“Ms. Chapman?”
Laura looked up from the bookshelf into the eyes of Professor Andrew Dougherty. Her heartbeat immediately quickened. What’s he doing here?
“Professor. . .” She said the word slowly, hesitantly.
He took a step in her direction. “Can you call me Andrew?”
“Mr. Dougherty,” she said, looking the other way. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, we’ve missed you in class this past week, and I thought maybe you’d like your assignments.”
Is he actually here on a goodwill mission? “I’m. . .I’m sorry. I’ve been working a lot of extra hours.”
“That’s all right. I understand completely. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t staying away because of me.”
Laura looked into his anxious eyes. “No.” Had he really been worried about her? Was that possible? “It doesn’t have anything to do with you.” She straightened the books as she spoke.
“That’s good.” He sounded relieved. “When you left the game last Saturday night, I felt sure I’d said something wrong. You may recall that I’m pretty good at putting my foot in my mouth.”
“I do.” She smiled, in spite of herself. “But you didn’t do anything wrong this time. To be honest, I didn’t know about Jess auditioning for the vocal scholarship. I guess I felt a little left out. I don’t know.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
I can’t blame him. It’s certainly not his fault. “You were just happy for her—which I should have been—but wasn’t because we had spent the whole weekend not speaking to each other.” Suddenly Laura felt a release to talk, to really talk. For the first time in a long time, it felt great to have someone to share with, even if it was Professor Andrew Dougherty.
ß
Andrew stood, mesmerized, listening to Laura speak. He learned much about her family during those precious minutes—far more than he had counted on. She’s a beautiful woman, inside and out. I can’t believe she’s taking the time to share all of this with me.
His heart beat in his ears as he tried to work up the courage to ask her the question on his mind. “Do you get a break anytime soon?”
“I have been here all day, but I haven’t gone to lunch yet. Why?”
“There’s a deli a couple of doors down,” he said nervously. “Have you ever been there?”
“Sure.”
“Well, I’m going to grab lunch there. If you need someone to talk to…”
She hesitated for what seemed like an eternity. “I, um. . . I’ll have to check with Madeline.”
He followed her to the front of the store, where her boss’s broad smile let him know instantly that she could go. I can’t believe it. I’m actually going out to lunch with Laura Chapman. Try as he might, he couldn’t wipe the silly grin off his face.
ß
Laura’s hands shook as she reached behind the counter to pick up her purse. What was she doing? She couldn’t even stand this guy, right? Of course he did seem easy to talk to. And he’d been so understanding about the classes she had missed. Maybe she’d misjudged him. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.
“Are you ready?” she asked, looking into Andrew’s eyes. For the first time, she noticed what a remarkable shade of blue they were. Not that it mattered. She just hadn’t taken note of it before.
“I’m ready.” He pulled the door open for her. They stepped out onto the sidewalk, then turned in the direction of the deli.
“Laura, is that you?” She heard the voice, somewhat familiar, and turned. Richard DeHart stood just behind her.
“Dick?”
“I was just coming in to ask you to lunch.” He frowned. “Am I too late?”
Andrew jumped in quickly. “We’re just headed out to talk—the two of us.” His voice sounded strained.
“I’m so sorry.” Laura looked from Dick to Andrew and back.
“No problem.” Dick reached out to take her arm. “You’re both hungry. So am I. What do you say we all go together?”
Laura’s eyes searched out Andrew’s. She hoped he would say something.
“I don’t think—” Andrew began.
“You’re right,” Dick said. “I don’t think it’s such a bad idea either.”
ß
Andrew’s pulse quickened. Dick DeHart was the last man on the planet he’d want to go to lunch with. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Dick patted Laura’s arm. This guy infuriates me. I should do something about this. He looked at Laura intently, hoping for some sign of her feelings. Her face looked slightly flushed, but she didn’t seem to show the same level of anxiety he felt. Either that, or she was better at hiding it. Worse still, maybe she wanted to go to lunch with Dick DeHart.
“We’re just headed down to the deli,” Laura said. “I really don’t have long, anyway.”
“Well then,” Dick said, “I’m awfully glad I got here when I did. Talk about great timing.”
Yeah. Talk about great timing.
ß
Laura sat at the table between the two men, completely confused and frustrated. Andrew’s ears grew redder by the moment. Dick—well, Dick was content to barrel away, pounding Andrew into the ground with his expertise on early American presidents. She could slip away, and they would probably just go right on bickering. She tried, at several points, to enter into their conversation, but they seemed to be talking around her, not to her.
“So,” she said finally, “I guess you’ll both have to agree to disagree.” They’d argued about the difference between the administrations of John Adams and John Quincy Adams for the last ten minutes.
“Are we boring you?” Andrew looked her in the eye.
Boring? Are you kidding me? She was half-asleep already. She shrugged, unwilling to speak her mind. She felt bored, yes, but more irritated than anything—like a third wheel, stuck directly between two flat tires. “I have to get back to work.” She stood, relieved to be leaving.
“So soon?” Dick looked at his watch. “We’re just getting started.”
“Well, I’m sure the two of you will have a lot to talk about once I’m gone.” She turned quickly and noticed Jessica, who stood just outside the window.
Oh, dear. Just when I thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse.
ß
Andrew stood, pulling out Laura’s chair. She looked frustrated but he couldn’t blame her. This wasn’t how things were supposed to work out at all. He had planned a long, lingering lunch over an exhilarating conversation—just between the two of them. Leave it to Dick DeHart to mess things up. “Are you sure you have to go?” He gave her his most imploring look.
She turned away from him as she spoke. “I’m already late.”
“Would you mind if I stopped by the store in a few minutes?”
“Whatever.”
Was she disinterested or just plain mad? Laura quickly moved toward the door, taking his hopes with her.
“Looks like it’s just the two of us,” Dick said with a sly grin.
“Great.” Andrew reached to take another drink of his soda. “Just what the doctor ordered.”
ß
“Jess, what are you doing down here? Is something wrong? Is Kent in trouble again?”
“Mom, calm down. Kent’s fine. Everything’s fine. I just wanted to talk to you.”
“Talk to me?”
“Yeah, is that so surprising? But it looks like you already have enough people to talk to. You certainly don’t need me.” She turned abruptly.
“Jessica,” Laura said sternly. “This is not what it looks like. Professor Dougherty came by to. . .well, to talk to me about school stuff. I think he could tell I needed someone to talk to so he suggested we talk over lunch. On the way out the door, we ran into Dick DeHart, and then things got complicated. I just couldn’t seem to get rid of him.”
“Whatever.”
A faint smile crossed Jessica’s lips, the first sign of compromise. She gazed into the window of the deli. Both men seemed to be engrossed in conversation.
“Despite what you might think, I don’t like either one of them. I really don’t. I wouldn’t go out with Dick DeHart under any circumstances, and the professor. . .”
“Yes?” Jessica asked. “What about the professor?”
“Well, he’s a nice guy, but. . .”
“Not your type?”
Laura hesitated slightly. “To be honest, I’m not sure what my type is anymore.” She gazed through the deli window at Andrew, who looked miserable sitting next to Dick DeHart. I almost feel sorry for him.
“Look at them,” Jessica said with a smirk. “They’re two peas in a pod.”
“Aren’t they? Let’s get out of here and leave them alone.” That thought seemed very appealing to Laura.
She and Jessica walked toward the bookstore, laughing and talking about the professor, the tutor, and her daughter’s apparent misunderstanding. Laura didn’t mind being misunderstood, as long as things were made right again. Within moments, they chatted like youngsters. For the first time in a long time, Laura felt comfortable around her daughter.
They stopped just outside the door of the Bookstop. Jessica’s expression changed abruptly. “Mom, there’s something I need to talk to you about. That’s why I came down here in the first place.”
Laura nodded, waiting for her daughter to continue. No one ever wanted to “just talk” anymore, especially not Jess. “What is it, Honey?”
“It sounds stupid now, after just blowing up at you. In fact, I’ve been doing that a lot lately. I can’t seem to control my emotions. But that’s why I’m here. I, uh. . .I just wanted to apologize.”
“For what, Honey?”
“Mom,” Jessica said tearfully, “I’m just so sorry about everything that’s happened this whole semester. I feel like I’ve ruined everything for you. I should have been more supportive when you told me you wanted to go back to school. You’ve been through so much these last couple of years, and I couldn’t even give you any support at all. I’m selfish. There’s no other way to put it.” At that, Jessica burst into tears and buried her face in her hands.
“Jess,” Laura said softly, reaching to put her arms around her precious daughter. “We’ve all been through a lot. Ever since your father passed away. . .” The tears filled her eyes as well. “Ever since your father passed away, I’ve had to be-come mother and father. Nothing in life prepared me for that. It’s hard enough just being Mom. I don’t have any idea how to be Dad too.”
“You don’t have to be.” Jessica lifted her head. “Don’t even try. We’ll be fine with just you.”
The words were freeing. Laura began to weep uncontrollably. Customers passed by. Many gazed at her oddly, but she didn’t care.
“I just don’t want to get in the way,” Jess continued.
“You’re not in the way. You never were, and you never will be.”
“But I’m such a pain in the neck.”
“Yeah,” Laura said with a smile. “But aren’t we all, sometimes? I mean—I’m a pain too. Don’t you think?”
“Do you really want me to answer that?”
Laura shook her head. “Not really, but we’re all grieving, Jessica. And the way you’ve felt—about the music, about my going back to school, about Nathan, even. . .”
“What about Nathan?”
“I know things have been tense between the two of you,” Laura said. “It’s pretty clear.”
“I don’t know what to do about that either. I don’t know what to do about anything.”
“I think it’s time for a fresh start,” Laura said firmly. “For all of us. Time to start everything over again.”
“How? How do we do that?”
Laura suddenly came to life. “Well, for one thing, I think we need to go back to church on a regular basis. None of this in-and-out stuff.”
“I know I could use it,” Jess agreed. “My spiritual life has been, well, almost nonexistent.”
“I’m sure we could all do with a little spiritual help. Besides, I miss being in Sunday school and singing in the choir. Most of all, I long for the closeness I used to feel when we were there together as a family.”
“Yeah,” Jess responded. “To be honest, I’ve really missed being in the youth group and all that. Heaven knows, Kent could use it.”
“True.”
“But, Mom,” Jessica said suddenly, “there’s something else I want to do. It’s actually the reason I came down here.”
“What’s that?”
“I want to come to work for you.”
“What do you mean?”
Determination etched Jessica’s face. “I mean, I want to work some of your hours here at the shop so you can get back into your classes and finish the semester.”
“But—”
“I’ve got it all worked out, Mom. I can give at least two or three hours a day and still keep my schedule at the school. I’ve even talked to Madeline about it. She’s totally cool with the idea. I’ll have to miss a couple of history classes, but I’m okay with that. I haven’t missed any until recently.”
“Madeline wants you to take some of my hours?”
“That’s right,” her boss said, appearing behind her. “I think it’s a great idea, don’t you?”
To be honest, Laura didn’t know what to think.
seventeen
“Hey, you!”
Regina’s voice rang out, waking Andrew from his lethargy. He had been grading papers—one after another—and welcomed the interruption. Regina stood in the doorway of his classroom, looking as nervous as a cat.
“What’s up?”
“Just wanted to come by and let you know something.” She walked into the empty room. “I’ve got news.”
“Me too,” he said excitedly. “But you go first. What’s up?”
“Nope. You first. Is it something to do with the infamous Ms. Chapman?”
“Maybe.”
“Well, come on. Spill the beans. I don’t have all day.”
“You’d be proud of me,” he said with a smile. “I took her to lunch. Well, sort of. Not a date. Just conversation. She needed someone to talk to.”
“You did! You actually did it?”
His gaze shifted to the ground as he spoke. “Sort of.”
“Sort of? Tell me.”
“I went to the store where she works to talk to her, and there was this deli next door—”
“Good boy, good boy.”
“So I asked her if she wanted to go and talk for awhile.”
“And she said yes?” Regina’s voice reflected her glee.
“Uh-huh.”
“Andrew, that’s great! Then what happened?”
He felt his face fall. “Then DeHart walked up on us.”
“Oh, no. That weasel.”
“Yeah.”
“I hope you got rid of him.”
Andrew shrugged.
“Don’t tell me. . .” Regina stared him down.
“He came to lunch with us.”
Regina slapped herself in the head. “I’m about to give up on you, Professor Dougherty. In fact, that’s what I came to tell you. You’re on your own after today.”
“What do you mean?”
She hesitated slightly. “I, uh. . .”
“Spit it out.” She’s obviously got something on her mind.
“Today was my last day in the lunchroom.”
“You quit? Why?”
“Had to,” she said. “I’m just too tired.”
Don’t tell me she’s sick. Bad things don’t happen to great people like Regina. If anyone deserves a break, she does. “Tell me about it,” he said finally. “
I mean, if you want to.” She stepped toward his desk, half-sitting on the edge. He waited for her explanation.
“It’s like this. I. . .I’m going to have a baby.”
He shot out of his seat instantly. “A baby? Are you serious?”
“I’m serious. But my husband says he wants me off my feet. I’m no spring chicken, you know. Turned forty last month.”
“You don’t look a day over twenty-nine.”
She gave him a thankful smile. “Well, anyway, I just wanted to come over and say good-bye, wanted to make sure you could handle this romance business without me. You’re really not very good at it, you know.”
“I’m not so sure about that, but I’ll do the best I can.” He reached over and gave her a playful hug. “Congratulations, Regina.” He felt a lump in his throat. “I’m very happy for you. Please tell Daniel for me.”
“I will.” She returned the hug. “In fact, he’s waiting for me in the car. We’re both tickled pink.” She paused. “Better make that blue. He’s holding out for a boy.”
ß
Laura entered the American History classroom, struggling with her emotions. She wanted desperately to be here and yet felt terrified at the same time. As she came through the door, she saw Andrew with his arms wrapped around the lady from the lunchroom in a warm embrace. Laura stood, transfixed. She couldn’t seem to move forward. She didn’t want to go backward.
“I’ll see you later, Andrew,” the woman said, passing by her at the doorway. Laura noticed the woman stared at her. A twinge of jealousy shot through her, though she wasn’t sure why.
“Ms. Chapman.” She looked up into the eyes of Andrew Dougherty, amazed at the twinkle she found there. “You’re back?”
“I’m back,” she said, trying not to let her emotions show. “I’ve got to get through these last few weeks somehow.”
He smiled a warm, inviting smile. “It’s going to be just fine, and I’m going to help you.”
ß
Andrew’s heart pounded so hard, he could scarcely breathe. Laura had returned. His trip to the store must have made the difference. He looked at her inquisitively. Was she here because she really wanted to be? Did it have anything to do with him at all?
“Jess is going to miss class today,” Laura explained. “She’s taken some of my hours at the bookstore.”
Texas Weddings (Books One and Two) Page 10