by JoAnn Durgin
“No fair saying something like that and then leaving us dangling.” Gayle pushed a strand of her shoulder-length, dark red hair away from her face with the back of her glove-covered hand. “Let me guess. You’re pregnant? I think it’s in the water with this group.”
Marta lifted the bunch of the carrots on the counter beside Cassie. “Speaking of dangling.”
“No, no, that’s not it. Mitch and I hope to have a baby in another year or two, but I’d like to get some of my schooling out of the way first.” After digging around in a utensil drawer, Cassie pulled out a vegetable peeler and went to work with a vengeance. Watching her, Marta marveled how this was the girl Winnie and Lexa used to keep out of the kitchen. Now it seemed she’d inherited that unspoken title.
“Seriously, Marta, I hope you’ll make it your personal mission here in New Mexico to find out more about Eliot,” Gayle said. “I’d hate to see you two waste this opportunity by playing your cat-and-mouse games.”
Marta squelched her frown. “That’s not what it is, but I’m not sure what to call it.” The mere mention of Eliot’s name made her pulse thrum in double time. “It will be nice to get to know him better on this mission. If only he’ll let me close enough to do that. That might be the difficult part.”
“We’re all rooting and praying for you,” Cassie said. “The few times I’ve seen you and Eliot together, I’ve noticed something between you that’s very special.”
“When you danced together at the TeamWork banquet, I could have sworn someone shot fireworks above your heads.” Gayle smiled. “Not that you would have noticed. You and Eliot were totally lost in each other.”
“Then after that one dance together, Eliot disappeared from the ballroom and out of our lives for months. As usual. Like the male version of Cinderella. He shows up to charm the girl and then poof! He’s gone.” Marta smirked. “And again with the fairy tales!”
Cassie set a bowl of finely shredded carrots between them on the preparation table. “Based on what I’ve seen, one of Eliot’s best qualities is his loyalty. I’m sure he had to do some finagling to get time off for this mission. One of these days, he’ll reevaluate his priorities, and I’m confident you’ll play a large part in that process.”
Cassie’s words gave her hope, but how much could she cling to the observations of others, close friends or not? Marta stared at the bowl of carrots. “You’re already done? Look out, world. Cassie Jacobsen is a maniac with a vegetable peeler.”
“Amazing what you can learn once you spend some time in the kitchen. Divide the carrots and stir them into the meatloaf please. It’s one of Lexa’s secret ingredients. It’s on the recipe card,” Cassie insisted when Marta raised a brow. “She says it’s the best way to get the kids to eat their veggies.”
“Lexa would know.” Gayle’s green-eyed gaze met Marta’s before she focused on adding the carrots to the first batch of meatloaf. “Promise me you’ll allow this attraction with Eliot to play out, girlfriend. That’s the only way to see if a relationship can work out long-term. You owe it to yourself.”
“And we’re back at that again, are we? Nice to have my life mapped out for me.”
Cassie laughed. “Marta, I seem to remember you teasing me about Mitch when I first met him.”
“Yes, well,” Marta said, “it was Valentine’s Day weekend, and you two were the cutest couple in the history of the planet. And would you look at how well all that worked out?”
“And now it’s your turn.” After making that observation, Gayle avoided her gaze.
Marta added carrots to the second and third bowls of meatloaf mixture. As she worked, she spied the men as they walked past the dining hall windows. As if she had some kind of homing device, her gaze settled directly on Eliot where he walked between Dean and Mitch. “Do you know where they’re headed now?”
“Sam’s taking them over to the worksite.” Cassie carried a bowl of green beans from a side table over to the sink.
“Are they going to start working this afternoon?” Gayle said, handing Marta the measuring spoons when she asked for them.
Cassie shook her head. “There’s not enough time. Sam wants to show them around the worksite and introduce them to Pastor Chevy and some of the men from the One Nation Church.”
“Pastor Chevy?” Marta said. “Is that—”
“That’s his nickname,” Gayle said. “Cheveyo is his true name. It’s Hopi and translated means Spirit Warrior. His wife is Galilah, and she goes by Lila. Winnie said that name is Cherokee, and the name means attractive. The members of the One Nation Church come from a number of tribes although more from the Navajo tribe.”
“Hi ladies.” Rebekah Moore opened the screen door and joined them at the table. The tallest of the TeamWork women, she wore shorts and a TeamWork T-shirt. Marta thought she looked a little pale. Beck’s long blonde hair was loosely piled on top of her head, and small beads of perspiration dotted her forehead.
“Hey, Beck!” Marta’s greeting was echoed by Gayle and Cassie.
“Sorry I’m late to help. I was feeling a bit light-headed after lunch and Kevin insisted that I take a short nap.”
“That man’s a keeper,” Marta said. “Are you feeling better now?” She exchanged a glance with Cassie. Goodness. Why did they automatically jump to the conclusion that Beck might be pregnant? Could be because they all knew Beck, and especially Kevin, couldn’t wait to become parents.
“A little, thanks.” Rebekah’s smile didn’t quite reach her green eyes. “What can I do to help?”
“You can finish preparing and seasoning the green beans. I’ll bring them to you in just a minute.” Cassie glanced at the ancient but functioning clock on the wall. “We’ll plan on putting the meatloaf in the ovens an hour from now. Then the side dishes will go in half an hour later. This kitchen is old, but at least it has multiple ovens and all the appliances work well.”
Marta spied a tall, wooden stool in the corner of the large kitchen. Hauling it across the cement floor to the preparation table, she caught Rebekah’s wince at the scraping noise. “Sorry about that.” Marta patted the seat. “Here you go. Sit while you work. It’ll be more comfortable.”
“Thanks, Marta. Has Eliot arrived yet?”
She and Eliot must be a bigger topic of discussion than she’d realized. “Yes, he’s here. We’ll be announcing our engagement by the end of the mission. I’m teasing,” Marta added quickly after Rebekah gave her a wide-eyed look. Sweet as she was, Beck could sometimes be a wee bit gullible.
“We’ve already discussed Mr. Marchand and encouraged our friend here to go for it,” Gayle told Rebekah with a pointed glance in Marta’s direction. “Now that they’re both in the same place for the next two weeks.”
“Kevin and I think the world of you and Eliot,” Beck said. “If it’s in the Lord’s will, it’ll work out.”
Marta sighed. “That’s the voice of reason speaking right there. Marta Marchand sounds too weird, though, don’t you think?” What am I saying? How silly. She wished she could retract. She might as well climb onto the roof of the dining hall and proclaim to the world that she was falling in love with Eliot. If she wasn’t already there.
“Speaking as the woman who went from a long last name ending with s-o-n to one with s-e-n, it doesn’t matter,” Cassie said with a bright smile. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Rebekah gave Marta a wan smile. “Maybe you should practice writing the name in your journal. I think Marta Marchand has a nice ring to it. It’s catchy.”
Marta frowned. “Yes, Mrs. Moore. Maybe I should write it on the chalkboard a hundred times for good measure.”
“Marmar could be your couple name. You know, combining your two names like the celebrities do. Or how about Mariot?” Gayle laughed. “Either of those strike your fancy?”
Marta cleared her throat but the corners of her mouth quirked. “We’re not in middle school here, ladies. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that none of the guys are around to hea
r this conversation. Next topic, please.”
“Fine, but you’re the one who brought up the name game.” Gayle shrugged and crossed her eyes when Marta shot her a look.
As she worked, Marta thought about the group of TeamWork volunteers on this mission. Business owners, teachers, caterers, and a publisher, editor, and social worker among them. One of the things Marta most loved about this diverse group was that, as successful and cosmopolitan as some of them were, they were all solid in their faith, humble, and they donated their time, efforts, and financial blessings to TeamWork and other Christian ministries around the globe.
At times, she felt like a peon in the midst of all their success. To be fair, none of her friends had ever made her feel that way, so perhaps it was her own insecurities surfacing. They were all growing up while she remained stagnant, and that wasn’t a place where she wanted to live. Earlier in the day, Cassie had casually mentioned going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. Gayle painted world-class portraits of the wealthy and famous. Marta’s discontent was caused by something she couldn’t define. She loved working for Doyle-Clarke Catering, she adored her church, and her friends. Still, something was missing.
You have your faith and your best friends in the world are here with you now. What more do you need?
As the other ladies worked and talked around her, Marta allowed her thoughts to wander to Eliot once more. Slowly releasing a deep sigh, she forced herself to focus on her task. If she didn’t watch it, she might add a secret ingredient even she couldn’t remember. That wouldn’t be good for any of them.
Chapter 6
~~♥~~
Angelina was more than aware of Felipe as he chatted up everyone as they all found seats in the dining hall. Who did he think he was, coming into this group like he owned the place, especially for their first dinner together? The guy could schmooze and charm everyone, even the adults. Probably trying to get in their good graces so he could hit them up for money or favors later on. She’d seen his type before and she didn’t like it, didn’t trust it. Didn’t trust him.
Do not judge so that you will not be judged. Funny how the Lord gave her a verse when she needed it although she couldn’t always remember the exact reference. Somewhere in the Book of Matthew sounded about right for that one.
I get your point, Lord. She had no right to judge Felipe. Even though he could be annoying, he also fascinated her. Felipe looked and sometimes acted older than most of the boys she knew from school but then he’d open his mouth or do something dumb to completely dispel that idea.
Angelina watched through veiled eyes as Felipe crouched and did the old pull a quarter from my ear trick with Gracie Thompson and Chloe Grant. They both laughed and stared at him with adoring eyes. So he was good with kids. Big deal.
“Miss me?” Felipe plopped down next to her a minute later. Her lack of response didn’t diminish his enthusiasm. Picking up his fork and knife, he started drumming on the tabletop.
“Nope.” Angelina put her fingers over his hand, stopping his actions. “Do you have ADHD?”
“If I do, I don’t know it. Just a regular guy doing what guys do.” He continued his drumming.
Angelina quirked a brow. “That’s not what I heard.”
He laid his utensils on the tabletop. “Okay, you can’t say something like that and not explain. Speak to me.” Felipe was cute. Handsome, really, with his thick dark hair and intense eyes. She couldn’t let on how she felt about him, though, or he’d puff up with pride and act all arrogant and full of himself. Still, there was something about him that she liked more than she should.
She had to be careful with Felipe since Mama was already suspicious of him because of their trip. Even now, Mama darted frequent glances in their direction. Angelina knew Mama trusted her. She’d never done anything wrong. Some kids called her boring, a goody two shoes. Not that being obedient all the time was fun, but it was safe.
Ask him. “Felipe, did you steal a car? Because I heard Dean tell my mom that you did.”
“Technically? Yes. But it’s not like it sounds.” Felipe frowned. “I’ll tell you if you promise to hear me out and not interrupt me until I’m done. Deal?”
She held up one hand. “I promise.”
Felipe leaned closer. “Here’s the thing. I was hanging out in my neighborhood one night, and a couple of the guys decided to borrow a car. Not steal it, exactly, but just borrow it and have some fun, you know? So, there was this expensive sports car parked on the street. I mean the kind we never see that cost more than most houses. Red, shiny, and a woman magnet. Anyway, the guy who owned the car is dating this totally hot chick down the street. She’s—”
“Spare me the details. Please.” Angelina rolled her eyes.
“You interrupted, bad girl.” He gave her a wink. “The plan was that we’d spin around the city a few times in the car. I swear to you, we were gonna return it. The dude left the engine idling while he went to the front door. Then…”
Angelina couldn’t help it. She groaned. “Don’t even tell me.”
“You asked, but fine. I won’t tell you.” Picking up his fork, Felipe resumed the drumming.
“Did you get thrown in jail or what?”
“Not gonna tell you.” He drummed with more enthusiasm than before. He was actually pretty good and drew curious stares from some of the others at neighboring tables.
“Don’t be a jerk, Felipe.”
“I’m not being a jerk,” he said. “You broke your promise.”
He had her there. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Forgive me?” Batting her eyelashes, Angelina gave him her best smile.
Felipe stopped drumming. “Okay, Angel, since you’re being nice to me now.”
Boys could be such pushovers, but why did he have to call her that? Her daddy was the only man who’d ever called her Angel. Then Sam started calling her Angel, but she was okay with it since Sam was a father figure. Hearing the nickname from Felipe was bittersweet. Slowly turning her head, making him wait, Angelina finally lifted her gaze to his.
“Okay, the thing is”—Felipe heaved a sigh—“I was given a choice by a judge. I could come to this camp with Dean and work off my sentence, or I could go to juvenile detention. I figured coming here would be a whole lot more fun than sitting in that he—”
“I get your point.” She didn’t like bad language and wasn’t about to let him to start spouting it around these people. If he did, they’d heap love on Felipe and figure out a way to show him that spewing foul words wasn’t in his best interest. She had to give the TeamWork volunteers credit for creativity. “So, you’ve been in detention before?”
He didn’t answer.
“I guess that’s my answer.” Realizing she’d slumped a bit, Angelina sat up straighter on the bench. “The way I see it, if you were in the car, you were guilty of stealing it.”
“Don’t tell me you’re one of those people who sees everything in black and white with no gray areas.” Felipe frowned. “Look, Angel. It’s not like I’m gonna be running around stealing stuff and causing trouble. I gave the judge my word. I keep my word.”
“That was nice of the judge to give you a choice. And it shows maturity that you came here. Don’t think you got off easy, though. You’re going to work hard while you’re here. Trust me.”
“Yeah, thanks for the reminder. Slave labor.” His grin stretched across his face. “Having you here will make it a whole lot more interesting. As long as you don’t get all judgmental on me, we could have some fun, you and me.”
Felipe’s sentiment made Angelina frown. “Don’t get any big ideas.”
“Hey, ideas are good. I’ve never met a girl like you before.”
“What do you mean?” Maybe that was a leading question. Angelina returned a wave from Gracie Thompson. With her dark hair and big blue eyes, the little girl was very pretty. From what Chloe told her, Gracie could also be a troublemaker. Angelina stifled a giggle when Gracie glanced arou
nd the room and then punched Joe Lewis in the arm. Not hard, but enough to get his attention. It worked.
“Meet me later after the Bible time and I’ll tell you.”
Angelina’s breath caught. Meet him after devotions? Why? She had a feeling he meant without anyone else around. That wouldn’t be the smartest idea. Then why did it make her warm all over thinking about it? She avoided Felipe’s gaze and focused again on Joe. He’d moved away from Gracie and sat by his little sisters. Smart kid.
Sam rose to his feet and thanked everyone for joining their special mission in New Mexico. Angelina tried to focus as their TeamWork leader told them he hoped they were settled in their quarters and how he was looking forward to what the Lord would do in the next two weeks. Feeling a sudden, inexplicable chill, Angelina ran her hands up and down her bare arms.
“You okay?” Felipe’s dark eyes rested on her, making her squirm. For a second there, she thought she detected genuine concern.
She lowered her gaze. “Like you really care.” Although she’d mumbled that last part, she knew Felipe heard.
“You might be surprised. It’s not all about me, you know. I can be a good listener if you need one. You just have to be willing to give me a chance. Want me to run to the dorm and get my jacket?”
He’d really do that? That was a very sweet offer. If she said yes, he’d probably do it, too. Not that she would test him. The fact that she’d been allowed to sit next to Felipe at one end of the long table, more to themselves, was unbelievable. Angelina thought they’d be stuck with the little kids, but the children sat beside their parents, at least for tonight. Glancing at Lexa, Angelina suspected she might have something to do with her and Felipe being allowed to sit together. She must have talked to Mama and convinced her Felipe wouldn’t try any moves on her at the dinner table. As if reading her mind, Lexa glanced her way and winked.
Angelina startled when Felipe nudged her knee beneath the table. Sam was in the middle of a sentence. “…we’re thankful Dean brought Felipe to join us for this project. I hope you’ll all take the time to get to know him better while we’re here.”