I’ll call him in the morning and let him know I’ve decided not to take the job.
The doorbell rang then. He grinned. It must be Lois.
Lois smiled when Joe opened the door. He looked so nice, dressed in a tan shirt, dark brown blazer, and matching slacks. He’d worn a tie, too—a silly cartoon character standing on its head. “Happy birthday, Joe. You ready to go?” she said, reaching up and kissing him on the cheek.
Joe nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! I’ve been waiting all day for this.” He drew her into his arms and kissed her upturned mouth.
“Are you having your dessert first?” she asked, tipping her head to one side.
He nodded and gave her a playful wink. “Absolutely! I may have more dessert after dinner, though.”
Lois felt her cheeks grow warm. She hoped the rest of the evening went as well as these first few minutes.
“Where are we off to?” Joe asked as he followed Lois to her car. “Are we finally going to Snoqualmie Falls for that picnic?”
“Not tonight.” Lois opened the door on the passenger’s side and motioned for Joe to get in. “Don’t ask me any more questions. My lips are sealed.”
“You’re going to chauffeur me, aren’t you?”
“Yes, and you’d better get in before the rain turns us into a couple of drowned rats.”
“It seems like ages since we last saw each other,” Joe said as they started for the freeway. “I’ve missed you, Lois.”
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Ditto.”
“Anything new in your life since we last talked?”
“Nothing much. How’s your busy schedule? Anything exciting happening in the life of Slow-Joe the Clown?”
“I was offered a job last week,” he answered. “It pays really well, but I’m going to call the guy tomorrow and turn it down.”
“Why?”
“It’s a secular position that would take a lot of my time. I wouldn’t be able to do nearly as many gospel presentations.”
“I’m sure you’ve prayed about it,” Lois said.
“I have.” He reached for her hand. “Do you think I’m dumb for giving up the money?”
She shook her head. “Not at all.”
Joe squeezed her fingers. “I’m glad you feel that way.”
They drove in silence for a while, listening to the Christian radio station Lois had turned on. When they left the freeway, Lois headed across town to the north end. Soon she pulled up in front of a quaint three-story house with gray siding.
Joe gave her a strange look. “Where are we? This doesn’t look like a restaurant to me.”
She smiled and turned off the engine. “It’s not. This is where Tabby and Seth live.”
“He has his ventriloquist shop in the basement, right?”
Lois nodded. “Have you ever been here?”
“No, but Seth told me about it. He said the place used to belong to his grandparents.”
“Right again,” she said as she unbuckled her seat belt.
“So what are we doing here? Are Seth and Tabby joining us for dinner?”
“Yes, they are.” Lois turned in her seat to face Joe. “I hope you don’t mind.”
He shrugged and smiled. “Sure—whatever.”
“Let’s go inside and see if they’re ready.”
“Why don’t I wait here and you get them?”
Lois knew her surprise wouldn’t work if Joe didn’t go inside the house. “Their place is really neat. I’d like you to see it,” she insisted.
Joe was quiet.
“They have lots of antiques,” Lois added, “and Seth has an old ventriloquist dummy he’s dressed as a clown.”
Joe undid his seat belt and opened the car door. “Okay, you win. Let’s go inside.”
They walked up to the Beyers’ front porch, and Lois was about to turn the knob on the door. “Wait, Lois,” Joe said, reaching for her hand. “There aren’t any lights in the windows. Maybe they’re not home.”
“They’re probably at the back of the house.” Lois grasped the knob and opened the door. It was dark inside, and she grabbed Joe’s hand then led him along the hallway, feeling her way as she went.
“Are you sure they’re home?” Joe asked. “I don’t hear a sound.”
“Just hush and stay close to me.”
They stepped into the living room, and in the next moment the lights snapped on. “Surprise!” a chorus of voices shouted. “Happy birthday, Joe!”
At once Joe painted on a happy face and backed away from the exuberant people who had greeted him. This was a surprise party, and it didn’t take a genius to realize Lois was behind the whole thing. Besides Seth and Tabby, he recognized several other people with whom he’d done gospel presentations. His biggest surprise was seeing his brother. Joe didn’t know how it was possible, since none of his friends knew Brian. Other than Lois, he’d never mentioned him to his associates.
Joe leaned close to Lois and whispered, “How did my brother get here?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but Brian cut her off. “I’m here because she called around until she located the cab company I work for. I guess she thought you’d be happy to see me.”
Joe swallowed hard and forced his smile to remain in place. “Of course I’m glad to see you. I’m just surprised.” He gave Brian a quick hug then turned to face Lois. “I thought we were going out to dinner.”
Her face turned pink, and she squeezed his hand. “I wanted to do something different for your birthday.”
Seth stepped forward and grasped Joe’s shoulder. “You’re lucky to have someone as special as my wife’s sister looking out for you. Lois has worked hard planning this shindig in your honor.”
Joe felt like a heel. He should be grateful Lois cared so much about him. He couldn’t let her know how disappointed he was at not spending the evening alone with her. He reached over and hugged her. “Thanks for the surprise.”
“There’s more to come!” Lois said excitedly. “Besides the pizza, cake, and other goodies, I’ve planned a special program in your honor.”
Joe raised his eyebrows. “A program? Now that does sound interesting.”
Lois breathed a sigh of relief when she realized Joe seemed okay with her change of plans. She hoped he would enjoy the festivities, especially since he always seemed to be the life of the party. She led him across the room and pointed to the recliner. “You sit here and visit with your friends while I go change into my party clothes.”
He wrinkled his forehead. “I think you look fine in what you’re wearing.”
Lois glanced down at her beige slacks and rose-colored knit top. “I won’t be long, and I hope you won’t be disappointed.” She leaned over and gave him a light kiss on the cheek then hurried out of the room. Tabby was behind her, and they both giggled as they started up the stairs leading to the bedrooms.
“I can’t believe you’re going through with this,” Tabby said as she pulled Lois into her room.
Lois nodded soberly. “I hope I’m not making a mistake.”
Tabby shook her head. “I don’t think so. In fact, it might be just the thing that will bring Joe Richey to his knees.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Knees … marriage … proposal …”
Lois waved her hand. “Get real, Tabby. Joe and I have been dating only since August. We barely know each other.”
“But you’re a couple of lovesick puppies,” Tabby asserted. “I can see it all over your faces.”
Lois shrugged. “Let’s get my costume on and forget about love, shall we?”
A half hour later, the sisters emerged from the bedroom. Tabby went down the steps first, and Lois followed, wearing a nurse’s uniform and carrying a satchel full of props.
She stood in the hallway while Tabby stepped into the living room. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s my privilege to introduce our special guest tonight—the lovely nurse, Lois Johnson!”
Lois skipped into the room
. “Is there a patient in the house? Somebody please provide me with a sick patient!”
On cue, Seth jumped up from his seat and grabbed hold of Joe’s hand. “Here’s your patient, Nurse Lois, and he’s one sick fellow!”
Lois placed a chair in the middle of the room and asked Joe to sit down. Then she opened her satchel, drew out an oversized pair of fake glasses, and put them on. Next she removed a rubber chicken and threw it into the air. “Oops! No dead birds around here!” she exclaimed. “It’s my job to make people well.”
She pulled a can of peanuts out of the bag and grinned at Joe. “I hear you’ve been feeling under the weather lately.” Before he could respond, she tossed him the can. “Remove the lid, please.”
Joe lifted the top, and a paper snake sailed into the air, almost hitting him in the nose. He stared at Lois for a second then burst into gales of laughter.
Lois dipped her hand into the satchel again and retrieved an oversized toothbrush. “Open real wide,” she said, tipping Joe’s head back. He opened his mouth, and she pretended to brush his teeth while she blew on the end of the toothbrush. A stream of bubbles drifted toward the ceiling. Joe laughed so hard his face turned cherry red. He thought she was funny, and apparently so did everyone else, for they were all laughing, clapping, and shouting for more.
“Now, sick patient, I’d like you to lie on the floor,” Lois instructed. As Joe complied, she turned to face Tabby. “May I have the sheet, please?”
Tabby reached into a basket that was sitting on the floor and pulled out a white sheet. Lois threw the sheet over Joe, leaving only his head and feet exposed.
“I understand you’re having some trouble with your left arm these days,” Lois said, as she grabbed Joe’s arm and raised it a few inches off the floor. Suddenly Joe’s left leg came up, and everyone howled. She couldn’t believe it; Joe was playing along with her routine.
Lois pushed on his leg, and up came the right arm. She shoved that down, and Joe’s other arm shot up. They continued the game a few more minutes, until Lois announced, “I think this patient is well enough for some pizza. But before that I’d like to present him with a beautiful flower.”
Lois drew a fake flower from her bag. Joe sat up, and she handed it to him. “Take a whiff and tell me what you smell.”
Joe held the flower up to his nose and inhaled deeply. Lois squeezed the stem, and a stream of water shot out and hit Joe in the face. He yelped then jumped up and began chasing Lois around the room. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to catch a nurse!” he cried.
By the time Joe caught Lois, they were both laughing so hard tears were running down their cheeks. Lois had planned a few other things for her routine, but she knew she couldn’t go on with the rest of the show. She didn’t think she needed to anyway, since she had shown Joe what she’d learned about clowning and helped to make his birthday one to remember.
Joe couldn’t believe how much he was enjoying the party. Lois was very funny when she decided to let her hair down.
“I didn’t realize you’d learned so much about clowning during my short class,” Joe said to Lois. They were all sitting around the table eating chocolate cake and strawberry ice cream.
She gave him a sheepish grin. “I took another class last Saturday in Portland.”
“Ah-ha! I wondered where you were when I tried to call that afternoon.” Joe needled her in the ribs. “Now the two of us can team up and do all sorts of routines at church functions.”
“Speaking of church—have you found a church home in Seattle yet, Brian?” Seth asked, turning to Joe’s brother.
Brian scrunched up his nose. “I’m religious enough. I don’t need an hour of boring church every Sunday to make me a better person.”
“Since when did you get religious?” Joe asked his brother.
“It’s like this—when I drive my cab around the city, people pray a lot!”
“Yeah, I’m sure your passengers do pray,” Joe said, forcing a smile. “As I recall, you always had a lead foot.”
Brian frowned. “To be a cabby, you have to know how to move in and out of traffic.”
“If you want my opinion—”
“I respect your opinion,” Brian interrupted, “but I’d respect it even more if you kept it to yourself.”
Joe opened his mouth to offer a comeback, but he felt Lois’s hand touch his under the table. He wondered if she was trying to signal him to change the subject, so he squeezed her fingers in response. “This cake is delicious. Did you make it, Lois?”
She shook her head. “Tabby did the honors. I was too busy trying to come up with some kind of goofy clown skit.”
“That nurse routine you did was pretty impressive,” Seth interjected. “You and Joe work well together.”
Joe draped his arm across Lois’s shoulder and whispered in her ear, “We do, don’t we?”
Chapter 19
Over the next few weeks Joe and Lois saw each other often. They visited Snoqualmie Falls and had a picnic in Joe’s truck, drove up to Mount Rainier for a day of skiing, and got together at Lois’s place to practice some joint clowning routines. On the night of Joe’s birthday, he’d convinced Lois she had talent and suggested she use it to help him evangelize. Lois thought that after more practice she might be able to do some kind of routine with him.
She was still concerned about his inability to be serious, as well as his refusal to talk about his brother or other family members. She had noticed the way Joe and Brian related at the party and knew a problem existed between them. She kept hoping and praying he would open up to her as they drew closer to one another, but so far he’d remained the jokester. Her own clowning around didn’t deter him, either. If anything, Joe seemed to be even goofier. She worried that he might have something to hide, some family skeletons buried beneath his lighthearted exterior. She was concerned that those things, whatever they were, might put a wedge between them, either now or in the future.
Today was Thanksgiving, and Lois had invited Joe, Brian, Seth, and Tabby for dinner. Her sister had volunteered to bring the pies, but Lois insisted on doing the rest. She was eager for Joe to sample her cooking, and she hoped Brian’s presence would help him relax and talk about his family.
By one o’clock, the turkey was almost cooked. Lois boiled the potatoes then finished setting the table in her small dining room with her best china. The guests would be here any minute, and she was looking forward to the day ahead.
Seth and Tabby arrived first, bringing two pumpkin pies and one apple, along with a carton of whipping cream. “It looks like you’ve outdone yourself,” Tabby said as she studied the table.
Lois smiled and took one of the pies from her sister. “It’s my first attempt at holiday entertaining, and I wanted everything to be perfect.”
Seth whistled. “If the smell of that bird is any indication of what dinner’s going to taste like, then I’d say everything will be more than perfect.”
Lois winked at her brother-in-law and motioned toward the couch. “Have a seat, and when Joe and his brother arrive you can keep them entertained.” She nodded at Tabby. “The two of us have some work to do in the other room.”
Tabby set her pies on the countertop and grabbed one of Lois’s aprons from a drawer. “What would you like me to do first?”
“How about mashing the potatoes while I make some gravy?”
“I think I can manage that.”
Lois noticed that Tabby’s stomach was protruding slightly, and a pang of jealousy stabbed her heart. What if she never married or had any children? Could she learn to be content with being an aunt? I don’t need to think about this now, she chided herself. There’s too much to do. She focused her thoughts on stirring the gravy.
By the time Lois and Tabby were ready to serve dinner, Joe and Brian arrived. They hadn’t come together, but Lois figured that was because Joe had been driving from Olympia and his brother from Seattle, which was in the opposite direction.
Joe gre
eted Lois with a kiss on the cheek, and soon everyone was seated at the table. Lois asked Seth to say the blessing then excused herself to bring in the turkey. Moments later she placed the platter in front of Joe amidst everyone’s oohs and ahhs and asked if he would carve the bird.
“You picked the right guy for the job,” he said with a grin. “When Brian and I were growing up, carving the bird was always my responsibility.”
“Did your dad teach you how?” Tabby inquired.
“He was killed in an accident involving the tour bus Dad drove. Joe and I were both kids,” Brian answered before his brother could open his mouth. “I hardly remember our father.”
“My folks died when I was pretty young, too,” Seth said. “Grandma and Grandpa Beyers raised me after Mom and Dad were killed. Then later, when they decided to move to a retirement center, they gave me their home.”
“After Dad’s death, our mother raised us.” Brian frowned. “At least that’s what she thought she was doing.”
Lois’s interest was piqued. What did Brian mean by saying his mother thought she was raising them? She turned to him. “It must have been hard for your mother to raise two boys without a father. I’m sure she did the best she could.”
Brian snorted and reached for a biscuit from the basket in the center of the table. “If Mom had done the best she could, she would have admitted she was sick and taken the medicine the doctor prescribed. Now she’s dead, and we’re left with only each other and a lot of bad memories.”
Time to Laugh Romance Collection Page 26