As George walked away, she tilted her head and stared at the boards. How did she process this after John had been so hostile the other day?
God, did I miss you? Are we supposed to be doing this?
About one o’clock, Sharee watched the youth group head for their cars. She waved goodbye to some them. Their laughter and hard work had helped in a big way today, but she couldn’t blame them for leaving. Her stomach had growled for something to eat, too, something hot and nourishing. Other volunteers began to leave, and she debated about leaving with them. But she needed to finish the boards John had redrawn. A little longer wouldn’t hurt.
She tracked down George and asked for more paint. If he felt surprise that her requests came to him today, he masked it well.
A while later, she pulled the band from her hair and shook it loose, relishing the feel of it covering her cool neck. Tilting her head, she studied the last board.
Not a bad job, Sharee. You whipped through that and did it well.
Gathering the paints and brushes, she took them to the storage shed to put away. Only George, she and John were left. She’d better leave soon.
She exited the storage shed and sent George a surprise wave as he drove past. The man was leaving already? She wanted to clarify a request she made earlier. The muscles across her shoulders tightened. Could it wait until next week?
She glanced around. John was at his truck, putting tools into the toolbox in the bed. Working up her courage, Sharee approached him, meeting his frown with a lift of her chin.
“I wanted to thank you for all your work on Herod’s Court. The first one and this second one. You have a lot of talent, and…well, I’m sorry about my rudeness the other day.”
His eyes opened a little, and he gave a quick, sharp nod.
“I wanted to talk with you about something else, though.”
He crossed his arms and leaned against the truck, his wary look causing her stomach to clench.
“You were talking with George about the new lighting I requested earlier. I think he misunderstood what I said.”
“What did he misunderstand?”
“My request about the star. The one made from strings of lights. I’m not expecting you to build anything new. I know there’s enough to build already. I just wanted lights strung from one post to another to form a six-pointed star.”
“We can do that.”
“Parallel to the ground.”
“Parallel to the ground?”
“Yes, not a vertical star, but a horizontal one. Eight feet off the ground and parallel to it.”
He straightened. “Horizontal?”
“Yes. If we can put some poles in the ground at each point of the star, we can string the lights from pole to pole. Eight feet high. Parallel to the ground.” When he said nothing, she bit her lip. “I…I don’t think it’s hard to understand.”
He gave her a cold stare. “And yet George misunderstood you.”
She blew out a breath. Anger at his attitude this past week simmered inside, but the hurt rested below that. A hard ball formed in her stomach. His irritability, the cold day and her hunger began to mix as if in a cement truck. Did she really want to put up with this?
“Look, just forget it. I’ll talk with George later.” She turned away.
He caught her arm. “Don’t go storming off. I just need to get my head around this.”
She yanked her arm free. “I don’t care whether you get your head around it or not. I’m tired of this. Of whatever you’ve got your back up about.”
A line formed between his brows. “If you’ll tell me—”
“No. I’m not telling you anything. I don’t need the hassle.” She whirled away from him, and her foot twisted under her. The next moment, she landed hard on the asphalt. Her head slammed back against the truck, and pain shot through her skull.
“Hey!” John's voice echoed through the pain. “Are you okay?”
She closed her eyes and put a hand to the back of her head.
“Sharee?”
Moisture formed behind her eyes. She heard him move and felt his nearness as he squatted beside her. His hand on her arm shook her this time. Please get me out of here, Lord.
“Are you okay?” His voice had deepened.
“I’m fine.” She rushed the words and opened her eyes. His were inches away. She squeezed hers closed again, her heart slamming hard against her chest.
His hands tightened, and he lifted her to her feet, steadying her for a moment before releasing her. She shivered but didn’t know if it was from his closeness or her fall. His head tilted as if to catch her look, but she stared past him. The view of the tall pine and its gilded needles met her.
“Sharee?”
“I’m fine.”
He said nothing for a moment then stepped away. “All right. Finish what you were saying then. You want a six-pointed star made only with lights, eight feet above the ground and…parallel to it?”
She swallowed and forced her concentration to his question. “Yes. I didn’t think it would be much trouble, but perhaps it is.”
“No, we can do it, but…” His voice changed. “Do you want the planes flying over to see it or what?”
Her eyes met his finally and saw the amusement. She stiffened. “If we turn on the lights at the end—while everyone is singing—it will add an accent to the finale and look great from the bleachers. You just need some imagination.”
“I need some imagination?”
She pulled herself to her full five-foot-two height. “Yes.”
A quirk edged the corner of his mouth. “Okay. If that’s what you want.” He rubbed a thumb over the stubble on his chin. “We need to make a trip to Home Depot.”
“We?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Flat. Short.
One brow lifted. “Well, it’s your idea, and I’m the one with no imagination. Obviously, I need your help.”
“No.”
“Yes.” His eyes held that familiar backlight.
She shook her head then winced.
“Do you want this finished on time or not?”
“I said…”
“I heard what you said. We’ve had too many mistakes already. If you want to finish this on time, we don’t need any more.” He walked around to the driver’s side of his truck. “Come on. I won’t bite you.”
She stared at him. “I am not…”
“Finish on time or not? It’s up to you.”
She hesitated, threw a look at the sky and walked to the door.
He climbed into his side, and she climbed into the other, slamming the door. She locked it, latched the seat belt, and moved as far away from him as possible. He eased out of the parking space, and as she shifted back against the seat, she caught his grin.
The man was a bully, arrogant, and egotistical. She stared straight ahead. Why had she ever thought him attractive? And why let herself be bullied into coming with him?
He pulled onto the roadway. “How’s your head?”
“Fine.”
He slid a glance her way. “Your standard answer. Okay. How are things at Downtown Ministries?”
“Fine.” The word came as short and clipped as the first before she could stop it. He grinned once more, and she huffed and crossed her arms. After a minute, though, she dropped her head. Somewhere inside, God’s Spirit was nudging her. Be better, rise higher than the circumstances. She’d let hurt drive her actions and words.
Before he asked another question, she cleared her throat. “This week we’ve seen a number of families. Usually, we see a lot of single men, but this year, more families.”
“And that adds new problems, right?”
“Yes. It’s harder finding a place for families, because of the restrictions for children. And, of course, they need more space…” Her voice trailed off.
On the shoulder of the highway, a woman and a yo
ung child walked. Neither had a coat. The woman wore flip-flops, the boy a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Sharee bit her lip. They have to be cold.
When the truck drew alongside, she inspected the two. The boy looked about three, the girl in her late teens. They looked like many of those coming into Downtown Ministries these days.
“John, could you pull over?”
“What?”
“Pull over. Please. Now.”
He pulled to the side, onto the shoulder and out of traffic, giving her a quizzical look. Sharee fumbled in her purse, grabbed a bus pass she kept for such times and yanked free a twenty-dollar bill. She jumped from the truck, and ran back down the shoulder of the road, then slowed to a walk.
“Hey,” Sharee said.
The girl stopped, reached down and pulled the boy next to her.
Sharee smiled. “I wondered if you might need a ride.”
The girl wiped a hand down the side of her dirty jeans. “No, we’re fine.”
“I work at Downtown Ministries. Do you know it?”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”
“Good.” Sharee hesitated. She didn’t want to offend the girl. “You know we try to help people if they’re homeless or need food or clothing.”
“I know. I gotta place to live.”
“That’s good.” Sharee smiled and looked down at the toddler. His summer clothes caused her to shudder.
“Hi,” she said to the boy. “My name is Sharee. What’s yours?” The boy edged closer to his mother.
Sharee smiled again and looked at the girl. “I just thought you might need a ride somewhere.”
“We’re just going to get some food. Up the road.”
“To the grocery store at the strip mall?”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll give you a lift.”
“No, we’re fine.”
Fine. She was having her own words echoed back at her. So that’s what it felt like. She glanced at the boy. “It’s a long walk for…your son? What’s his name?”
“Michael.”
“I’m Sharee.” The girl nodded. Sharee touched her arm. “We can drop you off. We’re going that way. It’s pretty cold out here.” Even the mother’s clothing—a sweatshirt over t-shirt and jeans—would be losing their warmth to the approaching evening.
The girl hesitated then nodded. “Well. Okay. Thank you.”
Sharee handed her the money and the bus tokens. “Here. Please. Take these. Get something extra for Michael.”
“Okay.” The girl stuffed the money and tokens into her pocket without looking at it.
“What’s your name?”
“Kaitlan. Thank you.”
The three of them walked to the truck. A minute later, Sharee looked in the passenger window, eyeing John with uncertainty and praying under her breath. His truck had a bench seat, no console. Kaitlan and Michael would have plenty of room.
“John, this woman is walking to the grocery store.” She pointed the way they were headed. “Do you think… would you mind…”
“Do they need a lift?” he asked.
She smiled with relief. “Yes.”
“Well, they can climb up here with you.”
Sharee opened the door, hesitated a minute, and then helped the girl and her son into the cab. “I’ll get in the back.” John started to say something, but she closed the door and walked to the back.
Big truck. She’d had trouble just climbing in the front seat. Now she reached up, scrambled onto the bumper and hauled herself into the bed. Glancing around, she scooted over next to the toolbox near the cab.
Through the back window, John glanced her way and shook his head. He pulled onto the roadway again. The wind caught her hair and whipped the shoulder-length curls about her face. She wrapped her arms against the chill and huddled lower.
Cold had stiffened her limbs by the time they arrived at the strip mall, and Sharee had to force herself to a standing position. She grimaced, reached a hand to the side of the truck and jumped down. Straightening, she ran her fingers through her hair and walked to the front.
John’s voice drifted from the cab. “You’re sure you have a way home? We’ll be coming back this way.”
“Yes, we’ll take the bus. Thank you.” The girl pushed the door open and stepped down. She drew the boy from the seat. “We’re fine.” Her gaze met Sharee’s. “Thank you. For the ride and the other stuff. Weren’t you cold back there?”
“A mite,” Sharee massaged her arms. Her flannel shirt covering a tee was no better against the cold than the girl’s clothing. “Can you get home?”
“I just told…John…that we’d catch the bus.”
“Okay. Take good care of Michael.”
“I will. I always do.” Taking the boy’s hand, she drew him toward the store.
Sharee climbed in, shivering, running her fingers through her curls again.
“Cold enough back there for you?” John headed for the highway.
Sharee glanced his way. His tone sounded somewhere between exasperation and amusement. She couldn’t tell which, but she was freezing. She rubbed her shoulders.
“You never wear enough clothes.” A second later, in a different tone, he added, “For the weather.”
She folded her arms across her chest. He made his little comments but made no move to turn on the heat. She tried to keep her voice level, knowing, as the words came, that she’d been unsuccessful. “Do you… think… you could turn on the heat?”
His teeth flashed, and he reached for the switch. “I know you’ve brought people to church for help before, but do you do this kind of thing often?”
“What kind of thing?” she asked. She huddled against the seat, soaking in the warmth that radiated from the heater.
“Pick up hitchhikers.”
“They weren’t hitchhiking.”
“Technically, no. I meant, do you pick up people often?”
“Sometimes.” She couldn’t keep the antagonism from her voice. Just because he’d given Kaitlan and Michael a lift didn’t mean she’d forgotten his week of hostility.
He didn’t respond at once. A mile later, though, his head turned her way. “You know, I promised I wouldn’t bite you; but, if you’re going to be so sarcastic, there are other things...”
She straightened a little in her seat, inspecting him and feeling a smidgen of remorse. “Look, thank you for giving them a ride. It’s cold out, and the boy looked so little, and it’s late. I knew they must need some help.”
“I was glad to do it.” He swerved off the road into a McDonald’s and headed for the drive-thru. “What would you like besides hot coffee?”
“What?” She gawked at him for a moment. “I… uh… coffee will be fine.”
“Cheeseburger, chicken, or salad with that?”
“No, I—”
“Come on. I’m starved. We’ve been working all day and neither of us stopped for lunch.” He waited. When she said nothing, he added, “Unless you want me to take you to someplace more upscale?”
“Some place more…what?” And then when his words sank in, she felt a flush in her cheeks and saw the light in his eyes. She gritted her teeth.
“I’m teasing you,” he said. “Please order something.” The box squawked at him. “Just a minute.” He turned back to her. “I liked what you did for Kaitlan and Michael, but you were foolish to sit in the back. It’s freezing. The cab had plenty of room. If you didn’t want to sit next to me for some reason, you could have put Michael and Kaitlan between us.” When Sharee just stared at him, he said, “I’m going to order for you. Do you want a burger or chicken?”
“Cheeseburger.”
He ordered three and fries, two salads, coffee, and water, and eased forward to the pay window. She sat in silence and chewed her lip. When they handed him the order, he gave her the bags, set the drinks in the cup holders, and pulled into a parking spot.
“Fix your coffee. I d
on’t like to drive while someone’s doing that.”
She set the bags between them and began to fix her coffee. No wonder he’s so good at organizing things. He likes giving orders.
She tasted the coffee and sighed. The warmth from the heater eased the cold in her frozen extremities, and the coffee warmed her insides.
She relaxed against the seat. “I think I would have survived sitting next to you for a short ride. But it really didn’t enter my mind. I just assumed there wouldn’t be room in the cab, so I got in the back.”
She took another sip from her cup, and he reached into the bag and drew out a burger. He didn’t open the paper, though, but studied her until she glanced his way.
Something in his expression made her straighten. “What?”
“I need to apologize for this past week.” His gaze held hers. “My attitude and my behavior were deplorable. I took a personal problem out on you. I apologize for that.”
She held the coffee in both hands and stared down at it. Where had that come from? She nodded, not sure what to say, not trusting her voice.
“So, was that the only reason you were avoiding me?”
She lifted her head. “What?”
You were avoiding me, using George as your go-between.”
“You were avoiding me!” The words popped from her mouth.
“All right.” The amusement returned. “Don’t throw your coffee at me. Just drink it.”
She frowned, lowered her head and took a sip. Its warmth bathed her throat. She held her face over it and sipped and breathed in the comforting aroma.
He held out a cheeseburger, and after a moment’s hesitation, she took it. His guess about that scored a bullseye, anyway. Hunger chewed at her insides. She kept her concentration on the burger. Without saying anything more, he passed her one of the salads and reached for the other burger. When he offered her the fries, she shook her head. He ate all of them, finished the other salad and drank the water.
“Warmer?” He questioned a little later.
“Yes.” Short and curt.
His mouth lifted. Sharee twisted and studied the McDonald’s sign.
“I meant what I said before. I apologize for the past week.”
The seriousness in his tone surprised her. She ducked her head, sipped from the cup again, and thought how her father always said it took a big man to apologize.
Amber Alert: Christian Contemporary Romance with Suspense (Dangerous Series Book 1) Page 8