“What about you and Jared? I think I see a parallel. And you can’t say one word about it, because in my opinion, you’re doing worse. Much worse.”
She had a point. I knew Stan was wrong for her, and she felt the same about Jared. I sighed. “Who knows if I can talk Stan into anything right now. We’re not exactly on the best terms.”
Andie leaped off my bed. “I’ve got it. Invite him to the ice-cream social. Tell him you want to introduce him to all the kids at your church. When it comes to tables, make sure Stan sits across from you and Danny. Then leave the rest to me. Okay?”
No way would Stan attend a social with my church group.
Andie smiled up into my face. “You don’t want to be stuck with Danny all year, now, do you?”
I pulled on my braid. It wouldn’t be easy getting Stan to show up on Saturday, but in order to get Andie’s help with observing Jared, I had to. “Okay, it’s a deal,” I said. “Here, let’s sign a secret pact.” I reached for my journal, found today’s entry, and neatly printed the plan.
At the bottom of the page, Andie scribbled her name and the date. I wrote my name in my best cursive, under hers.
It was done. We had a pact.
THE TROUBLE WITH WEDDINGS
Chapter 9
The minute Andie disappeared, I phoned Stan. “Patterson Consulting.” It was Uncle Jack.
“Hi, it’s Holly. Is Stan home?”
“Hi, kiddo. Let’s see if I can scrounge him up for you.”
Uncle Jack was like that. Upbeat and…awfully cool. I couldn’t remember ever seeing him grump around. Even when Aunt Marla died, he had been sad, not crabby.
Soon he was back on the line. “Stan says he’s busy. I tried to hog-tie him and drag him over here, but I couldn’t hold him down long enough to get him tied up to haul.”
I laughed. “So, what you’re really saying is Stan refuses to talk to me?”
“Don’t take it seriously, cutie. Your oldest cousin is in a blue funk.”
“Blue funk?”
“Ever been there?” he asked with a chuckle.
“He’s like…depressed, is that it?”
“Come to think of it, depressed is a step up from blue funk.”
I remembered the dumb stuff Stan and I had said to each other after school. “I guess I can’t blame him. His bad mood may be partly my fault.”
“Well, is there a message I can zap him with…from you, I mean?”
“Tell him my church youth group is having an ice-cream social at the Soda Straw this Saturday at two-thirty. And…I’m inviting him.”
“Sounds delicious,” Uncle Jack said. “Anyone else Stan might know?”
“Lots of girls.” I laughed.
“I’ll tell him. That oughta make some points.”
“Thanks,” I said, feeling weird about Uncle Jack being in the middle of my plan.
“The social may be just what Stan needs,” admitted my uncle.
I had no idea what Uncle Jack meant, and I sure wasn’t going to push for more information. We said good-bye and hung up.
After school on Friday there was a long volleyball practice beginning with three laps around the gym. Miss Tucker—not Stan—called the shots today, carrying the clipboard around, smoothing her short dark hair, blowing the whistle. Stan kept score while Kayla flashed her sugar-wide smile at him every few minutes. So disgusting.
Stan looked positively bummed out, like he’d lost his best friend or something. After practice he called me over to the bench. “What’s this about Saturday?”
“Just an ice-cream bash with a bunch of kids,” I said coolly, secretly hoping he was interested.
“Yeah?” He thought for a moment, then looked up at me. He wore a kind, almost pained expression. “Sure, I’ll be there.”
What could be wrong? I had more sense than to ask. Didn’t want to spoil this breakthrough.
“Okay, see ya.” I hurried to the locker room, changed clothes without showering, and raced home to phone Andie.
Saturday was Carrie’s birthday. Uncle Jack showed up before she finished breakfast. He winked at me as he and Stephanie escorted the birthday girl out of the house.
As soon as they backed out of the driveway, Mom scurried around, opening kitchen cupboards, pulling out party supplies. “Want to help me decorate the dining room?” she asked.
“Perfect.” I reached for the pink-colored rolls of crepe paper lined up on the kitchen bar. Decorating for parties was one of my favorite things. I wanted to transform our dining room into a magical maze of pink clouds whispering against the ceiling-sky. Balloons would shimmy beneath the crepe paper canopy and dance to the birthday song.
I slid a chair close to the corner and went to work. “Wish I could see Carrie’s face when she gets home.”
“She’ll be very surprised,” Mom said from the kitchen.
I twisted and looped until the dining room seemed to disappear. In its place was a merry party land fit for a nine-year-old princess. Taking a giant breath, I began blowing up balloons.
Mom came in just then, gazing in awe at my creation. “It’s wonderful, Holly. You’ve outdone yourself.”
My cheeks burned from balloon blowing, and I stopped to catch my breath. “I could use Stan’s help right now. He’s the best balloon blower-upper I know.”
Mom straightened the tablecloth. “He may not be the best help now. His girlfriend back East just broke up with him.”
No wonder he looked so depressed yesterday. But what fabulous timing. Andie would be delirious with this news. “That’s too bad,” I said, feeling a tiny bit sorry for my schizoid cousin.
“Maybe you could introduce him to some of the girls in your youth group.” Mom had a twinkle in her eye. “It would be nice if Stan had a church home, uh, with us, you know.”
I clued in to what she was getting at. “And wouldn’t it be nice if Uncle Jack went to the same church as we do, too?”
She blushed and headed into the kitchen to bake Carrie’s birthday cake.
By two-thirty the Soda Straw was packed with ice-cream fanatics. Danny, prompt as usual, waved to me from the booth in the corner. I slid into the seat across from him. He looked puzzled, probably about the seating arrangement I’d chosen.
I picked up a menu and explained. “We need to save space for my cousin Stan. He’s coming to eat ice cream with us.”
“Okay with me,” Danny said. “You and Stan must’ve patched things up.”
“Not really. I’m just trying to befriend the new kid on the block.”
Kayla and Paula arrived wearing look-alike dresses. Carrotorange…like two-legged vegetables. Even the identical ponytails, pulled carelessly to the back of their heads, stuck out like the tassels on homegrown carrots. Next came Amy-Liz with her friends Shauna and Joy. Billy Hill and Jared arrived together, followed by Stan and a bunch of others.
Where was Andie?
I excused myself and rushed over to Stan. In order to keep my part of the pact, I had to get Stan to sit with Danny and me at our booth.
“Wanna sit with Danny and me?” I asked.
Stan nodded as we passed a table of girls, including Kayla, who suddenly looked more like a smiley pumpkin than a boring carrot with her sugar-sweet grin.
Jared merely smiled as we swept past him. In a strange sort of way, I missed his winks.
When we got settled in at our table, the waitress came around and we ordered. A strawberry sundae with three scoops of ice cream for me, a root beer float for Danny, and for Stan, who sat across the table from us, a banana split.
Danny and Stan began talking immediately, discussing favorite sports figures. “Want to borrow my book on Tony Dungy?” Danny asked him.
“Sure,” Stan said. “Thanks.”
It wasn’t long, and the waitress brought our desserts. I glanced at my watch. Two-forty-five. What was taking Andie so long?
Dipping into the giant sundae in front of me, I fumed. This wasn’t like Andie. Where was she?
“You’re going to eat all that?” he said.
I snickered. “Watch me.”
Stan leaned forward on his elbows. “You haven’t seen nothin’ yet. Holly devours ice cream like it’s rare and endangered.”
Danny kept staring. “Won’t you get sick?” he asked. “Shouldn’t you go easy?”
I didn’t like the tone of his voice. Why couldn’t he mind his own business?
Pastor Rob wandered over. “Hey,” he said, shaking hands with Stan. “Are you a friend of Holly’s?”
“We’re cousins,” Stan said, introducing himself. “I just moved to town.”
I noticed Kayla creeping up behind our youth pastor. She’d locked her cat eyes on Stan, watching his every move.
Ding-a-ding-a-ling.
Andie came in the door just then, pushing a double-wide twin stroller. All heads turned as my best friend made her grand entrance with her baby brothers dressed in matching Winnie the Pooh outfits.
“Holly…hey,” she said, heading over to our table. She parked the stroller in the aisle, and girls came from all directions. They even stumbled over each other to get to adorable Jon and Chris. “Help yourself,” she said, handing Jon to Shauna.
Chris whimpered when he spied my sundae. “Here, you go to Auntie Holly,” Andie said, picking him up and planting him on my lap.
Chris clapped as I gave him a taste of my ice cream.
“Now, there’s a smart kid,” Stan said with a grin.
But Danny looked worried. “Can he eat sweets at his age?”
“Lighten up,” I whispered. “Two-year-olds can eat most anything.”
Shauna quickly returned little Jon to Andie. Jon must’ve seen me feeding Chris, because he let out a wail. “It’s okay, buddy, you can share some of mine,” Andie told him. Then she began to work her magic on Stan. She rocked Jon from side to side, standing beside our table, talking baby talk to her brothers, chatting with Stan and Danny and me. I almost asked her to sit with us but remembered she wanted to handle things her way.
The waitress checked on our table, her order pad poised. “Any other orders here?” she asked.
“Yes, please.” Andie leaned over with Jon in her arms and reached for the menu on the table. “Can you hold him a sec?” she asked Stan.
“Fork him over.” Stan slid over against the wall to let Andie into the booth beside him.
Amazing, I thought, pushing the gooshy remains of my sundae aside.
“Anything else?” the waitress asked.
“May I please have an order of fries?” I asked.
Danny stared at me as the waitress nodded and cleared away my ice-cream dish.
“Like I said,” Stan said. “You haven’t seen nothin’ yet!” While my cousin held little Jon, the toddler pulled on the pocket of his shirt with sloppy wet fingers. But it didn’t seem to faze Stan at all.
“You’re really good with kids,” Andie said.
Stan nodded and smiled, then made funny faces to make Jon laugh.
Kayla swaggered over to our table. “Looks like you could use some help here.” She reached for Chris, who was bouncing and chattering on my lap. Then she stood there with him, smiling at Stan, who was too busy with Jon to notice. Soon she left, taking chubby Chris back to her table, where her sister and three other girls were sitting.
When the waitress returned with my fries, I salted them and poured ketchup off to the side.
Danny cleared his throat. “Any idea what Proverbs 23:20-21 says?”
“Let me guess. Something about eating too much?” I smiled when Andie raised her eyebrows.
“Go ahead, tell her,” Stan said, egging him on. “Let her have it.”
Danny began to recite, “ ‘Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.’ ”
Andie clapped. I boiled. This wasn’t funny.
The other kids were settled at tables all around the restaurant, oblivious to what was happening. Slowly, I turned to face Danny. “Do you have any idea how high and mighty your remarks are?”
“They’re God’s words, not mine,” Danny said solemnly, still scowling at my French fries.
“Okay, then, what about this verse? First Corinthians 10:31: ‘So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’ ”
“Bravo!” Andie said.
I glared at her. “Stay out of this.”
Her eyes widened as I took another bite.
Stan, embarrassed, excused himself, sliding out of the booth with little Jon. Andie moved out to make room for him. She shot me a weird look and helped Stan buckle Jon into the stroller.
“I need some fresh air,” Stan said, heading away from us, stroller and all.
“Just great, Danny,” I said. “Look what you’ve done. My cousin shows up for the first time for our youth group, and you go and scare him off.”
“Doesn’t look like he’s too scared to me.”
I turned to see Stan and Andie settling in at a quiet corner booth across the room. Looked like Andie was doing just fine without me. Mr. Macho Man pushed the stroller back and forth with his foot, while Andie chattered away.
Talk about split personality. Maybe now Andie would see Stan for who he was. How could a guy sneer at his cousin and carry on with two-year-olds all in the same day?
Disgusted, I turned my attention back to my French fries. “Well, never mind about Stan and Andie,” I told Danny. “We aren’t getting along. Not even close!”
“We aren’t?” Danny pushed his glass away and leaned on his elbow, frowning. “You’re upset again, is that it?”
“Look, do I have to spell this out for you?” I stood up.
He leaned back against the red vinyl seat, folding his arms. Oh fabulous, I thought. He has to think this one through.
I couldn’t see myself hanging around for one of his profound responses. I grabbed my jacket and purse. “Bye, Danny,” I said, heading for the door.
Under my breath, I said, “Good-bye forever.”
THE TROUBLE WITH WEDDINGS
Chapter 10
I stomped down the sidewalk and headed across the street toward the park, inhaling the brisk mountain air. Telling Danny off wasn’t as hard as I’d thought it would be. In fact, I hadn’t even planned on doing it—it just happened! And I didn’t feel one bit sorry.
When I spotted the swing sets in the park, I began to run. I needed to put some distance between me and bossy Danny Myers.
The park was buzzing with the sounds of little kids. Some were hanging upside down on the monkey bars, others were swinging higher than high, and three girls sat digging in the sandbox. Finding my favorite wooden bench near a clump of aspen trees, I sat down to think. Thinking didn’t always solve everything, but it helped. Not as much as praying, though.
The sun felt warm on my back, so I unzipped my jacket. Leaning back, I observed a giant cloud formation. A two-headed monster with floppy ears and a bushy mustache grinned down at me. Slowly…slowly, his grin faded and a triple-decker strawberry sundae took its place.
Ice cream!
I sat up thinking of the ice cream and French fries I’d ordered. Then I snickered. Danny had been stuck with the bill, and it served him right for hounding me about my food cravings. Somehow, hard as I tried, I couldn’t picture Jared acting that way.
Shoving thoughts of Danny out of my mind, I pulled a small tablet out of my purse and began writing my list from memory.
Jared must observe all of the following until Thanksgiving Day.
1. No flirting.
2. No talking to girls.
3. Must not accept phone calls from girls.
4. Must not accept letters, notes, or cards from girls.
5. Must not…
I felt someone watchin
g me. Looking up, I jumped. It was none other than Jared Wilkins. He was gazing at me intently, holding my container of French fries. “Still hungry?” he asked.
I reached for it, smiling. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” He was still standing behind me, his brown hair picking up highlights from the sun.
“Did you see what happened with Danny and me back there?” I popped a French fry into my mouth.
“It was pretty obvious, don’t you think?”
“How’d you know I’d be here?” I asked.
“I pay close attention to details.” He winked. Then he grabbed my tablet off the bench.
“Jared…no!” I leaped up, reaching for my tablet. “That’s private!”
But he twisted away, and before I could stop him, he’d opened it.
“Some list you’ve got going,” he said, smiling.
“That’s none of your business,” I insisted.
“Does this mean I get the second chance we talked about?” he asked, holding the tablet high over his head.
“We didn’t talk about any such thing.”
“Oh, you’re right. It was my idea.” He handed the tablet back to me, leaning on the bench. “But you won’t be sorry if you do.”
“I haven’t promised anything.” I stepped back, secretly admiring him.
“But you are thinking about it, aren’t you?” He was pushing the second-chance idea hard. But why?
“Just look at the list again.” I opened the tablet and handed it to him. “I made it impossible, as you can see.”
“Whatever it takes,” he said, scanning the page, then shifting his gaze to me. A smile crept across his handsome face.
“What’s this really about, Jared?” I set my fries aside. “Why do you want to prove you’re not a flirt anymore?”
“You want the truth?”
I nodded, waiting for his answer.
His eyes grew sober. “There’s only one reason.” He took a deep breath. “I miss you, Holly. I want us to get along much better than before.”
My heart beat wildly. What was a girl to do? The best-looking guy in the entire universe had just declared his feelings. And I came that close to believing him!
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