a reassuring hand on the shoulder that would never completely heal. “I got you that bike because you were a good boy and never asked for anything. I thought you deserved to have something that would make you happy. You’re all grown-up now, but you still deserve that.”

  “Women aren’t like bikes,” he argued. “You can’t just wrap one up and give her to me.”

  “I can try,” she insisted with a fond smile. “The choice is yours, but I pray you’ll decide to take a chance someday. If not with Lisa, then someone else. You’re a good man, and there’s no reason on God’s earth you shouldn’t be happy.”

  He knew she meant for her talk of praying for him to make him feel better somehow. Instead, it made him edgy, and Seth gently pulled away. “I’d best get out of here before folks start showing up.”

  “You could join us if you want.”

  He glanced at the oak lectern with its hand-carved cross and barely suppressed a shudder. “No, thanks. I’m headed over to the church to see where we should start tomorrow morning. That wall’s not going to frame itself.”

  She shrugged, but he could tell she wasn’t pleased. As much as he hated to disappoint her, this time he couldn’t do what she wanted without feeling like a hypocrite.

  “Suit yourself,” she said. “If you want lunch, things should be ready about noon.”

  “Maybe,” he hedged, trying it out to see how it felt. Still not totally comfortable, but it didn’t make him want to run off, either. It seemed he was finally making some real progress, he mused with a grin. “Sounds good, actually.”

  “Good,” she replied as she opened the door for him. “I’ll see you then.”

  As he passed by, he paused and smiled down at her. “Thanks, Auntie.”

  “For what?”

  She knew what he meant, which was a good thing since he had no idea how to express it. Trusting her to understand, he leaned down to kiss her cheek on his way out. Beaming her approval, she ruffled his hair and waved him away.

  “Get outta here, now. I’ve got people coming.”

  Feeling better than he had in a long, long time, he strolled across the street, whistling “Deck the Halls” as he went.

  * * *

  Lisa did her best to focus on the service that morning, but nothing she did could keep her mind from wandering. To make matters worse, her eyes kept drifting to the fro
nt window that looked out toward the town square and its quaint collection of churches. Several times, she caught a glimpse of Seth going down the makeshift side ramp with a wheelbarrow, headed to the Dumpster.

  He hadn’t been at the diner when she arrived with her family, so she knew he’d been at the work site for at least an hour, cleaning up the last of the plaster and splintered wood. It didn’t take much imagination for her to picture him over there, his hair and clothes dusty from sweeping. All alone, no radio or anything, the way he worked on the apartments upstairs. The way he did everything, it seemed.

  Because, as Ruthy had confided, he’d lost his faith in everything he once believed in. Knowing that about him made Lisa incredibly sad. It was so hard to weather the nasty turns in life without God to lean on. No matter how strong someone was, God was stronger.

  When Marianne nudged her shoulder, Lisa glanced over and got The Eye. With a muted sigh, she turned forward and tried—again—to pay attention to Pastor Charles. The bandage above his eye was smaller today, and he beamed like a man who wouldn’t want to be anywhere else this morning.

  Lisa wished she shared his contentment with where she was and what she was doing. Something was bothering her, but she hadn’t been able to pin it down. She’d made the deposit on her European tour package yesterday, so it was just a matter of time before she’d be going. It wasn’t an “if” anymore, it was a “when.” She’d even started crossing out the days between now and then on her calendar.

  She should have been thrilled, but the anticipation felt oddly hollow, as if something was missing from her plans. Unfortunately, she had no clue what it could be, and that only made her edgier about the whole thing.

  She’d dreamed about it for so long, maybe she’d built it up too much. Or maybe she should add something to the itinerary, or spend more time in Paris, or...

  “Earth to Lisa.”

  Jerked out of her thoughts by John’s voice, she noticed the service was over and everyone around her was getting to their feet. Feeling more than a little foolish, she got up and tried to think of a good excuse for flaking out in the middle of a sermon.