The Sweetness of Her Love: A Christian Romance (Fostered by Love Book 2)

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  Erin could hardly believe what she was hearing. He was sitting in front of her basically saying he felt something for her that went beyond friendship. He hadn’t said the word love—and she certainly wasn’t prepared to say it just yet either—but it seemed that maybe he was headed in that direction.

  “So you want to go out on a date?” Erin asked.

  “For starters, yes.” He smiled then, his eyes sparkling with a touch of humor. “And I promise it won’t be to a fancy expensive restaurant.”

  “Well, in that case,” Erin replied with a grin, “I accept your invitation.”

  His gaze went serious again. “I see a lot more relationships in ruin than I do ones that are strong and healthy. I need you to promise me that you’ll tell me if there’s something bothering you about me or about us. Give me a chance to fix it before you call things off.”

  “I can do that. Communication is always important for any type of relationship, so I will try my best.”

  The smile James gave her sent warmth spreading through her body. “I hate to run, but I do have one more appointment to get through this afternoon before I can call it a day.”

  He pulled his coat from the chair beside him and got to his feet. Erin stood as well, sad that he had to leave, but also anxious to see what the days ahead held. After he had his coat on, he hesitated then held out his arms. Erin, however, didn’t hesitate to step into his embrace.

  As his arms closed around her, Erin inhaled the scent of his cologne and reveled in the strength of his embrace. There was still a part of her that couldn’t quite believe that James was interested in her. With his looks and his job, he could have any woman, but for some reason, he’d chosen her. It was only the security she felt in his arms that kept her fear of being hurt from overwhelming her.

  When they stepped away from each other, James smiled down at her. “I’ll give you a call to set up our date.”

  Erin nodded. “I’ll be waiting to hear what fabulous thing you have lined up for us.”

  “Well, no pressure there,” James said with a laugh.

  As she followed him to the door of the bakery and watched him leave, Erin decided not to let him in on the secret that he could plan pretty much anything, and she’d be happy with it. Even a dinner in a fancy, expensive restaurant. As long as he was there, she would have a wonderful time.

  “Okay. My office now.” Erin turned to see Noella behind her just as her friend grasped her arm and began to pull her toward the back of the building. “I may have missed the start of this thing you have going on with James, but I didn’t miss that hug.”

  Erin grinned as she followed Noella to her office, only too happy to spill what had transpired over the past hour.

  James wracked his brain to figure out where to take Erin for their first official date. As he thought back to the initial conversation they’d had about dates, he realized that he was really going to have to go for something a bit unconventional for him. He wanted to be able to hold a conversation with her, so that ruled out going to a movie or any other type of show. He also wanted to take into consideration her hours. He knew she was early to bed, so he had to make certain he didn’t interfere with that.

  It seemed to take forever to decide, but after a few phone calls, he found a bowling alley where he made reservations for them. James didn’t suppose it would be too busy, but he wanted to make sure that when they got there that there would be a lane available. It had been years since he’d bowled, but he figured that was probably the case for Erin as well.

  When he phoned to see if she’d be available for the time he’d booked, he realized he’d done things a little backward. Thankfully, she was fine with the time he told her, and as he got off the phone, he felt more excited for this date than he’d been for any other in his past.

  He was just thankful that he had the opportunity to do this with her. After their rocky start, James wouldn’t have blamed her one little bit if she’d told him to take a hike. But now that she’d given him this chance, he didn’t want to blow it. All his old instincts told him to scratch his plans so far and go for the date that would impress her. The one that would show her that he was successful and had money.

  But James resisted those urges because he knew that those things actually wouldn’t impress Erin at all. She was the first woman he’d dated who’d been more interested in him than what he could do for them or what he could give them. That made him nervous because it was his personality that had failed him already. He wanted her to see that the changes he’d made were genuine and lasting.

  So, because of that desire, James left his original plans in place.

  Erin tried to focus on the story she was reading on her eReader, but her mind kept wandering to James and the phone call she’d gotten from him earlier. He had refused to tell her where they were going, which had left her super curious. She figured it was a safe bet that they weren’t going to a restaurant. Or at least not a super fancy one.

  He had made arrangements to pick her up at four o’clock the next afternoon which was probably a weird time for most people, but not for her. She’d anticipated having to take a nap so that she could make it through the evening, but thankfully, he’d apparently taken her daily schedule into account so she didn’t need the nap.

  With a smile, she set her tablet on the nightstand and turned off her lamp before sliding down against her pillows. She still could hardly believe the things he’d said to her earlier. And more than that, she could hardly believe that she was giving him a chance. But it felt like the right thing. She wanted him in her life. Even after their rough start, she could picture a future with him. As a friend for sure. As something more? She could only hope and pray that if that was God’s will for them, they’d both feel at peace about it.

  The next afternoon, Erin was changed and ready to go a little before four. She’d left work earlier than she normally would have, but she wasn’t too concerned since Betsy was there to keep things running smoothly. Once home, she’d taken a quick shower and then changed into a pair of fitted jeans and a loose lavender colored sweater over a tank top. When she’d asked James what to wear, he’d just told her something casual and comfortable.

  After tugging on a pair of knee-high black boots with a heel, Erin gathered up her purse and left her bedroom. She got her jacket from the closet and pulled it on. The temperature had been in a freefall since about mid-morning, and Erin hadn’t been dressed for it when she’d left work earlier. She wouldn’t make that mistake twice. After zipping up her warm jacket, she looked into the storage bench they had near the doorway for a thicker scarf and mitts than she’d worn earlier. Given how cold it was, she considered a hat, but after taking as long as she had to get her hair looking nice, Erin really didn’t want to mess it up. She’d suffer the cold head to preserve her look.

  Once she was dressed warmly, Erin went to stand next to the Christmas tree to watch for James. Thankfully, he didn’t keep her waiting long since being bundled up while still inside had the potential to make her start sweating. As soon as she saw his SUV pull into the driveway, she headed for the door and stepped out into the cold afternoon air.

  James met her as she neared his car and opened the passenger door. Erin grabbed the handle above the door and pulled herself up into the seat, glad for the warmth that poured out of the vents directly in front of her.

  “Well, I’m certainly glad I didn’t plan an outdoor event,” James said when he got behind the wheel, rubbing his gloved hands together. “I think we’d be making new plans if I had.”

  “Still not going to tell me where we’re going?” Erin asked as he backed out of the driveway.

  “Not yet, but I think it’s something that will strike your fancy,” James said, glancing over at her with a grin on his face.

  She looked at him for a moment before turning her attention to where he was driving. “Strike my fancy? That could be a lot of things.”

  “Really? Well, I look forward to finding out what those oth
er things are so I can plan some future dates. Hopefully, you’ll have some spare minutes in your busy schedule to spend with me.”

  “I’m sure I can find a few. I would think you’d be the busy one,” Erin commented.

  “In the future, that might be the case, but right now, Van and I are scaling back on the cases we’re taking because of the shift in the focus of our practice.”

  Erin really hoped that wherever they were going would allow them to hold a conversation because she wanted to hear more about what he and Van were doing with their work. When James turned into a parking lot, Erin stared at the businesses in the strip mall, her eyes going wide when they landed on one sign in particular. She glanced over to find him watching her with a grin on his face

  “Are we going bowling?” At his nod, she started laughing. “Yes, this definitely does strike my fancy.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “I can’t believe you got that,” James said as he settled back in the chair next to the monitor. He’d jumped to his feet to watch the awesome strike Erin had just gotten. “That ball had a huge curve to it. Are you sure you’re not a professional?”

  Erin laughed as she walked back to join him. “Definitely not a professional, but I will say that my foster family would go bowling at least twice a month. At one point, when there were a bunch of us around the same age, we would go once a week. So I’m not a professional, but I did bowl a lot.”

  James groaned, knowing that no matter how competitive he might be, he wasn’t going to win this game. On the upside, however, they’d been able to chat during their game. There were only a couple of other people in the alley, so they were bowling a leisurely game with conversation flowing easily between them.

  For all of his worry about whether bowling would be a good date, things had turned out perfectly. Well, except for the fact that he was losing…

  They chose to bowl another game even though James knew Erin was going to win that one too. He was just happy to prolong their time together. Given that Erin still had to work the next day, James hadn’t been sure if she’d be interested in going for dinner when they finished bowling, but she happily agreed and even suggested the restaurant.

  While the Olive Garden wasn’t where he usually took his dates, once he and Erin got their food, James was happy with her choice. The food was good, and the conversation was even better. Though Erin happily talked about herself when he asked her about certain things, she was quick to turn it back to him with questions about his childhood, his job and just his life in general.

  Every minute they spent together just reinforced what he had been feeling about her. She’d been open and friendly from the start, and that hadn’t changed. Being with her was like a breath of fresh air, and James was in no hurry for the evening to end. Besides Van, Nana, and his sister, there were precious few people that he could tolerate one-on-one for longer than an hour or so. With Erin, James just wanted their time together to stretch out indefinitely.

  Unfortunately, he knew their date was coming to an end when Erin tried to hide a yawn. Though he wanted to be selfish and pretend he hadn’t seen it, James knew she worked hard and needed her rest.

  “Guess we should head for home,” James said. “I know you have to work tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, it’s already past my usual bedtime.” Erin gave him a rueful smile before popping the last of her Italian donut into her mouth.

  “Well, if you’ve enjoyed our time together, I’d love to do it again.”

  She beamed at him, her eyes sparkling. “Yes, I most definitely have enjoyed our time together. Especially when I beat you in bowling.”

  James chuckled. “I think we’ll avoid bowling for awhile. Or maybe I should go on my own to practice.”

  “No! If you go, you have to take me too. I might even let you win.”

  The waitress came with the check for the meal, and James quickly took care of it, pausing only to note that the bill was far less than what he usually paid when he wined and dined a woman. In all, their whole evening had cost less than a meal at the upscale restaurants where he usually took his dates. And the bonus was that he had enjoyed this date so much more.

  Once he’d come to a stop in the driveway of Erin’s house, James got out to open her car door. He walked her to the door but didn’t go inside. Knowing that she needed to get herself ready for bed, he chose to say goodnight on the porch.

  She looked up at him, her breath coming in little white puffs in the cold night air. “I think you know how much I enjoyed tonight, but I just want to thank you for making the effort to do something out of the norm for you. As far as I’m concerned, you knocked it out of the park.”

  James felt a rush of pride at her words. He wanted to please her, to do things that put a smile on her face. “Hopefully I’ll do as well next time.”

  Erin reached out to take his hand. “There’s really no pressure, James. I know I said no fancy restaurants, but that’s only because I didn’t want you to feel like you had to impress me in that way. I loved sitting there tonight eating and talking with you. It was perfect.”

  As he gazed down at her, James wanted to kiss her, to share that intimacy together, but he knew it was too soon. Instead, he leaned down and brushed his lips against her cheek. “Thank you for spending this time with me. It means a lot to me.”

  Her hand tightened on his before she released it and gave him a quick hug. The bulk of their jackets kept it from being anything more than just a hug goodnight, but James cherished it nonetheless.

  He waited as she opened the front door then turned to say goodnight to him. After the door had closed behind her, James returned to his car and headed home, anxious to give Nana a call to tell her all about his time with Erin. Once he’d shared with her everything that had happened and his plan to take Erin out, Nana had wholeheartedly supported him. That meant more than he could say.

  Erin slowly guided the bakery van to a stop in front of the church. She had Joanna’s cake and all the cupcakes in the back. The cake was in pieces since that was the easiest way to transport it, and then she would assemble it once she got to the cake table. Thankfully, the temperatures had risen enough that it didn’t feel like they were living at the North Pole. It was still cold, but frostbite within a few minutes was no longer a risk.

  As she climbed out of the van, Erin glanced around to see if she could spot James’s car. She felt a shiver of excitement when she spied it in a nearby parking lot. It had been two days since they’d last seen each other, but they’d spoken on the phone a couple of times. And they’d made plans to go back out to the Callaghans’ place with the rest of the gang on New Year’s Day for more skating and fun.

  Erin was happy that James was willing to spend time with Forrest and Tennyson and the Callaghan and McFadden guys. She knew that they were all strong Christians and would be good friends for James if he’d give them that opportunity. It would be important for him to build friendships with men who could help him grow in his new spiritual walk.

  She did wonder how Van felt about the changes in his friend over the past little while. As she walked into the church, Erin made a mental note to ask James if Van would like to join them the next day. She knew that the Callaghans wouldn’t care if they brought along one more person.

  She headed for the room where James had told her he’d be helping his sister set up for the party later that evening. There was a flutter of nerves in her stomach at the thought of meeting his sister. Hopefully, she’d be as nice as James and Joanna.

  Erin frowned as a tense conversation greeted her when she approached the open door.

  “She’s been calling all day to find out where the party is,” a woman said.

  “But why?” The agitation was clear in James’s voice. “Why does she want to come? She hasn’t seen Nana in years. It makes no sense.”

  “When has she ever made sense, James? I swear she’s just doing this to upset everyone.”

  Erin peeked inside the room to see James standing
with his back to the door, a woman with dark hair standing next to him in front of a large table. James had his hands on his hips and even from across the room, Erin could see the tension in him.

  “This is exactly why I’ve avoided relationships. There is no reason for Mom to still be trying to get at Dad after all these years.” James glanced down at his sister. “Did I tell you that I asked Nana the other night if she thought Mom and Dad were in love when they got married?”

  “What did she say?” The woman bent over a box on the table. “I suppose I’ve always assumed it was just a bad marriage right from the start.”

  “According to Nana, it wasn’t.”

  The woman straightened and turned to look at James. “Seriously? They were in love once?”

  “I was surprised too. To be honest, that wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear.”

  “Why not?”

  “It was easier to think that it was just bad from the get go, you know? Hearing they were in love and then seeing where things ended up makes it difficult to have any faith in relationships.” James moved toward another box at the opposite end of the table. “I guess I wanted to believe that love was enough.”

  The woman laughed. “Don’t be so naïve, James. That’s not like you.”

  “No, it isn’t, is it.”

  Their voices faded as Erin stood frozen in the doorway trying to decide what to do. She wanted to walk away and never come back. It was like a crash back down to earth to realize that James still wasn’t totally sold on the idea of love and marriage. That wasn’t what he’d led her to believe, and because of that, she’d opened her heart to him. She’d taken the risk, and it appeared to have backfired.

  Spinning on her heel, Erin headed away from the door. The hurt in her heart didn’t quite drown out the voice in her head saying she should have known better. And on the edges of the hurt was anger. At herself. At James.

  “Erin.” James’s voice reached her just as she got to the front doors. “Wait. Please.”