Stell and Brody both smiled as relief filled Tess. It was a small step and there was still a ways to go, but simply being invited over for dinner was a huge gamble on the couple’s part. Tess had been drunk at their wedding and made such a fool of herself. Even in planning for the perfect wedding, Stell couldn’t have expected the embarrassment of watching her inebriated sister-in-law taken out of the reception and forced to dry out overnight at the police station. Tess was surprised they even considered speaking to her again.
“The chicken is excellent, as always,” Brody said.
Stell smiled. “Thank you.”
“Everything is delicious.” Tess took a bite of potatoes and smiled as the tension melted slightly.
“We’re glad you came,” Stell said as Tess’s phone began playing Josh’s ringtone.
Brody coughed.
Tess scrambled to silence it. “Sorry,” she muttered as she stuffed the phone deep into her pocket.
Stell’s eyes sparkled. “He has his own ringtone?” she exchanged a glance with Brody whose face was still red from coughing.
“Maybe I should be concerned,” he muttered.
Tess picked up her fork. “We like talking,” she said. “I gave him a ringtone that would make him laugh.”
“And what ringtone did he choose for you?” Brody asked.
Tess avoided his eyes. “Um, I’d rather not say,” she muttered.
Brody laughed. “All right, I’ll drop the subject, but if our old friend decides to show up here, I swear I’m locking you in a tower. We barely got you back in our lives. I won’t let him take you away from us.”
Tess met her brother’s eyes and realized her own were filling with tears. She and Brody used to be so close they didn’t need words to communicate. But in the last few years, it appeared the chasm between them would never be crossed. But with those words, Tess was getting her brother back. “Thanks,” she whispered. And even if she wasn’t sure she could keep the promise, she said, “I’m not going anywhere. At least not yet.”
~*~
By the time Tess left Brody and Stell’s it was nearly ten o’clock. She was exhausted but her growing peace was worth the effort. Uncle Stu would be proud of her. Even when she’d gotten angry and wanted to walk away, she’d stuck it out and stayed for the meal. And she was glad she did. They’d spent the rest of the evening laughing and talking and Tess even managed to admit she was afraid of pursuing anything with Josh for fear he’d run once he witnessed the way everyone treated her.
It stuck in Tess’s mind that there’d been no comforting words on that subject from either Brody or Stell. But she tried not to stay in that moment. They were all too aware that it would be some time before things could be normal again.
She’d missed several calls from Josh throughout the day as well as one from a woman at the church. She grabbed her phone, set it on speaker and played the messages.
“Hey, Tornado—I wondered how your day was going. Give me a call when you get the chance. OK, bye.” Tess smiled at the reluctance in his voice, like a teenaged a boy leaving a message for a girl he liked. It was almost too much. She waited while the second message began.
“Theresa.” Tess laughed at the false sternness in Josh’s voice. “I don’t want to make a nuisance of myself, but you never called me back today. I wanted to check in. Didn’t want you to think I’d forgotten about you. ’K. Bye.”
And then… “Hi. This is Alison Gorman calling from North Street Church for Tess Carson. The ladies’ missionary group gets together every Thursday at seven, and since you’re back from the mission trip to Florida, I wondered if you’d be interested in joining us this week. You could tell us a bit about your trip. Um, give me a call at the church, extension six. Thanks!”
Tess wasn’t sure whether to groan or laugh at the last message. They should ask Morgan or the Parsons sisters. She shook her head as she glanced at the phone long enough to press the button to call Josh. He answered as she pulled her truck into the driveway of the apartment she could loosely be called as renting from Stu.
“Hey, Tornado. Where you been all day?” The sound of Josh’s voice immediately made Tess smile as she set the parking brake and turned the truck off.
“Don’t you ever work?” she asked as she jumped out of the truck and headed for her apartment.
Josh laughed, and Tess imagined him running his long fingers through his hair as his dimples popped in both cheeks. “I was in meetings all day and youth group’s tomorrow, so I’m covered for now. I’m on my way home actually and I passed Dips…almost went in for a scoop.”
“You’re evil.”
“Miss me?” his voice suddenly turned serious. Tess was relieved at the miles between them, which kept her flushed cheeks private. She drew a deep breath. “I’ve been at work all day and afterward I went to Brody and Stell’s for dinner so I guess there hasn’t been much time to miss you.”
“Ouch.” Josh laughed. “I’ve been thinking...about everything…”
Tess gulped, certain his next words would be that he’d realized they were doomed. She braced herself for the inevitable. “Yeah? Me, too.”
“Mind if I go first?”
Tess sank slowly into her couch and nodded. “Sure. Go ahead.”
“Right. OK.” Josh paused. “I might be off the mark but I had a great time when you were here. I mean…I told you what’s been holding me back from relationships before. But it’s different now.” He cleared his throat. “With you so far away, I mean, we could keep talking like this. If things seem as though they’re moving in the right direction, maybe I could come and visit or you could come back here for a while. What do you think?” he asked and released a deep breath she could hear.
“I think you’re as adorable as the teenager who rescued my kitten when Brody was away at camp…”
“Really? Me? Adorable?”
Tess laughed at the hope in his voice, wishing she could be with him in person. “Yeah, really,” she said as she tugged the pictures Josh gave her from her bag. She laid them on the table to remind herself to hang them on the refrigerator later. “But you’re also delusional. Whatever happened should be a nice memory. I’m me, and you’re—perfect you. I can’t ruin that.”
Josh choked. “Did you say I’m delusional?”
“Yes. And perfect.”
“Tess,” he dismissed one comment, still caught on the other. “I’m definitely not perfect…and I’m not even sure what you mean.”
“I think you do.”
“If I say I want to do this, it means I’m all in. I don’t say it lightly.”
Tess bit her lip. “If you ever think about coming back here—and you’re involved with me…” her voice drifted off. “All I’m saying is that you should be careful with your reputation in a small town. That makes me the wrong girl for you.”
Josh’s sigh clearly told Tess how he viewed her concerns. “You are the only one worried about this. I’m not.”
Tess gave him points for trying. She wanted to shake him, make him acknowledge that no matter what he wanted she cared too much about him to ruin his career. Of course, with no way to actually date him, what did any of it matter? “Fair enough. I mean, we can’t really date anyway, so I guess there’s no point arguing about it. Let’s talk about something else. How’s Susannah?”
“She misses you,” Josh said. “But she’s doing OK.”
“Good. I’m glad we were there for her.”
“Me, too. Hey, I already said this, but you should seriously consider youth ministry.”
Tess laughed. “No way. But you’re sweet.”
“A little birdie said there’s this girl who used to think that about me.”
Tess smiled at the change in his voice. He was falling for her and part of her didn’t want him to stop, despite what her mouth kept saying. “She still does,” Tess whispered.
Josh was quiet for a moment. “Tess. I should be clear. I’m not out of reach any more, and…” he cleared his thro
at. “I’m already thinking about being with you again.”
Tess’s gaze fell on a picture of her and Josh laughing as she sat on his shoulders to paint a spot on the ceiling of the youth center. “I wish I could come there and forget this place exists,” she said. She closed her eyes, imagining what it would be like to not fear the sting of the past biting into her everywhere she went. It seemed an impossible dream.
“You can’t do that,” Josh said. “Not because I don’t want you to but because you should finish whatever it is you need to do there first. We’ll figure it out, OK?”
“Yes,” Tess nodded even though he couldn’t see it, her confidence hanging by a thread.
“Would you like me to pray for you? For us?” His voice was filled with nervousness probably because he was serious about pursuing a relationship with her despite the miles and problems between them.
Her heart constricted. “I’d like that a lot. Thanks.”
“Anytime.” He drew a deep breath. “Dear Heavenly Father, thank You, so much, for this wonderful woman. Thank You for putting good, caring people around her to help guide her. I pray You continue to heal her spirit, Lord God, so she feels Your presence in her life every day. And Lord, I pray that You guide us as we move forward—” Josh cleared his throat. “—Together. Please make it clear to us both whether this is a relationship that is of Your will. Help us to serve You in all we do. In Your precious name I pray. Amen.”
Again, Tess smiled as she opened her eyes, wishing she would find Josh standing there before her. Unfortunately, all that was there was an empty table where a television should be, dingy curtains that were left by the last tenant, and her favorite tennis shoes, abandoned near the door.
“Amen,” she said, and in her soul, she was certain something wonderful and terribly frightening was about to happen.
13
Whatever you do, work heartily,
as for the Lord and not for men.
Colossians 3:23
Tess woke the next day with a fear she was late for something. It hit her like an oncoming train—work. ”Oh no….” She leapt from her bed, dressed quickly and rushed out the door to the diner, arriving nearly a half-hour after the breakfast rush began. She cursed herself for staying up so late the night before talking to Josh when she’d barely recovered from the long trip home from Florida.
“You’re late again,” Brittany said as Tess struggled to get her apron tied around her waist.
“Did he notice?”
Their boss, Derek Patterson, made it his personal mission to harass Tess every chance he got. He was a few years older, and a spoiled man whose dad owned several restaurants across the state. He put his son in charge of the smallest, ‘Roadside Attraction’. Since Derek held no fear of his own father firing him, he did whatever he wanted, little of which included actually managing the restaurant.
“It hasn’t been too busy,” Brittany said. “But if you could pick up C-5 I’d really appreciate it. They’ve been waiting a few minutes.”
“You got it,” Tess said and stepped away, but she bumped into Derek who was standing much too close to her. She tried to go past him, but he straightened to his full height, towering over her and blocking any means of escape.
“I gotta get C-5,” Tess said.
Derek smiled, his teeth gleaming.
His cologne wafted past the smell of greasy breakfast food, filling Tess’s nostrils so she glanced away from him for a breath of air. She knew what he wanted. It was the same thing he always wanted, the same thing she would continue to deny him.
“What you got,” Derek said, still smiling. “…is a real problem being on time, Tess. It’s getting harder to overlook.”
Tess sighed. “Derek. I need to work.”
He reached out and touched her hair, lingering a bit too long for it to be innocent. “So I can count on you to go out with me tonight? I mean, I don’t want to fire you, but you’re starting to get tough to keep around. This is the second time you were late this month.”
“I’m working at Pine View tonight,” Tess said, stepping past him.
Derek grabbed her arm and spun her around before she could get away. “I don’t mind staying up late.”
Tess turned away. “No.” She wrenched her arm free and headed to her table, wishing she could find someone besides the seediest managers to give her a job. Despite having been a good employee for nearly six months, no one wanted to bother with her yet.
Give it more time.
She stopped beside the table with a smile. “Good morning, folks. What can I get for you?”
After taking the first order, Tess was too busy to even give Derek a passing glance most of the morning. And for that she was grateful. When things finally slowed down, Tess managed to pour her own cup of coffee at ten-thirty.
Derek held out his own nearly-empty cup and waited while she refilled it. “I’m tired of you putting me off. It’s not as if you’ve been picky before.”
Tess shoved the coffee pot back onto the warmer. She turned back to him with a forced smile. “Just because I was late today doesn’t mean I’m willing to beg for my job by dating or,” she couldn’t bring herself to say what she was certain he was thinking. “Doing anything else with you.”
Derek pointed at her. “I got applications from thirty girls like you that I could hire instead. Bet they’d be on time.”
Tess gripped her coffee mug. “I won’t be late again,” she said as the restaurant door opened. “Excuse me. There are customers.”
Unfortunately for Tess the day only went downhill from there. She finished her shift at the restaurant, hustled home to change clothes, and went back to Pine View to cover an exercise class and a craft class.
Before Tess even took off her coat, Morgan yanked her aside and said, “Watch yourself, she’s on a real rampage.”
Tess rolled her eyes. “I can’t be in trouble already.”
“Theresa!? Is that you?” Ashley-Marie rounded the corner, her hair slightly askew, her lipstick nearly worn off. It was an image none were used to, when typically the home’s director was the picture of a polished executive.
Tess turned to the woman, hoping her face was respectful. “Yep?” she asked.
Ashley-Marie cleared her throat and stared down her nose.
Tess squirmed and forced a smile.
“Three people quit in one day. Whether you like it or not, Theresa, I will need you to fill in. You’ll be working double shifts for the next few weeks until I can get those gaps filled. Got it?”
Tess cleared her throat. “That’s fine. I don’t mind the extra shifts, but… um, I do work the breakfast rush and some lunches too at the diner…”
Ashley-Marie sighed heavily. “I’ll get you the schedule tomorrow and you can make sure it doesn’t interfere with your job at the greasy spoon.” She turned on her heel and was gone before Tess could respond.
“Yeesh…” Morgan said. “What was that?”
Tess shook her head. “I’m not sure. And there’s a class expecting me.” She started to walk away.
Morgan stopped her. “Hey, any word from the good pastor?”
Tess had forgotten about Josh and their conversation the entire day. “Yeah, we talked last night.” She glanced at the recreation room where residents were starting to gather. “Can we try coffee later? I’m here until eight anyway…I was planning to stay for ‘classic movie night’ but it’s not critical.”
Morgan smiled and nodded. “Sure. Your place? Eight-thirty?”
Tess nodded and turned back to her job. It was time to exercise.
~*~
Tess finished her classes before spending two hours reorganizing the supply closet in the rec room. She was so invested in her work that the deep rumble of a man clearing his throat nearly made her drop the last box she was about to shove to the top shelf of the closet.
“I didn’t receive this month’s payment, Theresa.” The familiar condescension of Harrison Flynn’s light southern drawl sur
prised her.
Tess flinched and turned, regarding him warily. That he took time from his work day to find her was not a good sign. Tess did her best to squelch the nervousness that bubbled up. Wronging him might have been one of the worst mistakes she’d ever made. Hate radiated from him so it was nearly palpable. “Mr. Flynn. I didn’t get my paychecks yet. The way the dates fell and with my mission trip to Florida, I can’t make your payment until later this week. But when I get the money I will drop it off at your office.”
Tess despised groveling to this man who’d been anything but gracious toward her, despite her many apologies and the fact that she was working two jobs to pay back the money it took to fix his defaced property. Of course, when her friends wanted to do some ‘art’ on the side of his building right after he made a comment about her needing to get right with the Lord, she’d been all for it.
But now that she cared about her faith, Harrison Flynn appeared to be unable to consider that God’s grace could extend to someone like her. Instead, he insisted on reminding her at every turn that she was beyond salvation.
Again, Harrison grunted, cleared his throat and glared down at her in clear disapproval. “You agreed that you would pay me on the fifteenth of each month. It is now the seventeenth and I would like to receive payment from you. It is not my problem that you chose to go off on some trip…”
“It was a mission trip, one I told you about weeks ago,” Tess said.
The man raised an eyebrow. “God will not be mocked.”
Tess went so many rounds with Harrison already that it would serve no purpose to defend herself. Instead she smiled, unable to stop from saying, “You’re right, sir. He sure won’t.”
Harrison didn’t take kindly to joking. In fact, it was unlikely he’d ever laughed in his life. He grimaced at Tess and glared. “My aunt lives in this facility,” he said. “And you can be certain I’ll be keeping her away from you. I’m still shocked your uncle was able to get you into this place. They’re usually so careful about who they hire.”
Forgiving Tess Page 11